What Does AI Automation Cost for an SME?

An AI automation project for a small or mid-sized business usually costs a few hundred to a few thousand euros per workflow, not six figures. At PPY Solutions, individual changes are priced in five fixed tiers from €149 to €9,900, an audit with a written roadmap costs €1,490, and ongoing development runs on monthly retainers from €690. What you pay depends on scope and complexity, not on hours logged.

How is AI automation priced?

Many agencies still bill by the hour, which means you carry the risk of every delay. We work with flat prices based on complexity. Before any work starts, every request is classified into one of five tiers:

• Mini (€149): a single tiny change, config tweak or copy fix, delivered the same day.
• Small (€490): one bug or one small change, including QA and deployment, within 24 hours.
• Standard (€1,490): a multi-step fix or a small new feature, in 2 business days.
• Complex (€3,900): work that touches several components, with integration testing and a rollback plan, in 3–4 business days.
• Major (€9,900): a substantial feature or system rework with documentation and handover, in about a week.

For comparison, a traditional agency typically needs 3–5 days for the Mini scope and 6–10 weeks for the Major scope. All prices are net.

What does a first automation project cost?

Most companies should not start with a big platform. The sensible entry point is an audit: our System Check costs €1,490 and takes 2–3 days. You get an assessment of your existing systems and a written roadmap with a fixed price for each step.

The first workflow is then built in a build sprint of 2–4 weeks, priced as a bundle of the tiers above. A typical bundle is the System Upgrade at €4,490: one Complex and two Small changes, for example replacing a legacy module or connecting an API, delivered in about a week. Larger reworks such as the System Renewal (€18,900, 3–4 weeks) and completely new platforms are quoted per project.

Why isn't AI-built software 80% cheaper?

It is the most honest question we get: if AI makes coding about five times faster, why doesn't the bill shrink by 80%? Because coding is only around 35% of a software project. A typical build breaks down roughly like this:

• Scoping and requirements, about 25%: AI speeds this up, but someone still has to define the why.
• Coding, about 35%: this is where AI delivers the biggest gain.
• Testing and QA, about 15%: edge cases still need human judgment.
• Deployment and infrastructure, about 10%: systems must be stable, secure and monitored.
• Documentation and support, about 15%: handovers need total clarity.

A traditional 100-hour project therefore doesn't become a 10-hour project. It becomes a 45–50-hour project. We pass that gain on: our prices are roughly half of what a traditional agency charges, and delivery takes days instead of weeks. The rest pays for engineering judgment, testing and a real warranty. If something breaks because of our work, we fix it without starting a new clock.

What do monthly retainers cost?

If you want an ongoing partner rather than one-off jobs, our retainers work like a monthly budget of Flow Credits. Each request draws credits based on its tier: Mini 1, Small 3, Standard 8, Complex 20, Major 50.

• Starter, €690 per month: 8 credits, target response within 2 business days. For one live app with light upkeep.
• Professional, €2,490 per month: 30 credits, response on the next business day. For a product with ongoing feature work.
• Enterprise, €5,900 per month: 75 credits, priority response on the same business day. For several or mission-critical apps.

Longer commitments lower the price: 10% off for 6 months, 15% for 12 months, 20% for 24 months. Before anything beyond your budget starts, we confirm it with you.

How do you know if automation pays off?

Measure the before. "Saves time" is a feeling; "12 quotes a day, 4 minutes each" is a baseline. A few baselines from our own projects:

• A Monday report that cost a senior manager about 4 hours a week now arrives finished at 7:00 AM. That is roughly 200 hours of senior time a year.
• A monthly warehouse report that ate three days is now a live dashboard, freeing around 30 hours a month.
• A single sync between two systems replaced three hours of daily re-typing.

If a €1,490 or €3,900 change saves four hours a week, it pays for itself within months. If you don't know how long a process takes today, start by counting.

It is also worth checking subsidies. Austrian programmes such as KMU.DIGITAL can cover part of the cost of consulting and implementation. Conditions change, so check the current terms before you plan.

FAQ

Is there a minimum budget?

No. The smallest tier is a Mini change at €149. Many clients start with the System Check to get a roadmap before committing to more.

Are there hidden costs?

You see the tier of every task before we start, so there are no surprise invoices. Running costs such as hosting, licences or AI usage depend on your setup and should be clarified in the quote.

How quickly do I get a price?

Tell us what is broken, slow or missing. We classify it into a tier and send you a fixed price within 24 hours.

Book a free call or see all tiers on the pricing page.