✨ Behind the Scenes of AI Conversations (and How to Keep Costs Under Control)
Why does Agentic Coding sometimes feel expensive?
The latest deep-dive video on our YouTube channel explores exactly that, and honestly…it might be one of the clearest explanations out there of how AI conversations actually work and why agentic coding tools (like Memex) behave so differently from chat-based tools like ChatGPT when it comes to cost.
If you use Memex (or any AI coding agent) even semi-regularly, this is a must-watch.
Here’s the quick gist:
When you send a “simple” message to an AI, there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye — system prompts, project context, full conversation history — and it all gets submitted under the hood.
That’s why the cost profile for agentic coding tools looks different:
They run on bigger models (because you need serious horsepower to code well),
And each of your messages can trigger a chain reaction of actions by the agent, which compounds the context way faster than a normal chat.
But here’s the kicker: that doesn’t mean they’re “more expensive” in practice.
While chat-based tools like ChatGPT might look cheaper on paper, you often end up doing all the setup and debugging loops yourself. The agent just does it faster and more autonomously. Which means you save your time, not just tokens.
We also break down four very practical techniques for making your credits go further. A quick teaser:
🧠 Use checkpoints to avoid snowballing failed attempts
✨ Start new conversations strategically and manage context
📊 Keep an eye on your usage metrics
💸 Take advantage of discounts
If you’ve ever wondered “Wait, why did this conversation get expensive so quickly?” or “How can I keep my usage lean?”, this video is for you.
Happy building,
— The Memex Team 🛠️
PS - If you haven’t started building your first project yet, we have a short video that helps you get up and running in less than 3 minutes!