//Beforeyouship is a pre-build tool to estimate the LLM cost

Name: //Beforeyouship is a pre-build tool to estimate the LLM cost
Availability: InStock
Author: indiegoing

by indiegoing·Mar 26, 2026·3 points·5 comments

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AI Analysis

●●SolidSolve My ProblemShip It

Pre-build cost modeling beats naive token math when Vercel bills you next month.

Strengths

•Models realistic multipliers like retry rates and cache hits, not just base token costs.
•Shareable links auto-update with your scenario for team collaboration.
•Shows 3× and 10× growth projections to catch budget surprises early.

Weaknesses

•Token counts still require manual estimation, accuracy depends on user input.
•LLM cost calculators exist; differentiation is pre-build vs production optimization.

Post Description

For one of my projects, I needed to choose an LLM but got lost in numbers and tokenization. So I searched for a solution which could help me do the math, but only found tools that helped with cost management and optimization at the production stage. I did some research and found that this is an existing problem, especially if you are a vibe-coder or solo developer starting an AI-powered app from scratch.

So I built an MVP to test with you guys — if any of you relate to the problem, please tell me what works and what's missing. Already included retries, prompt caching, batch discounts, and 3×/10× growth scenarios across 6 models (GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek and more). Also the app models full architecture, the user just needs to pick an app type and set the usage pattern.