Lesson 4 of 5
Cost
Please note: This site is only a guide to help people understand. Consult your IT, security and/or privacy department for clarification.
Free and paid plans
Free plans are a fine way to learn. They often come with weaker privacy terms and fewer features, so do not put sensitive work on them.
Paid plans usually add more use, better controls and clearer data terms.
Check the terms for the exact plan. Paid does not always mean private.
Per seat and per use
Per-seat pricing means a fixed monthly fee for each person. It is easy to budget.
Per-use pricing is common with the API. You pay for the amount of text processed, counted in tokens. A token is a small chunk of a word.
Per-use can cost very little for light use. It needs someone who can set up the software.
Nonprofit discounts
Some providers offer nonprofit pricing or programs. Offers change, and some need proof of status.
Always ask. The topic page lists each nonprofit offer we found, and says “not found in reviewed sources” when we found none.
Hidden costs
The subscription is not the whole bill. Count staff time to learn the tool, time to review the output, and the cost of fixing mistakes.
Run a small pilot
Start small. Pick one task, one month and two or three people.
Measure the time before and after. Then decide with facts, not hype.