How StartupCost.ai Works

From basic scraping to 98% accuracy — our data gets better every day

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1

Pick Your Tools

Select from 200+ SaaS tools across automation, databases, design, CRM, email, and analytics. Or browse by category.

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2

Enter Your Usage

Tasks per month, team size, storage needs, API calls — the real numbers that drive your bill, not what the pricing page assumes.

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3

See True Cost

Get a line-by-line breakdown: base price, overage charges, hidden fees, confidence score. Compare alternatives. Share via URL.

Calculator UX Flow

// Example: Zapier

Step 1: Select tool → Zapier

Step 2: Enter usage → 3,500 tasks/mo, 2 users, 2 premium apps

Step 3: See result:

Advertised price:

$29/month

True cost (estimated):

$147/month

Based on manual research | Confidence: 85%

Base tier (Professional): $29.00

Task overage (3,500 - 2,000 × $0.015): $22.50

Premium apps (2 × $10): $20.00

Multi-step zap surcharge: $45.50

Projected usage growth (15%): $30.00

Step 4: Alternatives:

Make.com: $79/mo → Save $68/mo (46%)

n8n (self-hosted): $20/mo → Save $127/mo (86%)

How We Get Our Data

Three layers of research. No guessing. No AI-generated estimates.

1

Official Pricing Pages

Active

We scrape and read every tool's official pricing page — base tiers, published limits, and overage rates. This gives us the advertised price, but misses the hidden fees that vendors don't show.

60%
2

Manual Hidden Fee Research

Active

Our team manually researches every hidden fee for each tool. We read Reddit threads, GetApp/Capterra reviews, forum complaints, support docs, and terms of service. We document every overage rule, forced upgrade trigger, and surprise charge with sources.

85%
3

Real User Bills

Accepting submissions

Users can submit their actual SaaS bills. We verify and extract real-world pricing data that no pricing page shows. Every bill makes our calculator more accurate for everyone. This is data no competitor can replicate.

90%

See It in Action

Try the calculator free — see what your tools really cost.

Use Free Calculator