Most people who use AI tools don't think of themselves as having a tech stack.
They just have a few things they signed up for along the way.
One for writing. One for research. One for images. One for design. One for meetings. One for editing. Maybe one for video.
Each one seemed reasonable at the time. Together, they tell a different story.
The number that surprises people
A new pricing analysis from Lorka AI found that a typical freelance creative using a mix of popular AI tools could now be spending $1,236 a year on subscriptions.
The report makes clear that AI pricing has shifted sharply since 2023. Back then, many tools were still free, trial-based or generous with basic access. Today, basic paid plans commonly sit at $20 to $30 a month. Premium tiers can reach $200 a month.
But the bigger problem is not the price of any single tool. It is a duplication.
Lorka calls it subscription sprawl. It happens when people keep adding tools as new needs come up — but never go back to check whether the older ones still earn their place.
A sample AI stack can cost $1,236 a year
Tool | Main function | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
ChatGPT Plus | Content ideas, written content | $240 |
Midjourney Standard | Image creation | $288 |
Runway Standard | Video editing | $144 |
Perplexity Standard | Research | $200 |
Canva Pro | Design tools | $120 |
Otter.ai Pro | Interview transcription | $100 |
Grammarly | Grammar and spellchecking | $144 |
Total | $1,236 |
Paying for the same thing multiple times
The overlap between tools is now hard to ignore.
Chatbots can research, draft, summarise, analyse documents and generate images. Design platforms include AI writing and image editing. Research tools produce polished summaries. Meeting tools transcribe, summarise and generate action items. Writing assistants rewrite, edit and draft from scratch.
A user who signed up for seven tools to do seven different jobs may now only need three or four of them.
Lorka's pricing comparison shows how far things have moved.
Midjourney launched with a free trial of 25 images in 2022. It now has four paid tiers ranging from $10 to $120 a month. ChatGPT started with free access and now has plans up to $200 a month. Perplexity began with free unlimited search and now has a Pro plan at $20 a month and a Max plan at $200. Claude has a free version, a Pro plan at $20 a month and Max plans from $100. Gemini, formerly Bard, introduced paid tiers after Google rebranded the product. Lorka lists the Google AI Pro plan at $19.99 a month.
More pressure is coming
The market context makes this harder to ignore.
Menlo Ventures estimates there are between 1.7 and 1.8 billion AI users globally. Only around 3% pay for premium services. Gartner forecasts global AI spending will reach $2.52 trillion in 2026 — up 44% year on year.
AI companies are spending heavily on chips, data centres, model development and infrastructure. Free plans helped drive adoption. Paid tiers are how those companies plan to turn usage into revenue.
For users, that means free access is likely to get more restricted — not less.
This does not mean AI tools are bad value
A $20 subscription can be worth every penny if it saves several hours a month or replaces work that would otherwise go to a contractor or specialist.
The question is whether every subscription is still doing that job.
How to audit your AI stack
The fix is not complicated. It just requires a few minutes of honest accounting.
Start with a list. Write down every AI tool you currently pay for. Add the monthly or annual cost next to each one. Then write down the specific task each tool handles. Not "AI assistant." Something specific — research, meeting notes, image creation, video editing, grammar checking.
Then look for overlap.
Does your chatbot now do research well enough to replace a separate research tool? Does your design platform write basic captions well enough to replace a writing assistant? Does your meeting tool already include transcription?
If the answer to any of those is yes, that subscription may no longer be needed.
The right stack, not the biggest one
A good AI setup should be small, useful and easy to explain.
If you cannot say clearly why you are paying for a tool, that is a sign it may be time to cut it.
AI tools are getting more powerful. But power is not the same as value. The best setup is not the one with the most apps. It is the one where every app has a clear job — and is doing it.
About the Author
Saba Javed handles TECHi's daily market coverage: the movers, the earnings beats and misses, and the pre-market headlines that set the tone for the session. She writes to a tight window, working from SEC 8-K filings, company press releases, and exchange status feeds rather than second-hand recaps. Her goal is clarity within the first 20 minutes of a story breaking, without the summary-of-summary recycling that dominates breaking-news coverage.
