What the comparison includes
Human writing is priced per word; Indian freelance rates in 2026 range from ₹1 for basic SEO copy to ₹5–10 for specialist and technical work. AI drafting costs output tokens (about 1.35 tokens per word) at the model's output price, plus the editor time needed to fact-check, restructure and add original insight. That editing cost is the number most teams forget, and it is what keeps AI content compliant with Google's helpful-content guidance.
Reading the result
The calculator converts token prices to rupees and adds your editing cost per 1,000 words. For 50,000 words a month at ₹2 a word, a human team costs ₹1 lakh; AI drafting at $15 per million tokens plus ₹300 per 1,000 words of editing comes to about ₹24,000. The saving is real, but only if the editing budget is actually spent.
When humans still win
Original reporting, interviews, legal and medical accuracy, brand voice and anything that needs first-hand experience. Most successful teams use AI for first drafts, outlines and repurposing, and reserve human writers for cornerstone content.
Frequently asked questions
What editing cost should I assume?
₹200–500 per 1,000 words for a competent editor in India; more for technical subjects.
Does Google penalise AI-written content?
Not for being AI-written. It penalises unhelpful, mass-produced content, which is why the editing line in this calculator matters.
Why 1.35 tokens per word?
That is the typical English token-to-word ratio; Indian-language content needs roughly three times more.