Calculator, free, no sign-up
Chatter or AI: the monthly cost of both kinds of coverage
An inbox kept open around the clock needs three 8-hour shifts a day, seven days a week. This tool prices that human coverage, hourly rate, commission and supervision, and sets it against a conversation AI, subscription and commission. The result is a break-even point in monthly sales.
The formula
Two costs, one crossing point
Hours per month = shifts per day × 8 hours × 365 ÷ 12.
Human cost = hours × hourly rate × (1 + supervision) + sales × chatter commission.
AI cost = monthly subscription + sales × AI commission.
Break-even point = (fixed human cost − subscription) ÷ (AI commission − chatter commission), when the AI commission is the higher one.
The human cost counts neither recruiting, nor training, nor replacement, for lack of a public source to price them; the lesson on the chatter job explains why they exist. The AI cost does not count the supervision time of the person who reads back the conversations. Both results are therefore floors.
Worked example
One creator, 10,000 dollars in sales per month, default assumptions
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage hours per month | 3 shifts × 8 h × 365 ÷ 12 | 730 h |
| Salaries | 730 h × $3 (public listings: $2 to $4) | $2,190.00 |
| Supervision | 10% of salaries (assumption) | $219.00 |
| Chatter commission | 5% of $10,000 (public listings: 2.5% to 5%) | $500.00 |
| Total human cost | Sum | $2,909.00 |
| AI subscription | $20 per creator (OnlyChat, published pricing) | $20.00 |
| AI commission | 10% of $10,000 (OnlyChat on OnlyFans, published pricing) | $1,000.00 |
| Total AI cost | Sum | $1,020.00 |
| Break-even point | ($2,409 − $20) ÷ (10% − 5%) | $47,780.00 in sales per month |
Results
Frequently asked questions
Three questions about this calculation
Where do the default hourly rate and commission come from?
From public job listings collected on September 14, 2026 and cited in the lesson on the chatter job: positions at 2 to 4 dollars per hour with 2.5% to 5% commission, up to 8% to 12% for senior positions. The BBC documented in March 2026 a chatter earning less than 2 dollars per hour on 8-hour shifts. The default 3 dollars and 5% sit within those ranges; supervision at 10% of salaries is a working assumption.
Where do the AI subscription and commission come from?
From the OnlyChat pricing page, checked on September 15, 2026: 20 dollars per creator per month, plus 10% commission on the sales made by the AI on OnlyFans, 15% on Telegram, and a Premium plan at 70 dollars. Other tools publish other price lists: replace these two fields with those of the tool you are comparing.
What does the break-even point mean?
It is the level of monthly sales where the two costs are equal. Below it, the human cost, mostly fixed, exceeds the cost of the AI; above it, the AI's higher commission ends up weighing more than the salaries. This calculation compares costs, not results: it says nothing about quality, night coverage or languages, which are covered in module 5.
Sources
- ofmjobs.com, public job listings of the sector (survey cited in the lesson The chatter job and what it costs), checked on 2026-09-14.
- BBC News, Icky and heartbreaking: the $2 per hour worker behind the OnlyFans boom (cited in the same lesson), checked on 2026-09-14.
- OnlyChat, pricing page: $20 per creator per month, 10% on OnlyFans, 15% on Telegram, Premium $70, checked on 2026-09-15.
The other tools
Continue with another calculation
- Revenue split
- PPV price
- Net after commission
- Break-even
- Fan value
- Telegram Stars
- French micro-entreprise
- Contract generator
Each calculation is explained in the lesson The numbers of the trade, module 6. The tools are information, not advice: the default values are working assumptions, except those that carry a source.