Methodology
Cost calculated for 5 agent archetypes (see table below). Each run includes: system prompt + conversation + tool definitions (input), response (output), tool results re-injection (input), retry allowance (10%). Prices from official provider pages July 2026.
Agent Archetype Cost Table
| Agent type | Description | Input/run | Output/run | Calls/run | Cost on GPT-4o | Cost on Plugsky |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple RAG | Single question + context retrieval | 4K | 500 | 1 | $0.0015 | $0 (flat) |
| Research | Multi-search + synthesis | 15K | 4K | 4 | $0.008 | $0 (flat) |
| Coding | Generate + review + fix | 20K | 8K | 3 | $0.013 | $0 (flat) |
| Customer support | Context + tool calls + resolution | 10K | 2K | 3 | $0.005 | $0 (flat) |
| Multi-agent | 5 agents × 3 rounds of coordination | 50K | 20K | 15 | $0.045 | $0 (flat) |
Per-run costs assume GPT-4o at $2.50/$10 per MTok (input/output) and Plugsky flat pricing. Updated Jul 2026.
Monthly cost projections
Here's what these agent archetypes cost at various volumes across major providers:
| Runs/month | GPT-4o | Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Gemini 2.5 Pro | Plugsky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K | $5 – $45 | $3 – $40 | $2 – $20 | $20 (Hobby) |
| 10K | $50 – $450 | $30 – $400 | $20 – $200 | $50 (Starter) |
| 100K | $500 – $4,500 | $300 – $4,000 | $200 – $2,000 | $100 (Builder) |
| 1M | $5,000 – $45,000 | $3,000 – $40,000 | $2,000 – $20,000 | $500 (Scale) |
Ranges reflect the spread between Simple RAG (cheapest) and Multi-agent (most expensive) archetypes. Plugsky pricing is per-user per-month flat rate. Updated Jul 2026.
Hidden costs
Per-token pricing models hide several cost multipliers that only appear when you run real agents:
- Retries — adds 10–30% to token count. Every failed tool call, rate-limit hit, or hallucinated output requires a retry that costs the same as the original.
- Context accumulation — each round adds the full conversation history back as input. A 5-round agent with 10K context per round burns 50K+ input tokens total, not 10K.
- Tool execution — tool results (search results, file contents, API responses) are re-injected as input for the next call. A 2K web search result becomes 2K additional input tokens.
- Multi-agent overhead — agents talk to each other. Each coordination round is a full inference call for every agent involved. Five agents × 3 rounds = 15 separate calls.
- Rate limit retries — when you hit provider rate limits, exponential backoff wastes time and retries waste tokens. At scale this adds noticeable overhead.
Plugsky advantage
Flat pricing means unlimited runs. For multi-agent or high-volume agent systems, Plugsky can be 10–100× cheaper than per-token providers.
A team running 100K multi-agent runs/month on GPT-4o would pay roughly $4,500. On Plugsky Builder ($100/month), the same workload costs the same flat rate — regardless of agent complexity, retries, or context size. The more agents you run, the more you save.
Download the data
Copy the table below for your own analysis:
Limitations
Actual costs vary based on your specific agent architecture, model choice, and usage patterns. Context windows vary by model — GPT-4o supports 128K, Claude 3.5 supports 200K, Gemini 2.5 supports 1M. Plugsky comparison assumes the same agent architecture and model tier across providers. Per-token pricing is subject to change by providers.
Frequently asked questions
What's the most expensive part of AI agents?
Context accumulation and multi-agent coordination. A single agent call is cheap ($0.001–$0.01), but agents that loop, retry, or coordinate with other agents multiply the cost by 5–20×. In a multi-agent system, most of the cost is input tokens from re-injecting full conversation history each round.
Is Plugsky cheaper for agents?
Yes — for any agent that makes more than one call per run. Plugsky's flat pricing means the per-run cost is effectively $0 regardless of how many calls, retries, or tool results your agent uses. For multi-agent systems or high-volume agent deployments, Plugsky is typically 10–100× cheaper than per-token providers.
How many calls does a typical agent make?
A simple RAG agent makes 1 call. A research agent making 4 searches with synthesis makes 4–5 calls. A coding agent that generates, reviews, and fixes code makes 3–5 calls. A multi-agent system with 5 agents and 3 coordination rounds makes 15+ calls. Each call is a separate API request with its own token cost.
How do retries affect agent costs?
Retries add 10–30% to your token bill on per-token providers. Every time an agent makes a bad tool call, hits a rate limit, or produces invalid output, the retry costs the same as the original. On Plugsky, retries are free — your flat rate covers unlimited attempts.
What agent archetype should I use for cost estimation?
Start with the archetype closest to your use case. Simple RAG for Q&A bots, Research for analysis/reporting agents, Coding for development agents, Customer support for ticket-handling agents, and Multi-agent for complex orchestration workflows. If you're unsure, use the Coding or Customer support numbers — they're the most representative of real-world agent workloads.
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