The monthly price of an AI companion platform tells you almost nothing. The number that matters is cost per usable output, and because the first result is frequently not the one you want, it is typically several times the advertised per-generation rate.
The four inputs
| Input | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Allowance | How many credits does the tier actually include per month? |
| Unit cost | What does one message, image, or second of video consume? |
| Regeneration rate | How many attempts before you get one you keep? |
| Rollover | Do unused credits carry over, or evaporate monthly? |
The calculation
Divide the allowance by the unit cost to get nominal outputs per month. Then divide by your regeneration rate to get keepers per month. Divide the price by keepers. That last number is what you are actually paying, and it is the only one worth comparing across platforms.
The regeneration rate is the input nobody advertises and the one that dominates the result. You can only get it by testing on a free tier with your own prompt, which is covered in how to test before paying.
Where the extra costs hide
Custom model features such as LoRA support are frequently gated to a higher tier as well. Higher-resolution output, video, and voice are usually charged at a multiple, sometimes a large one. Refusals may consume credits without producing anything, which ties directly to where the filter sits. And annual plans front-load a year of a platform you have not yet tested for retention behaviour.
Part of the full NSFW AI safety checklist.
FAQ
Are annual plans worth it?
Not until you have run a month. The discount is real but it commits you to a platform before you know its regeneration rate or its retention policy.
Why do credits expire?
Because expiry converts unused allowance into margin. It is a pricing decision, not a technical constraint, and rollover is worth more than a headline discount.
Is unlimited ever really unlimited?
Rarely. It usually means rate-limited, or unlimited on the cheapest model tier only. Read what "unlimited" is scoped to.