Vellum AI pricing explained (2026): the real cost
verified 2026-06-02The Pro plan's headline "$50/mo" is purely hosting: $10 platform fee + $35 Medium machine + $5 for 10 GiB storage, and it includes ZERO AI usage. Add realistic usage of ~$40/mo in credits (LLM tokens, web search, phone calls, billed at $1 = 1 credit with no markup) and a real Pro user lands around $50 + $40 = ~$90/mo. Self-hosting the open-source build with your own API keys drops the $50 hosting layer to $0, leaving only your model/provider costs. Prices verified 2026-06-02 against vellum.ai. prices change often, verify live
The tiers
Monthly and annual. The unit you pay against, per plan.
| tier | monthly | annual | what's included | unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $0 | n/a | Free forever, no card. Pay-as-you-go credits, fixed Small machine, 4 GiB storage. No custom subdomain/email. | per month |
| Pro | $50verify live | n/a | From $50/mo = $10 platform fee + Medium machine ($35) + 10 GiB storage ($5). Configurable machine/storage, assistant email + custom subdomain, static IP, priority support. Credits NOT included. | per month (base config) |
| Machine add-on (Pro) | $35verify live | n/a | Medium 2.5 vCPU/5 GiB +$35; Large 4 vCPU/8 GiB +$60; XL 4 vCPU/16 GiB +$125 | per month per machine size |
| Storage add-on (Pro) | $5verify live | n/a | 10 GiB +$5; 30 GiB +$10; 60 GiB +$15; 120 GiB +$30; 250 GiB +$60; 500 GiB +$120 | per month per tier |
| Credits | $10verify live | n/a | Pay-as-you-go, $1 = 1 credit, bought in $10 increments up to $100/top-up; consumed by LLM inference, web search, image gen, paid 3rd-party APIs. No markup on token usage. | per credit ($1) |
| Self-hosted (open source) | $0verify live | n/a | MIT-licensed; deploy on own hardware/VPS/private cloud. No platform fee, no machine charges; you supply your own keys/uptime. | free (BYO infra + model costs) |
// pools and per-unit rates are volatile · verified 2026-06-02 · cells flagged verify live link to the live vendor page
The Pro "$50/mo" buys only the hosting shell (machine size, storage, custom subdomain, static IP, priority support) and includes NO credits, every bit of actual AI work (LLM inference, web search, image gen, phone/3rd-party APIs) is billed separately as pay-as-you-go credits on BOTH the Free and Pro tiers, so your real bill is hosting + whatever your assistant consumes.
The Pro "$50/mo" buys only the hosting shell (machine size, storage, custom subdomain, static IP, priority support) and includes NO credits, every bit of actual AI work (LLM inference, web search, image gen, phone/3rd-party APIs) is billed separately as pay-as-you-go credits on BOTH the Free and Pro tiers, so your real bill is hosting + whatever your assistant consumes.
See live pricing on Vellum AI →Worth it if
- You are a founder/operator who wants an always-on, memory-rich AI assistant that owns busywork (inbox, calendar, Slack, calls) across Mac/iOS/web/Telegram, and you are comfortable paying model costs as pay-as-you-go credits — or self-hosting the open-source version on your own keys.
- Your usage stays inside the included allowance.
- You value personal AI assistant over raw lowest cost.
Look elsewhere if
- The Pro "$50/mo" buys only the hosting shell (machine size, storage, custom subdomain, static IP, priority support) and includes NO credits — every bit of actual AI work (LLM inference, web search, image gen, phone/3rd-party APIs) is billed separately as pay-as-you-go credits on BOTH the Free and Pro tiers, so your real bill is hosting + whatever your assistant consumes.
- You're highly cost-sensitive at scale.
- A cheaper tool in the comparison covers your use case.
Ready to try Vellum AI?
Start on the free tier (Yes - Base plan free forever, no card: pay-as-you-go credits, fixed Small machine, 4 GiB storage), then size your plan with the numbers above.
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Questions
How much does Vellum AI really cost?
The Pro plan's headline "$50/mo" is purely hosting: $10 platform fee + $35 Medium machine + $5 for 10 GiB storage, and it includes ZERO AI usage. Add realistic usage of ~$40/mo in credits (LLM tokens, web search, phone calls, billed at $1 = 1 credit with no markup) and a real Pro user lands around $50 + $40 = ~$90/mo. Self-hosting the open-source build with your own API keys drops the $50 hosting layer to $0, leaving only your model/provider costs.
Does Vellum AI have a free tier?
Free tier: Yes - Base plan free forever, no card: pay-as-you-go credits, fixed Small machine, 4 GiB storage.
What's the catch with Vellum AI's pricing?
The Pro "$50/mo" buys only the hosting shell (machine size, storage, custom subdomain, static IP, priority support) and includes NO credits — every bit of actual AI work (LLM inference, web search, image gen, phone/3rd-party APIs) is billed separately as pay-as-you-go credits on BOTH the Free and Pro tiers, so your real bill is hosting + whatever your assistant consumes.
Is Vellum AI worth it?
Vellum AI is worth it if you specifically need personal AI assistant. That's where it beats the alternatives. The Pro plan's headline "$50/mo" is purely hosting: $10 platform fee + $35 Medium machine + $5 for 10 GiB storage, and it includes ZERO AI usage. Add realistic usage of ~$40/mo in credits (LLM tokens, web search, phone calls, billed at $1 = 1 credit with no markup) and a real Pro user lands around $50 + $40 = ~$90/mo. Self-hosting the open-source build with your own API keys drops the $50 hosting layer to $0, leaving only your model/provider costs. If your usage is high-volume or budget is the priority, a cheaper tool in the comparison will do the same work for less.