How much should AI automation cost in the UAE? A buyer's guide to quotes
What a fair quote should cover
| Item | What it means | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | Finding which tasks to automate and how many hours they take | Will I get a written list of tasks and hours? |
| Build | Setting up the automations and connecting your tools | Which tools, and whose accounts? |
| Testing | Running it on real examples before your team relies on it | Is testing on our data included? |
| Handover | A guide and training so your team can run it | What documentation will we receive? |
| Fix period | Fixes after go live | How long, and what counts as a fix? |
| Running costs | Software subscriptions and AI usage fees | What will these cost per month, and who pays? |
| Measurement | Hours before and after | How will we know it worked? |
Four common pricing models
| Model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per project | One price for a defined scope | A clear, single workflow | Scope creep and unclear extras |
| Per employee | A price for each person whose repeat work is automated | Starting small and scaling by person | Make sure the scope per person is defined |
| Monthly retainer | A monthly fee for building and maintaining | Several workflows that change often | Paying every month for little new work |
| Usage based | Fees per message, conversation or task | Variable volumes | Costs that grow faster than value |
Costs people forget
- Software subscriptions for the tools the automation connects, such as a CRM, a WhatsApp provider or an automation platform.
- AI usage fees, which depend on how much text the AI reads and writes.
- Maintenance, because tools change their settings and connections break.
- An owner on your side, who notices when something stops working.
Ten questions to ask any provider
- Which specific tasks will you automate, and how many hours do they take today?
- How will you measure the hours after go live?
- Whose accounts will the automation run on?
- Can we see it working on our own data before we rely on it?
- What happens to customer data, and where is it stored?
- What are the monthly running costs, and who pays them?
- What is included after handover, and for how long?
- What happens if you are not available?
- Can our team change simple things without you?
- What will you not automate, and why?
A good provider answers the last question easily. For the data questions, see AI tools and customer data under the UAE PDPL.
Red flags
- Promises to replace your whole team.
- No audit, just a list of features.
- No measurement of results.
- Vague talk of "AI" with no named tasks.
- Automation running on accounts you do not own or cannot access.
- No documentation or handover.
How Scaldora prices, for transparency
I run Scaldora, so here is how my own pricing works. Automating one employee's repeat work starts at AED 999, paid once. The final price depends on the work that person does, and you get a fixed quote after I look at their week, before anything is built. It includes a working session where that person shows me their real week, the automations built and tested on your own data, a short written guide, 30 days of fixes after handover, and a before and after count of the hours. You pay per person, so you can start with one and add more when it works.
Software subscriptions your setup needs are a separate question, and I tell you what they are before anything is built.
Is a price worth it? Do the maths
Any price is cheap or expensive only next to the hours it gives back. The formula is in how to calculate what repeat work costs your team. In that guide's worked example, three people at the AED 999 starting price pay back in about six weeks at a 40% automated share.
Questions people ask
How much does AI automation cost in Dubai?
Prices vary widely with scope, tools and who maintains the result, and there is no reliable public market average. Ask for a quote that lists the items in this guide and test it with the payback formula.
Is per employee pricing fair?
It is fair when the scope per person is clearly defined, because you can start small and judge the result on one person's hours before you expand.
Is a monthly retainer better than a one time price?
A retainer suits businesses with many workflows that change often. For a few specific tasks, a one time price with a fix period is usually simpler. Either way, account for software running costs.
Will I own the automation?
You should. Ask for the automation to run on accounts your business owns, with documentation, so you are not locked in to one provider.