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Insights · Cost & ROI

What AI actually costs, and what it returns

Real numbers with sources: what a build costs, what running it costs, and how to model the return before you commit. We publish our prices, so the arithmetic here uses figures you can check.

8 articles

Everything we've written on this

Feature graphic: What does an ERP implementation cost in 2026? A real budget breakdown
Strategy·6 min·Oct 2026

What does an ERP implementation cost in 2026? A real budget breakdown

Straight numbers with sources: what an ERP implementation actually costs to roll out, why the software licence is the cheapest line in the budget, and where projects really blow up. From a firm that publishes its prices.

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Feature graphic: AI for consulting firms: start with the archive
Professional Services·7 min·Oct 2026

AI for consulting firms: start with the archive

AI for consulting firms should start with the archive, not a proposal bot. One firm got 1,200 hours a quarter back. Book the $25,000 AI Transformation Sprint.

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Feature graphic: What does an AI MVP cost? A budget breakdown
Software Factory·4 min·Sep 2026

What does an AI MVP cost? A budget breakdown

Four cost centres, and the model is the smallest. What an AI MVP cost covers to reach real users, and the line most budgets forget.

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Feature graphic: An AI project ROI calculator, before you build
AI Agents·4 min·Sep 2026

An AI project ROI calculator, before you build

An AI project ROI calculator is simple arithmetic. The hard part is four inputs, and three are inflated by whoever builds the case.

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Feature graphic: What should a mid-market company budget for AI?
Software Factory·4 min·Sep 2026

What should a mid-market company budget for AI?

Not what one agent costs — the whole line item. How to size a mid-market AI budget across audit, build, and operate, and the split that survives year two.

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Feature graphic: Hidden costs of AI projects left out of the quote
Software Factory·4 min·Sep 2026

Hidden costs of AI projects left out of the quote

Not the vendor's tricks, your own. Seven internal line items that never appear in a quote, why the biggest is your team's time, and how to price them.

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Feature graphic: What does generative engine optimization cost?
GEO·3 min·Jul 2026

What does generative engine optimization cost?

There's no standard sticker price for GEO, but there is an honest answer: the three ways it is priced, what actually drives the number, and what we charge.

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Feature graphic: How much does an AI agent cost in 2026?
AI Agents·6 min·Jun 2026

How much does an AI agent cost in 2026?

What an AI agent cost covers to build and run, why the token bill is the cheapest line, and where teams overspend. From a firm that publishes its prices.

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