How Much To Run AI

What is How Much To Run AI?

How Much To Run AI is a set of free cost calculators and model guides for people budgeting to run AI models. For supported open-weight text models such as Kimi, GLM, DeepSeek, Qwen, Llama and Gemma, it estimates the VRAM needed, matches hardware, and compares local hardware with cloud GPU rental. Separate calculators cover image, video and decision models. Results are planning estimates, not vendor quotes or performance guarantees.

How to use How Much To Run AI?

1. Pick an open-weight model.
2. Choose a deployment path, either local hardware or cloud rental, and a quantization option.
3. Select a usage level: light, medium or heavy, roughly 120, 360 or 720 hours per month.
4. Optionally adjust assumptions such as exchange rate, electricity rate, salary range, operations share, PUE and depreciation period.
5. Review the estimate, then share the URL or export a PNG or PDF report.

What the text model calculator estimates

• Required VRAM, from parameter count, bytes per parameter and a runtime headroom factor of 1.2 by default. Mixture-of-experts models use total parameters so all expert weights are budgeted.
• Matched hardware and its power draw.
• A one-time local system cost and a monthly cost split into compute, electricity and operations labor.
• A cloud rental, self-hosted and hybrid comparison with a directional break-even period.
• A hosted API price reference when a current public price exists.

Each price reference shows its source type, update time, region and billing unit, and estimates without a verifiable link are marked as such.

Model guides

The site publishes guides for individual hosted API, open-weight and restricted-preview models, covering access routes, license notes and cost considerations such as token rates.

Use cases for How Much To Run AI

Build-or-buy planning

Teams deciding between self-hosting and a managed API can compare upfront spend, monthly operating cost and break-even timing.

Hardware sizing

Engineers can see how model size and precision change the VRAM requirement and GPU tier.

Pricing for How Much To Run AI

The cost calculators are free to use. The pricing page lists generation credit packs but states they are currently unavailable for purchase.

Frequently asked questions about How Much To Run AI

What is left out of the estimate?

Application development, fine-tuning, security and compliance are not included, nor are reserved capacity, negotiated rates, volume discounts or resale value.