Wix's self-trained AI model for Base44 only saves about 1% to 30% versus using frontier models for complex tasks, far less dramatic than the 14-16x savings others claim from open-source models on simpler tasks.
Avishai reveals that despite training their own model, cost savings versus frontier models are modest (roughly 5-10% for complex use cases), undercutting the narrative of massive open-source cost advantages. ✦ AI generated
Avishai · 20VC · 2026-07-13 · original ↗
starts at this moment · 17:13
“How much cheaper is own model versus using a frontier model?”
It depends, but I would say between 1% to 30%... if you're using open source models, okay, then and and you can use the really basic ones for a lot of different things, they work great, okay, then it would cost you even less. But when you want to use a complicated model, for example, what you need for something like B 44, okay, it's not going to get to that much of a level, but you can achieve 5% or 10%.
verbatim transcript · starts at 17:13
17:13between 1% to 30%. >> Wow, that's not nearly as much as I thought it was. And that might be surprising, but like Chimath came out and said that, hey, when he uses open source, it's 14 to 16x cheaper. >> Yeah, but he's using it on a smaller task. Yes, that's absolutely true. By way, if you're using open source models, okay, then and and you can use the
17:38really basic ones for a lot of different things, they work great, okay, then it would cost you even less. But when you want to use a complicated model, for example, what you need for something like B 44, okay, it's not going to get to that much of a level, but you can achieve 5% or 10%. Do you think we're in the cost optimization period for base 44
17:58yet given you have like a rapid who do like multi- aent uh and multimodel modes? They are not cost optimizing at all but they are delivering a good customer experience. We're not in the cost optimization stage for these businesses yet are we? >> No, I think it's more about quality. I if you are let me have 20% less in quality sorry 20% more quality 20% less cost I'll definitely go for the quality.
18:24It's a new market. It's just happening. It's starting. We should make it better. >> Why do you not publish base 44's numbers? Like they're amazing. Like would it not be helpful to tell the story? >> Well, we do publish them every once in a while. We do a told you and we do publish them every once in a while. So, we do publish them. I mean, none of the players in this
18:46market are actually publishing on a weekly or monthly basis. I know only when they raise money. We do quite more often. That's it. Right? There's no need for us uh to start breaking the numbers because from weeks when we do the quarterly report a as we tend to do things like move customer between one platform to the other, right? We're pushing customers in between. >> Do you encourage customers to try each
19:12platform? >> Yes. But more than that, we encourage encourage our partners and agencies to use B4 now. Right. So we do that. We actually spend time on that. And you do that because you think it's the future? Because you have a worse margin profile on that. It would make sense financially to push them to the core business. >> Yeah. I I think that it's part of the