How much does a custom AI agent cost in the UK?

In the UK agency pages we checked on 5 November 2026, prices run from about £2,500 for a single focused workflow to £45,000 for a transformation programme, with most build packages between £8,000 and £20,000. Shippers Studio prices a single build at £300 to £600 and a full build at £600 to £1,500, fixed before work starts.

Is a cheaper AI agent a worse one?

Not by itself. Price follows scope: how many systems the agent touches, whether it takes phone calls, and how much sign-off and logging it needs. A narrow agent done once in a focused pass costs far less than a multi-system programme, and the right question is what is in and out of scope.

How long does a custom AI agent take to build?

Published timelines run from two to three weeks for a first rollout at one agency, and four to eight weeks for chatbots and voice agents at another. A single agent or landing site at Shippers Studio is usually days.

Do I own the agent at the end?

You should, and you should ask in writing. At Shippers Studio code, repositories, accounts and keys are transferred on completion, nothing is licensed back, and nothing depends on a retainer to keep running.

what a custom ai agent costs in the uk

what do uk agencies publish for an ai agent?

most agencies quote a range or a "from" figure on their own site. these are the ones we could read directly on 5 november 2026, with the figures as each company wrote them.

who	what it is	published price	time
spotdev	fixed packages: readiness assessment, ai foundations, custom agents, ai transformation	£5,000 / £8,000 / £20,000 / £45,000	first rollout typically two to three weeks
softomate	chatbot, voice agent, multi-system process automation (ex vat)	£3,500 to £8,000 / £4,000 to £12,000 / £5,000 to £20,000	four to eight weeks, six to twelve for multi-system
sortlist directory, london	first five ai-agent agencies listed, "from" prices in euros	€1,000 to €20,000	not stated
shippers studio	single build, full build, bespoke	£300 to £600 / £600 to £1,500 / in writing	a single build is usually days

note. three sources, not the whole market. other guides quote higher figures for multi-system builds. prices move and scopes differ, so check the source.

spotdev says "the working range to budget for is £8,000 to £45,000" for a build rather than a study, and says it works best with uk b2b companies from around £3m in revenue. softomate's own pricing table also lists £2,500 for a focused single-workflow build, which is the closest published comparison to a single build at £300 to £600.

what actually drives the price?

the same agent can cost £300 or £25,000 depending on what it is allowed to touch. in practice five things move the number:

how many systems it connects to. one calendar is a small job. a crm, a billing system and an inbox is a different one.
whether it takes phone calls. a voice agent adds telephony, call handling and a way to pass to a person.
sign-off and logging. an agent that can act on its own needs a human gate and a record of what it did.
handover. code, accounts and keys transferred to you, or kept on the agency's side on a retainer.
what runs after launch. model usage and phone minutes are running costs, separate from the build.

why is a single build £300 to £600 here?

a single build is one page, one agent or one automation, done in one focused pass, with no call, no onboarding and no retainer. it is a narrow job done once, not a programme, and the figure holds because scope is fixed and agreed in writing before work starts. anything with many parts, many systems or a longer life is a full build at £600 to £1,500 or a bespoke job priced in writing. the full tiers are on the pricing page.

note. narrow scope is the whole difference. ask any agency what is out of scope.

what should you ask before you pay?

is the scope and the price fixed in writing? and what happens to the price if the scope moves.
who owns the code, the accounts and the keys at the end?
what stops it going wrong quietly? see model rot, and other quiet failures.
where does a person sign off? an agent that acts alone needs a gate you can point to.
is vat included, and what are the running costs?

questions people ask

how much does a custom ai agent cost in the uk?: in the uk agency pages we checked on 5 november 2026, prices run from about £2,500 for a single focused workflow to £45,000 for a transformation programme, with most build packages between £8,000 and £20,000. shippers studio prices a single build at £300 to £600 and a full build at £600 to £1,500, fixed before work starts.
is a cheaper ai agent a worse one?: not by itself. price follows scope: how many systems the agent touches, whether it takes phone calls, and how much sign-off and logging it needs. a narrow agent done once in a focused pass costs far less than a multi-system programme, and the right question is what is in and out of scope.
how long does a custom ai agent take to build?: published timelines run from two to three weeks for a first rollout at one agency, and four to eight weeks for chatbots and voice agents at another. a single agent or landing site at shippers studio is usually days.
do i own the agent at the end?: you should, and you should ask in writing. at shippers studio code, repositories, accounts and keys are transferred on completion, nothing is licensed back, and nothing depends on a retainer to keep running.

sources

spotdev, how much do ai agents cost in the uk, page dated 27 may 2026.
softomate solutions, ai automation agencies in london, page updated 1 october 2026, prices ex vat.
sortlist, ai agents providers in london, "from" prices as displayed on 5 november 2026.

last updated 5 nov 26 · figures are the companies' own and may have changed