Faros Research / Workload scenarios
What could a different AI setup cost?
Compare AI setups on the same kind of engineering work, then apply the benchmark’s cost difference to your spending assumptions.
This is an estimate from the Faros benchmark. Test the setup on your own work before switching.
Define the workload
A route includes the coding tool, model, model service, and effort setting. Choose the setup you use; the default is an example.
Both filters apply together to the same tasks.
Choose how many points of average task quality you would trade for lower cost. The score runs from 0 to 100 and gives partial credit for meeting task requirements. This limit does not prove equal quality.
Inspect the tradeoff
— shared tasks—
This range is calculated from the score difference on each shared task. If it crosses zero, the evidence supports either setup doing better; it does not prove equal quality.
AI setup details and all results
| AI setup | Cost / task | Quality score (0–100) | Time / task | Within quality limit |
|---|
Model your spend
Budget inputs stay here until you shareMultiplies the benchmark’s average cost per task by your monthly task count.
Assume this share of your spending uses the current AI setup for the selected kind of work. We apply the cost change to that share only.
Added fees and operating costs are excluded. Actual savings will depend on your work, prices, and adoption.
How this estimate works Tasks, quality limits & costs
Compare the same tasks
Both task filters apply together within one dated run. A task is included only when every tested setup has a valid result.
An estimate requires at least ten shared tasks, a cost measurement for every result, and a current-setup cost above zero. Missing measurements stay unavailable.
Understand the quality limit
The recommendation selects the cheapest setup whose average quality score meets your limit. The approximate 95% range shows uncertainty in the quality difference, not in your savings. A small difference does not prove equal quality.
The same benchmark is used to choose and assess the setup. Test it on new work before adopting it.
Know what costs are included
Costs use recorded model usage and the run’s prices. Subscription, evaluation, infrastructure, and added routing fees are excluded. The forecast applies the compared setup’s average cost relative to the current setup’s average cost.
The total covers the current month and the following eleven months, with growth applied each month after the first. It assumes the benchmark’s cost difference transfers to your work and prices.