Simple explanation
Before AI, building even a simple app could cost thousands — a developer, months of work, and money upfront before you even knew if the idea was good. AI changes that. But it does not make everything free. The costs shift from hiring to usage and time, and knowing what to expect stops you from being surprised.
What to do
The beginner budget — typical first costs: — AI coding assistant: free to paid plan — GitHub: usually free — Website hosting: usually free to start — Database: usually free to start — Email sending: usually free to start — Domain name: around £10–£20/year — App Store / Play Store: paid developer account when you are ready Claude's current Pro plan is $20/month. Higher Max plans are available at $100/$200/month. Claude Code can also involve usage-based costs depending on how heavily you build. Realistic monthly cost once you are building: — Learning project: £0–£20/month — Serious side project: £20–£75/month — Real app with users: £50–£200/month+ The number grows when you add users, storage, emails, payments, AI usage, backups, or mobile app publishing. The hidden cost — your time: AI writes fast. But you still need to test, review, fix, explain, and improve. As a beginner, assume every "simple feature" takes longer than expected. Not because you are bad. Because you are learning the map while driving.
Copy-paste prompt
I am a non-developer building [describe your project]. Based on what I want to build, help me estimate the monthly running costs using the most common free and paid tools in 2026 — including hosting, database, email, and AI tools. Tell me which ones have good free tiers I can start with.
Course note
Key takeaway
You can start for very little. But a real app is not free. The win is testing an idea for tens of pounds instead of thousands.