# How much does an AI browser extension cost?

_The AI Build Index, published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. USD._

An AI browser extension typically costs about $1,300. Half of the 51 priced job posts we tracked fall between $200 and $3,900, and one in ten reaches $8,000 or more.

## Key facts

- Typical cost: $1,300, with the middle half of posts between $200 and $3,900.
- That is 48% below the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.
- Work expected to take under a month has a median of $200, against $500 for three to six months.
- Fixed-price median $250; hourly estimate median $4,000.
- Hourly rates mostly run from $11 to $36 an hour.
- Most requested skills: Google Chrome Extension, JavaScript and API.

## What it includes

An AI browser extension adds AI features to the pages people already use, such as summarising, drafting or extracting data, inside Chrome or another browser.

- The extension and its permissions
- A backend for model calls
- Accounts and payment
- Page reading logic
- Chrome Web Store submission

## What drives the cost

Work expected to take under a month has a median of $200, against $500 for three to six months. Part of that gap is built in, because hourly estimates are calculated from expected length. Fixed-price posts state a median of $250, while hourly posts work out at $4,000 on our estimate: 16 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly posts describe sustained work.

| Expected length | Median cost | Priced posts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under 1 month | $200 | 18 |
| 1 to 3 months | $2,200 | 24 |
| 3 to 6 months | $500 | 5 |
| Over 6 months | Too few posts | 4 |

| Seniority requested | Median cost | Priced posts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry level | Too few posts | 3 |
| Intermediate | $500 | 31 |
| Expert | $2,550 | 17 |

- How many sites it must work on
- Whether it needs accounts and billing
- How much page-specific logic it needs

## Skills and rates

The skills named most often in these posts are Google Chrome Extension (77%), JavaScript (60%), API (35%) and API Integration (32%). Read this as the working stack for this kind of build, and as a checklist when assessing who should do it.

Hourly posts for this work typically offer $11 to $36 an hour, the middle half of posted rates. The median top of the range is $32 an hour across 22 hourly posts. These are rates in the open freelance market: agencies and in-house teams usually cost more.

## Who is buying

33% of posts ask for expert-level talent. Buyers are most often based in the United States and India, with 47% in the United States. Among posts that state a company size, 93% come from companies of up to 10 people. A typical post draws about 7 applicants.

## What to check before you commit

- Keep API keys off the client
- Request the narrowest permissions possible
- Expect target sites to change and break selectors

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does an AI browser extension cost?

An AI browser extension typically costs about $1,300. Half of the 51 priced job posts we tracked fall between $200 and $3,900, and one in ten reaches $8,000 or more. That is 48% below the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.

### How long does an AI browser extension take?

40% of posts expect the work done in under a month, 44% in one to three months and 16% over a longer stretch. Work expected to take under a month has a median of $200, against $500 for three to six months.

### Why do estimates vary so much?

Fixed-price posts state a median of $250, while hourly posts work out at $4,000 on our estimate: 16 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly posts describe sustained work. Scope matters most: how many sites it must work on and whether it needs accounts and billing move the price the most.

### What hourly rate should I expect?

Most hourly posts offer $11 to $36 an hour, with a median top rate of $32. Agencies and in-house specialists usually charge more than the open freelance market.

### What skills does this work need?

Posts most often ask for Google Chrome Extension, JavaScript, API and API Integration.

### Do I need an expert?

Posts asking for expert-level talent have a median of $2,550, 5.1 times the $500 for intermediate talent. 33% of posts ask for experts.

### Where do these numbers come from?

From 51 public job posts published between December 2025 and November 2026: 29 fixed budgets as stated and 22 hourly posts we costed from their rate, expected length and assumed hours. They are what buyers offered, not signed contract prices.

## Source

The AI Build Index. "AI browser extension: what it costs." Published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. https://aibuildindex.com/cost/chrome-extension-ai

Method: https://aibuildindex.com/methodology