So here's what happened: i Wish I Knew AI Recommendation Sooner — Here's the Full Breakdown
Last quarter I burned through about three billable hours debugging a recommendation pipeline for a Shopify client. The thing was — it shouldn't have taken that long. I had the data. I had the API keys. What I didn't have was a clear-eyed picture of what AI recommendation systems actually cost in 2026 when you're paying the bills yourself.
If you freelance like I do, every line item matters. My "office" is a kitchen table, my "PM" is a Slack ping at 11pm, and my CFO is whatever's left in my checking account after software subscriptions. So when I say I've been digging into the numbers on AI recommendation systems for the last six weeks, I mean I've been doing it the way I do everything: with a calculator open in one tab and a client invoice in the other.
This post is the writeup I wish I'd had before I started. Consider it the field guide for anyone building recommendation features on a budget, on a deadline, or just for fun.
Why I Even Cared About Recommendation Systems
