AI Agent Cost Breakdown: Real Numbers From the 10K MRR Experiment

Most people ask me, "What does it actually cost to run all these agents?"

So here it is. This is a transparent breakdown of what I spend to run 14+ AI agents for my 10K MRR experiment building AI products.

I'm not optimizing for the lowest possible cost. I'm optimizing for speed, learning, and iteration. Still, I track every dollar so I know if the system is healthy. The broader story behind these costs is in The Real Cost of Building AI Products.

The Baseline Setup

Stack: Claude + Next.js + Convex Orchestration: OpenClaw Products: Personality marketplace, prompt duels, bounty marketplace Agents: 14+ active (builders, reviewers, writers, QA, watcher)

This cost breakdown is based on a typical month during the experiment.

High-Level Monthly Costs (Typical Month)

Here's the summary view.

The single largest cost is always API usage (primarily Anthropic's Claude API and OpenAI's Codex). Everything else is manageable.

API Costs: The Big One

I run agents for coding, content, testing, and monitoring. That adds up.

Typical Usage Profile

• 14+ agents active
• 3-6 hours/day combined runtime
• High-token tasks: feature builds, large refactors
• Lower-token tasks: summaries, QA, reviews

Here's a simplified view of how the spend breaks down.

This is the real tradeoff: cost for speed. For me, the ROI is worth it because it compresses weeks into days. I go deeper into the operational side in Running 14+ AI Agents Daily.

Compute & Hosting Costs

These are boring but essential. They keep the systems alive.

Compute (Build Runners, CI, Background Tasks)

• $250 - $400/month
• Covers build runners, background tasks, and automation nodes
• Scales up during heavy shipping weeks

Hosting & Database

• $200 - $350/month
• Vercel hosting + Convex database
• Storage and edge functions included

Observability & Tools

• $80 - $150/month
• Logging, monitoring, alerting
• Essential for overnight builds and agent coordination

The Hidden Cost: Human Time

API spend isn't the only cost. My time is expensive too.

My Weekly Time Allocation

• 6-8 hours directing agents
• 4-6 hours reviewing and merging output
• 3-5 hours customer discovery + strategy

That's roughly 13-19 hours per week to keep the system running. The rest of my time goes to product, sales, and community.

If you don't allocate time for review, you pay later in bugs and rewrites.

Cost Control Tactics (What Actually Helps)

I don't try to make it cheap. I make it sustainable. Here's how.

1. Scope Discipline

Every extra task adds tokens. I keep tasks tight and focused.

2. Agent Specialization

Specialized agents waste fewer tokens than generalists.

3. Guardrails

I stop agents from refactoring entire codebases unless asked.

4. Review Pipeline

Fast review prevents expensive rework.

5. "Night Shift" Scheduling

I run heavy builds overnight so I can review in the morning. Fewer interruptions = fewer wasted tokens.

What Does It Cost Per Product?

Here's an approximate split across three products.

This isn't perfect accounting. It's directional. It helps me decide where to focus next.

ROI: Is It Worth It?

Short answer: yes, if speed matters.

If I can ship three full MVPs in the time it used to take me to ship one, the cost is a rounding error compared to the upside.

But you need a clear goal. If you're using agents with no outcome, you'll burn money fast.

Practical Advice for Builders

If you're thinking about running multi-agent systems, here's how to manage costs:

1. Track usage weekly (daily is overkill)
2. Separate work streams (build vs content vs QA)
3. Set hard budgets per product
4. Review outputs quickly to avoid rework
5. Pause any agent that isn't delivering value

Costs don't spiral because of usage — they spiral because of lack of discipline. For a practical framework on managing AI costs in your business, see the AI for Small Business course.

Final Reflection

The truth is, I'm not buying AI time. I'm buying speed, focus, and leverage.

$1,800-$2,800/month is not nothing. But compared to the cost of delayed shipping and lost momentum, it's a bargain.

If the goal is 10K MRR, the real question isn't "Is this too expensive?" The question is "Does this get me there faster?"

For me, the answer has been yes. I cover budgeting and cost management for AI in the AI for Small Business course. For more on hosting and infrastructure options, see Agent Hosting & Deploy Options for 2026.