AI agents · cost
What a custom AI agent costs.
AI agent projects with DH Studios start with a $2,500 Drawing, and the full amount counts toward the build. Most first agents come to $5,000 or more in total. After the pilot, we can run the agent for you, or hand it over for your team to run.
A fixed price, signed before anything is built.
The short answer
Four numbers, in the order you meet them.
- The first call: free, 30 minutes.
- The Drawing: $2,500. If you go ahead, it counts toward the build.
- A first agent: from $5,000 in total, Drawing and training included.
- After the pilot: we run it for a monthly price set in the Drawing, or you run it yourself with no monthly fee to us.
What the money pays for
Each step, what you get, and what it costs.
| Step | Time | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call | 30 minutes | A yes, a no, or a smaller first step. | Free. |
| Drawing | About two weeks inside your operation | A one-page drawing of the agent, with a fixed scope and price, that you sign before anything is built. | $2,500, counted toward the build. |
| Pilot | Typically 4–8 weeks | The agent, built to the drawing and run on real work while your team checks every hand-off. | Fixed in the Drawing. A first agent comes to $5,000 or more in total, Drawing included. |
| Train | Alongside the pilot | Your team learns to run the agent and to change it. | Included with the pilot. |
Typical times. Yours are set in the Drawing you sign.
After the pilot
We run it, or you do. You choose in the Drawing.
We run it
Each month we operate the agent, tune it and report on it. The monthly price is set in the Drawing, with the build, before anything is built.
You run it
We hand everything over: the agent, its code, the drawing, the run log and a written runbook. It already runs in your own accounts, so there's no monthly fee to DH Studios. The agent's own running costs, such as the AI model it uses and any hosting, are billed to your accounts by those providers. A change later is priced like any new piece of work.
Either way, a person approves every hand-off, and the agent has an off switch you control.
What moves the price
What makes a project cost more or less.
How many systems it touches
An agent that reads one inbox costs less than one that reads your property software, a spreadsheet and email, then writes back to two of them.
How easy the data is to reach
Systems with a clean export or an API are quicker to connect than ones that need a report pulled by hand each time.
How many hand-offs need a person
Every approval step is designed, tested and logged. More hand-offs means more to build and check.
How much the work changes shape
Requests that always look the same are simpler than ones that arrive in many formats.
How many teams use it
One team is simpler than several teams with different rules.
The first project is always one workflow. That keeps the first price small and lets you judge the agent on real work before you add more.
Questions about cost
What buyers ask about the price.
How much does a custom AI agent cost?
AI agent projects with DH Studios start with a $2,500 Drawing, which counts toward the build if you go ahead. Most first agents come to $5,000 or more in total, Drawing and training included.
Why pay for the Drawing?
The Drawing is about two weeks inside your operation. You get a one-page drawing of the agent with a fixed scope and price, and you sign it before anything is built. If you go ahead, the $2,500 counts toward the build.
What does an AI agent cost to run each month?
That depends on who runs it. If we run it, the monthly price is set in the Drawing, with the build. If your team runs it, there's no monthly fee to DH Studios; the agent's own AI and hosting costs are billed to your accounts by those providers.
Is the first call free?
Yes. Thirty minutes on one workflow, free.
Who owns the agent?
You do: the agent, its code, the drawing and the run log. It runs in your own accounts, and you control its off switch.
Specified. Built. Signed off.
Start with one workflow.
Book a 30-minute call. We look at one workflow together, and you leave with a yes, a no, or a smaller first step.
The first call is free. Pricing is built around your workflow.