Compare
Seats, a shop, a program, or a setup.
Buy seats when people will drive a good assistant themselves. Hire a chatbot shop when the job is a widget on the website. Hire a national firm when you need board cover. Hire Helixfield when one named job needs a live helper, a shared list of facts, and a person who can reject the draft.
Typical 2026 bands below are market observations, not quotes from named firms. Helixfield prices are the published rate card.
Options
Which buy matches the job
| Buy | When it fits | Typical 2026 cost | What you get | What you still lack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI seats only | People need a good assistant and will drive it themselves | Vendor list price — often $20–$200 per seat / month | Access. No shared facts, no named job, no weekly check. | The work still starts from a blank page after week two |
| Chatbot shop | You want a widget on the website or a simple automation | Often $5,000–$25,000, or a monthly bot rent | A conversation or a trigger. Sometimes a logo wall. | No owner, no shared facts, no way to say no |
| National firm | You need board cover and a multi-year program | Commonly $150,000–$500,000+ and six to twelve months | A program office, vendor selection, and slides | Speed and a mid-market price |
| Helixfield | You can name the repeating work and appoint an owner | Survey $9,500; install $24,000–$48,000; Circuit $6,800 / mo (3-month min) | One live job, shared facts, teaching, optional monthly care | Invented case studies, a phone number, or a guaranteed savings number |
Helixfield is not locked to one AI brand. The survey may recommend OpenAI, Grok, Claude, Gemini, Cursor, bring-your-own, or what just shipped. Loop & Graph is how we organize the work today — not a forever lock-in.
Questions
Direct answers
Briefing
Unsure which buy?
A Field Survey is $9,500 and exists to answer this before you buy a year of seats or a chatbot no one can check.