What to do
Compare total monthly cost for a realistic workload, including seats, usage credits, premium models, CI consumption, administration, and human review. The advertised entry price rarely captures the complete cost.
Normalize the billing unit
List what each plan charges for: user seats, requests, tokens, agent tasks, compute time, or pooled credits. Convert them into one scenario such as cost per active developer per month and state every assumption.
Model ordinary and heavy use
Averages hide expensive peaks. Estimate a normal month and a high-use month, including failed or repeated agent runs. Check rate limits, overages, credit expiration, premium-model multipliers, and annual commitments.
Include operational cost
Add procurement, security review, onboarding, administration, CI usage, and developer review. Then measure cost per accepted task or validated hour saved rather than cost per generated response.
Practical checklist
Continue researching
This guide is an editorial framework, not a product endorsement. Recheck vendor documentation and your organization's requirements before making a purchasing or security decision.