How does the forecast combine the three growth factors?

Each month it multiplies the previous month's cost by (1 + user growth) × (1 + tokens-per-user change) × (1 + price trend). Compounding all three captures how usage and price changes stack on top of growing user numbers.

Should I use positive or negative price trends?

LLM list prices have generally fallen as competition increases, so a small negative trend (e.g. -2%/month) is often realistic. If you expect to move to a more capable, pricier model, use a positive trend instead.

Does this account for caching or batching discounts?

Not directly. Model the net effect by lowering your tokens-per-user change rate or applying a one-off reduction to your current monthly cost baseline before forecasting.

Is my data sent anywhere?

No. The forecast runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, stored, or logged.

Why does cumulative cost matter more than month 12?

Your annual budget is the sum of all twelve months, not just the final month. A workload that grows steadily can cost far more in total than its end-of-year run rate suggests.

LLM Cost Forecasting Tool

Forecast your LLM bill 12 months out

AI costs rarely stay flat. Your user base grows, each user sends more (or fewer) tokens as features mature, and provider list prices drift over time. This tool compounds all three forces into a clear 12-month projection so you can budget realistically instead of extrapolating a single flat line.

How the forecast works

Starting from your current monthly cost, each month is computed by applying three multipliers:

next_month = this_month
           × (1 + user_growth_rate)
           × (1 + tokens_per_user_change)
           × (1 + price_trend)

User growth scales the number of calls, tokens-per-user scales the size of each call, and the price trend captures provider pricing changes. Because the factors multiply, even modest monthly rates produce large swings over a year — 10% monthly user growth alone compounds to roughly a 2.9× increase by month 12 (eleven months of compounding from the month-one baseline).

Tips for a realistic model

Be conservative on growth. Sustained double-digit monthly growth is rare; taper it if you are modelling beyond an early launch phase.
Separate price from usage. If you plan to upgrade to a pricier model, put that in the price trend, not the tokens-per-user field.
Watch the cumulative line. Your finance team budgets the annual total — the sum of all twelve months — which is what this tool surfaces alongside the end-of-year run rate.