What this price floor includes
The calculator starts with the selected workload's model cost per attempt. It divides that cost by the successful-task rate, adds the variable cost you entered, allocates monthly fixed costs across successful tasks, and then applies your target gross margin.
In formula form: price floor = fully loaded cost per successful task / (1 - target margin). The result is useful for scenario planning, but it is not a demand test and it does not replace your own cost ledger.
Why success rate changes the economics
A workflow that succeeds 80% of the time pays for 100 attempts but delivers only 80 outcomes. Retries, tool failures, malformed outputs, and human rejection can therefore make cost per delivered result much higher than cost per API call. Use production logs when you have them; use a conservative pilot estimate before launch.
Costs this calculator cannot know
Payment fees, taxes, refunds, discounts, customer support, sales time, founder labor, compliance, and unusually expensive users are not added automatically. Enter directly attributable variable and fixed costs, then stress-test the result before setting a public price.
FAQ
Should I use 70% gross margin for every AI product?
No. Margin targets depend on the product, support burden, market, and growth model. The default is a planning scenario, not an industry rule.
What if power users consume ten times more?
Run at least two scenarios: median usage and a high-usage stress case. A flat subscription may need a usage cap, overage price, or model-routing rule if a small group can erase the plan's margin.
Can I use the result in a client quote?
Use it as an internal starting point, then add delivery labor, risk, support, payment terms, and tax treatment. Keep the assumptions beside the quote so the price can be revised when usage changes.