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Pricing

Pricing.

What an engagement looks like. What it costs to start the conversation.

Every engagement is shaped around the operating gap and the work that closes it. We don't price by hour, by deliverable, or by template. The number on the proposal reflects the time spent on architecture, writing, and craft before any code ships, plus the build itself, plus the stretch the firm gives the engagement. Three shapes cover most of what we do.

The shapes

Three engagement shapes.

Each one is drawn up before it is priced. The frame goes in first, then the terms, line by line.

01

Project

Project engagements are fixed-scope, fixed-fee builds. Custom websites, web applications, internal tools, brand work, and most Build stage engagements. The scope is locked in writing before the build starts. The fee is paid across milestones tied to delivery, not time. The relationship can roll into a Retainer at the end if both sides agree.

Typical timeline
Six to twenty weeks from kickoff.
What's included
Architecture, design, build, launch, and the handoff. Full scope documented in the proposal.
Engagement fee
From [contact for pricing] depending on scope.
02

Retainer

Retainer engagements are monthly partnerships covering ongoing work after the initial build. Feature work, design iteration, content production, performance, and the strategic conversations that come up when the business changes. Most clients move into a Retainer at the end of their first build. The retainer scales up and down with the work in play.

Typical timeline
Twelve to thirty-six months. Three-month minimum.
What's included
Capabilities and hours scoped to the engagement tier. Documented in the agreement.
Engagement fee
From [contact for pricing] depending on scope.
03

Diagnostic

Diagnostic engagements are short paid audits. Two to four weeks of structured work that maps the operating gap, the current stack, the constraints, and the build that should actually happen. The deliverable is a written possibility document. About half the time it rolls into a Project; the other half it ends with a recommendation the client can act on independently.

Typical timeline
Two to four weeks.
What's included
Stack and workflow audit, stakeholder interviews, written possibility document with options and tradeoffs.
Engagement fee
From [contact for pricing] depending on scope.
The context

What changes the number.

Five factors move the number on a proposal. We name them so the conversation about price is the conversation about scope.

  1. Scope. Bigger surface, bigger number. The number of pages, screens, workflows, or integrations sets the floor.

  2. Stack complexity. Building on a clean slate is one shape. Building inside a stack with legacy constraints, regulatory checks, or unusual integrations is another.

  3. Compliance constraints. Regulated industries (capital markets, healthcare, certain hospitality contexts) carry overhead in architecture, documentation, and audit readiness.

  4. Timeline pressure. Six weeks costs more than twelve. Same scope, different shape of week.

  5. Operating geography. Cross-border work involves currency handling, contract structure, and timezone coordination that adds to the engagement shape.

The next step.

The next step is a 20-minute call. We learn the operating gap, the constraints, and what the business actually needs the work to do. You learn what we'd build, how we'd shape it, and whether the fit is there. If the shape fits, a written proposal lands within a week.

Start the conversation →