AI automation agency rate card for 2026: setup fees plus retainers
Current market pricing for AI automation agencies: setup fees of $1K-$20K depending on scope, plus monthly retainers of $500-$1.5K for SMBs, $1.5-4K mid-market, and $3-8K+ enterprise, with white-label voice AI receptionists around $149/month per client. The hybrid setup-plus-retainer model is the 2026 standard. The big caveat from churn analysis: retention is the real bottleneck — selling one system and going quiet loses clients, and eye-catching 97% margin math usually ignores sales and churn costs.