AI vs Human Cost Comparison
Who it's for: Business owners deciding whether to keep a task with a person, hire extra help, or hand it to an AI tool.
What it does: For one specific recurring task, compares the real cost of human time against an AI tool's cost and time saved, and gives a direct answer on which is cheaper.
These figures are cost estimates based on the numbers you enter, not financial advice. Actual costs depend on your real hourly rates, how much time the AI tool genuinely saves, and your vendor's current pricing. Confirm current pricing on the vendor's site and check your own payroll costs before making a decision.
How we calculate this
Human cost per month = hourly rate x hours per occurrence x occurrences per month. AI cost per month = the human time still needed while using the AI tool (at the same hourly rate) plus the full monthly AI tool cost. Occurrences per month: one-off and monthly tasks count as 1, weekly as 4.33, daily as 22 working days. A one-off task has no recurring annual cost, so no per-year figure is shown for it. The full AI tool subscription cost is allocated to this single task as a conservative estimate. If the tool also covers other tasks, your real cost per task is lower. This is a single-task comparison. For a whole-of-business view, see the AI ROI Calculator.
How this tool works
How the comparison works
The calculator compares two ways of completing one specific task. You choose the task type and frequency, then enter the current hourly rate, the human hours required for each occurrence, the residual human time required when AI is used, and the AI tool’s monthly subscription cost.
For monthly calculations, one-off and monthly tasks count as one occurrence, weekly tasks as 4.33 occurrences, and daily tasks as 22 occurrences. Human cost is the hourly rate multiplied by human hours and occurrences. AI cost is the residual human labour cost plus the full monthly AI subscription. The calculator identifies the cheaper option and shows the percentage difference. For a one-off task, it shows only the one-time comparison, including one month of the AI subscription.
Pricing prefill and scope
Prices prefilled for named AI tools come from the site’s AI Pricing Tracker data, using its current verified figures rather than prices entered from memory. A separate review date is not provided in the supplied tool information, so users should treat the pricing tracker as the source of the prefill’s currency.
The entire subscription is allocated to the selected task. This is deliberately conservative because an AI tool used for several tasks could have a lower effective cost per task. This calculator is a single-task comparison, not a whole-of-business assessment. Use the AI ROI Calculator for the broader picture.
Worked example
Consider weekly customer enquiry responses. A person takes two hours each time and costs $55 an hour. The monthly human cost is 2 × $55 × 4.33 = $476.30.
With AI producing the first draft, assume about 20 minutes, entered as 0.33 hours, of human review is still required each time. The AI subscription costs $46 a month. Following the example calculation, the AI option costs (0.33 × $55 × 4.33) + $46 = about $125.70 per month. The calculator therefore identifies AI as cheaper, with a monthly difference of $350.60, or about 73.6% less than the human-only cost.
Frequently asked questions
Does the AI cost exclude human review time?
No. Enter the human time still required for each occurrence, such as checking or editing AI output. The calculator includes that labour cost.
Why is the full subscription charged to one task?
The tool uses a conservative single-task comparison. It does not divide the subscription across other tasks that may use the same AI tool.
How are weekly and daily frequencies converted?
Weekly tasks use 4.33 occurrences per month. Daily tasks use 22 occurrences, representing 22 working days.
What happens when I select one-off?
The task counts once. The calculator compares the one-time human cost with the one-time AI-assisted cost, including one month of the subscription, and does not show an annual figure.