Time-value estimator
Is the time worth it?
Work out whether an AI tool is worth using for one task. It counts the time you spend writing the prompt and checking the answer, and the tool's price, not just the minutes saved.
Start from an example
How this is worked out
- Minutes saved per task = minutes today - minutes to prompt - minutes to check.
- Tasks a month = times a week x 52 / 12.
- Value = minutes saved x tasks / 60 x your hourly value. Net = value - tool price.
- Break-even = tool price / (minutes saved per task / 60 x hourly value).
Every number except the tool price is yours. Results can go either way: one trial found experienced developers 19% slower with AI tools (METR, 2025), a customer-support study found about 14% faster (NBER).