Cost calculator: AI subscriptions vs a private AI computer

Cloud AI plans charge for every person, every month. A private AI computer is a one-off purchase for the whole office. This calculator shows how the two compare for your team, using the plans' current published prices.

Plan prices last checked on 12/10/2026 (12 October 2026). Plans change, so check the supplier's page before you decide.

Prices may have changed. The plan prices here were last checked on 12/10/2026 (12 October 2026). Since then they may well have gone up, so check the supplier's page for today's price. Our own starting prices also move with the parts market, and your written quote is what counts.

How to read the result

• It is a comparison of money, not of quality. The biggest cloud models are more capable than the open models that run on our computers, especially on the hardest questions. For everyday office work on your own documents, our builds do a capable job, but the only test that counts is your own files. Try it on one of yours.
• Our price is a one-off. It does not include electricity or ongoing support, which is not included unless we agree it in writing.
• A shorter trip. With a private AI computer your question only travels across your office and back, instead of across the internet to a data centre. More on speed.
• A price that stays put, and no outages from a provider. Once you own it, the price does not rise when subscription prices do, and it keeps working when a cloud service has an outage or your internet is down. Like any computer it can develop a fault, so keep your own backups. More on this.
• One computer is shared by everyone. A build can only answer so many people at the same moment, so we size it to your team. See our builds.
• Plans change. Providers can also change how much usage a plan includes, so in future you might get less for the same price. That is an estimate based on current information (12/10/2026), not a guarantee, and it could also go the other way. Prices here are the suppliers' published US dollar prices. Your bill in Australian dollars may differ, for example with GST or the exchange rate. Individual plans such as Plus, Pro and Max are made for one person, so an office may need a team plan.
• AI models keep getting better. Cloud models improve all the time, and so do the open models that run on our computers. A newer open model can often be added to a computer you already own, as long as it fits in the computer's memory. So a private AI computer does not stand still, but how much better a future model will be is something nobody can promise.
• Privacy is a separate question. With a cloud plan, your documents go to the supplier's servers. With ours, they stay on a computer in your office. More on the difference, and what to check about training and terms.

Where the plan prices come from

Checked 12/10/2026, and they may have changed since. Prices are in US dollars, as published.

• ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Pro tiers and ChatGPT Business (OpenAI)
• Claude Pro and Team and Claude Max (Anthropic)

Want an exact quote for your office? Tell us about it. See also how much a private AI computer costs in Australia.