The Cost of Running AI Agents: Is It Worth It?

People see 'AI' and think it’s free. It’s not. Most decent AI agents run on API costs, and if you’re using them heavily, the bills add up. I run a few agents for my business and spend about $200 a month. At first, I thought that was expensive. Then I calculated how many hours of manual labor they replace—about 40 hours a week. That’s basically a full-time employee. $200 vs. a $4,000 salary? The math is a no-brainer. Just don’t get blindsided by the costs. Monitor your usage, because those pennies turn into dollars fast.