Founders: do you actually know how much you're spending on AI tools each month?
below; I'm genuinely curious how everyone's handling this.
A year ago the "spend problem" was just SaaS subscription tools you signed up for, forgot about, and kept paying for. Annoying, but at least the bill was predictable.
Now there's a newer version: AI spend. One shared OpenAI or Anthropic key and a few teammates building features, and suddenly the bill tripled, and nobody's quite sure who or what caused it. It's usage-based, so it moves fast and quietly.
So I'm asking the people who'd actually know:
- Do you track your AI/API spend separately from your other SaaS, or is it all one blur?
- Have you ever been surprised by an AI bill? What caused it?
- What are you using to keep an eye on it: a real tool, a spreadsheet, or just vibes?
Full transparency: I'm building Subtrax (launching here on PH soon) to tackle exactly this SaaS + AI spend visibility in one place, built for SMBs/mid-market instead of just enterprises. But I'm genuinely more interested in how you're all dealing with it right now, because the "just vibes" answer is more common than people admit.
Drop your setup below; I'll reply to everyone.

Replies