{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "surface_type": "guide_answer",
  "guide_id": "deep-research-cost-per-seat",
  "question": "How do I estimate deep research cost per seat?",
  "canonical_url": "https://www.unitcostai.com/guides/deep-research-cost-per-seat",
  "related_tool_url": "https://www.unitcostai.com/tools/rag-vs-long-context",
  "formula": "cost_per_seat_month = sessions_per_seat_month * cost_per_session",
  "assumptions": [
    "A session bundles the full research interaction, not one prompt-response pair",
    "Premium-model output and wide retrieval can dominate session cost faster than teams expect",
    "Architecture comparisons should hold the quality bar constant across RAG and long-context options"
  ],
  "example": "35 sessions per seat month at 0.72 cost per session gives 25.20 cost per seat-month."
}