AI Cockpit Learn

Free and neutral AI know-how: prices, models, guides, prompts, safety and tools. No ads, every number sourced.

• Neutral
• Ad-free
• Sources & dates
• Updated regularly

Start here

This site answers three questions:

1. What does which AI cost?
2. Which one fits me?
3. How do I use it safely?

It is free and neutral. There are no ads, no affiliate links and no paid placements. Every number has a source and a check date.

Who it is for

• Private users who pay for an AI subscription and want to know what they get.
• Small firms that must pick a tool and keep client data safe.
• Anyone who wants plain words instead of hype.

The seven areas

• Prices — how AI is billed, with a price table for APIs and an overview of subscriptions. Start here.
• Models — what separates top, mid and small models, and what "reasoning" and "open" mean. Read more.
• Guides — step-by-step help, for example how to set a spending limit. Read more.
• Glossary — short, clear definitions of AI terms such as token and context window. Read more.
• Prompts — how to ask so you get a useful answer. Read more.
• Safety — data protection for Switzerland and the EU, for private users and small firms. Read more.
• Tools — calculators that run in your browser and send nothing. Read more.

Good first pages

• The API price table shows what a million tokens cost.
• The cost calculator turns that into your own monthly figure.
• How to choose a model helps you match task and tier.
• What never to paste into a chat window.

Our promise

• Neutral: no provider is favoured.
• Sourced: prices come from official provider pages. Each row shows the date we checked it.
• Honest about AI: texts are written with AI support and checked against primary sources. The author, A.Frick, is responsible for them. Details are on the methodology page.

How it stays current

Prices and limits change often. We re-check them in every update round and change the date only when we have checked the source. If you spot an error, use the form at the bottom of any page. The site grows over time, so expect new pages.

Recently checked

• What not to paste into AI chatbots

  Passwords, client data, IDs and secrets do not belong in a chatbot: a traffic-light checklist, provider data rules, Swiss and EU basics, and safer options.

• Token estimator: roughly count tokens in your text

  A free tool that estimates how many tokens a text holds. It is a rough guide, not an exact count.

• Subscription or API: what is cheaper for you?

  A flat $20 plan or pay per token: one formula and three examples show where each wins, plus the limits and privacy settings that count beyond cost.

• How to choose an AI model

  Match the model to the job: small for volume, mid for daily work, top or reasoning for hard problems and local for private data, with a decision tree and a test.

• Create an API key and set a spending limit

  Create a key, keep it out of your code, cap your monthly spend and know how to switch it off, with steps for OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.

• AI subscriptions compared: monthly plans and limits

  An overview of AI chat subscriptions: monthly price, what is included, and usage limits.

• AI cost calculator: estimate API cost per call and month

  A free calculator that turns token counts and list prices into a cost per call and per month.

• AI API prices compared: cost per 1 million tokens

  A table of AI API list prices per 1 million tokens, with source and check date for every row.