Honest Cost Comparison
Is private AI actually cheaper?
Cloud AI looks cheap per seat — until your team hits rate limits, usage grows, and prices rise. Here's what regulated UK firms are actually paying, and when a private node makes financial sense.
What £25/user/month doesn't include
The per-seat price is the starting point. Here's what sits on top of it.
Rate limits
ChatGPT Team throttles heavy users. Staff hit limits mid-afternoon and wait — billable time lost.
Costs grow with adoption
Every new user adds £25/month — permanently. Encourage AI adoption and your bill grows linearly.
Provider price increases
OpenAI and Microsoft set the price. Increases are at their discretion. Your budget isn't fixed.
No audit trail for regulators
Cloud providers can't confirm what queries were made or that client data wasn't retained. VaultLLM can.
VaultLLM: one flat fee from £199/month. No per-seat costs. No rate limits. No surprises.
The Numbers
At 20 users, VaultLLM breaks even at approximately month 18
After that, every month saves your practice £301 versus ChatGPT Team. At 50 users, the saving exceeds £1,000 per month — and VaultLLM breaks even in under 5 months.
Total Cost of Ownership
Cumulative costs at 12 and 36 months. VaultLLM cost is the same regardless of user count.
ChatGPT Team
£25 × users × months
Grows with every user you add
VaultLLM
£5,500 once, then £199/month
Hardware paid once — same fee for any team size
| Team Size | ChatGPT Team @ £25/user/month — scales per seat |
VaultLLM flat fee — unlimited users |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | 36 months | 12 months | 36 months | |
| 5 users | £1,500 | £4,500 | £7,888 | £12,664 |
| 10 users | £3,000 | £9,000 | £7,888 | £12,664 |
| 20 users ★ Breakeven ~18 months | £6,000 | £18,000 | £7,888 | £12,664 Save £5,336 |
| 50 users ★ Breakeven ~5 months | £15,000 | £45,000 | £7,888 | £12,664 Save £32,336 |
ChatGPT — 12 months
£1,500
VaultLLM — 12 months
£7,888
ChatGPT — 36 months
£4,500
VaultLLM — 36 months
£12,664
ChatGPT — 12 months
£3,000
VaultLLM — 12 months
£7,888
ChatGPT — 36 months
£9,000
VaultLLM — 36 months
£12,664
ChatGPT — 36 months
£18,000
VaultLLM — 36 months
£12,664
Save £5,336
ChatGPT — 36 months
£45,000
VaultLLM — 36 months
£12,664
Save £32,336
ChatGPT Team: £25/user/month (accurate as of early 2026, subject to change). VaultLLM: £5,500 hardware (paid once, year 1) + £199/month ongoing maintenance. The 36-month VaultLLM total = £5,500 + (£199 × 36) = £12,664 — the hardware is not charged again after year 1. Prices exclude VAT.
Custom Calculator
Calculate your own estimate
Enter your team size and planning horizon to see your projected comparison.
ChatGPT Team
£11,250
VaultLLM
£12,664
Hardware + maintenance
For smaller teams, VaultLLM's value is primarily compliance & data sovereignty
Estimates only. Excludes VAT. VaultLLM hardware cost assumed at £5,500 one-time.
For regulated firms, the cost comparison understates the case
A single ICO enforcement action or client complaint arising from a data breach can cost more than years of subscription fees. For solicitors, accountants, and financial advisors, the regulatory and reputational exposure from routing confidential data through a third-party AI provider is a risk that doesn't appear in any cost table.
VaultLLM gives you something you can demonstrate to clients, insurers, and regulators: a technically auditable AI capability with documented data residency and zero third-party sub-processors. That assurance is increasingly what clients in regulated sectors will expect.
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