The 9 highest-paying AI automation niches in 2026, with exact pricing bands
An agency operator tracked every call, proposal and project in a spreadsheet and distilled nine niches into those that paid and stayed versus those that drained him. His pricing landed at $1,500–$6,000 setup and $300–$900/month retainer, positioned by what the problem costs the client rather than what it costs to build. Honest about which niches he only scoped versus actually delivered.