🙋 The Questions Clients Ask
❓"Who pays for the AI to respond in my app?"
You pay — and it costs almost nothing. You run all AI through your single Anthropic account. The cost is so low it's bundled silently into the monthly hosting fee. Clients never see a bill, never create an account, never touch an API key.
The real number: Claude Haiku (the AI model powering client chat widgets) costs $0.25 per million input tokens + $1.25 per million output tokens. A typical small business chat exchange = ~300 tokens. A very busy client getting 200 AI chat messages per month = ~$0.09/month. At 20 clients, your total AI cost is roughly $1.80/month. That's covered in the first 3 minutes of a $39/mo payment.
💬 What to say to the client
Client asks: "So do I need to pay for ChatGPT or something for the AI to work?"
"No — that's all handled on our end. The AI is included in your monthly plan. You don't need any accounts, any API keys, nothing. It just works, same as how your phone has a voice assistant built in without you paying for it separately."
❓"Does my client need their own API key?"
Never. Asking a small business owner to create an Anthropic account, get an API key, and paste it into their app is a deal-killer. That's 5 steps a non-technical person will abandon immediately.
The professional standard — what Shopify, Wix, Square, and every major platform does — is the service provider owns the infrastructure. The client pays the monthly fee and gets features. They don't manage the plumbing.
The one exception — ALPHA platform: ALPHA is a self-service DIY app builder for users who want to build their own apps. ALPHA users do manage their own API key in settings. But that's a different product targeting a tech-aware audience — not a regular client getting a done-for-you app.
❓"What AI features can clients actually get in their app?"
| Feature |
How It Works |
Your Cost |
What to Charge Client |
| AI Chat Widget |
Scripted Q&A bot (no API) — answers FAQs, hours, pricing, bookings. Always-on, zero AI cost. |
$0/mo |
Included free in any plan OR +$200 for upgraded live AI version |
| Live AI Chat (upgraded) |
Real Claude Haiku responses. Routes through your Cloud Function → your Anthropic key. Client never touches API. |
~$0.05–0.20/mo |
+$200 add-on + $10/mo (already in pricing sheet) |
| Push Notifications |
Firebase Cloud Messaging — not AI-powered. 100% free, no API. |
$0/mo |
Included in Standard, Advanced, Premium, Pro Monthly |
| ARIA Sales Assistant |
Your internal tool (Prompter app) — not a client-facing feature. Claude Haiku via your key, ~$0.02/response. |
~$0.02/response |
Internal only — not sold to clients |
🏗️ How the Architecture Works
⚙️Why the API key can't live in the client's HTML file
When you embed an API key directly in an HTML file, anyone can find it by opening browser DevTools and searching. A leaked Anthropic key means someone else runs up your bill. Never put a real key in a client app's HTML source.
❌ Wrong way — key in HTML (insecure)
Client's Phone
→
HTML file with API key inside
→
Anthropic API
Key is visible to anyone who opens View Source or DevTools. Anyone can steal it.
✅ Right way — Cloud Function proxy (what Applanta uses)
Client's Phone
→
Firebase Cloud Function
(your server — key stored in Secret Manager)
→
Anthropic API
Client's phone never sees the API key. It calls your Cloud Function, which handles the Anthropic request server-side. Key lives in Google Cloud Secret Manager — never in the HTML. Cost: $0/month on free tier.
For demo apps (Faith Decorations, El Sabor Latino, etc.): The AI chat widget uses scripted responses — no API key at all. This is totally fine for demos and even live production apps for most clients. It answers 90% of questions (hours, pricing, booking, contact) without ever touching an API. The live AI upgrade is an optional $200 add-on for clients who want truly dynamic responses.
💰 How to Price It & Bundle It
💡How to handle AI costs in your pricing
Bundle it. Don't itemize it. The actual AI cost per client per month is so small ($0.05–$0.20) that it's noise. Treat it like electricity — you don't charge clients per kilowatt, you build it into the price.
| Scenario |
What You Tell Client |
Your Real AI Cost |
| Scripted AI chat widget (default) |
Included free in every app |
$0/mo |
| Live AI chat upgrade |
+$200 one-time, +$10/mo |
~$0.10/mo |
| Full Pro Monthly plan with AI |
$69/mo — everything included |
~$0.10/mo (bundled) |
Your margin math on AI: If you charge +$10/mo for live AI chat, and it costs you ~$0.10/mo in API fees, your margin on that feature is 99%. Even if a client somehow generated $2.00/month in AI usage, you're still up $8.00 on a $10 charge. Price with confidence.
💬 When a client asks if AI costs extra
Client: "Is there a separate fee for the AI assistant?"
"The basic AI assistant — the one that answers questions about your hours, menu, pricing, bookings — that's included at no extra cost. If you want it upgraded to a fully conversational AI that can handle any question in real time, that's a $200 one-time setup and $10 a month. Most clients find the standard version handles everything they need."
📱 AI in Demo Apps (Current Builds)
📋How AI chat works in current client demos
All current demo apps (Faith Decorations, El Sabor Latino, etc.) use a scripted chatbot — not a live AI API. It handles a curated set of questions per business (pricing, hours, bookings, food menu, contact, etc.) with pre-written responses.
What scripted means in practice: The chatbot handles 30–50 common questions with instant, accurate, business-specific answers. For a barbershop: "What are your hours?" "Do you take walk-ins?" "How much is a haircut?" "Can I book online?" — all answered perfectly without any API cost. For 95% of clients, this is all they need.
When you deploy the production app, you have two options:
Option 1 (free, recommended for most): Keep the scripted chat — zero API cost, works offline, instant responses, never breaks.
Option 2 (+$200 add-on): Replace scripted chat with live Claude Haiku calls via your Cloud Function proxy. Client can ask anything. You absorb the ~$0.10/month cost or roll it into the +$10/mo fee.
⚡ AI Features Cheat Sheet
Who owns the API key
Applanta (you) — always
Do clients ever get a key
Never (except ALPHA self-serve)
AI model used in client apps
Claude Haiku (fast, cheapest)
Cost per client per month (live AI)
~$0.05–$0.20/mo
Cost for scripted chat widget
$0 — no API used
Total AI cost at 20 clients
~$1.80/month
AI chat add-on price to client
+$200 setup + $10/mo
Margin on $10/mo AI add-on
~99%
Where API key is stored (production)
Google Cloud Secret Manager
API key in HTML source
Never — security risk
How client app calls AI (production)
Firebase Cloud Function proxy
Demo apps (Faith, El Sabor, etc.)
Scripted chatbot — $0 API cost
Anthropic API account
dev@applanta.app — one account for all
Applanta Solutions · AI Features Reference · Updated May 26, 2026 · Owner-only document