AI Content Is 4.7x Cheaper Than Human Content

We asked 879 marketers to learn how generative AI is changing content marketing—how it affects work, costs, results, and possible risks. In this article, we are focusing on the cost and budget side of AI content. How much does AI content really cost? Are businesses spending more or less on it?

Key takeaways

• • Massive Savings: AI-made content is 4.7 times cheaper than content written by people.
  • Cost Per Post: blog written using AI costs about $131, while one written by a person costs around $611.
  • Monthly Spend: Businesses that use AI spend about $2,475 each month on content, while those not using AI spend around $2,442.
  • Growth Mindset: 51% of businesses plan to spend more on AI-made content.
  • Tool Affordability: On average, companies spend $188 each month on AI tools.
  • Efficiency: 38% of businesses say they save money on writers by using AI.

 

The Cost Breakdown: AI vs. Human Writers

We asked marketing professionals exactly how much they spend to produce a single blog post. The results highlight a stark contrast in the AI writing cost comparison.

The Low End

On the more affordable side of the spectrum, 87% of AI users report spending between $0–$100 per post. In contrast, only 39% of non-AI users operate within this low cost bracket.

The High End

The gap widens significantly at the premium level. While 11% of non-AI users spend more than $1,000 per post (with 4% exceeding $5,000), only 2% of AI users reach these costs.

The Average

Using the median data points, the difference becomes undeniable:

• AI-Generated Content: $131 average per post.
• Human-Written Content: $611 average per post.

This represents a 4.7x cost difference, allowing agile businesses to scale their content production nearly five times faster for the same price.

Budget Trends: Where is the Money Going?

Total Spend Remains Consistent

Interestingly, the introduction of AI hasn’t necessarily slashed total marketing budgets, it has optimized them. Companies using AI spend $2,475 per month, while those that don’t spend $2,442.

Our Analysis: This indicates that businesses aren’t pocketing the savings; they are reinvesting them. By using AI to lower production costs, companies are publishing more often and diversifying their strategy without increasing their total burn rate.

51% of Companies Plan to Spend More

The adoption curve is accelerating.

• 17% will increase AI spending significantly.
• 34% will increase it slightly.
• 43% will maintain current budgets.
• Only 6% plan to reduce their AI spend.

Small businesses (1–9 employees) are the most aggressive in increasing their AI budgets, likely using cheap AI content tools to compete with larger enterprises. Meanwhile, enterprise-level companies (1,000+ employees) show the highest stability, with almost no plans to cut spending.

The Hidden Value: Strategy Over Savings

While the cost savings are attractive, Engage Coders advises clients to look beyond the price tag. The real advantage of AI isn’t just that it’s cheaper, it’s that it frees up human capital for strategy.

The Hybrid Model

38% of respondents are saving money on writers, but the smartest companies are pivoting their human writers into “Editor-Strategists.” Instead of writing a draft from scratch, they refine AI outputs, ensuring the brand voice remains intact.

Tool Investment

With 64% of companies spending less than $500/month on AI tools (average **$188/month**), the barrier to entry is non-existent. The ROI comes from combining these low-cost tools with high-level human oversight.

AI content is 4.7x cheaper than human content

We asked people how much they spend to make one blog post. As expected, content made with AI is much cheaper than that written by a person.

On the lower end, 87% of AI users said they spend $0–100 per post. In comparison, only 39% of non-AI users spend that little.

On the higher end, 11% of non-AI users said they spend more than $1,000 per post, while only 2% of AI users said the same. 4% of non-AI users said they spend over $5,000 per post.

We used the middle number in each cost range to find the average. For AI-made content, the average cost was $131. For human-written content, it was $611. That’s about 4.7 times more.

There is almost no difference in total content spend between AI and non-AI users

Whether companies use AI or not, they spend about the same amount on their content marketing. On average, companies using AI spend $2,475 per month, while those not using AI spend $2,442.

Since AI makes content cheaper and lets companies publish more often, it looks like most are using AI to save money and do more with the same budget. They are not using it to make big changes to their content plans. When we looked at companies of different sizes, we saw that the smallest and largest companies save the most money by using AI.

51% of companies plan to increase spend on AI content

It’s not surprising that very few companies plan to spend less on AI content. More than half say they will spend more on AI content next year. 17% said they will increase spending a lot, and 34% said they will increase it a little. 43% plan to keep spending the same, and only 6% plan to reduce their budget (5% a small cut, 1% a big cut).

When we looked at the data by company size, we saw that small companies with 1–9 workers are the most likely to spend more. Big companies with 1,000+ workers are the least likely to cut spending.

Companies spend an average of $188 per month on AI tools

AI tools are very low-cost. About 64% of the companies we asked spend less than $500 per month on AI content tools. At the low end, 47% spend $1–100 per month. Another 15% spend $101–250. Only 2.6% spend more than $1,000 per month. Using the middle number of each price range, we worked out that the average spend is around $188 each month.

38% of respondents save money on writers

Even though some people worry that AI will replace freelance writers, our data shows that’s not fully true. When we asked how much money companies saved, 45% said they didn’t save anything. But 38% said they saved money by using fewer writers or hiring fewer freelancers.

Very few, just under 3% said they saved over $5,000 per month. Most companies saved between $1–500 or $501–1,000 per month. Using the midpoints of these amounts, the average saving comes out to about $603 per month.

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