Most AI companies dodge the pricing question like it’s a loaded weapon. You ask “how much does this cost?” and you get “it depends” or “let’s hop on a call to discuss your needs.” Translation: they don’t want to put a number on the table until they’ve decided you’re worth selling to. We’re not going to do that. Here’s an honest breakdown of what AI automation actually costs for a small business — three tiers, real dollar amounts, and no fine print.
The DIY Tier: Free to $50 a Month
If you’re just getting started, there are tools you can set up on your own without spending much — or anything at all. Calendly’s free plan handles basic appointment scheduling. Tidio or Chatfuel will put a simple chatbot on your website to answer common questions. Mailchimp’s free tier covers email automation for up to 500 contacts. These tools work, and they’re worth trying if you have the time to learn them and the patience to keep them running.
But here’s the honest truth: they only handle one task each, and they don’t talk to each other. A chatbot on your website can’t book appointments into your calendar. Your email tool doesn’t know when a customer called and didn’t book. When something breaks — and it will — you’re the one troubleshooting it at 9 PM instead of being with your family. For an owner who’s already working fifty-hour weeks, “free” sometimes costs more in time than it saves in money.
The Mid-Range Tier: $200 to $600 a Month
This is the “done-with-you” tier. You hire a consultant or small agency to help pick the right tools, configure them, and connect them to your existing systems. Monthly costs generally run $200 to $600 depending on how many workflows you’re automating — appointment scheduling, follow-up texts, review requests, or some combination. Expect a one-time setup fee between $500 and $2,000 on top of that.
What you get is a system that actually works together — scheduling, follow-ups, and reminders all flowing without you stitching them together by hand. You’ll usually get some training so you understand how everything runs. The tradeoff is that day-to-day management still falls on you. When something needs updating, a new workflow gets added, or a tool changes its interface, you’re either figuring it out yourself or paying hourly for support.
The Done-for-You Tier: $500 to $1,500 a Month
This is where Zyntrix sits. We handle the full picture — learning how your business actually runs, identifying where time and money disappear, and figuring out which tasks are worth automating first. Then we build it, test it, connect it with the tools you already use, and keep it running month after month. When something needs adjusting or a new workflow makes sense, we handle that too. You don’t manage any of it.
Monthly costs typically land between $500 and $1,500 depending on three things: how many workflows you need (phone answering plus follow-ups plus review requests costs more than scheduling alone), how complex your operations are, and whether you want ongoing support and adjustments as your business grows. One-time setup runs $1,000 to $3,000.
What keeps cost down? Starting with one or two high-impact workflows instead of trying to automate everything at once. What pushes it up? Multi-location businesses, complex call routing, or older software that needs extra work to connect. Either way, we’ll tell you exactly where you fall before you spend a dollar.
What It Costs You to Do Nothing
The price tag on AI is only half the equation. The other half is what you’re already paying every month by not having it.
If you’re missing five calls a week and each call is worth an average of $500, that’s $10,000 a month walking out the door. Not theoretical dollars — real jobs going to the next company on Google because nobody picked up the phone.
A plumber who loses three jobs a week at $400 each is leaving $4,800 a month on the table — $57,600 a year in revenue that vanished because a call went to voicemail. A dental office with six no-shows a week at $200 per visit is burning $4,800 a month in empty chair time that a single reminder text would have prevented. An auto shop that doesn’t follow up on open quotes loses two or three jobs a week that were ready to book — they just needed a nudge.
Now compare those numbers to $500–$1,500 a month for a system that catches missed calls, sends appointment reminders, and follows up on open quotes automatically. The system doesn’t need to recover many jobs before it’s paid for itself several times over. For most businesses we work with, it covers its own cost within the first two weeks.
Want a real number, not a range? Book a free 30-minute call and we’ll give you an honest estimate based on your actual business — what it would cost, what it would handle, and how quickly you’d see a return. No pitch, just math.