An AI blog costs very different amounts depending on the route you take. A pure writing tool is a cheap subscription, but demands your time for topics, structure, images and publishing. Complete systems are sold as a monthly subscription based on the number of posts and deliver finished, published posts. In the example used in this article, that starts at CHF 199 per month for one post a week, as of October 2026. Agencies and freelancers charge per post or a flat fee, and there are no public price statistics for this. With all routes, checking time, images and setup come on top.
"What does an AI blog cost?" has no single answer, because the term covers five different ways of buying. Someone who subscribes to a writing tool is buying something different from someone who books a complete system or hires an agency. This page separates the routes, names prices only where they are publicly documented, and factors in the hidden costs that appear on no price list. What a company blog costs independent of AI is covered in the post What does a company blog really cost for Swiss SMEs?.
Five routes, five cost logics
| Way | What you're paying for | How it's billed | What you do yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing tool (chat tool) | Access to the language model | Monthly subscription per user | Topics, briefing, structure, checking, image, publishing |
| Complete system | Finished, published posts on a schedule | Monthly subscription based on number of posts, often with a minimum term | One-off briefing, checking per post |
| Agency | Concept, text, coordination, often image | Flat fee or price per post | Briefing, queries, approval |
| Freelancer | Text | Price per post, word or hour | Topics, briefing, publishing |
| DIY (interface plus development) | Development, use of the interface, maintenance | One-off plus ongoing | Everything, including running it |
The table shows why a pure price comparison is misleading: the right-hand column is a different length for each route, and you pay for that column with your time.
What can be verified, as of October 2026
There is no public market statistic for blog prices in Switzerland. That's why the figures here are only given in concrete terms where a price is publicly available.
Writing tools. Providers publish their prices on their own sites, usually as a subscription per user with several tiers. Check the figure yourself, as it changes often. What matters isn't the subscription, but the time you put into each post.
Agency and freelancer. Prices are set in the quote. Ask for the price per post including research, one round of corrections and publishing, otherwise you're comparing apples with pears. How the three routes differ in delivery time and depth of expertise is shown in Having a blog written for you.
DIY. Using an AI interface is cheap per text and publicly documented by providers. The real costs are developer hours for integration, a checking interface, error handling and maintenance with every model change.
Complete system. Here, public price lists exist. As an example, BlogPilot, prices per month excluding VAT: Starter CHF 199 for one post a week, Business CHF 269 for three, Premium CHF 399 for seven. For start-ups there's Startup at CHF 129 with two posts a week. Setup costs CHF 299 and is waived for Business, Premium and Startup. The minimum term is three months, and an extra post per week costs CHF 29 per month. Full details are available at /preise/.
Hidden costs that appear on no price list
- Checking time. Every post, whatever its source, needs approval. With a system, that's a few minutes once you're familiar with it. With an agency or freelancer, briefing and correction rounds come on top.
- Images. Stock images cost a licence fee, your own photos cost half a day, generated images cost checking time. Clarify before you start who's providing them.
- Setup. Integration with WordPress, Wix or Shopify, categories, author profile, form of address, topic areas. A one-off task, but not free.
- Correction rounds. With external texts, two rounds are normal. Each round costs both sides time.
- Downtime. A freelancer on holiday, an agency swapping writers: the rhythm breaks, and the blog loses what it built up.
- Minimum contract terms. Common with systems and agencies. Work out the contract cost over the full term, not over a single month.
Example calculation: four posts per month over twelve months
All figures except the prices of the complete system are freely chosen assumptions, so the calculation is easy to follow. Insert your own quotes. Hourly rate for your own time: CHF 100, assumption.
| Way | Assumptions | External costs | Own time | Total per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing tool | Subscription CHF 25 per month (assumption), 3 hours own time per post | CHF 300 | 144 hours, CHF 14’400 | CHF 14’700 |
| Complete system (example: BlogPilot Starter) | CHF 199 per month plus CHF 299 setup, 10 minutes review per post | CHF 2’687 | 8 hours, CHF 800 | CHF 3’487 |
| Freelancer | CHF 250 per post (placeholder), 45 minutes own time per post | CHF 12’000 | 36 hours, CHF 3’600 | CHF 15’600 |
| Agency | CHF 400 per post (placeholder), 30 minutes own time per post | CHF 19’200 | 24 hours, CHF 2’400 | CHF 21’600 |
The placeholders for agency and freelancer are not market prices. They simply show the mechanics: once your own time is factored in, the cheapest subscription is no longer the cheapest route, and the price per post isn't the only lever.
What you should ask before you pay
- What's included in the price per post: research, image, publishing, proofreading?
- How long is the minimum term, and how long is the notice period?
- Do the posts stay on your website after the contract ends, and do they belong to you?
- How much time do you need to set aside per post, and what happens if you don't have it?
- Who checks that prices, services and legal statements are correct?
The last question is the most important one. Google states in its spam policies that mass produced content without added value counts as a violation. A cheap post that appears unchecked can end up costing more than any subscription price. You'll find the comparison between subscription and agency, in terms of responsibility and speed, under Blog system or content agency.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't a writing tool much cheaper than a complete system?
In terms of subscription price, yes, but rarely in terms of total cost. With a writing tool, you handle topic selection, briefing, structure, proofreading, images and publishing yourself, usually several hours per post. Once you factor in that time at your hourly rate, the comparison often tips in favour of the system at four posts per month.
Why doesn't this page list agency prices?
Because there's no reliable public source for this, and agencies charge very differently. A made up range wouldn't help you decide. Get two quotes for exactly the same scope, and you'll have your own range.
What contract term is typical for blog systems?
Many providers require a minimum term of a few months, because a blog shows barely any measurable effect in the first few weeks. In the example in this text, it's three months. Ask about the notice period and whether the posts stay on your website after the contract ends.
What does it cost to build your own solution with an AI interface?
Using the interface itself is cheap per text and publicly documented on the providers' websites. What's expensive is the development, maintenance and adaptation to your CMS, which a developer has to handle. For businesses without their own IT, this is rarely the cheapest option.