AI tools have made the initial build faster than ever. What has not changed is the ongoing cost of maintaining integrations across 51 platforms through 276 API changes per quarter. This calculator is honest about both.
We use AI tools in our own development too — here is what has and has not changed
Initial build time has dropped from ~40 hours per platform to ~15 hours with AI coding tools. This calculator reflects that honestly. What has not changed: maintaining8 platform integrations still requires dedicated engineering time when APIs break — and with276 API changes per quarter across 51 platforms, they break constantly.
This estimate uses AI-reduced build hours (15h/platform vs the traditional 40h). Even so, ongoing maintenance is where the real cost compounds — especially with 276 API changes per quarter across 51 platforms.