"An AI subscription costs only $20 per month" – sounds cheap, right? Many entrepreneurs think this way when purchasing standard plans from global providers for their teams.
The problem arises only after a few weeks of use.
Suddenly, it turns out that the limits are too low, employees complain about "technical downtimes," and the actual cost of AI in the company is several times higher than expected.
Let's check how much a public AI cloud really costs in a company – and whether there is a better alternative.
Standard Subscription: Apparent Savings
Market price: ~$20 USD/month (~20 EUR)
At first glance, a great offer. But the devil is in the details:
Typical limits in standard plans:
- E.g., 40 queries every 3 hours for premium models
- Daily limit with intensive use
- No availability guarantee – the service may run slower during peak hours
- No priority access in the basic price
What does this really give?
Assume an employee works 8 hours a day:
- 40 queries / 3 hours = maximum ~13 queries per hour
- That's an average of 1 query every 4-5 minutes
Sounds good? Let's see how it looks in practice.
Case study: marketing agency (5 employees)
The agency buys 5 standard cloud subscriptions:
- Monthly cost: 5 × ~20 EUR = ~100 EUR
What happens in practice?
Week 1: Everything is great. Employees are delighted.
Week 2: The copywriter complains that "it doesn't work again" – they exceeded the limit in the middle of the day.
Week 3: The graphic designer wants to analyze a client brief but has to wait for the limit to reset.
Month 2: The company buys additional "backup" accounts for employees who regularly exceed the limits.
Actual cost: 8 accounts × ~20 EUR = ~150 EUR/month
And there are still access interruptions.
Team Plan in the Cloud: More Expensive, but Still Limited
Market price: ~$25-30 USD/user/month (~25-30 EUR)
Team plans offer:
- Higher limits (but still limited)
- Shared workspace
- Optional disabling of training on data
For a 5-person team:
Monthly cost: 5 × ~27 EUR = ~125 EUR
Problem? There are still limits. Still no full control. Data still ends up on servers outside the EOG (most often in the USA).
Enterprise Plan: No Limits, but at What Cost?
Enterprise plans are often the only option without strict query limits, but:
- Price not disclosed – negotiated individually
- According to industry sources: minimum $60 USD/user/month (~60 EUR)
- Often requires a minimum of 50-100 users
- Annual contracts
For a small team (5 people):
Theoretically: 5 × 60 EUR = 300 EUR/month In practice: Often unavailable for small companies due to minimum license requirements.
For a medium-sized company (50 people):
50 × 60 EUR = 12,175 EUR/month = 153,0 EUR/year
And this is just the starting point for negotiations.
Hidden Costs of Public Cloud That No One Talks About
1. Downtime Cost
When an employee hits a limit and has to wait:
- Hour of a specialist's work: ~24-45 EUR
- Downtime: lost productivity
2. Mental Cost of "Managing Limits"
Employees have to:
- Check how many queries they have left
- Plan when to use AI and when not to
- Wait for access to be unlocked
This is not an efficient work environment.
3. GDPR Risk Cost
Data on servers outside the EOG:
- Potential fines: up to 20 million EUR or 4% of annual turnover
- Costs of audits and implementing safeguards
4. Lack of Cost Control
Global operators can change the pricing at any time:
- You have no guarantee of price stability in the long term
aikeep.io: Predictable Costs, Zero Limits
Let's look at an alternative:
Freelancer/Solo Plan
17 EUR/month net (~20 EUR gross)
✅ 1 user ✅ Unlimited queries – zero downtime ✅ 24/7 access – no peak hours ✅ Document analysis – no size limits ✅ Data in Poland – GDPR compliance
For whom: Freelancers, sole proprietors, solo entrepreneurs
Small Team Plan (RECOMMENDED)
70 EUR/month net (~70 EUR gross)
✅ Up to 5 users ✅ Unlimited queries ✅ 24/7 access ✅ Document analysis ✅ Priority processing ✅ Quick implementation
For whom: Small companies, agencies, startups, law firms
Cost Comparison: Public Cloud vs aikeep.io
Scenario 1: Freelancer / 1 person
| Solution | Cost/month | Limits | Data in EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Subscription | ~20 EUR | Yes (e.g., 40/3h) | ❌ |
| aikeep.io Solo | 20 EUR | No limits | ✅ |
Verdict: Similar price, but aikeep.io provides unlimited access and data security.
Scenario 2: Small Team / 5 people
| Solution | Cost/month | Limits | Data in PL | Downtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Subscription (5 accounts) | ~100 EUR | Yes | ❌ | Frequent |
| Standard Subscription (actual 8 accounts) | ~150 EUR | Yes | ❌ | Frequent |
| Team Plan | ~125 EUR | Higher, but still exist | ❌ | Rare |
| aikeep.io Small Team | 70 EUR | No limits | ✅ | Never |
Verdict: aikeep.io is almost 2x cheaper than cloud team plans and has no limits.
Scenario 3: Medium Team / 20 people
Assume 20 people regularly use AI:
| Solution | Cost/month | Cost/year | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Subscription (20 accounts) | ~400 EUR | ~20,95 EUR | Yes |
| Team Plan (20 accounts) | ~550 EUR | ~27,150 EUR | Yes |
| Enterprise Plan | ~1200+ EUR* | ~61,45+ EUR | No |
| aikeep.io (4× Small Team) | 300 EUR | 14,175 EUR | No |
*Estimated market price – Enterprise requires individual negotiations
Verdict: aikeep.io costs ~40-75% less than the competition and has no limits.
What Do You Get with aikeep.io That You Don't Have in the Public Cloud?
1. Zero Query Limits
You don't have to count how many times a day you use AI. Work without restrictions.
2. Data Stays in the EU
Full GDPR compliance. No legal risks associated with data transfer outside the EOG.
3. Predictable Costs
You pay a fixed amount monthly. No surprises, no hidden fees.
4. No Downtime
Public clouds can be overloaded during peak hours. aikeep.io operates 24/7 without interruptions.
5. Support in Polish
Having a problem? You write in English, you get a response in English.
6. Scalability
Team growing? You add more accounts at predictable costs.
Real Story: Content Marketing Agency
The agency "ContentPro" (name changed) used standard cloud subscriptions for a year:
Original plan:
- 6 copywriters × ~20 EUR = ~125 EUR/month
Reality after 3 months:
- 6 basic accounts + 4 "backup" = ~200 EUR/month
- Copywriters still complain about limits
- During deadlines, AI is unavailable (peak hours)
After switching to aikeep.io:
- 2× Small Team Plan = 150 EUR/month gross
- All 6 copywriters + 4 backup people (10 total) have access
- Zero limits, zero complaints
- Savings: approx. 55 EUR/month (+ elimination of downtime)
Calculators: Check How Much You Can Save
Your team consists of:
3 people:
- Cloud Subscription: ~60 EUR/month
- aikeep.io Solo (3×): 60 EUR/month
- You gain: No limits, data in PL
5 people:
- Cloud Subscription: ~100 EUR/month (but actually ~150 EUR)
- aikeep.io Small Team: 70 EUR/month
- You save: approx. 28-90 EUR/month
10 people:
- Cloud Subscription: ~200 EUR/month
- Team Plan: ~275 EUR/month
- aikeep.io (2× Small Team): 150 EUR/month
- You save: approx. 55-125 EUR/month
20 people:
- Team Plan: ~550 EUR/month
- aikeep.io (4× Small Team): 300 EUR/month
- You save: approx. 250 EUR/month = 12,200 EUR/year
Summary: Public Cloud or aikeep.io?
Choose the Public Cloud if:
- You are testing AI hobbyistically
- You are not processing sensitive or corporate data
- You accept limits and downtime
Choose aikeep.io if:
- ✅ You want unlimited access to AI
- ✅ You care about data security (GDPR)
- ✅ You need predictable costs
- ✅ You don't want to manage limits and wait for access to be unlocked
- ✅ You are looking for a solution for a team (not just for yourself)
Don't Overpay. Test aikeep.io.
Before you buy another cloud subscription for your team, check how much you can really save with aikeep.io:
- 🇵🇱 Data in the EU – full GDPR compliance
- 🚀 Zero limits – work without restrictions
- 💰 Lower costs – save even 225+ EUR/month
- 🔒 Full control – your data, your rules