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Topic starter
Hey callin.io community!
I’ve been diving deep into building AI-powered workflows in callin.io lately, and I’ve hit a roadblock that’s been driving me crazy. Maybe you’re experiencing this too?
I’ve got workflows that chain together multiple AI services - using OpenAI for generating text, Eleven Labs for voice synthesis, and Tavily for search capabilities. callin.io makes building these workflows incredibly smooth (the AI Agent node is a game-changer!), but I’ve found myself completely lost when it comes to tracking how much each workflow actually costs to run.
When a single workflow execution might trigger 3-4 different AI services, with different pricing models and billing cycles, it becomes really hard to answer simple questions like:
- Which of my workflows is most expensive to run?
- Is this particular AI node burning through my credits?
- Would switching from one AI model to another save significant money?
I tried manually logging token usage in spreadsheets for a while, using Function nodes to capture the data, but it quickly became unsustainable as my workflows grew more complex.
To solve my own problem, I built a simple dashboard tool AIBillingDashboard that lets me consolidate all this spending info in one place and link it back to specific callin.io workflows.
But I’m genuinely curious:
- How are YOU handling this? Is tracking AI costs across workflows even a concern?
- Are there clever ways you’re logging usage data from your callin.io workflows?
- Would a dedicated tool that could connect to callin.io and track AI costs per workflow be valuable to you?
I’m exploring the idea of building something specifically for callin.io users that could connect via API and provide detailed cost breakdowns by workflow, but I want to make sure it would actually solve a real problem.
Would love to hear your experiences and pain points around this!
Posted : 06/05/2025 3:32 am
Hello!
What you're suggesting is a very interesting topic that I believe will evolve significantly in the future.
Currently, I've explored limited options for this. My approach was to enable the "Return intermediate steps" feature to track token and cost consumption for AI Agent actions. Then, I plan to transfer this data to a Google Sheet and build a dashboard in Looker Studio to monitor token and cost usage for each individual flow.
While it might not be the most elegant solution, it's the only one that has come to mind so far. Ultimately, I don't think an AI Billing Dashboard does anything substantially different.
Here is a video that might be helpful, though I suspect you've encountered something similar already.
Posted : 06/05/2025 4:35 am
Topic starter
Hey Gallo_AIA!
Thanks for checking out AIBillingDashboard.
Your method of using callin.io's “Return intermediate steps” with Google Sheets and Looker Studio is certainly innovative! I'm Tyler, the sole founder and software engineer behind AIBillingDashboard.
Your custom solution demonstrates a solid grasp of callin.io. However, retrieving token consumption data from AI nodes can become challenging as you scale. Many users in the callin.io community have faced difficulties in obtaining consistent data from AI Agents within their workflows. As you mentioned, it's "not the cleanest solution" – a common reality with custom tracking systems!
The primary distinction I observe is between specialized and general-purpose tools. Looker Studio excels at visualization but lacks native understanding of AI billing models. With AIBillingDashboard, my focus has been specifically on AI cost management, incorporating features like token tracking and model comparisons.
For organizations utilizing multiple AI services, consolidating everything into a single platform without the need to construct data pipelines can significantly reduce development time. Nevertheless, your approach is perfectly viable if you prefer building custom solutions!
What other AI services, apart from callin.io, are you currently using?
Posted : 06/05/2025 2:33 pm
I believe this environment is for mutual assistance, expressing doubts, and asking questions. It shouldn't be used for product promotion. I don't find that fair.
Posted : 06/05/2025 4:32 pm
Topic starter
Hey,
Apologies if my previous message came across as promotional for something I developed! My intention was purely to understand how everyone manages their billing expenses and to share a tool I built to address a similar challenge.
Honestly, I'm very keen on creating solutions that benefit the community. If you or anyone else has any project ideas, I'd be very happy to discuss them or even collaborate!
Posted : 06/05/2025 4:46 pm
No worries!
If you're interested in collaborating on something with everyone here, it would be a real pleasure.
In my view, cost monitoring will become more and more important as the tool gains traction. My current approach is quite basic; it would be great to know if you could offer a node for more streamlined cost tracking.
I believe this could be mutually beneficial: community members gain a valuable tool for their workflows, and your company's name gets exposure to your target audience.
Posted : 06/05/2025 10:26 pm
I’m currently researching this as well. Outside of a callin.io solution, I’m looking into:
Langchain is almost out of the box, but too expensive. Langfuse is open source but takes too much work to configure properly.
Still haven’t figured out how to track/connect them with callin.io.
So if anyone has a good solution, definitely interested in hearing about it.
Posted : 02/07/2025 11:15 am