How Much To Run AI
Self-hosted open-weight LLM cost calculator comparing owned hardware, rented GPU, and cloud API running costs
About How Much To Run AI
Self-hosting cost calculator for open-weight LLMs: pick models such as Kimi, GLM, DeepSeek, and Qwen to compare the cost of running them on your own hardware or on rented GPUs. Enter the machine's power draw, runtime, and price per kWh to get an electricity cost estimate, which replaces the in-house hardware total cost estimate; hosted API costs are estimated from stored rates and total monthly tokens, with peak and off-peak rates forming a range. The model catalog lists 72 models, of which 2–3 can be compared side by side, using fields from dated catalog records. The credit pack page lists three tiers — Starter $10, Pro $100, and Volume $1,000 — currently marked as not purchasable.
Best for
Best use cases
Estimate the monthly electricity cost of running open-source models on owned servers
Compare the break-even point between buying GPU hardware and renting cloud GPUs
Estimate the monthly cost range of hosted APIs billed per token
Compare several candidate models side by side during selection
Features
Whole-machine electricity cost estimate
Calculates the electricity cost of the whole machine from the entered power, runtime, and price per kWh; this result replaces the in-house hardware total cost estimate and must not be added to it.
Owned versus rented comparison
Shows purchased hardware alongside rented GPU and hosted API costs; when a public cloud price matches, it gives the break-even point against renting.
Model catalog and side-by-side comparison
The model catalog lists 72 models, of which 2–3 can be compared, using fields from dated catalog records; the billing units of different APIs are shown separately.
Credit pack tiers at a glance
Starter $10 (100,000 credits), Pro $100 (1,000,000 credits), Volume $1,000 (10,000,000 credits); credits do not expire, and the page marks them as not purchasable.
Pros
- Simple inputs: power, duration, and electricity price give the whole-machine electricity cost
- Covers three cost bases at once: owned hardware, rented GPU, and hosted API
- The model catalog holds 72 models, with 2–3 selectable for side-by-side comparison
- The cost calculator is free and open to use
Cons
- The credit pack page marks the Starter, Pro, and Volume tiers as currently not purchasable
- Hardware with no matching public cloud price cannot produce a break-even point against renting