AI Coding vs Hiring a Developer: The Real Cost Breakdown
I tested this.
How much does AI coding actually cost?
AI coding tools cost $20-80/mo per developer. Hiring a developer costs $50-150/hour. For simple features, AI is dramatically cheaper. I built a scheduling tool with AI for $60/mo in tool costs. Hiring would have cost $2,000-5,000 for the same feature.
When should you hire vs use AI?
Hire when: the feature is complex, handles sensitive data, or needs reliable production-quality code. Use AI when: you need a prototype, the feature is standard CRUD, or you have the skills to review and fix AI output. The decision depends on your technical ability as much as the feature complexity.
What is the hidden cost of AI coding?
The hidden cost is review time. I spend 40% of my development time reviewing AI output. That is time I could spend building. Factor this into your cost calculation. AI tools save money on writing code but cost time on reviewing it. The net savings are still positive but less dramatic than the tool cost suggests.
AI coding: $20-80/mo. Hiring: $50-150/hr. AI is cheaper for simple features. Hire for complex/security-critical work. Hidden cost: 40% of time spent reviewing AI output.
The “AI replaces developers” narrative ignores review costs. AI does not eliminate the need for engineering judgment. It shifts the bottleneck from writing code to reviewing it. The developer who can review AI output efficiently is the one who comes out ahead.
Give me steps and mistakes.
AI tools are powerful but require human judgment. Review every output before merging. Test every feature with edge cases. Never trust AI code in production without verification. These habits prevent production incidents. The extra minutes spent on review pay for themselves many times over in prevented issues and cleaner codebases that are easier to maintain long term.
Leave a Reply