Bstrap

What it costs

The honest numbers, all in one place.

No markup. No mystery. Here is what each piece really costs in the real world, paid to the real companies that make it. Most people end up spending very little, and several of these are simply free.

The pieces and their prices

Every line item, plain and clear.

A Mac mini A small, quiet desktop computer. A great "body" for your setup that sits on a shelf and runs everything.
about $599once
A used MacBook (16-inch, M2 or newer) A laptop body if you want it to travel with you. Buying used keeps it affordable, and these stay fast for years.
variesused, one time
A .com domain Your steady address on the internet. The plain, familiar kind.
about $11per year
A family .ai domain The newer, AI-era address for your family's setup. Bought two years up front.
about $83/yrabout $165 for 2 yrs
A small server An always-on machine in the cloud, so your night manager keeps watch even when your own computer is asleep.
about $6per month
A Claude subscription The thinking brain. There is a real free tier, and I will tell you the honest truth about which you actually need.
$0 / $20 / $100+per month, your choice
A Twilio phone number A dedicated number so your night manager can text you, and so your tools can send and receive messages.
about $1.15per month, plus pennies of use
Beta partners pay none of this to us. You only ever pay real vendors, never us, and every purchase is approved by you first.

Why each one exists

You are never buying for the sake of buying.

Every item above earns its place. The computer (the Mac mini or the MacBook) is the body your tools live in, and many people already own one, so they spend nothing new here. The domain is your family's address in the new world, a few dollars a year so your email and site feel like yours. The small server is what lets your night manager keep watch around the clock, even while your own machine sleeps.

The Claude subscription is the thinking brain, and the free tier is real, so most people start at zero and only move up if their own use truly calls for it. The phone number is the thread that lets the setup text you when something matters, for the price of a coffee a month. Nothing here is a trap, nothing renews without you knowing, and I will always steer you to the cheapest path that still does the job.

“Honesty is the whole brand. You pay the makers, never the messenger.”

Still your call, always

You approve every dollar before it moves.

I never reach into your wallet. When something genuinely needs buying, I show you exactly what it is and what it costs, you say yes, and you buy it directly from the company that makes it. If you would rather not buy a piece, we simply leave that block in the box.

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