Topic
The real cost of AI coding tools
AI coding went from $10 flat to metered billing in about a year, and the bills stopped being predictable. This hub tracks the receipts: what the meters actually charge, what real developers report paying, and the three-year math nobody puts on a pricing page.
The pattern across every post is the same one. Flat subscriptions became quota subscriptions, quotas became credits, and credits bill by the token. Each step is rational for the vendor and a surprise for the developer who budgeted last year.
Our position is on the pricing page in one sentence: free in beta, $39 once for commercial use at full release, and your model costs are whatever you choose to run, including zero if you run local.
- 8 min read
Claude Fable 5: the cost of frontier AI
Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 is its most powerful public model yet: 1M context, $50/M output. What it does, and how to use frontier AI without lock-in.
- 9 min read
Even Uber hit the AI coding cost wall
Uber burned its 2026 AI budget in 4 months, then capped engineers at $1,500/mo. Microsoft cut Claude Code. Why metered agentic AI hits a cost wall.
- 8 min read
GitHub Copilot, one week in: real developer bills since AI Credits went live
One week into Copilot's June 1 AI Credits flip, real developer bills are landing. The single-request burns, the math, and what removes the meter.
- 10 min read
GitHub Copilot AI Credits, decoded: what Pro, Pro+, and Max actually cover after June 1
On June 1, 2026, GitHub flipped all Copilot plans to AI Credits billing. We walk the math plan by plan, with live model pricing from the docs.
- 10 min read
Kilo Pass vs Anthropic API direct: the cost math
Anthropic locked Claude Code to its own client on January 9, 2026. Kilo Pass is the pitched workaround. We ran the math at three usage tiers.
- 7 min read
The real cost of Kilo Code in 2026
Kilo Code's free extension is just the start. KiloClaw runs $55/mo, credit packs go $19-199/mo, and inference stacks on top. We ran the real numbers.
- 7 min read
AI IDE cost comparison: how much are you really paying?
Cursor, Copilot, Windsurf: the monthly fees add up fast. Use our free cost calculator to see the 1-, 2-, and 3-year total vs a one-time purchase.
- 8 min read
The real cost of AI coding subscriptions vs one-time purchase (3-year analysis)
ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Copilot: $70/month. Multiply by 36 and it's $2,520 you'll never own. Here's the one-time purchase vs subscription breakdown.
More topics
Bodega One Code is the local-first AI IDE these guides are written around. Free for everyone in the open beta, commercial use included. Download free →