The whole cost of AI, not just seats.
Seat prices are the easy part to compare. The rest - the connectors, the redaction, the audit trail, the vendor reviews and the hours to keep them running - rarely makes it into the spreadsheet. Put your own numbers in and see both routes in full.
Two routes, every cost line.
Start with your headcount. The defaults are illustrative - open the assumptions to use your own quotes, usage and hourly rate. The address bar updates as you go, so the scenario can be sent to finance as a link.
Business · $665/mo incl. 50 add-on seats · 3% commission
ASSUMPTIONSIllustrative defaults. Open to put in your own numbers.
Metered at provider rate in both scenarios. StickyPrompts adds the plan's commission.
Use your own quotes if you have them.
The line most budgets leave out. Hours are sized to your headcount until you change one.
Over three years, the separate-tools route comes to $204,084 more. Most of that gap is licences: a flat seat price for every person, whether they use AI all day or twice a month.
| Cost line | Separate tools | StickyPrompts |
|---|---|---|
| Licences & plan | $205,200 | $23,940 |
| AI usage | $14,400 | $81,576 |
| Build & rollout | $28,800 | $3,600 |
| Running & oversight | $92,340 | $27,540 |
| Total over 3 years | $340,740 | $136,656 |
- 51AI vendors to review, contract and renew
- 342h102hIT time a year, once it is running
- 320h40hbefore the first governed prompt is sent
- 1workspace for every major model, under one policy and one privacy log
Four lines, the same on both sides.
Both scenarios are broken into the same four lines, so the comparison is like for like. One-off costs are counted once across the horizon you pick; everything else is monthly.
What finance asks about the numbers.
Where do the default numbers come from?
They are illustrative middle-of-the-road assumptions, not measurements from a customer and not anybody's list price. The StickyPrompts plan prices and commissions are the only figures taken from a live source - the pricing page. Open the assumptions panel and replace the rest with your own quotes and your own hourly rate; the result is only as good as what goes in.
Why does StickyPrompts charge for chat usage when seat subscriptions do not?
A seat subscription bundles usage into a flat price and a fair-use limit. StickyPrompts meters it instead, at what the provider charges plus your plan's commission, so a light user costs little and a heavy user is never throttled. The calculator shows that usage as its own line so nothing is hidden inside a seat price.
Why count internal time at all?
Because it is usually the biggest line and the one no budget shows. Wiring separate AI tools into your storage, your CRM and your databases, redacting what should not leave, and keeping a record someone can actually export is real engineering work - and so is reviewing and renewing each vendor every year.
What if we would not build any governance around separate tools?
Then set the build and maintenance hours to zero and switch governance off. The totals will come closer together, and the difference is what the governance controls, the privacy log and the single vendor are worth to you. Plenty of small teams answer that honestly and start on a smaller plan.
Is this a quote?
No. It is an estimate to frame a conversation with finance. Prices are in USD and exclude tax, and provider rates change - the workspace shows the live rate for every model before you send. For a quote, especially above a few hundred people, talk to us about Enterprise terms.
Illustrative estimate, not a quote. StickyPrompts plan prices and commissions are read from the pricing page; every other default is an assumption you can change. Prices in USD, excluding tax. Last reviewed 28 September 2026.
Estimates are a start - try it for real.
Start free with a $5 trial balance. No card, no procurement marathon - run a week of real work and replace the assumptions with your own usage.