Comparison · Updated 03/10/2026

Hire an AI specialist or outsource your AI?

For most Australian small and medium businesses, outsourcing is cheaper until there is a full-time role's worth of AI work: a data scientist in Melbourne averages about $132,500 a year on SEEK, or roughly $170,000 once super and on-costs are added, while managed AI from On Autopilot costs $1,500 to $4,000 a month. Hire in-house when you can keep a specialist busy and want them in the building.

When an in-house hire is the right call

You have enough AI work to keep a specialist fully occupied, AI is becoming central to how you compete, and you can attract and keep a strong person. An in-house hire also suits businesses that want deep, daily embedding in one team.

When a managed AI department is the right call

You have real AI work but not a full-time role's worth, and you do not want the hiring risk or the single point of failure of one person. A managed plan gives you building, running and improving on a fixed monthly fee, month to month, and you own the code, prompts and settings.

Side-by-side

Hiring an in-house AI person and On Autopilot compared.

	Hiring an in-house AI person	On Autopilot
Cost	About $132,500 average salary (SEEK, data scientist, Melbourne, October 2026) plus 12% super and on-costs: roughly $170,000 a year	Managed AI: Essential $1,500, Growth $2,000 or Scale $4,000 a month (AUD, ex GST)
Time to start	Recruitment and notice periods, then onboarding	A free audit, then the first agent typically within weeks
Range of skills	One person, one skill set	A small team covering builds, integrations and running agents
If they leave	Knowledge leaves with them unless documented	Documented systems you own; continuity is our job
Quiet months	Full salary regardless	Month to month: scale the plan up or down
Ownership	You own the work	You own the code, prompts and settings from day one

By business size

Which suits a business your size?

Business size	Usually the right call
Under 10 staff	Outsource: a $497 Quick Start or a single package is usually enough
10–50 staff	Managed AI (Essential or Growth), with an internal owner who briefs it
More than 50 staff, or AI central to the product	Consider an in-house hire, possibly alongside an outside team for builds

Our verdict

If you can keep a strong AI specialist busy full time and want them in the building, hire. If not, a managed AI department gives you the capability without the salary, the hiring risk or the single point of failure. Many businesses outsource first and hire once the volume justifies a role; owning the code makes that switch clean.

Questions buyers ask

Before-you-decide questions.

Is managed AI really cheaper than hiring?

Below a full-time role's worth of work, yes: Growth at $2,000 a month is $24,000 a year against roughly $170,000 for a loaded specialist salary. Once you have enough work to keep a specialist busy full time, an in-house hire can become better value.

Can we do both?

Yes. A common setup is an internal owner for day-to-day priorities and an outside team for builds, integrations and overflow. You own the code, prompts and settings, so an in-house person can pick up anything we build.

What happens to our AI if we later hire in-house?

You already own the code, prompts and settings. We move each agent to hosting and an Anthropic account in your name so it keeps running, brief your new hire and step back. Retainers are month to month.

What do Australian employment costs add to a salary?

The Superannuation Guarantee is 12% of ordinary time earnings from 1 July 2025, and employers also carry WorkCover, leave, equipment and recruitment. Our AI Cost Index models on-costs at 28% of base salary.

Sources (checked 03/10/2026)

Last updated 03/10/2026. Prices are AUD ex GST for On Autopilot and as published by each vendor; vendors change their prices, so check before you buy.

Still weighing it up? Take the 30-minute audit, decide after.

Jenn maps your business live on the call, names the first agents worth building and quotes them at fixed AUD prices. If hiring an in-house AI person is the better fit for you, she will say so. No deck, no obligation.

Prefer email? Write to hello@onautopilot.com.auWe reply personally within one business day (Melbourne time).