Pricing
Real numbers. Built so a small business can actually say yes.
Digital services have been priced for fifteen years around teams of people doing the work by hand. AI changes that math. We built the studio around modern tooling so one engineer can deliver what used to take a team, and we share the savings. Below is exactly what it costs to work with us, and every number is a starting point, not a wall: if you're thinking bigger or smaller, we're glad to talk.
Fixed-fee work
Fixed-fee products to put us to work
From a one-day refresh to custom business software, each at a clear, published price. Start as small as you like, and grow from there.
$500 flat
A one-day visual refresh on your existing site, using your existing copy. Delivered the same day on Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Shopify, or Webflow.
- Visual layer redesigned (colors, type, spacing, hierarchy)
- Your existing copy kept verbatim
- Deployed onto your current platform
- One round of revisions
- No new copy, no sourced images, no platform changes
$400 setup
One useful automation built on the stack you already use, then handed to you. Platform fees (Twilio, Zapier, etc.) pass through to your account.
- Pick one: missed-call text-back, form-to-SMS, review requests, basic intake routing
- Built on your existing tools (no new platforms required)
- 1-page runbook + a 15-minute walkthrough video
- You own it after; we don't keep it on retainer
- No multi-system orchestration, no voice agents
$5,000 base
Personalized business software, built for you and handed over. The kind of system we run our own studio on: it produces and emails your invoices, keeps client onboarding painless, and puts your stats and tax paperwork a click away. See that system, end to end →
- Custom-built around how your business actually runs, not a generic template
- The repetitive, error-prone work automated end to end
- A clean, simple interface, so what used to take effort takes a click
- Fixed price agreed up front, with 30 days of post-launch support included
- Shaped by what you know about your business, so it comes out accurate to how you really work, a little back-and-forth, never a second job
- Yours to own when it ships, full source code included, with new pieces added in as you grow
Make the words work
An SEO content update, written with you
The revamp gives your site a new look with your existing words. This is where the words themselves start earning their keep in search. Content is the one thing we can't do well from the outside, so each tier runs as a short back-and-forth: you bring what's true about your business, we handle the research and the writing, and you approve every line.
$500 flat
An SEO rewrite of your core pages, in your real voice, built around what people actually search for.
- Keyword and intent research on your core pages
- Page copy rewritten for search and for how you actually talk about your work
- Page titles and meta descriptions
- A short back-and-forth to get the facts and the voice right
- You approve every word before it ships
$1,000 flat
Everything in Basic, plus new pages and a deeper pass across the whole site.
- Everything in Basic
- New pages written where they'll help (services, areas, FAQs)
- A deeper review of the entire site's content and structure
- Internal linking and on-page SEO across the site
- More rounds of back-and-forth
$2,000 flat
Everything in Professional, plus a branded newsletter that mostly runs itself.
- Everything in Professional
- A newsletter started for your business and formatted to your branding
- An AI trained to draft each issue for you, automatically
- You just open each one and edit as much or as little as you like
- We keep the AI running for you at no monthly cost, or set you up to run it yourself
Why one flat fee: work like this is usually sold as a $500-to-$1,000-a-month content retainer that never ends. Here you pay once and own every page. That's the AI advantage, shared.
Ongoing partner
One technical person for the whole stack
Month to month. No setup fees. No long contracts.
$1,000/mo
The basics, kept running, for businesses based in Macon County (and a little beyond when there's room). Kept small on purpose, so it stays personal. Whole-stack care from a senior engineer, not a patch-and-backup plan.
- Hosting, security, backups, uptime monitoring
- Google Business Profile kept current, 1 post per month
- Small fixes and updates as they come up, about 3 hours of senior time each month
- A monthly check-in
- When time allows, a taste of the higher tiers, no promise and no expectation, just being a good neighbor
$2,500/mo
About four times the hands of Base Camp, for a growing local business that wants one number covering the whole stack.
- Everything in Base Camp
- Google Business Profile, 4 posts per month, plus citations and ongoing local SEO
- One AI automation kept running and improved
- About 12 hours of senior build, design, and strategy time each month, four times Base Camp
- Monthly strategy call and a one-page report
- Same-business-day response
$5,000/mo
A true technical partner, all in to the limit of one person's time, so each one gets the real thing. Larger engagements: [email protected].
- Everything in Growth, scaled to whatever your business actually needs
- Google Business Profile posts at the cadence that's right for you, not a fixed number, because we are partners
- A new custom tool, or a real upgrade to an existing one, each month
- On call 6:30am to 11pm, seven days a week: flag a problem in that window and we respond within the hour, then work it as fast as we can
- Deep, ongoing strategy, with the whole stack owned end to end
- AI training, as deep as you want it: learn to do this yourself, or stay completely hands-off, never required either way
Build something new
Custom builds, scoped after a Roadmap
A full site rebuild, a custom internal tool, a multi-system automation, an AI assistant trained on your data. These are scoped to the work after a Crux Roadmap, where we've done real work in your environment and can price the rest with no guesswork.
Typical builds start at $3,500 and run as fixed-scope 2 to 4 week sprints. Larger systems are broken into sprints so you see real work every two weeks, never a long blind build.
And hosting is free for clients. Any business that has bought any Cruxsmith product gets hosted free on the same infrastructure we run our own studio on, with a small Built by Cruxsmith credit in the footer as the only price. Quick fixes are free, small jobs are a flat $100, and leaving costs $100 with everything handed over, organized. The plain-language details →
Comparable AI-era builds are sold from $10,000 elsewhere. Ours start lower because one senior engineer with modern AI tooling doesn't carry agency overhead, not because corners get cut. Every build is a fixed price agreed before we start, the source code is yours outright, and 30 days of post-launch support are included.
Why the numbers look this way
Reachable on purpose
Most agencies still price digital services around teams of people doing the work by hand, because that's how the work used to get done. With modern AI tooling, one senior engineer can deliver what used to take a small team. We built the studio that way on purpose, and we share the savings with the businesses that need them most.
We are not trying to be the cheapest. The numbers above sit modestly below market because we want them to be reachable for the very-small businesses that historically could not afford a real website, real local search, or a real technical partner. The work itself is held to the same standard we hold our own production software to.
The path
Every engagement starts the same way
A free fit call, then a Crux Roadmap if we're a fit.
Free fit call
A short, no-obligation conversation. We learn your business; you decide if we're the right partner.
Crux Roadmap
A flat-fee, three-business-day hands-on start. Refundable in full if you're not happy with what we show you on day three, and credited toward your build or first retainer month if we continue.
How it works →Pick a tier
One of the entry products, a retainer, or a scoped build. Or part ways on good terms. No pressure.
Pricing questions
The questions we get most
Why are your prices lower than the agencies?
The way digital services have been priced for fifteen years was built around teams of people doing work by hand. Modern AI lets one operator deliver in hours what used to take a team a week, without cutting corners on the outcome. We built the studio around that, and we share the savings with our clients.
Why publish prices at all?
Because hidden prices waste your time and ours. If a number on this page is wildly out of your range, you'll know in 10 seconds instead of after a sales call. If it's a fit, you can come in already knowing what to expect.
Are there long contracts?
No long lock-ins. Entry products are one-time fees. Retainers are month to month with 30 days' notice either way. The work should keep earning its place.
Do you host websites?
Free, for clients. Anyone who has bought any Cruxsmith product gets hosting on the same infrastructure our own studio runs on, with a small footer credit as the only price. Quick fixes are free and small jobs are a flat $100. The full picture, including what leaving costs, lives on the hosting page.
Do you offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes, and a real one. Every engagement starts with a Crux Roadmap, which is 100% refundable: if you're not happy with what we show you on day three, you get every dollar back, no questions. Your first month on a retainer is money-back the same way, and because every build starts with a Roadmap and you sign off at every milestone, you have seen how we work long before the final invoice. No 14-day windows, no fine print.
Why cap Studio Partner clients at four?
Because at four premium clients, with a senior engineer on call most of the day, each one still gets real attention. Capping it is the only honest way to promise that.
What's not on this page?
Custom software builds, full-platform rewrites, and anything that depends on your specific business beyond the entry tier. Those are quoted after a Crux Roadmap, where we've done real work in your environment and can price the rest with no guesswork.
What's the SEO content update, and why the back-and-forth?
The visual revamp keeps your existing words; the SEO content update is where we make the words themselves work in search. Basic rewrites your core pages, Professional adds pages and reviews the whole site, and Elite starts an AI-run branded newsletter. Content is the one thing we can't do well from the outside, so it runs as a short back-and-forth: you bring the business truth, we handle the research and writing, and you approve every line. With Elite, we keep the newsletter AI running for you at no monthly cost, or set up a Claude you run yourself.
Are these prices fixed, or can we talk?
They're starting points. The numbers here are honest and they're what we generally charge, but none of them are walls. Whether you're thinking smaller or much bigger, we're always glad to talk and shape something that fits your business and ours.
Why not just use a $69-a-month AI website builder?
You can, and for a placeholder site it might be enough. What it can't do is own an outcome: ranking in local search, wiring into your booking and intake, recovering missed leads, or adapting when your business changes. We use the same generation of AI those builders run on, guided by a senior engineer who is accountable for the result. If budget is tight, start with the $500 revamp; it puts senior eyes on your whole stack.
Our guarantee
You don't pay for work you're not happy with
Most studios bill in full up front and hope you end up happy. We do the opposite. The risk of trying someone new should be ours to earn off, not yours to carry, so we put real money behind it.
The Crux Roadmap is 100% money-back. Every engagement starts there: a flat fee for three business days of real, hands-on work. If you're not happy with what we show you on day three, you get every dollar back, no questions and no scope debate. Keep going and the fee comes off what's next, so it costs you nothing either way.
Your first month on a retainer is money-back too. If the first month isn't worth it, you get it back. And because every build starts with a Roadmap and you sign off on real work at every milestone, you have seen exactly how we work long before the final invoice. No 14-day fine print, no "satisfaction subject to approval," no haggling. We would rather refund a fee than keep money we didn't earn.
Ready to start?
A free fit call is the only first step. If we're a match, you'll know exactly what comes next.
Book your free fit call