Pricing

One fixed price in rand, scoped to the job.

ZAIQ does not sell hours. We scope your outcome, quote a single fixed price in rand, and you own the result. If the system needs ongoing work once it is live, we quote that as its own monthly figure. What it costs depends on what you are building, so here is exactly what drives the number.

Chad AlexanderCo-founder and AI engineerUpdated 24 June 2026

Start with a free scope →

The model

There is no price list because a single honest number would be wrong for most jobs. A focused automation is far cheaper than a full internal system, and a one-page tool is far cheaper than a multi-step agent wired across your whole operation. So we scope the specific outcome you want, quote one fixed price in rand with clear acceptance criteria, and only then do we build. The scoping conversation is free, there is no hourly meter, and you own the code. If the system needs ongoing work once it is live, we quote that separately as its own monthly figure, so you can always see what you are paying for.

What drives the price

When we quote, the number moves on a handful of things. We tell you which ones apply to your job so the price is never a black box.

Scope of the outcome. One workflow that runs itself is a small build. A system that runs a department is a larger one.
Integrations. The value is usually in the wiring, into your inbox, CRM, spreadsheets, accounting and WhatsApp. More live connections means more engineering.
Data condition. Clean, structured data is quick. Messy, scattered or hand-kept data takes work to make an AI act on reliably.
Risk gates. Anything that touches money, contracts or law gets a human approval step, which we design in deliberately.
New versus wiring. Connecting tools you already run is cheaper than building net-new software from scratch.

How we quote

The path from your problem to a fixed number is short and costs you nothing until you accept it.

01
A free intro consultation
A short call or in-person sit-down. You meet the engineers who will actually build it, see how we work and ask anything. No obligation, no sales theatre.
02
You send the brief
What you want built and the systems and tools you already run. We hand you a short checklist so the brief comes back complete in one pass, not ten emails.
03
One fixed quote in rand
We counter with what we would build, what is genuinely possible and what is not, a single fixed price and any running costs. No hourly drift, no surprise line items.
04
Accept, then we build it
You accept, decline or counter. On a yes we ship it to production. Then you take the keys, or you keep our team on to run and extend it, and you own what we built either way.

Indicative ranges by job

For the most-asked jobs we keep honest, rand-denominated ranges in their own guides, built from real South African build costs rather than a sales page. Use them to sanity-check a budget before you talk to anyone, us included.

A focused build

Fixed, in rand

One automation, one tool or one tight workflow wired into what you already run. The fastest thing to scope, quote and ship, often in days.

A full system

Fixed, in rand

Software or an agent that runs a real part of your operation end to end, across several tools, with the gates and reporting it needs.

Both are quoted as one fixed price for the agreed outcome, not an estimate that creeps. The free scoping conversation is what turns your job into an exact number.

Two ways to work with us after it is live

Some systems are finished when they ship. Others sit in the middle of an operation that keeps changing, and pretending otherwise just leaves you stuck. So we quote the build once, then you choose how it is run.

Take the keys. We hand over the code, the accounts and a short operating note, and you run it in-house. Nothing further to pay us. This is the right call for a self-contained build that will not change much.
Keep our team on. A defined monthly figure to run, monitor and extend the system, with what is included written down and a response time attached. The right call when the system is load-bearing or the operation around it is still moving.

You are never signed into the second one to get the first. The code and the accounts are yours from handover, so if you keep us on it is because it is worth it, not because leaving is hard.

Pricing questions

How much does it cost?

It depends on the task. A single focused automation or a one-page tool is far cheaper than a full internal system or a multi-step agent. We do not publish one number because it would be wrong for most jobs. Instead we scope your specific outcome and quote a single fixed price in rand before any work starts. Scoping that quote is free.

Do you charge by the hour?

No. No hourly meter, and no open-ended retainer that bills whether or not anything is happening. You get one fixed price in rand for a defined outcome with clear acceptance criteria, so you know what is being built and what it costs before you commit. If the system needs ongoing work once it is live, that is quoted separately as its own monthly figure with what is included in it.

Is the quote really free?

Yes. We map the problem, agree the outcome and send a fixed quote at no charge. You only pay once you accept the scope and we start building.

What drives the price up or down?

The scope of the outcome, how many systems it has to connect to, how messy the data is, whether it needs a human approval gate on anything touching money or law, and how much of it is net-new versus wiring together tools you already run. We tell you which of these apply to your job when we quote.

Are there ongoing costs?

Usually low running costs only: the model usage and hosting the system actually consumes, billed to your own accounts. Support is never compulsory. Once it is live you can run it yourself, or keep our team on a monthly figure to run and extend it. You own the code and the accounts either way.

Do I own what you build?

Yes. The code, the accounts and the infrastructure created for your project belong to you. That is a standing term on every engagement, not an upsell, and it holds whether you take the keys at handover or keep our team on to run it.

Tell us the job. Get a fixed number.

Send the problem and ZAIQ will scope the outcome and quote one fixed price in rand, free, before any work starts. No hourly meter, and you own what we build.

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