Build vs Buy AI Calculator
Compare custom build and subscription cost over your time horizon and see the breakeven month
FreeNo credit cardResults in 2 minutesUsed by 500+ companies
Horizon
Build (assumptions)
Buy (assumptions)
Result
Build, total over 24 months
$52,000
Buy, total over 24 months
$42,000
Cheaper on cost alone
Buy
Building costs less than buying from month 39 onward under these inputs. Upfront build cost is $32,000, then $833 per month to run and maintain.
The formulas
Build upfront = build hours x hourly cost
Build monthly = (build upfront x maintenance %) / 12 + infrastructure
Build total = build upfront + build monthly x months
Buy total = setup fee + integration hours x hourly cost + sum of monthly subscription
(subscription rises by the yearly increase every 12 months)
Breakeven month = first month where cumulative build cost <= cumulative buy costWhat this number does not include. Time to value (a bought tool can be live in weeks, a build usually cannot), vendor lock-in, the fit of the product to your process, security review, the risk that your build slips, and the cost of the people who own the system after launch. Cost is one input. It rarely decides the question alone.
If building wins on your numbers, our AI agent development service ships production agents with maintenance included. AI Agent Development.
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