Why I spend $300+ a month on AI tools

I spend $300+ a month on AI tools.

Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity Pro, Grammarly, Cursor…

My AI tool stack is stuffed.

Do I need ALL these tools?

Do YOU?

Probably not.

But here’s why I keep them anyway:

Take Claude

It's my fav AI tool of choice lately.

I'm in Ireland, and it works great in the morning. Around 11 am GMT, Claude Sonnet 4 slows down and starts moaning about capacity issues.

That's probably my American friends in EST and PST are firing up Claude over coffee.

Claude 4.0, works much better late at night. I'd wager that's because Asian users are logging off for bedtime.

So when Claude slows down, I switch over to ChatGPT or Gemini.

It's not just to do with timezones.

Having multiple AI subscriptions is like having a specialized Formula One pit crew - each tool has a specific job.

When I need deep analysis or long-form writing? Claude gets the call.

Quick problem-solving or debugging code? ChatGPT jumps in.

Research and fact-checking? Gemini takes the wheel.

Development work? Cursor handles the heavy lifting.

Polishing and editing? Grammarly cleans it up.

It’s not just about having backups when one model slows down.

I test the same prompt across different models to compare outputs.

It’s taught me how each AI thinks:

→ Gemini 2.5 thinks like a laborious professor

→ Claude is friendly and articulate (perfect for explanations)

→ GPT 4.1 is pithy, concise, and loves emojis

The real value isn’t having access to every AI tool.

It’s understanding how to write a great prompt… and knowing exactly which specialist to send it to.

Each tool in my pit crew earns its place.

I’m also using insights from these models to build out actionable weekly lessons for PromptWritingStudio. I regularly update it with new prompts for creators and business owners using AI. It’s open now.