Pricing Guide
How Much Does an AI Assistant on VPS Cost?
A complete breakdown of all costs involved in running your own AI on a VPS.
Quick Answer
A self-hosted AI on VPS costs $15-45/month total. This includes VPS hosting ($4-14/mo) plus API costs ($10-30/mo). Compare this to ChatGPT Pro at $20/month or Claude Pro at $20/month — self-hosted can be cheaper for heavy users with full control.
Cost Breakdown
| Component | Low End | High End |
|---|---|---|
| VPS (Docker plan) | $4/mo | — |
| VPS (Dedicated) | — | $14/mo |
| API Calls (Light) | $5/mo | — |
| API Calls (Heavy) | — | $50/mo |
| Total | $9/mo | $64/mo |
vs. Other Options
ChatGPT PlusUnlimited but less control
$20/moClaude ProBest for coding
$20/moClawAI (Docker)Full control, managed hosting
$15.99/mo + APISelf-hosted OpenClawFree software, you manage server
$10-20/mo + APIWhen Self-Hosted Makes Sense
- • You use AI heavily (100k+ tokens/month)
- • You want full control over data and models
- • You need custom configurations
- • You prefer paying for API directly without markup
Related Pages
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