Calculator · 2026

Startup AI ROI & Tool Selector

Data-driven selection for startup teams. We include the hidden context-switch tax—often ignored in spreadsheets—and show break-even in working days.

Your inputs

Number of engineers on the team
Projected monthly ROI
0%

Monthly net: $0

Productivity savings
$0
Context-switch savings
$0
Total tool cost
$0

Recommended tool: Cursor

Ideal for high-speed feature building and visual diffing.

Break-even:

How we calculate ROI

Monthly productivity savings = (hours saved per dev per week × 4 weeks × team size × hourly rate).

Context-switch savings = $25 per switch × 2 avoided switches per day × ~20 working days × team size. Research puts the cost of an interrupted developer at ~$25 in lost focus and re-orientation; AI tools that keep flow (inline edit, agent in IDE) reduce switches.

Net = total savings − (tool cost per user × team size). ROI = (net ÷ total cost) × 100. Break-even = days until cumulative savings equal one month’s tool cost.

  • Defaults use 2026-style benchmarks; adjust inputs to match your team.
  • Tool recommendation changes with “Main priority” (e.g. Privacy → Llama 4 local, Logic → Claude Code).