Four ways to pay for office AI
| Per-seat subscription | Usage-based API + your own chat app | Self-host it yourself | Managed on-site box (AdminOnsite) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Per user per month | Per token used, plus hosting | Hardware, plus your time | One monthly price, plus setup |
| Cost grows with | Headcount | Usage | Hardware upgrades | Office size tier |
| Where data is processed | Vendor’s cloud | Model provider’s cloud | Your hardware | Your office |
| Upkeep | Vendor | You or your IT | You or your IT | AdminOnsite |
Why per-seat pricing adds up
Seats are simple until the whole office wants one. At $25 a seat, 15 people cost $375 a month; give five heavy users Premium seats at $125 and the total passes $800. Seat counts also create a quiet rationing problem: the people who’d benefit most, often support staff doing admin, are the ones left without a license.
See the numbers for your headcount on the per-seat cost calculator.
When per-seat is still the better deal
For two or three people who need the strongest models and are comfortable with cloud processing, per-seat plans usually cost less than any flat option. Flat pricing wins as headcount grows, when usage limits and credits get in the way, or when the files shouldn’t leave the building.
Questions
Is there AI without per-user pricing?
Yes: usage-based API access behind your own chat app, self-hosting open-weight models, or a managed on-site box priced per office, like AdminOnsite.
How much does AI cost per employee?
Standard business seats from OpenAI and Anthropic are $20–25 per user per month at list price; Microsoft 365 Copilot Business is $21 annually on top of Microsoft 365. Premium seats are $100–125.
What is a ChatGPT alternative for business with flat pricing?
An on-site box running open-weight models, priced per office. AdminOnsite is $249, $399 or $699 a month plus setup, for everyone in the office.
Are there usage limits on a flat-price box?
No credits or metered usage. The limit is the hardware: requests queue when many arrive at once.