AI marketing tools pricing and terms: what to ask before you sign

Why the sticker price is not the cost

Two tools with the same monthly figure can cost very different amounts by the end of a year. One charges for each extra teammate. Another meters the content it generates. A third looks cheap but covers one job, so you buy two more beside it. The useful number is the total cost of getting your list of jobs done, including the hours your own people still spend. You cannot read that from a pricing page. You get it by asking.

How tools commonly charge

In general, vendors use one or more of these bases. Ask which apply to you.

• Per user. A charge for each person who logs in. Ask whether people who only approve count.
• Per account or location. A charge for each brand, social profile or site.
• By usage. A charge or a cap tied to what the AI produces: posts, images, video, messages.
• By plan. Tiers that unlock features. Ask which tier contains your must-haves.
• Services. Setup, training or support billed separately.

Questions about commitment

Commitment terms decide how expensive a mistake is. A tool that turns out wrong on a monthly term costs you a month. On an annual term it costs you the year, or a negotiation.

• Is the contract monthly or annual, and does it renew automatically?
• Is there a pilot or a shorter first term?
• How much notice is needed to cancel, and how is it given?
• What happens to the price at renewal?
• Can I move between plans as my needs change?

Questions about leaving

Ask about the exit before you enter. It is a fair test of the terms as a whole.

• If I cancel, what happens to scheduled posts and running automations?
• Can I export my content, my contact list and my reports?
• Who owns the images, videos and copy the tool produced for me?
• How long is my data kept after I leave?

Money the tool spends on your behalf

Keep two budgets apart: what you pay the vendor, and what the tool spends for you. Ad spend goes to the ad platform, not to the software company, and it can pass the software cost quickly. Creator fees are a third line where a marketplace is involved. Ask to see where spending is shown before approval, and who is allowed to approve it.

Where Link AI fits

Our editorial pick is Link AI by Linkme, and on this subject we have the least to tell you. No price, plan, contract term or usage limit for Link AI is quoted here, and the route Linkme's page gives is a demo. What the page does show bears on the previous section: a Meta ad draft states its daily budget and what that adds to the month's spend, and it waits under 'Needs review' until someone approves the launch.

Take every question in this entry with you. Book a demo to try Link AI, then request the terms in writing once the call is over.

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