We got three quotes and they are wildly different. Why?

Scope interpretation varies massively. One team priced an API wrapper, another priced a custom model. Always ask what exactly is included in the AI deliverable.

Is it cheaper to use ChatGPT’s API than to build our own model?

For most apps, yes, significantly cheaper upfront. The trade-off is you are paying per call forever and have no proprietary data advantage.

Our app has 50,000 users. At what point does on-device AI make more financial sense than cloud AI?

Roughly above 100,000 monthly active users making frequent AI calls, on-device starts winning on total cost of ownership, assuming the feature can run within mobile hardware limits.

We paused our AI project halfway through. Can we pick it up with a different vendor without starting over?

Sometimes, but it depends on how well the first team documented the model architecture and data pipelines. Undocumented AI work is expensive to hand over.

Should AI integration cost be in our product budget or our IT/infrastructure budget?

Both. Build cost sits in the product. Ongoing model hosting and API costs belong in infrastructure. Splitting them correctly matters when you present ROI to stakeholders.

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UPDATED ON: 10 Jun 2026

How Much Does It Cost to Integrate AI into a Mobile App in 2026?

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