How AI Helped Me Build Helix- an internal workspace built for my own team

When AI Changed Everything

In May 2025, I started experimenting seriously with AI.

What began as curiosity slowly turned into what I now call vibe coding. Instead of writing syntax line by line, I focused on reasoning, system design, and explaining intent. AI helped translate that into working software.

I was not memorising frameworks. I was thinking in systems.

My first real experiment was OnlyForRecruiters.com, a professional community that now has more than 1,000 members.

I built it using Lovable. I spent about $300 to $400, roughly ₹25,000 to ₹35,000, on AI credits. Even that was far cheaper than the ₹3 to 4 lakh developer quotes I had received.

Encouraged by this, I built two more working MVPs purely to test my limits.

One was a payroll application called Internal Payroll. Another was a Family Tree tracker to map ancestry.

Both worked. They were real, functioning products. But the AI credit burn on Lovable started adding up, so I paused them.

Still, the lesson was clear.

AI had given non-coders the ability to build and test real software independently.

Finding a Zero-Cost Setup

After pausing my Lovable projects, I started looking for a way to keep building without recurring AI credit costs.

That is when I found a powerful combination.

• Cursor for AI-assisted development.
• GitHub for version control.
• Vercel for deployment and hosting.

All available on free tiers.

I also used Figma to design the Helix interface before writing code. Designing the UI first helped me stay focused, reduce rework, and keep the product clean and consistent.

I started building Helix on November 4, 2025.

This was not part of my office hours. Most of the work happened late at night and on weekends.

By December 15, 2025, Helix was complete to my full satisfaction. Stable, usable, and aligned with the original intent.

What Helix Does

Helix is an internal workspace built for my own team.

We use it to store ideas, documents, research, prompts, and web clippings. Everything lives in one place, across multiple workspaces, with real structure and access control.

There are no subscriptions. No per-user pricing. No recurring SaaS bills.

And most importantly, the cost today is zero.

Built Carefully, Not Quickly

AI made development faster, but I never treated it like magic.

I treated it like a partner. Powerful, but capable of mistakes if left unchecked.

To avoid common AI-coding pitfalls, I enforced a few strict principles from day one.

• Every important decision and assumption is documented.
• Changes are reviewed in an audit-style manner for security, data access, and stability.
• AI works within clear instructions and constraints, not free-form generation.
• Access control is enforced at the database level, not just in the UI.
• If something increased complexity or technical debt, I deleted it instead of patching it.

This approach slowed development slightly, but it made the system trustworthy.

Helix runs today on Vercel's free tier. There is no build cost and no runtime cost. It uses a real relational database with proper isolation and access control.

All of this was built solo, mostly late at night, in roughly 40 to 60 hours.

What Helix Would Have Cost Traditionally

Even though Helix is intentionally small compared to Notion, it is still a real SaaS system. It includes authentication, workspaces, AI assistance, structured data, and security layers.

If a small development team or agency had built the same system, the cost would likely look like this.

• A full-stack developer or two would take roughly 160 to 200 hours.
• Frontend work for UI and editor setup would add another 60 to 80 hours.
• Backend and database setup would take 80 to 100 hours.
• Testing and QA would take around 40 hours.
• A tech lead or project manager would add another 30 to 40 hours.

At typical rates, this puts the total cost between $13,000 and $25,000, roughly ₹10 to ₹20 lakhs.

Even at Indian startup rates, the same build would cost around ₹4 to 6 lakhs, or $4,000 to $7,000.

Using AI and free tools, my actual cash cost to build Helix was zero. Only time, focus, and late-night effort.

That is the real shift AI enables.

The Cost Journey in Simple Terms

Here is the progression in plain language.

• Hiring developers would have cost ₹3 to 4 lakhs.
• Using Notion for a mid-size team would cost about ₹2 lakhs per year.
• Building with Lovable cost me ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 in AI credits.
• Building Helix with Cursor, GitHub, and Vercel cost me ₹0.

That is the journey. From ₹4,00,000 to ₹0.

Why I Am Sharing This

I built Helix first for myself to reduce SaaS dependency and control costs.

Only after it proved stable and useful did I decide to share it publicly.

This is not about replacing developers or claiming AI can do everything. It is about giving founders and teams options.

If you are a business owner thinking, "I wish I could build my own tool," you probably can now.

AI did not remove the opportunity. It redistributed it.

My Reflection

What makes this journey meaningful to me is not that I built a SaaS product as a non-coder. It is how I built it.

Over six weeks, working mostly late nights, I went from idea to a working product that solved a real business problem.

AI did not turn me into a developer overnight. It made me a better thinker. It forced structure, documentation, and discipline instead of shortcuts.

Helix is proof that the cost of doing business can drop from ₹4 lakhs to ₹0 if you stay curious, careful, and willing to learn.

Final Thought

Helix shows that with AI, reasoning, and discipline, it is possible to go from helpless without code to building real software.

Built between November 4 and December 15, 2025. Built after office hours. Built using Figma, Cursor, GitHub, and Vercel.

This is not a prototype. It is in daily use.

And it is my way of showing how AI can reduce the cost of doing business from $300 per month to zero, while still staying relevant.

If you would like to explore Helix, try it free, or share feedback, I would genuinely love to hear from you.