Why I don't spend more than $30 on AI coding tools
The author explains why they limit their spending on AI coding tools to under $30 per month, emphasizing the distinction between 'vibe coding' for simple scripts and 'agentic engineering' for complex software development. They rely on cost-effective tools like MiniMax M2.7 and Claude Code, finding them sufficient for their needs without requiring expensive frontier models. The author warns against overuse, arguing that excessive reliance on AI agents can lead to burnout and technical debt rather than sustainable innovation.
- ▪The author spends only $20–30 per month on AI coding tools despite heavy usage.
- ▪They use MiniMax M2.7 for 'vibe coding' and Claude Code with Sonnet 4.6 for complex software engineering tasks.
- ▪Usage limits help prevent burnout and encourage thoughtful, human-led development.
- ▪The author believes current AI models are already 'good enough' for most engineering needs.
- ▪They caution against high spending on AI tokens, calling it unsustainable and harmful to mental health.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Analysis Why I don't spend more than 30$ on AI coding tools I honestly don't understand how one can spend more than 30$ per month for AI coding tools. And stay sane. Timo Grossenbacher Apr 30, 2026 • 3 min read I honestly don't understand how one can spend more than 30$ per month for AI coding tools. And stay sane.I have been using AI for engineering tasks over the last few years, from a more sophisticated autocomplete to fully autonomous agents completing my sluggishly written instructions. I use them for many hours a week.Yet, I hardly spend more than 20-30$ per month on these tools. Why?I think one should make a difference between vibe coding and agentic engineering.For vibe coding I currently use MiniMax M2.7. It costs me 10$ per month and basically runs on near-infinite tokens.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Timo Grossenbacher.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Timo Grossenbacher
