Managed AI · Australia
Managed AI from On Autopilot means we build, run, monitor and keep improving your business's AI agents for a flat monthly fee: Essential $1,500, Growth $2,000 or Scale $4,000 a month (AUD, ex GST), month to month. It is for Australian small and medium businesses that want AI working every day without hiring an AI specialist. You own the code, prompts and settings from day one. While we run an agent it uses our hosting and our Claude API account, and that usage is included in the monthly fee. If you stop, we move it to hosting and an Anthropic account in your name so it keeps running.
Run by Boring Ventures Pty Ltd, Melbourne. You deal with founder Jenn Yang. Prices current at 03/10/2026.
A managed AI service is the AI version of managed IT. Instead of buying a one-off build and owning the upkeep, you pay a monthly fee and a specialist builds the agents, keeps them running, fixes them when your tools change, reports on what they did and plans what to build next. On Autopilot does this for Australian SMBs on Anthropic's Claude.
New agents scoped to the work costing you the most time this quarter, built on Claude and connected to your tools.
Hosting, scheduling and Claude API usage handled. Keeping the agents running is our job, not yours.
We watch what each agent does, catch errors and drift early, and keep it inside the rules you set.
When Shopify, Xero, your CRM or a booking system changes something, we update the agent so it keeps working.
A plain-English monthly report: what ran, what it handled, what went wrong and what we suggest next.
A named contact who knows your business and will tell you where AI is not worth it as often as where it is.
Managed AI
Managed AI from On Autopilot costs $1,500, $2,000 or $4,000 a month (AUD, ex GST), month to month. The tier depends on how many live agents we run for you and how much new building you want each month. You own the code, prompts and settings from day one. While we run an agent it uses our hosting and our Claude API account, and that usage is included in the monthly fee. If you stop, we move it to hosting and an Anthropic account in your name so it keeps running. Claude API usage on most productised agents runs $3–15 a month, and it is included in the monthly fee.
$1,500 a month
Up to 2 live agents
A small team that wants its front desk and one workflow run, monitored and kept working without managing it themselves.
$2,000 a month
Up to 4 live agents
A growing business that wants new automation shipped on a steady cadence instead of a one-off project that ages.
$4,000 a month
Live agents within the agreed scope
A multi-site or higher-volume business that would otherwise be hiring an in-house AI specialist.
Two things cost $497, and they are different: the Quick Start build is $497 one-off for one automation with no monthly fee to us, while AI Inventory Watch is $497 to set up plus $99 a month. Read how managed AI works.
Count the systems you want running. One or two (say, an AI front desk and a lead follow-up agent) fits Essential at $1,500 a month. Three or four, plus something new each month, fits Growth at $2,000. If AI is going into several parts of the business on a roadmap, that is Scale at $4,000.
| Tier | Live agents | New building | Price (AUD, ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | Up to 2 | Run and maintain; quarterly review | $1,500/month |
| Growth | Up to 4 | One new agent or material improvement a month | $2,000/month |
| Scale | Within the agreed scope | Roadmapped build-out, custom builds, optional DotVA virtual assistant | $4,000/month |
The exact scope for your business is confirmed in writing after the free audit. Prefer to start with one system? The six productised packages start from $497 setup.
Because AI systems need looking after. The tools they connect to change, your prices and services change, and an agent that was right in March can be wrong by June. A monthly fee makes one team responsible for the AI working, the way an IT provider is responsible for your network.
The project trap
An AI build ships and everyone moves on. Months later a connected tool changes, the business shifts, and nobody owns the agent. Its value fades quietly because no one is responsible for it.
The department model
We build it, run it, fix it when something breaks, report on what it handled and keep building the next agent as you grow. One partner accountable for the AI working.
Hiring an in-house AI specialist costs roughly $170,000 a year: a data scientist averages about $132,500 in Melbourne on SEEK (October 2026), plus 12% super and on-costs. One-off projects are cheaper to start but nobody owns them afterwards. Managed AI sits between the two: a flat monthly fee from $1,500 for a team that builds and runs your agents, with no recruitment and no lock-in.
| Path | Typical cost | The reality |
|---|---|---|
| Hire an in-house AI or machine learning engineer | Often $115,000 to $200,000 a year plus super | One person, one skill set, on payroll. Hard to hire well, and the knowledge leaves when they do. |
| One-off AI projects | Per build | A good way to start. But tools change and the business changes, and three months later nobody owns the agent. |
| Do it yourself with ChatGPT or Claude | A subscription per person | Your time, nights and weekends. Fine for experiments; it usually stalls at the first integration. |
| Managed AI with On Autopilot | From $1,500 a month | We build, run, monitor and extend your agents for a flat monthly fee, and you own the code, prompts and settings. |
Salary basis: the average advertised data scientist salary in Melbourne on SEEK (about $132,500, checked 03/10/2026), multiplied by 1.28 for 12% super and on-costs, the same basis as our managed AI vs an in-house AI hire comparison. For the full model, read the guide to the AI department model.
Our own businesses
Yes. The agents and systems below run in businesses we own (DotVA, Hey Bud Skincare and Lead Gen Empire), and we look after them the same way a managed AI client's agents are looked after. They are our own work, not client case studies.
Hey Bud Skincare · Our own Shopify skincare brand
At 6am every day (with a second run at 8:15pm) it syncs warehouse stock and Shopify sales, raises stock and reorder alerts, drafts purchase orders for a person to approve and puts a Claude-written daily brief on the dashboard. Critical problems are emailed. Built by Ollie Watts, who is not a developer, with Claude Code. AI Inventory Watch is based on it.
Claude Code · Claude API · Shopify Admin API · Linux server + cron
Read how it was builtDotVA · Our own virtual assistant agency
Every enquiry form posts to a Cloudflare Worker that blocks spam, scores the lead, separates job applicants from buyers, stores it in a lead database and pushes it to a dashboard and the team’s sales pipeline.
Cloudflare Workers · Cloudflare D1 · Turnstile · Resend
DotVA · Our own virtual assistant agency
The internal system DotVA runs on for invoicing, payroll and client onboarding, built and maintained with Claude Code.
Claude Code · Next.js · PostgreSQL
Lead Gen Empire · Our own network of comparison websites
Twenty Australian comparison websites built, audited and maintained with Claude Code from one codebase, with a daily automated briefing.
Claude Code · Astro · Cloudflare
Read how it was builtManaged AI is an ongoing service where a specialist builds, runs, monitors and improves the AI systems in your business for a monthly fee, the way a managed IT provider looks after your computers and network. You get working AI without hiring an AI specialist or managing the systems yourself.
On Autopilot's managed AI costs $1,500, $2,000 or $4,000 a month (AUD, ex GST): Essential (up to 2 live agents), Growth (up to 4 live agents, plus one new agent or material improvement a month) and Scale (live agents within an agreed scope and a roadmapped build-out). Month to month, no lock-in.
A package is one system: a setup fee, then a monthly fee to host and look after that one agent. Managed AI covers all of your agents, keeps building new ones at the pace of your tier, and adds monthly reporting and planning. Many businesses start with one package to see it working, then move to managed AI.
No. Retainers and monthly fees are month to month. There is no lock-in contract. You own the code, prompts and settings from day one. While we run an agent it uses our hosting and our Claude API account, and that usage is included in the monthly fee. If you stop, we move it to hosting and an Anthropic account in your name so it keeps running.
Yes, from one month to the next. Move up when you want more built, or down in a quiet quarter.
No. We look after the AI layer and work alongside your IT provider. The agents take repetitive work off your team; anything that needs judgement goes to a person, and regulated work (clinical, legal, financial or tax advice) always stays with your qualified people.
Founder Jenn Yang, from the first audit call. On Autopilot is run by Boring Ventures Pty Ltd (ABN 67 671 943 758) in Melbourne, and invoices come from that Australian company.
Related: every On Autopilot price · the six AI packages · AI Front Desk · AI Lead Engine
Book the free 30-minute AI audit. We map your business, name the agents worth building first, and tell you which tier (if any) fits. No obligation.
Thanks, we have your request.
We reply personally within one business day (Melbourne time) to set a time for your free 30-minute audit call with Jenn.
Anything to add in the meantime? Email hello@onautopilot.com.au.