# Pricing for AI consulting, automation and SEO

> Published price bands for every service, from $1,500 a month care plans to $90,000 agent builds. Fixed price per phase, usage billed at cost.

- Page: https://methodcrew.com/pricing
- Last updated: 2026-10-28
- Publisher: [The Method Crew](https://methodcrew.com/)

Every service has a published price band. Audits and builds are quoted as projects, and retainers are billed by the month.

- Projects: $1,500 to $90,000
- Retainers: $1,500 to $15,000 a month
- Published bands: All 20 services
- Last reviewed: October 2026

## In short

Project work costs $1,500 to $90,000, depending on the service and scope. An AI readiness audit runs $3,000 to $15,000, a single-workflow automation $4,000 to $10,000 and a custom AI agent $15,000 to $90,000. Monthly retainers run $1,500 to $15,000. Every project gets a fixed price per phase, in writing, before any work starts.

## Audit, build or retainer

Every service is sold in one of these 3 shapes. They can run in order, audit then build then retainer, and each one also stands on its own.

### Audit

A fixed-price assessment or advisory phase that ends in a written plan.

$3,000 to $40,000

We map the processes, systems or website in scope and rank what to fix or build by return, cost and risk. Consulting phases can add pilots on your data, and workshops are priced the same way, per session. The plan is detailed enough for your own developers to build from, so you are free to take it elsewhere.

- Billing: One fixed price, agreed in writing before work starts
- Typical length: 1 to 10 weeks

You get:

- A written report with a ranked list of opportunities
- Cost, effort and risk for each one
- A budget estimate or fixed-price proposal for the first build

Sold this way: [AI readiness audit](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-readiness-audit), [Corporate AI consulting](https://methodcrew.com/services/corporate-ai-consulting), [SEO and GEO](https://methodcrew.com/services/seo-and-geo), [AI workshops and team training](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-workshops)

### Build

Automations, AI systems and websites, built and put into production.

$1,500 to $90,000

A pilot runs on your real data first and is measured against a pass mark you agreed. If it passes, we harden it into a production system with tests, logging and human approval where the stakes call for it. Every week of the build ends with a demo of working software.

- Billing: Fixed price per phase
- Typical length: 1 to 16 weeks

You get:

- A production system on your own accounts
- A runbook, architecture notes and the test set
- Training for the people who use it

Sold this way: [AI automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-automation), [Business process automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/business-process-automation), [Sales and CRM automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/sales-crm-automation), [Intelligent document processing](https://methodcrew.com/services/intelligent-document-processing), [n8n, Make, Zapier and API integrations](https://methodcrew.com/services/workflow-integrations), [Custom AI agents and copilots](https://methodcrew.com/services/custom-ai-agents), [RAG and knowledge systems](https://methodcrew.com/services/rag-knowledge-systems), [Voice AI and call automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/voice-ai-agents), [Answer engine optimization (AEO)](https://methodcrew.com/services/answer-engine-optimization), [Content operations](https://methodcrew.com/services/content-operations), [Web design and development](https://methodcrew.com/services/web-design-development), [Landing pages and conversion sites](https://methodcrew.com/services/landing-pages)

### Retainer

A monthly plan for live systems, search work or a fractional AI lead.

$1,500 to $15,000 a month

Monitoring, fixes, prompt tuning and a monthly report for systems in production, or monthly search work with rankings and AI citations reported in plain sentences. A fractional AI lead in your leadership meetings runs the same way. Tiers are set by volume, response times and change hours.

- Billing: A monthly fee set by tier or scope
- Typical length: 3 or 6 month minimum, listed on each service

You get:

- Monitoring and alerts, or an agreed monthly workload
- A monthly report you can read in 5 minutes
- An improvement backlog you prioritize with us

Sold this way: [Automation care plans](https://methodcrew.com/services/automation-care-plans), [AI ops monitoring and improvement](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-ops-monitoring), [SEO and GEO retainers](https://methodcrew.com/services/seo-geo-retainers), [Fractional AI lead](https://methodcrew.com/services/fractional-ai-lead)

## Every service and its price band

Each band is the typical range for that service. Your written scope names the exact price, and what would move it, before anything starts.

### Projects and sessions

#### Strategy and advisory

| Service | Typical timeline | Price band (USD) | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Corporate AI consulting](https://methodcrew.com/services/corporate-ai-consulting) | 3 to 8 weeks per phase | $12,000 to $40,000 per project | Priced per phase. One department with 1 pilot sits near the bottom; several business units with a full governance pack sit near the top. |
| [AI readiness audit](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-readiness-audit) | 1 to 2 weeks (snapshot) or 3 to 4 weeks (full audit) | $3,000 to $15,000 per project | Snapshot audit $3,000 to $5,000. Full audit $7,500 to $15,000, depending on teams, interviews and systems in scope. |
| [AI workshops and team training](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-workshops) | 2 weeks of preparation, then a half-day or full-day session | $3,000 to $12,000 per session | Half-day $3,000 to $6,000. Full day $6,000 to $12,000. Up to 25 people per session; travel for on-site sessions billed at cost. |

#### Automation

| Service | Typical timeline | Price band (USD) | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [AI automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-automation) | 3 to 12 weeks | $4,000 to $35,000 per project | A single workflow runs $4,000 to $10,000; connected multi-workflow systems run $12,000 to $35,000. Model usage is billed to your own account at cost. |
| [Business process automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/business-process-automation) | 4 to 12 weeks | $5,000 to $40,000 per project | A process audit plus the first automated process runs $5,000 to $12,000. Programs covering several processes run $15,000 to $40,000. Platform fees are paid by you directly. |
| [Sales and CRM automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/sales-crm-automation) | 3 to 8 weeks | $5,000 to $25,000 per project | Routing, enrichment and hygiene for one CRM start at $5,000. Migrations start at $8,000. CRM licenses and enrichment credits are billed to you directly. |
| [Intelligent document processing](https://methodcrew.com/services/intelligent-document-processing) | 6 to 12 weeks | $12,000 to $40,000 per project | Covers one document family to production, such as supplier invoices or one contract type. Per-page fees for the extraction service are separate and billed to you at cost. |
| [n8n, Make, Zapier and API integrations](https://methodcrew.com/services/workflow-integrations) | 1 to 6 weeks | $1,500 to $20,000 per project | $1,500 to $6,000 per integration; bundles of several integrations around one process run $8,000 to $20,000. Platform subscriptions are paid by you directly. |

#### AI systems

| Service | Typical timeline | Price band (USD) | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Custom AI agents and copilots](https://methodcrew.com/services/custom-ai-agents) | 6 to 12 weeks | $15,000 to $90,000 per project | One production agent with 2 to 3 integrations: $15,000 to $40,000. Multi-tool or multi-agent systems: $40,000 to $90,000. Model usage billed at cost, no markup. |
| [RAG and knowledge systems](https://methodcrew.com/services/rag-knowledge-systems) | 5 to 12 weeks | $15,000 to $75,000 per project | One main source for one audience: $15,000 to $35,000. Several sources with permission sync: $35,000 to $75,000. Infrastructure and model usage passed through at cost. |
| [Voice AI and call automation](https://methodcrew.com/services/voice-ai-agents) | 3 to 8 weeks | $6,000 to $40,000 per project | One call flow, such as booking or after-hours intake: $6,000 to $15,000. Several flows with CRM write-back: $15,000 to $40,000. Per-minute usage passed through at cost. |

#### Search and visibility

| Service | Typical timeline | Price band (USD) | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [SEO and GEO](https://methodcrew.com/services/seo-and-geo) | 6 to 10 weeks for the audit and sprint | $3,500 to $15,000 per project | The audit runs $3,500 to $8,000. The sprint that ships the fixes and rewrites runs $6,000 to $15,000. |
| [Answer engine optimization (AEO)](https://methodcrew.com/services/answer-engine-optimization) | 4 to 7 weeks | $6,000 to $15,000 per project | Fixed price for 10 to 25 pages, including the baseline and end-of-sprint prompt panel. |
| [Content operations](https://methodcrew.com/services/content-operations) | 6 to 9 weeks | $8,000 to $25,000 per project | Setup price. Optional monthly operation runs $1,500 to $4,000, with model usage billed at cost. |

#### Web platforms

| Service | Typical timeline | Price band (USD) | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Web design and development](https://methodcrew.com/services/web-design-development) | 8 to 16 weeks | $18,000 to $80,000 per project | Most marketing sites of 10 to 30 pages land between $18,000 and $45,000. Custom 3D or WebGL work puts a site at $35,000 to $80,000. |
| [Landing pages and conversion sites](https://methodcrew.com/services/landing-pages) | 10 to 15 working days | $3,000 to $8,000 per project | Per page, with copy, design, build, tracking and the CRM connection included. Extra test variants are $1,500 to $3,000 each. |

### Monthly retainers

#### Strategy and advisory

| Service | Typical timeline | Price band (USD) | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Fractional AI lead](https://methodcrew.com/services/fractional-ai-lead) | 3-month initial term, then month to month | $4,000 to $15,000 per month | 2 to 3 days a month: $4,000 to $7,500 a month. About 1 day a week: $8,000 to $15,000 a month. Builds are priced separately. |

#### Care and retainers

| Service | Typical timeline | Price band (USD) | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Automation care plans](https://methodcrew.com/services/automation-care-plans) | 1 to 2 weeks to onboard, then monthly | $1,500 to $6,000 per month | Tiers at $1,500, $3,000 and $6,000 a month, set by workflow count, response times and change hours. 3-month minimum. |
| [AI ops monitoring and improvement](https://methodcrew.com/services/ai-ops-monitoring) | 2 to 4 weeks to set up, then monthly | $1,500 to $5,000 per month | Set by the number of live AI systems, traffic and how much human review you need. Tracing tools and model usage are billed at cost. 3-month minimum. |
| [SEO and GEO retainers](https://methodcrew.com/services/seo-geo-retainers) | Monthly, with a 6-month minimum term | $3,000 to $8,000 per month | Set by pages per month, markets or product lines covered and how much technical repair the site needs. 6-month minimum. |

The bands cover our fees. Model usage and software subscriptions are billed separately, as set out under billing basics.

## What changes the price of a project?

A project moves up or down its band on 5 things. The written scope names each one, so you can drop a driver to bring the price down.

| Driver | Lower in the band | Higher in the band |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | One workflow for one team, with one person who can sign it off. | Several processes across departments, each with its own owner and exceptions. |
| Systems and integrations | 1 or 2 tools with documented APIs, such as HubSpot and Gmail. | 5 or more systems, an ERP, or a legacy tool with no API that needs a workaround. |
| Data quality | Clean, structured inputs such as web form entries or CRM fields. | Scanned PDFs, handwriting, mixed formats and duplicates that need cleaning first. |
| Compliance | No personal or regulated data in the flow. | Regulated data, audit logs, approval steps and a data processing or business associate agreement. |
| Speed | The standard timeline listed for the service. | A fixed launch date that needs more people working on it in parallel. |

## Billing basics

How the money works once a scope is signed. The rest of what comes with every engagement is on one list. See what you can hold us to: https://methodcrew.com/#terms

### Fixed price per phase: Fixed

Each phase has one fixed price in the written scope. It changes only if the scope does, and only after you approve the change in writing.

### Change requests: $175 an hour

Small changes outside the agreed scope are quoted as a written estimate before any work starts. Bigger ones become a new phase with its own fixed price.

### Model and tool usage: At cost

OpenAI, Anthropic, Twilio, vector database and per-page extraction fees are billed to your own accounts with no markup. The proposal estimates the monthly running cost at your volume.

### Software subscriptions: Direct

Platform plans such as n8n, Make, Zapier or your CRM are paid by you directly, on accounts in your name, so nothing stops working if we part ways.

### Travel: At cost

Remote work is the default. Travel for on-site workshops or kickoffs is billed at cost and agreed before anyone books a ticket.

### Price reviews: 6 months

We review every price band every 6 months. A signed scope keeps its price for the length of the project.

## Questions about pricing and contracts

### How does your pricing work?

Each phase of a project has its own fixed price, set in the written scope before anything starts, and it holds unless you approve a change. The figure comes from the band published on that service page, and the scope names what placed your project where it sits in the band. Ongoing work, such as care plans and SEO retainers, is a flat monthly fee.

### Who owns the code, workflows and prompts?

You do. The work lives in your n8n or Make workspace, under your OpenAI or Anthropic API keys, in your cloud and in your code repository. Code, workflows, prompts, test sets and data all belong to you, and the contract says so. Nothing sits behind a platform we control or a license we charge for. If you end the relationship tomorrow, you keep a working system and the documentation to run it.

### Are AI model and software costs included in the price?

No, and that is deliberate. Usage from OpenAI, Anthropic, Twilio, vector databases and similar vendors is billed to your own accounts at cost, with no markup from us, so you see every invoice directly. The proposal includes an estimate of monthly running costs at your expected volume. You know the fixed build price and the likely ongoing cost before you sign anything.

### What moves a project to the top or bottom of its price band?

Mostly the number of systems a build connects and how messy the inputs are. A workflow that moves clean web form entries into HubSpot sits near the bottom of its band. One that reads scanned PDFs, writes to your ERP and routes exceptions to a reviewer sits near the top. Human approval steps, audit logs and regulated data push the price up further. The written scope names each driver, so you can drop one to bring the price down.

### Do you sign NDAs?

Yes. Send your NDA before the scoping call and we will sign it within 1 working day, or we can send our own mutual NDA. When a project touches personal data, we also sign a data processing agreement and follow your vendor and security requirements. During scoping we ask for samples in place of full exports wherever a sample is enough, so less of your data leaves your systems before there is a contract.

### What if our requirements change mid-project?

We write the change down, price it and wait for your approval before doing the work. Small changes are billed at $175 an hour against a written estimate. Bigger ones usually fit better as a second phase with its own fixed price. Because you see working software at the weekly demo, most changes surface early, when they cost an hour to fix and not a week.

## Get a fixed price for your project

Send us the process, system or site you have in mind. A 30-minute call is enough for us to scope it and name what moves the price.

Request a 30-minute scoping call: https://methodcrew.com/contact. Or email contact@methodcrew.com. The written scope and its price follow within 5 working days of the call.