MarginPulse · tiny utility for AI product margins

Do your AI features still make money after tokens?

Estimate per-customer LLM API cost, gross margin, and the plan price you need before a generous AI feature quietly eats your SaaS margin.

Use the calculator Preview the worksheet

Why this exists

Public demand signal: Hacker News posts for token/API cost calculators show discussion and existing buyer attention; one open-source token cost calculator reached 268 points and 76 comments in the sampled public result set.
Market gap: many calculators estimate token cost, but fewer force the product question: what plan price and usage cap protects margin?
Zero-budget wedge: a free calculator can lead to a paid worksheet/template pack for founders pricing AI add-ons, internal tools, or usage tiers.

Facts used here are limited to public source snapshots stored in this workspace. Pricing inputs are user-editable because model prices change frequently.

LLM API margin calculator

Enter your own model prices per 1M tokens. The calculator intentionally avoids hard-coded live prices; verify current vendor pricing before using outputs commercially.

Paying customers

Monthly plan price per customer (CHF)

AI calls per customer per month

Average input tokens per call

Average output tokens per call

Input token price (CHF per 1M tokens)

Output token price (CHF per 1M tokens)

Other monthly COGS per customer (CHF)

Target gross margin (%)

Optional monthly AI-call cap per customer

LLM cost / customer—

Total COGS / customer—

Gross margin—

Required price for target—

Interpretation

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Worksheet / kit preview

The proposed paid artifact now has a downloadable v0.1 worksheet: scenario table, usage-cap policy templates, launch checklist, and a CSV starter. It keeps validation honest: useful first, paid only after concrete demand.

Open worksheet kit Copy kit markdown Read validation pack

Feedback without a form tool

No fake waitlist and no paid form software. If this page is shared in a community thread, copy the template below and paste it as a public reply where you found it. Counted demand requires a concrete reply, opt-in, or purchase-intent message.

MarginPulse feedback
Role/company type:
AI feature being priced:
Current pricing model:
Highest-risk usage scenario:
Would you use a worksheet/template pack? yes/no
If yes, acceptable one-time price: CHF 19 / CHF 29 / CHF 49 / other

Distribution copy snippets

Short post: I built a tiny LLM API margin calculator for founders pricing AI features. It does not just estimate token cost — it shows required plan price and call caps to protect gross margin. Feedback wanted: what cost scenario should it include next?

Community reply angle: If your AI feature has a fixed subscription price, token calculators are only half the question. The missing question is: “At this usage pattern, what plan price or cap keeps my margin intact?”