Pricing
MagicPill Labs prices every engagement before the work starts. AI opportunity audits are fixed at $250, $500, or $1,000 depending on depth. Solution scoping is fixed-price. Build work is quoted from a full decomposition after scoping, and managed operations is a recurring retainer priced from a system complexity score. There is no hourly billing and no open-ended retainer.
Audit Packages
Three depths. One audit.
Every tier runs the same foundational review. The difference is depth of analysis and what you walk away with.
Lite Audit
Tier 01 · Pulse Check
$250 flat
SMBs that want a fast, low-commitment pulse check.
- Structured intake questionnaire + 30–45 min discovery call
- High-level review of the core scope
- The 3–5 most important findings
- Executive snapshot, red flags, and next steps
Lite PDF · 4–6 pages
Request this auditStandard Audit
Tier 02 · Source of Truth
$500 flat
Companies that want the full picture and data to share internally or use for planning.
- Everything in the Lite Audit
- Deeper document & systems review
- Structured scoring across the core assessment areas
- Gap analysis + full data appendix
- High-level next-step roadmap
Complete audit report
Request this auditFull Audit
RecommendedTier 03 · Prioritized Roadmap
$1,000 flat
SMBs that want clear prioritization of where AI and tech investment creates the most leverage.
- Everything in the Standard Audit
- Use-case identification & prioritization
- Opportunity sizing (impact vs. effort)
- Suggested solution approaches & sequencing
- Solution sketches for the top 2–3 opportunities
Report + use-case addendum
Request this auditLite → Standard → Full → scoped implementation
Flat rate · quoted in writing before work starts · pricing reviewed quarterly
The rest of the catalog
How everything else is priced
Build work is quoted from a decomposition rather than a rate card, because the honest number depends on how the work breaks down. Scoping is what produces that number.
| Service | Tiers | Starting point | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Opportunity Audit | Tier 1 | From $250 | Fixed-price tiers, quoted and agreed before work begins. No hourly billing. |
| Solution Scoping | Tiers 1–5 | Quoted after scoping | Fixed price, quoted per engagement before scoping begins. |
| Automation Solutions | Tiers 2–4 | Quoted after scoping | Fixed price, quoted from a full decomposition of the work after solution scoping. |
| Full Stack Custom Software | Tier 5 | Quoted after scoping | Fixed price per phase, quoted from a full decomposition of the work after solution scoping. |
| Managed Solutions | Tiers 2–5 | Quoted after scoping | Recurring monthly or quarterly retainer, priced from a system complexity score and re-scored periodically. |
| AI Training & Consulting | Supporting | Quoted after scoping | Fixed packages or day rates, scoped to the audience and depth required. |
Why the tier matters more than the rate
Five tiers, five very different price tags
The single biggest driver of cost is which tier the problem actually needs. Scoping the problem down one tier saves more than negotiating any rate ever will.
Tier 1
Configuration
An existing product already does this. We find it, set it up, and charge you nothing to build it.
Which service builds this →Tier 2
Skills
A reusable tool your team triggers on demand. Narrow, dependable, and cheap to maintain.
Which service builds this →Tier 3
Scheduled Skills
The same tool, running on its own cadence. A partially async workflow with a human at the checkpoints.
Which service builds this →Tier 4
Agents
Async AI that completes real tasks using tools and instructions, with logging and exception handling.
Which service builds this →Tier 5
Applications
Full stack software (frontend, data, infrastructure) built end-to-end and kept running after launch.
Which service builds this →FAQ
Pricing questions
The cost questions that come up before anyone books a call.
How much does an AI opportunity audit cost?
MagicPill Labs AI opportunity audits are fixed-price at three depths: $250 for the Lite Audit, $500 for the Standard Audit, and $1,000 for the Full Audit. Every tier is quoted and agreed before work begins and there are no hourly overages. The Full Audit adds use-case prioritization, opportunity sizing, and solution sketches for the top two or three opportunities.
How much does it cost to build an AI automation or custom application?
Build work is quoted as a fixed price after solution scoping, derived from a full decomposition of the work into units small enough to estimate honestly. A narrow tier 2 automation is a fraction of the cost of a tier 5 application, which is why the tier recommendation comes before the quote. MagicPill Labs does not publish a rate card for build work because the number depends entirely on the decomposition, and quoting one before scoping would be a guess.
Do you bill hourly?
No. MagicPill Labs prices engagements as fixed fees agreed before work begins, or as recurring retainers for managed operations. Build engagements include monthly timesheets so clients can see where the work went, but the price does not change with the hours.
What is the minimum project size?
The smallest engagement MagicPill Labs sells is the $250 Lite Audit, which is designed as a low-commitment entry point rather than a loss leader. Below that, the intro call is free and carries no obligation. There is no minimum spend to start a conversation.
What does managed operations cost?
Managed Solutions is a recurring monthly or quarterly retainer priced from a system complexity score derived from the same estimation engine used for build work. It is meaningfully cheaper than the build phase it follows, and the complexity score is re-scored periodically so the price tracks the system as it actually is rather than as it was at launch.
What is outcome-based pricing and when do you use it?
Outcome-based pricing ties part of the fee to an agreed, measurable result rather than to delivery alone. MagicPill Labs uses it where the outcome can be counted — hours removed from a recurring process, cycle time reduced, throughput increased — and the baseline is measurable before the build starts. Where it cannot be measured cleanly, engagements are fixed-fee instead, because an unmeasurable outcome clause is a dispute waiting to happen.
Do I pay for a scope that concludes we should not build it?
Yes, and that is a deliberate part of the model. Solution scoping is priced as a standalone product, and a scope that ends in "do not build this" is a valid deliverable that costs a fraction of a failed build. The same applies to audits: a finding that a capability you already pay for solves the problem is a tier 1 result, and tier 1 costs nothing to build.