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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- My 2025 AI spend hit $1,665 throughout instruments and upgrades.
- $300 in agentic coding instruments did years of coding in days.
- Adobe was half the invoice, then I reduce it down drastically.
We’re approaching the tip of 2025, which additionally marks the conclusion of the third yr of the brand new wave of generative AI. On the finish of 2024, we thought we had a deal with on how a lot AI would change us, however 2025 took the sport to a completely new degree with the emergence of agentic AI.
Main the pack has been the rise in agentic coding instruments. These instruments, equivalent to Gemini Jules, Claude Code, and OpenAI Codex, are able to writing whole applications and merchandise. I put each Codex and Claude Code to the take a look at, creating 4 plug-in add-on safety merchandise for WordPress utilizing Codex, in addition to a full-featured iPhone app utilizing Claude Code.
Additionally: The perfect AI chatbots: I examined ChatGPT, Copilot, and others to seek out the highest instruments now
I take advantage of different AI instruments, too. In actual fact, I’ve added a couple of new ones to the lineup this yr. On this article, I will present you the AI instruments I entered the yr with, the merchandise I stored, the merchandise I added, the merchandise I dumped, and any which might be at the moment on the chopping block as we transfer into 2026.
Consider two components as you learn over this end-of-year accounting. First, I nonetheless use most of the free AI instruments I’ve reviewed right here on ZDNET. And second, though I assessment their merchandise, I pay for all the professional variations of those instruments out of my very own pocket. That approach, you recognize the AI corporations don’t have any affect over what I am telling you.
Paid AI instruments I started the yr with
- Time interval: January via Could
- Instruments used: Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, Adobe Artistic Cloud
- Cumulative spend by the tip of Could: $500
This yr, I began with Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, and Adobe Artistic Cloud.
Midjourney ($10/mo): Midjourney is the primary generative AI device I ever paid for, beginning in early 2023. Its wonderful picture creation capabilities helped me with lots of my tasks, starting from social media posts for my spouse’s e-commerce web site to supporting photographs for my album covers and music web site.
Additionally: How AI helped get my music on all the foremost streaming providers
ChatGPT Plus ($20/month): As I began utilizing OpenAI’s chatbot extra continuously, I upgraded to the Plus tier. Early on, you wanted the Plus tier to entry the information analytics options that I discovered enormously useful. As we speak, the Plus tier supplies entry to some agentic coding instruments, considerably extra capability than the free tier, and higher-end pondering fashions.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s mum or dad firm, filed an April 2025 lawsuit towards OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in coaching and working its AI programs.)
Adobe Artistic Cloud ($69.99/month): I have been an Adobe buyer for many years. Though Photoshop has lengthy had small AI-like options, it wasn’t till 2024 or in order that generative AI considerably enhanced Photoshop’s capabilities. Adobe added AI options to Illustrator and different instruments as effectively. Initially of 2025, I started to categorize my month-to-month Artistic Cloud invoice as a part of my AI expense.
Additionally: Cease utilizing ChatGPT for every little thing: I take advantage of these AI fashions for analysis, coding, and extra
This put my month-to-month AI expense at $100 from January till the tip of Could. Cumulative AI expense from January via Could was $500. Of that, $350 was Adobe.
Paying for API calls
- Time interval: June via August
- Instruments used: Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, Adobe Artistic Cloud
- Instruments added: ChatGPT API
- Cumulative spend by the tip of August: $835
In June, I arrange a self-hosted server to maintain monitor of articles I learn on the web. That is my private substitute for Mozilla’s Pocket. One characteristic of the device, known as Karakeep, is that it makes use of OpenAI’s API to do key phrase evaluation on the articles. I discover this enormously useful as a result of automated key phrase tagging could be a large time saver.
Organising that server with Karakeep concerned importing and cataloging roughly 21,000 articles, which took a couple of months. OpenAI prices for its API calls based mostly on the token use (an analog for processing energy used).
Additionally: How you can arrange your individual article archiving service – and why I did (RIP, Pocket)
In June, I used $10 price of GPT-5 processing. July was my huge import month, so I used one other $20. And I spent one other $5 on processing in August. Apparently, the few articles I have been including to my archive every week have not hit the billing threshold since my final cost in August.
All informed, I spent $35 on API calls in 2025, particularly between June and August.
I used to be nonetheless paying $100 per thirty days for Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, and Adobe, which introduced my year-to-date AI expense by the tip of August to $835. Of that, $560 was Adobe.
Vibe coding, half 1
- Time interval: September and October
- Instruments used: Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, Adobe Artistic Cloud, ChatGPT API
- Instruments added (and dropped): ChatGPT Professional
- Instruments added: Notion AI
- Cumulative spend by the tip of October: $1,234.90
In September, I began tinkering with vibe coding. Vibe coding is the follow of permitting an AI agent to jot down code for you, underneath your supervision. OpenAI had enabled its Codex vibe coding device for customers of the $20/month ChatGPT Plus plan.
I made a decision to present it a spin, testing it by having it make some enhancements to my WordPress-based open-source safety product. I used it for about 5 hours, which demonstrated to me the facility of this device. However then ChatGPT reduce me off.
Additionally: I did 24 days of coding in 12 hours with a $20 AI device – however there’s one huge pitfall
It seems the Plus tier throttles your Codex utilization. I used to be in a position to do a couple of longer runs, however needed to wait days in between runs for the throttle to reset. Even so, I calculated that I accomplished the equal of about 20 days of hand-coding time in solely 12 hours.
However I needed to see if I may do extra. I had a couple of quiet days with no huge deadlines, so I made a decision to up my spend to the $200/month Professional tier of ChatGPT. This allowed me to have nearly limitless use of Codex with out throttling.
In 4 days, I constructed 4 particular person add-on merchandise for my WordPress safety plugin. Beforehand, I had been constructing solely about one add-on per yr, so I thought-about that to be 4 years of labor in 4 days. Nicely well worth the $200.
I are usually very cautious about my providers spend, so as soon as I accomplished the mission, I turned off the $200/month Professional tier and went again to the $20/month Plus tier. I did must make an replace to my code utilizing Codex, however the Plus tier was ample to make some fast fixes.
In September, I additionally added Notion AI to my listing of AI instruments. I had some very particular work I needed it to do inside my Notion database, significantly with robotically constructing databases based mostly on lists of knowledge. The Notion AI Enterprise tier added $20/month to my bills, with billing starting in October.
Additionally: I bought 4 years of product growth carried out in 4 days for $200, and I am nonetheless shocked
I had paid that $200 for the Professional tier of ChatGPT Codex in September, which changed the $20 for ChatGPT Plus for simply that month. I used to be nonetheless paying $80 in September for Midjourney and Adobe. That introduced September’s AI expense to $300.
In October, I used to be again to paying $120 per thirty days for Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, Notion AI, and Adobe, which introduced my year-to-date AI expense by the tip of October to $1,235. Of that, $700 was for Adobe.
Vibe coding, half 2
- Time interval: November
- Instruments used: Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, Adobe Artistic Cloud, ChatGPT API, Notion AI
- Instruments added: Claude Code Max 5x
- Cumulative spend by the tip of November: $1,455
After releasing my sequence of articles about vibe coding with Codex, I heard again from a number of coders. They needed to know why I had not but checked out Claude Code. Whereas Codex is OpenAI’s product, it is Claude Code that seems to have captured the creativeness of most programmers.
Additionally: How you can set up and configure Claude Code, step-by-step
I mentioned why on this article, the place I additionally showcased the full-featured iPhone app I constructed with Claude Code. Basically, Claude Code is each inexpensive than Codex and was initially extra accessible, because it operates inside the terminal app somewhat than in a GitHub repository.
So, in November, I made a decision to join Claude Code’s $20/month Professional plan. As with Codex, I used up the plan’s AI token capability in a matter of hours. So, I upgraded from Claude Professional to Claude Max. It seems there are numerous Max plans, based mostly on utilization. I signed up for the Max 5x plan, which is $100/month.
Over 17 days, throughout which I used Claude Code for a couple of hours a day on 11 of these days, I created a full-featured, pretty highly effective, and extremely custom-made iPhone app that solved a real-world drawback I’ve with managing my 3D printing filament within the Fab Lab.
Additionally: 10 issues I want I knew earlier than trusting Claude Code to construct my iPhone app
I’ve determined to maintain paying the $100/month Claude Code price for an additional month or two. I need to create native Mac and Apple Watch variations of my iPhone app. Keep tuned, as a result of I will take you alongside on that experience, too.
In November, I paid $120 for Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, Notion AI, and Adobe. I nonetheless have the OpenAI API service going, however now that each one the majority processing is finished, it hasn’t incurred any new payments. Then, I added Claude Code’s Max 5x plan for $100. That made November’s AI expense $220.
As of the tip of November, my year-to-date AI expense was $1,455. Of that, $770 was for Adobe.
Ratcheting down Adobe expense
- Time interval: December
- Instruments used: Midjourney, ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT API, Notion AI, Claude Code
- Instruments dropped: Adobe Artistic Cloud
- Instruments added (and dropped): Canva and Leonardo AI
- Instruments added: Adobe Pictures plan, Google AI Professional (for Gemini)
- Cumulative spend for the entire yr: $1,605
In December, I began engaged on my “Greatest AI picture mills” article, which shall be printed quickly. I additionally determined it was time to handle the Adobe expense. Absolutely half of my total AI expenditures has been paying for Artistic Cloud. Whereas I take advantage of Photoshop extensively, I barely contact the opposite instruments.
Additionally: I really like Photoshop, however Canva’s free Affinity instruments received me over (and saved me cash)
Initially, my plan was to make use of Canva and the newly free Affinity graphics instruments to complement my Artistic Cloud use. However I discovered the generative options within the Affinity program to be, at the least for now, underwhelming. And that is variety.
I did spend $20 for one month of the Canva Marketing strategy. This allowed me to check Canva for my article, in addition to to check Leonardo AI (which comes with the Canva Marketing strategy). Neither rocked my world. So as soon as testing was carried out, I cancelled that plan.
Then, there’s Photoshop. I ought to point out that I have been utilizing Photoshop for many years and have main muscle reminiscence. I could be extremely productive in Photoshop. Positive, I may use free or inexpensive different instruments. I simply do not need to sacrifice the proficiency and alacrity with which I take advantage of the device. I made a decision to maintain Photoshop, however ditch the Artistic Cloud. That modified my Adobe spend from $70/month to $20/month.
Additionally: I examined the brand new ChatGPT Photos – it is a gorgeous enchancment, and enormously enjoyable
Adobe has a bizarre program of generative credit. They cost you based mostly on how a lot AI you employ. If in case you have the $70/month Artistic Cloud plan that I simply dropped, you get 4,000 credit. That is ok for all however essentially the most intensive customers.
Then again, when you select their $20/month Pictures plan — which I simply switched to — you get solely 25 generative AI credit. I actually suppose that is type of stingy, however Adobe has at all times had pretty restrictive month-to-month plans. They solely enable their apps to be loaded on two machines at a time, so for these of us who want to leap between three or 4 machines, they’ve a “see ya, would not need to be ya” coverage.
You should buy 2,000 extra credit for $10/month utilizing the Adobe Firefly Normal plan. If I take advantage of up my generative credit, I will merely pay so as to add extra credit, at the least for the months after I want them.
I additionally added the $20/month Google AI Professional plan. This was so I may take a look at out Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Professional for my articles. I attempted Nano Banana Professional on the free plan. It solely allowed me to generate two photographs.
Additionally: I have been testing AI content material detectors for years – these are your finest choices in 2025
It seems Nano Banana Professional is wonderful, particularly on the subject of changing objects in a picture.Nonetheless, with ChatGPT’s new ChatGPT Photos characteristic, simply launched this week, ChatGPT Plus is ready to do a few of what made Nano Banana Professional stand out.
I will proceed to pay for Gemini’s AI Professional plan for an additional month or two to check it additional. Except one thing actually stands out about it, I will in all probability drop it early subsequent yr.
In December, I am now paying $30 per thirty days for Midjourney and ChatGPT Plus, plus a further $20 for Notion AI. I nonetheless have the OpenAI API service going, however there are not any new prices. I am additionally nonetheless utilizing and paying for Claude Code’s Max plan, which prices $100. I changed Adobe’s $70 plan with a $20 plan (however I am conscious I’d want so as to add one other $10/month for AI credit at any time). No extra generative credit score plans had been bought in 2025. Then I added (and dropped) Canva’s $20 plan. Lastly, I added Google’s $20 AI Professional plan.
Whew! That made December’s AI expense $210. My year-to-date AI expense for 2025 was $1,665. Of that, $790 was Adobe.
My AI funds
Would I spend this a lot if I weren’t writing critiques for ZDNET? Most likely not. I am fairly frugal in regards to the providers I subscribe to for my very own private use.
Then again, I additionally put quite a lot of consideration into something that might save me time. If I had a coding mission I needed to undertake, I in all probability would have signed up for Claude Code anyway. Virtually undoubtedly, I might have purchased into ChatGPT Plus, only for the evaluation options. I even used it to verify my math on this article, which took the AI 5 minutes and would have in all probability taken me at the least an hour.
Additionally: I examined the brand new ChatGPT Photos – it is a gorgeous enchancment, and enormously enjoyable
I am on the fence about Midjourney. I can generate the graphics I have to help my spouse’s enterprise utilizing ChatGPT. Nonetheless, Midjourney is so off-the-chain inventive that I can deploy it anytime I’ve a brand new mission for which I want inventive imagery. And, at $10/month, it is pretty cheap.
I am additionally on the fence about Notion AI. Despite the fact that I take advantage of Notion consistently, I do not use Notion AI all that a lot. Then again, after I do use it, it is available in significantly clutch. Moreover, it has saved me sufficient time on that one database mission to cowl the price of its use for all the yr.
I actually ought to have dropped the massive Adobe expense a lot earlier — $70 is quite a bit to spend every month. Whereas $20 for Photoshop continues to be expensive, I view it as an nearly unavoidable expense because of how tightly built-in Photoshop is into my workflow.
So, it is actually all the way down to among the experimental bills. I choose personally buying the plans I am evaluating, so you recognize that no firm is influencing my ZDNET protection. However I additionally don’t love paying for them longer than I’ve to.
So, yeah, I spent somewhat greater than $1,600 on AI bills. If I had lowered my Adobe plan earlier, that might have been nearer to roughly $1,200. And if I hadn’t spent on the coding instruments, that might have been nearer to $900.
Is it price it? Nicely, clearly, as fodder for article content material, positive. Nonetheless, when it comes to productiveness, I need to additionally say sure. These numerous AI instruments actually saved me hours. In the event you have a look at it when it comes to price versus hourly price, the AI instruments have positively paid for themselves. They positively helped me save time.
As for you, I like to recommend budgeting your AI device bills. My spouse, who can be my enterprise companion, critiques our accounts each day. This helps us handle any sudden prices, and is our first line of protection towards fraudulent prices. I flip off month-to-month bills as quickly because it’s clear I am not utilizing them, even when I believe I’d flip them again on later.
Additionally: Gemini vs. Copilot: I in contrast the AI instruments on 7 on a regular basis duties, and there is a clear winner
And since time is so tight for me, I typically do the psychological calculus of attempting to resolve if the time financial savings is price extra, or whether or not it might be higher to avoid wasting the cash. Proper now, provided that I work just about seven days every week, the time financial savings advantages I am getting versus the price of AI instruments appear to be well worth the value. For now.
What about you? What number of AI instruments are you at the moment paying for, and the way do you resolve which of them are price maintaining? Have agentic coding instruments, picture mills, or note-taking assistants meaningfully modified your workflow or productiveness? Do you monitor your AI spending? Have you ever dropped or downgraded any instruments as soon as the novelty wore off? Lastly, do you suppose the time financial savings from AI justify the continuing prices on your personal work? Share your expertise and ideas within the feedback beneath.
You may comply with my day-to-day mission updates on social media. Make sure you subscribe to my weekly replace publication, and comply with me on Twitter/X at @DavidGewirtz, on Fb at Fb.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, on Bluesky at @DavidGewirtz.com, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.
