What it costs: honest pricing guides for people businesses (2026)
Nobody else in this market publishes their prices, so every guide here gives you the typical market range from published rate guides and then ours, side by side. Written for people businesses - businesses that sell their people's expertise and time: agencies, accountants, lawyers, consultants.
How much does custom software cost for a small business?
Typically $2,000-5,000 for one automation, $8,000-18,000 for a portal or dashboard, and $15,000-30,000 for a multi-part tool, plus upkeep.
Read →GuideFractional CTO cost vs an embedded engineer
A hands-on fractional CTO is typically $8,000-15,000 a month in the US; an embedded engineer who builds and runs the tools is $2,000-7,500.
Read →GuideHow much does an AI consultant cost?
Typically $75-250 an hour in the US, around £560 a day for UK contractors, with small projects from $5,000.
Read →GuideAI automation agency pricing
Typically $1,000-3,500 a month for small businesses, or $10,000-75,000 for a fixed project, plus platform and AI usage fees.
Read →GuideAutomation consultant rates (Zapier, Make, n8n)
Typically $40-150 an hour for freelancers, $100-250 at consultancies, and about £540 a day for UK contractors.
Read →GuideHow much does an operations audit cost?
Typically $5,000-25,000 over three to six weeks for a small business. Ours is two weeks for $2,500 / £2,000.
Read →GuideHow much does a client portal cost in 2026?
Off-the-shelf portals run about $19-600 a month; a custom portal typically costs $8,000-18,000 to build, plus upkeep.
Read →GuideHow much does a custom CRM cost in 2026?
A custom CRM typically costs $15,000-50,000 to build for a small business, plus 10-20% a year to maintain. Most should buy one instead.
Read →GuideHow much does a developer on retainer cost in 2026?
A software development retainer typically costs $1,000-8,000 a month for a small business; UK developers contract at about £525 a day.
Read →GuideHow much do accounting and law firms spend on software in 2026?
Accounting firms spent about $21,000 on technology in the past year on average; law practice software runs $49-150 per user a month.
Read →Our prices
| Plan | US | UK | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ops audit | $2,500 one-off | £2,000 one-off | Every new client starts here: two weeks, your first three builds scoped and priced |
| Monthly plan: starter | $2,000 a month | £1,600 a month | Built for one team and one painful workflow (up to ~10 people) |
| Monthly plan: growth | $3,500 a month | £2,800 a month | Built for firms of 10-30 people with several workflows to fix |
| Monthly plan: embedded | $7,500 a month | £6,000 a month | Built for 30+ people, or where these tools run the business |
The full detail of each plan is on the pricing page.
Not sure what to build first? Start with an ops audit.
Two weeks. We talk to your team, map your apps and count the hours lost, then give you a roadmap with the first three builds priced. $2,500 / £2,000, credited to your first month.