What AI agent work costs
Three fixed-scope steps. No hourly billing.
[ 00 ] In short
Vikrama Studio prices AI agent work in three fixed-scope steps. An audit costs from $5,000 and takes two weeks. A pilot costs from $20,000, typically $20,000 to $40,000 depending on the number of systems, and takes six to eight weeks. A run retainer costs from $5,000 a month. There is no hourly billing. Pricing for India-registered companies is quoted in INR on request.
Key facts
- Audit
- 2 weeks, from $5,000, credited against a pilot signed within 30 days.SRC · Vikrama Studio price list · 2026-09
- Pilot
- From $20,000, typically $20,000 to $40,000, 6 to 8 weeks.SRC · Vikrama Studio price list · 2026-09
- Run retainer
- From $5,000 a month.SRC · Vikrama Studio price list · 2026-09
- Billing
- Fixed scope, fixed price, no hourly billing.SRC · Vikrama Studio method · 2026-09
- Market range
- Boutique pilots run $10,000 to $50,000 in 2026.SRC · Boutique AI consulting pricing guides, 2026 · 2026-07
The three steps
| Step | What you get | Timeline | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | Three workflows ranked, approval design, plan, fixed price. Credited against a pilot signed within 30 days. | 2 weeks | $5,000 |
| Pilot | One workflow live on your data with an approval step, evals on a held-out period, a live cycle with us in the room, a runbook. | 6 to 8 weeks | $20,000 (typical $20,000 to 40,000) |
| Run | Monitoring, monthly evals, exceptions handled, the next workflow queued, a named engineer. | Monthly | $5,000 a month |
Pricing for India-registered companies is quoted in INR on request.
Starting prices by use case
| Offer | From | Ongoing |
|---|---|---|
| Month-end close and reconciliation agent | $20,000 | Run retainer from $5,000 a month |
| Invoice and document extraction to ERP | $10,000 | Run retainer from $5,000 a month |
| RFQ-to-quote agent | $10,000 | Run retainer from $5,000 a month |
| Speed-to-lead agent | $6,000 | $1,500 a month |
| Agentic storefront readiness | $4,000 | $1,500 a month |
| Internal copilot on company data | $12,000 | Run retainer from $5,000 a month |
| Company OS: SOPs to agents | $8,000 | Run retainer from $5,000 a month |
| Reporting and variance agents | $12,000 | Run retainer from $5,000 a month |
What changes the price
- Number of systems to connect.
- Data quality: a messy chart of accounts costs weeks.
- The approval design your auditors require.
- Volume, in lines per month.
- Whether we host or you host.
White-label for accounting and CFO firms
Pilot and run pricing at the same rates, your brand on the deliverable, our engineer on the call if you want.
Margin and referral terms: on request.
Payment
40 percent to start, 30 percent at the live cycle, 30 percent on acceptance. Run retainers monthly in advance.
Questions
- How much does an AI agent pilot cost in 2026?
- Boutique AI pilots run $10,000 to $50,000 in 2026. Ours start at $20,000 and typically land between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on how many systems the agent connects to.
- Why no hourly billing?
- Hourly billing rewards slow work. We fix the scope and the price after the audit, so the risk of a long build sits with us.
- Is the audit fee credited?
- Yes. The audit fee is credited against a pilot signed within 30 days.
- What does a run retainer include?
- Monitoring, monthly evals, exceptions handled, the next workflow queued and a named engineer, from $5,000 a month.
- Do you charge for the model API usage?
- Model API usage is passed through at cost, with an estimate in the statement of work before you sign.
Talk
Talk to Sandeep, or message us.
- Hours
- IST 10:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday. Calls in ET, GST and AEST, arranged on WhatsApp.
- Where we work
- Gurugram, with call hours in ET, GST and AEST.
- Free written teardown
- No call. Delivered in writing in 48 hours.