Wondering how much your AI-assisted project will really cost — whether you're building something new, cleaning up an existing AI-built MVP, or refactoring an older codebase? Our free vibe coding cost calculator gives you a defensible estimate in 16 simple questions — no jargon, no signup, no email. We're at least 20% more affordable than other AI development agencies for the same scope, and the calculator shows you the side-by-side comparison so you can verify it yourself.
Indie hackers, founders, PMs, and agencies use this vibe coding cost calculator to size their AI-built project before any sales call — turning a vague "how much will this cost?" into a defensible number plus a draft Software Requirements doc.
We benchmark against typical AI development agency pricing and come in at least 20% lower for the same scope. The result panel shows the side-by-side comparison so you can verify it yourself — not just take our word for it.
Every project gets a CTO review pass before delivery — so you get production-grade code with proper structure, not random AI output that breaks the moment you scale.
Your answers populate a draft Software Requirements Specification. Hire us, hire someone else, or DIY — the SRS is yours to keep. No signup gate.
16 simple questions — anyone can answer them, no tech jargon. Works for new builds, cleanup of existing AI-built code, and full refactoring projects. At the end you'll see our price alongside what other AI dev agencies typically charge so you can see the savings. Answers auto-save.
Analyzing your spec…
Without human intervention, vibe coding is nothing.
Hire us — 60% cheaper, 70% less time than traditional dev.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Pick the option that best fits your project. You can always go back.
Your Estimated Vibe Coding Cost
Other AI dev agencies typically charge: —
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We'll review your spec, validate this estimate, and email you a draft Software Requirements Specification based on your answers — no commitment.
Curious what an AI-built project actually costs? Below are typical 2026 ranges for new builds, plus fixed-price tiers for cleanup of existing AI-built code and refactoring projects. Use these as a sanity check after running the vibe coding cost calculator above.
| Project Type | Average Vibe Coding Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Landing Page + Lead Form | $300 – $900 | Marketing page, form capture, email handoff. 3–5 days of work. |
| CLI Tool / Script | $400 – $1,200 | Single-purpose terminal command. Argument parsing, no UI. |
| Automation Workflow | $500 – $1,500 | Trigger + actions (Zapier-style). Webhook listeners, scheduled jobs. |
| Browser Extension | $800 – $2,000 | Chrome / Firefox extension. Popup UI, content script, background worker. |
| Internal Dashboard | $1,000 – $3,000 | Company-internal data viz. Auth, charts, filters, CSV export. |
| Custom Integration / API Bridge | $1,000 – $3,500 | Connect 2 systems. Webhook layer, transformation logic, retries. |
| PWA / Mobile Prototype | $1,500 – $5,000 | Mobile-friendly web app. Offline cache, install banner, push. |
| AI Chatbot / Conversational Agent | $1,500 – $4,500 | LLM-powered chat UI. Streaming responses, conversation memory. |
| SaaS MVP | $2,000 – $6,000 | Multi-user SaaS. Auth, billing, dashboard, basic admin panel. |
| RAG-Powered AI Tool | $2,500 – $7,000 | Vector DB + retrieval + LLM responses. Document ingestion pipeline. |
| Marketplace MVP | $3,000 – $8,000 | Two-sided platform. Profiles, listings, in-app messaging, transactions. |
| Autonomous AI Agent | $3,000 – $9,000 | Multi-step reasoning + tool use. Planner, executor, error recovery. |
| Refactor Audit (any existing codebase) | $299 fixed | 5-day static + security + perf scan. Written severity report + fixed-price quote. |
| Cleanup Audit (any AI-built MVP) | $499 fixed | 5-day deep code review. OWASP scan, schema review, written report, 30-min walkthrough. |
| Standard Cleanup (existing AI-built code) | $4,000 – $8,000 | 2–4 weeks. Folder refactor, security hardening, DB redesign, API rebuild, monitoring. |
| Standard Refactor (modernize existing code) | $3,000 – $8,000 | 2–4 weeks. Architecture refactor, performance + security hardening, OpenAPI docs. |
| Enterprise Refactor / Cleanup | $12,000 – $20,000+ | 4–16 weeks. Microservices split, multi-region scale, SOC2 logging, queue infra, load testing. |
These figures reflect typical 2026 vibe coding development cost in the U.S. market. Simple weekend builds can land below the floor; production-grade systems with custom AI/ML, strict compliance, or extensive integrations can run well above the ceiling. The vibe coding cost calculator above gives you a personalized estimate based on your specific scope.
Eight factors drive most of vibe coding pricing. Our calculator weighs each one so the final estimate matches what your project actually requires.
The single biggest cost driver. A CLI tool is days of work; a marketplace MVP is weeks. Pick the closest match.
1–3 core features ships in days. 16+ features is a small product — closer to a traditional app build.
A single LLM call is cheap. Multi-step agents and RAG systems need vector DBs, retrieval, and careful prompting — much more work.
"Prototype" can ship in days. "Production-ready" needs tests, monitoring, error recovery, deployment pipelines.
"Vibes only" is fastest but breaks easily. Full test coverage adds 30–50% time but means the code holds up under scale.
"Works on my machine" is free. Sub-100ms responses need caching, indexing, careful queries — significant architecture work.
Each integration = setup + auth + error handling + monitoring. 6+ APIs adds real coordination work.
"Clean handoff" is cheapest — you take it from there. A 6-month retainer or beyond is essentially ongoing development.
Both deliver working software. The trade-offs are real, though, and the right choice depends on your project.
~60% lower cost, ~2.5× faster delivery, AI tools (Cursor, Claude Code, Replit Agent) generate the bulk of the code while a CTO + reviewer ensures quality. Best for MVPs, prototypes, internal tools, AI-powered apps, and teams that want to validate fast.
Code is normal code — same languages, same frameworks. Any developer can extend it. Yours 100% from day one.
Higher cost, longer timelines, but appropriate for projects with strict compliance (HIPAA, SOC2, banking), large legacy codebases, complex multi-team coordination, or high-stakes systems where every line is hand-reviewed.
Use our App Cost Calculator for traditional mobile/web app pricing.
Traditional development pricing for native & cross-platform mobile apps.
Monthly retainer estimate for industry-aware SEO programs.
Custom website & web app pricing — coming soon.
Custom software project estimator — coming soon.
Everything you've ever wanted to know about vibe coding pricing, AI-assisted development cost, and what affects the price of an AI-built project in 2026.
For most projects, vibe coding development cost ranges from $400 (simple CLI tool) to about $14,000 (full SaaS MVP with AI features and production polish). The exact figure depends on project type, feature count, AI complexity, quality bar, and post-launch support. Use the vibe coding cost calculator at the top of this page for a number tailored to your specific scope.
Vibe coding is a term coined by Andrej Karpathy for AI-assisted rapid software development. Developers use tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and Replit Agent to translate intent directly into working code, iterating in conversation rather than typing every line. AI tools accelerate developer productivity by 2-3×. We pass the entire productivity gain to you, which is why our vibe coding development cost lands at roughly 60% of a traditional build.
Yes — 100% free, no signup, no email, no phone number. Use it as many times as you want. We built the vibe coding cost calculator so any founder, PM, or indie hacker can size up an AI-built project before talking to anyone.
The calculator asks 28 questions across project vision, users, functional scope, quality, tech, and engagement. Each option contributes a calibrated weight to a base hour count. We then apply our AI productivity factor (~2.5× faster than traditional) and multiply by our internal hourly rate to produce a defensible cost range. Every answer visibly moves the price.
A typical SaaS MVP built with vibe coding runs $2,000–$6,000. A simpler tool (browser extension, internal dashboard, automation) can land in the $800–$3,000 range. AI-heavy projects (chatbots, RAG tools, autonomous agents) run $1,500–$9,000 depending on complexity. Run the calculator to get a number tailored to your specific MVP.
Yes, when you ask for it. Tell the calculator "production-ready" + "full test coverage" + "OWASP security" and we apply the engineering rigor needed for real users. Tell it "weekend prototype" and we ship faster but skip those layers. Pricing follows the quality bar.
Always 100% yours. We deliver clean Git repositories with all rights transferred, regardless of which AI tools we used to build it. The code is normal code — same languages, same frameworks — any developer can extend it.
Default stack: Cursor + Claude Code for the heavy lifting, Replit Agent for prototypes, GitHub Copilot for refactors, Bolt / v0 for landing pages. You can specify a preference in the calculator, or pick "Surprise me" and we use whatever fits the task best.
Anywhere from 4 days (CLI tool, automation script) to 8 weeks (full SaaS MVP with AI features). The calculator gives you a realistic week count based on your scope. Pick "ASAP" timing if you have a hard deadline — that costs more but we run more developers in parallel.
Yes. Many agencies use this calculator as a quick reference when scoping AI-built work for their own clients. The numbers reflect U.S. market rates as of 2026. Run a few scenarios to calibrate your own pricing — and book a CTO consultation via the calculator output if you want to discuss white-label arrangements.
A regular quote takes 2–5 days, requires email exchanges, and usually pads heavily because the agency is guessing. This calculator gives you a defensible number in 3 minutes based on a structured 28-question scope — and it generates a draft Software Requirements Spec from your answers, so when you do talk to a real human, you arrive informed.
You will get a "Talk to CTO" call link with all your answers pre-filled in the message. The CTO reviews your spec in advance, validates the estimate, and emails you a draft SRS — useful even if you do not end up working with us.
Run the calculator, then book a free 30-minute call with our CTO. We'll review your spec, validate the estimate, and email you a draft SRS within 24 hours.
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