The Real Costs
Complete breakdown of what building a POC actually costs. Domains, hosting, APIs, tools.
What Does a POC Actually Cost?
Let's break down the real costs of building an AI-powered POC. Spoiler: it's probably less than you think.
Essential Costs
- Domain: $12-100/year depending on TLD
- AI Subscription: $20/month (Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus)
- Hosting: $0-20/month (free tiers available)
- API Costs: $10-50/month depending on usage
$50-100 to start. That covers domain registration, one month of AI subscription, and basic hosting. You can build a working POC for less than a nice dinner.
The Hidden Cost: Your Time
The biggest cost isn't money—it's time. A 60-day POC at 2 hours/day is 120 hours. That's your real investment.
This is why scoping matters. Every unnecessary feature costs you hours you won't get back.
Cost Optimization Tips
- Use free tiers: Railway, Vercel, Netlify all have generous free tiers
- Cache AI responses: Don't call the API for the same query twice
- Start with cheaper models: GPT-3.5 is 10x cheaper than GPT-4
- Set spending limits: Every API lets you cap monthly spending
Track your costs from day one. Set up billing alerts at $10, $25, and $50. Surprises are for birthdays, not cloud bills.
$50-100 to start. You can build a real POC for less than you think.
Time is the real cost. 120 hours over 60 days is your actual investment.
Use free tiers. Most services have generous free options for POCs.
Set billing alerts. Avoid surprise costs by monitoring from day one.