Article
What Does an AI Automation Pilot Cost?
A pilot is one task automated end to end, priced as a fixed fee in writing. What decides the price, and what a project or retainer costs next.
By Rich Ross, Co-Founder of R&L Automations · · 7 min read
Every business owner asking about AI automation eventually asks the same practical question: what does this actually cost, in dollars, before I agree to anything?
The honest answer has two parts. One part is a fixed number we can tell you before you read any further. The other part depends on the task itself, and no page on any website can answer that part for you.
A pilot — one task automated end to end — starts from $500, as a fixed fee agreed in writing before work starts. It typically takes about 1 to 2 weeks. It is a one-time cost with nothing to cancel, and it is usually the first step, not a long-term commitment.
Key Takeaways
- A pilot starts from $500, fixed and in writing, before any work begins.
- A larger project starts from $5,000 setup, plus a $250–$1,500 monthly license per system.
- An ongoing retainer, for after a pilot or project, starts from $1,000/month.
- The final price depends on the number of steps in the task, which tools it touches, and how much judgment a step needs before an agent can be trusted with it.
- If a project runs over the quoted price, the overrun is ours, not yours — the price is fixed once you approve the written quote.
- We only recommend a build when the time it gives back is worth more than it costs, and we say so when it is not.
What exactly is a pilot?
A pilot is the smallest real unit of automation we build: one task, carried through from start to finish, automated end to end. Not a demo, not a proof of concept you have to rebuild later — a working piece of your business running on its own, with a person approving the steps that matter.
We scope a pilot narrowly on purpose. A business that has never worked with us before should not have to commit to a large, multi-month project to find out whether automation is worth it. A pilot answers that question in about 1 to 2 weeks, at a fixed price agreed before we start.
What decides the final price of a pilot?
Three things move the number within the pilot range: how many steps the task has, which of your existing tools it needs to read from or write to, and how much judgment a step requires before it can be handed to an agent rather than a person.
A task that reads one inbox and drafts one kind of reply is simpler than a task that pulls data from three systems and prepares a document that varies by customer type. We ask about your specific task on the free audit call and put the exact number in writing before anything starts — never a verbal estimate, never a range you have to interpret.
What happens after the pilot — what does a project cost?
Once a pilot proves the fit, many businesses move to a larger project: a connected system, built around more of your tools, usually covering more than one task. A project starts from $5,000 setup, plus a $250–$1,500 monthly license per system, paid half to start and half at go-live, with 30 days of fixes after go-live included at no extra charge.
A project is not a bigger pilot with a bigger invoice. It is scoped and quoted the same way — in writing, before work starts — and the same protection applies: if the build runs over the quoted price, the overrun is ours to absorb, not yours to pay.
What does the monthly license on a project pay for?
A project usually carries a monthly license — $250–$1,500/month — on top of the one-time build cost. In plain terms, this pays for hosting and running the system, monitoring it, and fixing anything that breaks. The exact scope of what the license covers for your system is written into your quote, not left as a general promise.
This is a separate figure from the monthly fees behind R&L's own Managed Front Office receptionist service, which is billed and quoted through its own checkout and is not part of this price ladder.
When does a retainer make sense, and what does it cost?
A retainer starts from $1,000/month: a capped block of hours for ongoing work, billed month to month, with 14 days' notice to stop and unused hours rolling forward rather than disappearing. A retainer is never the first step — it comes after a pilot or a project has already proven there is real, ongoing work worth keeping funded.
What is not included in the quoted price?
The quote covers exactly what is scoped in writing — nothing is added to it afterward without your approval, and nothing outside it is assumed to be included. Work you did not ask for and did not approve is a separate conversation, priced separately, before it begins.
- Step
- Pilot
- Starting price
- From $500
- What it's for
- One task, automated end to end. ~1–2 weeks. One-time.
- Step
- Project
- Starting price
- From $5,000 setup, plus a $250–$1,500 monthly license per system
- What it's for
- A connected system across more of your tools, plus the license to keep it running.
- Step
- Retainer
- Starting price
- From $1,000/month
- What it's for
- Capped hours for ongoing work, after a pilot or project.
| Step | Starting price | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | From $500 | One task, automated end to end. ~1–2 weeks. One-time. |
| Project | From $5,000 setup, plus a $250–$1,500 monthly license per system | A connected system across more of your tools, plus the license to keep it running. |
| Retainer | From $1,000/month | Capped hours for ongoing work, after a pilot or project. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an AI automation pilot cost?
An AI automation pilot starts from $500, as a fixed fee agreed in writing before work starts, for one task automated end to end.
Is the pilot price negotiable or a starting estimate?
The number you approve in writing is the number you pay — it is not a placeholder that grows once work begins. The figure itself varies by task, which is why we confirm it in writing after the free audit call rather than publishing one fixed number for every task.
Do I have to commit to a project after the pilot?
No. A pilot is a complete, standalone piece of work with nothing to cancel afterward. Moving to a project or a retainer is a separate decision, made only if the pilot shows it is worth it.
What if the pilot takes longer than 1 to 2 weeks?
Most pilots fall in that range because they are scoped to one task. If a specific task genuinely needs longer, that is agreed in writing up front, as part of the same fixed-fee quote.
Does the price include ongoing support?
A pilot is a one-time build with nothing ongoing to pay for. A project's monthly license covers hosting, running and fixing that system; a retainer is the option for continuing hands-on work after either one.
Want the exact number for your own task, rather than the range above?
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