An AI agent costs a UK small business anywhere from nothing to several thousand pounds, and the price depends almost entirely on which of six routes you take. The short answer to how much AI agents cost: an assistant tier for one person is £16-20 a month. A workflow tool with AI steps runs £9-60. A no-code agent platform is £20-80 per user. A developer build is pay-as-you-go on model usage. Having someone build it for you starts around £1,500. Running a model on a Mac you own costs electricity. This page sets out each route with October 2026 prices, three worked examples, and the hidden costs that are not on any price list.
Key facts
- Assistant tier: £16-20 a month per person (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Google AI Pro, Microsoft 365 Premium).
- Workflow tool: Make from about £7, Zapier from about £16, n8n Cloud from €20 (about £17) a month; self-hosted n8n from a £4-6 server.
- Agent platform: £20-80 per user per month; priced in credits that track how much the agent reasons.
- Built for you: from about £1,500 for one workflow; £5,000-10,000+ custom.
- On your own Mac: £0 beyond hardware; a 32 GB Mac mini is about £1,000-1,400 if you need one.
- Hidden cost: your hours to write the rules, review the log and do the DPIA.
On this page
- How much does each route cost?
- Why do vendors count tasks, operations, executions and credits differently?
- Three worked examples
- What are the hidden costs of an AI agent?
- How to keep the bill down
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
How much does each route cost?
| Route | UK price (October 2026) | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant tier of a cloud model | £16-20 a month per person | A capable assistant with some tools; agent modes on request | One person's inbox and research |
| Workflow tool with AI steps | Make Core about £7; Zapier Pro about £16; n8n Cloud Starter €20 (about £17); n8n Pro €50 | Fixed workflows with AI inside; predictable | Jobs you can draw as a flowchart |
| Self-hosted open workflow tool | £4-6 a month for a small server (Hetzner, DigitalOcean); software free | Unlimited executions; your maintenance | Technical owners; high volume |
| No-code agent platform | £20-80 a month per user (Lindy about $50; others similar) | Describe the agent in plain English; connect apps; approval steps | Jobs with exceptions the agent must judge |
| Developer build on model APIs | Model usage only: pennies to pounds per run | Full control, full responsibility | Firms with technical staff |
| Built for you | From about £1,500 (single workflow) to £5,000-10,000+ (custom) | Someone else's hours; you keep the compliance | Clear brief, no time |
| On your own Mac | £0 beyond hardware; new 32 GB Mac mini about £1,000-1,400 | Private, offline, no subscription; smaller models | Client or personal data |
Why do vendors count tasks, operations, executions and credits differently?
The same job costs different amounts on different tools because each counts differently. Zapier counts tasks: every step that does something. Make counts operations: roughly the same idea. n8n counts executions: one complete run of a workflow, however many steps. Agent platforms count credits: units of the model's reasoning, so a job with many exceptions costs more than a simple one. For a five-step job running 1,000 times a month, published comparisons put Zapier at about $20, Make at about $9 and n8n Cloud at €20; at 10,000 runs with ten steps, Zapier climbs to about $73, Make to $29, n8n Cloud to €50, and a self-hosted n8n server stays at $5-15. Frequency and step count drive Zapier and Make bills; frequency alone drives n8n; judgement drives agent platforms.
Three worked examples
| Scenario | Route | Monthly cost | Hours returned | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader: inbox summary and draft replies | Assistant tier | £16-20 | 3-5 a week | No business data beyond your own inbox; easiest start |
| Five-person agency: invoice chasing plus lead qualification | n8n Cloud Pro or an agent platform for two users | £40-160 | 6-10 a week | Add about £40 one-off for the DPIA afternoon; approval step on sends |
| Accountancy practice: month-end reconciliation and client chasing for 40 clients | Agent platform plus local model for ledger work, or built for you | £80-250, or £3,000-6,000 one-off plus £50 maintenance | A bookkeeper-day per week | Client data pushes you towards on-device; see the accountants guide |
What are the hidden costs of an AI agent?
- Your hours. Writing the rule, tuning the instruction, reading the log weekly. Budget a day for setup and an hour a week after.
- Compliance. A short DPIA, a privacy-notice update, a lawful-basis note. An afternoon, but a real one; see what the ICO expects.
- Failed runs. Early runs that misfire still consume tasks or credits.
- Model usage inside workflow tools. An AI step in Zapier or n8n often bills the model separately through your own API key.
- Maintenance. Connected systems change their interfaces; someone has to notice. If you paid a builder, agree a monthly retainer.
- Cost of a mistake. The only cost that matters more than all of the above. Give the first agent a job where a mistake is cheap.
How to keep the bill down
- Start on the assistant tier or free workflow tier you already have; most first jobs fit.
- Prefer a workflow with AI steps to a reasoning agent for rule-bound jobs; it is cheaper and more predictable.
- Run on a schedule, not on every event, where the job allows: fewer executions.
- Keep the agent's instruction tight; fewer exceptions means fewer credits.
- For client or personal data at volume, price a Mac mini against a year of platform fees: it often wins, and removes the processor question.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI agent cost per month?
In the UK: about £16-20 for an assistant tier; £9-60 for a workflow tool with AI steps; £20-80 per user for a no-code agent platform; usage-based for developer builds; £0 beyond hardware to run one on your own Mac. Prices are approximate and change often.
Are AI agents cheaper than hiring?
Per task, overwhelmingly. Per job, it depends: an agent removes the repetitive hours but the judgement, exceptions and oversight still need a person. Price it as hours returned, not heads replaced.
What is the cheapest way to run an AI agent?
Self-hosting an open workflow tool on a £4-6 a month server, or running a local model on a Mac you already own. Both cost your time instead of money.
Why do agent platforms charge in credits?
Because an agent that reasons more costs the vendor more in model usage. Credits track thinking, not seats. Expect a job with many exceptions to use more credits than a simple one.
What hidden costs should I budget for?
Your time to write the rules and review the log; the DPIA and privacy-notice update; a few failed runs while you tune the instruction; and, if you pay a builder, a maintenance arrangement for when a connected system changes.
Related: once you have picked a route, how to build an AI agent covers the build, the approvals and the testing.
Next: see the prices and limits of the cheapest serious workflow tool in n8n pricing explained.
Read next
- AI agent marketplaces: 20 stores reviewed with UK prices
- The best new AI agents on Product Hunt, reviewed
- ChatGPT Dots: what they are and what they cost in the UK
Sources
- Toolradar, n8n pricing in 2026 (updated 15 October 2026) - n8n, Zapier and Make cost comparisons; VPS costs
- Jet Admin, n8n pricing in 2026 (26 September 2026) - plan prices and execution limits
- Notebookcheck, What AI subscriptions cost in 2026 (July 2026) - assistant tier prices
- Lindy, AI tools for affiliate marketing (pricing reference) - Lindy at $49.99 a month
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