Pricing

One fixed price in rand, scoped to the job.

ZAIQ does not sell hours or retainers. We scope your outcome, quote a single fixed price in rand, and you own the result. What it costs depends on what you are building, so here is exactly what drives the number.

ZAIQAI engineering teamUpdated 24 June 2026

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, no open-ended retainer, and you own the code with no lock-in.

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
Bring the problem
You send the problem and the context, a message, a paste, a screenshot link, whatever you have. No form-filling marathon.
02
Free scoping
We map the operation, pin down the outcome the build has to hit and the acceptance criteria, and surface anything expensive you had stopped noticing.
03
One fixed quote in rand
You get a single fixed price for the defined outcome. No hourly drift, no surprise line items, no retainer you cannot cancel.
04
Build, deliver, you own it
We ship to production, hand over the code and accounts, and you keep what we built whether or not we work together again.

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.

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 monthly retainer. 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.

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. There is no mandatory retainer. You own the code and the accounts, so you can run it yourself or have us extend it later, your call.

Do I own what you build?

Yes. The code, the accounts and the infrastructure created for your project belong to you, with no lock-in. That is a standing term on every engagement, not an upsell.

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, no retainer, and you own what we build.

Start the build→