Pricing
Know the price before we start.
What each way of working costs, and what getting set up looks like, step by step. Every plan and project is quoted in writing before work begins, and nothing is billed by the hour.
Prices
Updated October 2026
- Forward-Deployed EngineeringPriced by how often you talkfrom $1,000a month
- Managed servicesPriced by what we keep runningfrom $100a monthper system
- Custom projectOne build, one fixed priceQuotedafter we talk
No setup fees. No hourly billing.
How setup worksWhat you get for the price
Our main service is an engineer on your team, and managed services keep everything we build working. Need one thing built? We quote it as a custom project. We’ll recommend where to start on the first call.
Our main service
Forward-Deployed Engineering
from$1,000a month
An engineer on your team, finding and building the next thing to take off your plate.
Forward-Deployed Engineering prices, a month One-hour calls with your engineer Response time You pay a month Credit included Once a month Within 24 hours $1,000 $500 Response time: within 24 hours Twice a month Within 24 hours $2,000 $1,000 Response time: within 24 hours Once a week Within a couple of hours $3,000 $1,500 Response time: within a couple of hours Twice a week Within a couple of hours $4,000 $2,000 Response time: within a couple of hours Full timeAn engineer on your team every day, with full access to them Within a couple of hours, first in line from $5,000 from $2,500 Response time: within a couple of hours, first in line Priced by how often you talk with your engineer. Full time starts at $5,000, and the first call sets its price. Every level includes managed services credit worth half its fee. Month to month, with 30 days’ notice to stop.
- An engineer who learns how your business runs
- Live one-hour video calls with your engineer, a real person, as often as your level sets
- Requests any time, from your portal or from your own AI app, like Claude or ChatGPT
- One main build at a time, planned with you on your calls
- Changes answered within 24 hours, or within a couple of hours from the once-a-week level up
- Managed services credit worth half your fee, to pay for keeping what we build running
A good fit when you have a list of things to fix, and you want them built one after another.
How the credit works, with examplesKeeps it running
Managed services
from$100a month per system
Everything we build is watched, fixed and improved, and your portal stays open for changes.
Managed services prices, a month per system Each system we keep running A month, each SimpleRuns inside one tool, like a weekly report $100 ConnectedMoves information between your tools, like finished jobs into your books $150 Customer-facingReaches your customers directly, like invoices or payment reminders $300 Priced by what we keep running: each system has a level, and your quote names it before you approve. On an engineering plan, your credit pays for it first. Month to month.
- We watch what we built and fix it when something changes
- Changes answered within 24 hours
- If something misbehaves, we pause it first and you hear from us the same business day
- Your portal shows what ran and what we changed, any time
A good fit when what we built is working, and you want it kept that way.
A single build
Custom project
Quotedafter we talk
One defined job, built for a price you know before we start.
One fixed price for each project, in a written quote. Half to start, half when it’s live.
- A written quote: what we’ll build, the price, and when it goes live
- Built inside the tools you already use, in your own accounts
- Your private portal from day one, to follow along and approve
- Fixes for the first 30 days after it goes live
- Not included: Ongoing work and upkeep after the first 30 days, unless you add managed services. Your quote shows that price too.
A good fit when you want one thing built, without an engineer on your team each month.
Where we come out ahead
Our prices, next to what agencies that build and run AI for small businesses usually charge.
No minimum
One system starts at $100 a month.
Agency care plans usually start around $500 a month.
No setup fee
Engineering plans and managed services start without one.
Agencies often charge $500 or more before they start.
Upkeep credit built in
Every engineering level includes credit for keeping what we build running: $500 a month on the $1,000 level.
Agencies usually bill upkeep on top of the work.
Fast answers built in
From the $3,000 level, changes are answered within a couple of hours, nights and weekends included.
Agencies usually keep a response that fast for their top plans.
Compared with prices agencies published in 2026.
How the credit works
Every engineering level includes managed services credit worth half its monthly fee. The credit pays for upkeep: the work that keeps what we build watched, fixed and running. On the $3,000 level, the first $1,500 of upkeep each month is already paid for.
Why it matters
Everything we build needs looking after once it’s live, and that upkeep is priced per system. Without the credit, you’d pay twice: once for your engineer, and again to keep what they built running. With it, your engineering fee covers both, as long as upkeep stays within the credit.
How it’s used
- Upkeep comes out of the credit first. You only pay for upkeep beyond it, at the same per-system prices.
- Your quote shows each system’s upkeep before you approve it, so going over is never a surprise.
- The credit starts fresh each billing month, so unused credit doesn’t carry over.
- It pays for managed services only, not new projects.
Estimate your month
- Engineering, once a week
- $3,000
- Managed services, 4 systems1 simple, 2 connected, 1 customer-facing
- $700
- Credit used, of $1,500
- −$700
- You pay a month
- $3,000
The credit pays for all the upkeep, with $800 to spare.
An estimate from the prices on this page. Your written quote names each system’s level and sets the final price. Full time starts at $5,000 a month, and the first call sets its price. Projects are one-time and quoted on their own.
Three examples
Once a week, four systems running
Building one thing after another, with a few systems already live.
- Engineering, once a week
- $3,000
- Managed services, 4 systems1 simple, 2 connected, 1 customer-facing
- $700
- Credit used, of $1,500
- −$700
- You pay a month
- $3,000
The credit pays for all the upkeep, with $800 to spare.
Once a month, three systems running
A lighter plan, with more running than the credit covers.
- Engineering, once a month
- $1,000
- Managed services, 3 systems2 connected, 1 customer-facing
- $600
- Credit used, of $500
- −$500
- You pay a month
- $1,100
Upkeep is $100 more than the credit, so that $100 is billed on top.
No engineer, one system running
A project is live, and you just want it kept running.
- Managed services, 1 system1 connected
- $150
- You pay a month
- $150
Without an engineering plan there’s no credit, so each system’s upkeep is billed.
What getting set up looks like
Signing up is free, and every quote comes after a first meeting. An engineering plan is billed every month from the day you approve your quote, and the first thing your engineer builds is usually live one to two weeks later.
Sign up, or book a call
Create an account and answer a few setup questions at your own pace, or go straight to booking a free call. Either way, you pick a time for your first meeting.
- Your time
- A few minutes
- Cost
- Free
Meet with us
A free call with someone from our team. We learn where your week goes and tell you what’s worth doing first, and what isn’t. Everyone has this meeting before getting a quote.
- Your time
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
Get a written quote
One page: your engineering level, what your engineer builds first, and what each system will cost to keep running. Nothing starts until you say yes.
- Your time
- A few minutes to read
- Cost
- Free
Kick off with your engineer
Your first one-hour video call with your engineer sets the direction. You sign in to each of your tools on its own page, so your passwords never come to us. Your portal opens the same day.
- Your time
- About an hour
- Cost
- Your first month
You ask, your engineer builds
Ask for what you need, any time. Your engineer works out how it’s built and checks with you on anything that needs your yes, and nothing changes until you’ve both approved it. Your level sets how fast changes are answered: within 24 hours, or within a couple of hours from the once-a-week level up.
- Your time
- A few minutes per approval
- Cost
- Included
Go live, and keep it running
Once something is live, managed services keep it watched and fixed. Your credit pays for that upkeep first, so you only pay for upkeep beyond it.
- Your time
- Nothing extra
- Cost
- From your credit
A custom project takes the same steps with one fixed price in the quote: half when you approve it and half when it’s live, with fixes for the first 30 days. Upkeep after that is managed services, if you want it.
An example quote, for a sample business with sample numbers.
What’s in the price, and what isn’t
In every plan
- Your private portal, with an assistant that answers questions about what’s running
- Requests and questions any time, without booking a meeting
- You and your engineer both approve every change before it goes live
- Everything we build lives in your accounts and belongs to you
- No setup fees, no hourly billing and no long-term contract
Paid to others, or quoted first
- Software you choose to add, such as a CRM or a scheduling app, billed by its maker to your account
- AI usage for the systems we build, which runs on your own account. Your quote shows the expected monthly cost before you approve.
- Texting and calling fees, if a system sends texts or makes calls, paid to the phone carrier
- Anything outside your quote. We quote it first, and nothing is billed without your OK.
Questions about price
Something else? See the FAQ or email [email protected].
Do you bill by the hour?
No. Monthly plans are priced by your engineering level and the systems we keep running, never by the hour or by how many requests you send. A custom project is one fixed price, quoted in writing before work begins.
Are there setup fees?
No. Engineering plans and managed services start without one, and a custom project’s quote covers its own setup.
How fast are changes?
It depends on your engineering level: changes are answered within 24 hours once or twice a month, within a couple of hours once or twice a week, and first in line on full time. With managed services alone, they’re answered within 24 hours. Those times count nights and weekends too. Bigger builds are planned with your engineer and built one at a time.
Can I change how often we talk?
Yes. Move up a level from your next month whenever you need more, or move down a level with 30 days’ notice.
What is the managed services credit?
Credit worth half your engineering fee, included every month to pay for keeping what we build running. Upkeep comes out of it first and you only pay for upkeep beyond it, so on the $3,000 level the first $1,500 of upkeep each month is covered.
What counts as a system?
One thing we built that runs on its own, like a weekly report or invoices from finished jobs. Your quote lists each system, its level and its monthly price before you approve.
Does a custom project include upkeep?
It includes fixes for the first 30 days after it goes live. Ongoing work and upkeep after that aren’t included unless you add managed services, and your quote shows that monthly price too.
What if a project takes longer than planned?
That’s on us, and the price in your quote doesn’t change. If you ask for something the quote doesn’t cover, we quote that first and you decide.
Is there a long-term contract?
No. Monthly plans run month to month, and you can stop with 30 days’ notice.
What happens to what you built if I stop?
It stays in your accounts and it’s yours to keep. We stop watching and fixing it, and you can come back any time.
How do I pay?
By invoice. Monthly plans are billed every month, starting the day you approve your quote. A custom project is billed half when you approve the quote and half when it’s live.
Prices in US dollars, last updated October 2026.
See it work before you pay a thing.
Try the client portal on a sample business. When you’re ready, a free call gets you a written quote.