2026-08-26
The Best AI Coding Models Right Now, By Job
Coding models run from $0.07 to $5.00 per million input tokens — a 70× spread. A shortlist by task, with verified prices and context lengths.
Notes from where the providers meet
2026-08-22
The Best AI Video Models Right Now, By Job
A shortlist by task, not a ranking. Prices run from $0.002 to $0.357 per second — a 178× spread. What each tier is actually for.
2026-08-18
The Best AI Image Models Right Now, By Job
Not a ranking — a shortlist by task. The cheapest model that will do each job, from $0.003 bulk generation to precision editing. Verified prices.
2026-08-13
480p, 720p or 1080p? What AI Video Resolution Actually Costs
Resolution is the biggest lever on an AI video bill — and the cheapest provider changes depending on which tier you pick. Verified prices.
2026-08-08
AI Image Generation Pricing Compared
What one generated image actually costs, from $0.003 to $0.045 — across fal.ai, Replicate and Atlas Cloud, with the rounding trap that doubles bills.
2026-08-03
How Much Does AI Actually Cost? Three Worked Examples
What AI really costs for 10,000 product images, a chat feature at 50,000 messages a month, and 200 short videos — with the unit maths shown.
2026-07-28
Why the Same AI Model Costs Different Amounts at Different Providers
The same AI model is often listed at three different prices. Here is what actually varies — billing units, resolution tiers, run-time billing and discounts.
2026-07-21
What Is Multimodal AI? (And Why It Rarely Means One Model)
Multimodal means two different things. One model that reads many input types is not the same as one that produces them — and almost none do both.
2026-07-13
What Is Context Length? (And What Actually Fills It)
Context length is a budget, not a feature. What counts against it, what the real limits are today, and what happens when you run out.
2026-07-06
What Are AI Tokens? (And Why Your Bill Is Bigger Than You Expected)
Tokens explained in plain language — what counts as one, why a 10-turn chat bills 22× the text you typed, and why output tokens cost the most.