How to get an AI agent built.
There are four ways to get a working AI agent for your company. Here is what each one takes, who owns the result, and the questions to ask before you hire anyone, including us.
| Option | Who does the work | Time to a working agent | Cost | Who owns it | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself with an agent builder tool | Someone on your team | Depends on that person's time | Tool subscription plus your team's time | You, on the tool's platform | Someone on your team wants to learn it and own it |
| Hire a freelancer | One contractor | Varies by person; agree a date in writing | Hourly rates on Clutch run from under $25 to $199 an hour | Agree it in the contract | The job is small and you can manage the person |
| Hire a software development agency | An agency team | One agency guide puts specialist firms at 3 to 6 months | One 2026 guide: $5,000 to $25,000 for a single purpose agent at most agencies | Agree it in the contract | You need a large, custom system with many parts |
| Hire and build in house | Your own engineers | Hiring, then building | Salaries | You | AI agents are core to your product |
| Agents Make Agents (us) | Our agents build and test it; a person reviews it | Within 2 business days of getting your answers | Fixed price in our reply | Your team | You know the job and want a working agent this week |
Sources: hourly rates from the Clutch AI agent developers directory (September 2026). Agency cost and timeline from one 2026 cost guide, published by a firm that also sells agent builds. Prices vary widely; ask every vendor for a fixed price in writing.
- 1
Build it yourself.
Agent builder tools let someone on your team put an agent together without writing code. It works best when that person has the time to test it on real cases and keep it working.
- 2
Hire a freelancer.
Good for a small, clear job. Quality varies by person, so ask to see an agent they built running on real work.
- 3
Hire an agency.
Development agencies take on large, custom systems. Expect a longer plan, a larger budget, and a team.
- 4
Build in house.
Right when agents are part of what you sell. It starts with hiring, so it is the slowest way to a first working agent.
8 questions to ask.
- What exact job will the agent do, and how will we know it works?Get the job in one sentence and the test in one more. If neither side can say it, the project is not ready.
- What real cases will you test it on, and can we see the results?An agent tested on made up examples will fail on your real ones. Ask for the test cases and how it did on each.
- Who reviews it before it goes live?A named role, not a promise. Someone should read what the agent does before your customers or staff see it.
- Who owns it when you are done?The code, the instructions the agent follows, and the accounts it runs on. Get it in writing.
- What will it cost to run each month, and who pays for it?AI model usage and hosting are ongoing costs, separate from the build.
- What happens when it gets something wrong?Ask how mistakes are caught, who is told, and how the agent is fixed.
- Can our team change it without you?If a small change needs the vendor every time, you do not really own it.
- When will it be working?A date, in writing, for a working agent on your real cases. Not a date for a plan.
One job. One agent.
Agents Make Agents is an agency that builds custom AI agents for companies. Tell us the job in one sentence. Our agents write, build and test the agent against real cases from your work. A person reviews it before it ships. We build you one within 2 business days of getting your answers, and your team owns it.
Pick us when you know the job and want a working agent this week. Pick another option when someone on your team wants to build it, or when you need a large system with many parts. Read more about how we build AI agents.