Pricing & Ops
How to Estimate an AI App Build: A 3-Layer Framework (2026)
Split every AI app build into deterministic scaffolding, eval-gated AI R&D, and a non-determinism contingency, then estimate and bill each layer differently.
8 min read122
Tag
#pricing
6 posts tagged.
Pricing & Contracts
Fixed-Price vs Time-and-Materials for AI App Builds: A 2026 Decision Framework
For AI app builds, fix-price the deterministic shell an AI builder makes predictable and cap the AI layer as not-to-exceed T&M with an evaluation-set gate. A 2026 decision framework and worked example for agencies.
8 min read129
Templates & Contracts
Retainer Agreement Template for AI App Agencies (2026)
The generic retainer templates on Google were built for lawyers, not software agencies. Here is a copy-paste retainer for AI app work, with the six clauses to add and a utilization-honest way to price the monthly fee.
5 min read135
Agency operations
AI App Build Cost for Agencies (2026): Bill vs Run
Split every AI build into build cost, run cost, and margin. A worked $22K example, a builder run-cost comparison, and an 8-item checklist to run before you quote.
11 min read126
pricing
AI Agency Pricing Benchmarks 2026: Rate Cards by Archetype
June 2026 rate cards for AI agency builds split by archetype: solo operator, 3-person team, 8-person team, 20-plus-person studio. Discovery, build, retainer, audit, and white-label bands per archetype, plus a worked example on what to charge for a 6-hour AI-agent build.
14 min read175
Pricing & packaging
Pricing AI builds: from hourly to outcome-based
A pricing ladder for AI builds, hourly, fixed-scope, value-based and outcome-based, with the dollar ranges, margin math and risk controls to move up it without torching trust.
10 min read207