PRICING
Pricing and engagement options
BrainStormers pricing is set per engagement: every option, from a single working session to a fractional lead, is quoted after a short call, once we understand what you need. The quote is agreed in writing before work starts.
The drawing shows a proposal with four ways to work with us and, under it, how each is priced (quoted after a short call) and how involved we are, with no amounts shown.
We do not publish an hourly rate card, because you are rarely buying hours. You are buying a decision, a finished piece of work or a senior person for a stretch, and each is scoped that way. Startups use all four models. Scale-ups and established companies use them for short, defined work, such as an audit or a fractional lead. Tell us what you need and we come back with a suggested model and a written quote before you commit to anything.
CHOOSE A MODEL
How involved should we be?
Price follows involvement. Our four models (advisory, hands-on, embedded and fractional) run from a second opinion to senior people inside your team.
THE FOUR OPTIONS
Pricing, model by model
Consulting engagement pricing follows the model and the scope, so each one is quoted after a short call. All four can cover product, engineering or both.
Advisory
Paid working sessions and written reviews; your team does the work.
You get
- A working session on one decision, with notes afterwards
- Written reviews of a plan, a codebase or a design
- A recommendation with the trade-offs spelled out
Typical shape
Booked per session or as a small monthly block
Quoted after a short call
Ask for a quoteHands-on build
A scoped piece of work we do ourselves, from audit to handover.
You get
- A written scope and milestones before work starts
- A written quote for that scope
- Code, research or designs delivered in your accounts
- A handover your team can run with
Typical shape
Scoped to your project, delivered in milestones
Quoted after a short call
Ask for a quoteEmbedded capacity
Senior engineers or a product lead working inside your team.
You get
- People in your stand-ups, tickets and reviews
- A weekly written note to the sponsor of the work
- Pairing and documentation as the work goes
Typical shape
Set days each week, for as long as you need
Quoted after a short call
Ask for a quoteFractional lead
A part-time CTO or product lead who owns decisions in their lane.
You get
- Leadership in the meetings that matter
- Weekly written updates and decision records
- Hiring help for the permanent role
Typical shape
An agreed share of each month, reviewed monthly
Quoted after a short call
Ask for a quote
Compare the options
If you are weighing us against a permanent hire, start with consulting vs hiring: our comparisons cover cost, speed and control.
| What matters | Advisory | Hands-on build | Embedded capacity | Fractional lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | Your team, with our review | We do | We do, inside your team | Your team, led by us |
| How it is priced | Quoted after a short call | Quoted after a short call | Quoted after a short call | Quoted after a short call |
| Best when | You need a second opinion on a decision | The scope can be written down | You need senior hands for months | A leadership seat is empty |
| Written handover at the end | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ENTRY POINTS
How to get a quote, and the first step
Every engagement is quoted in writing before it begins.
- First call: 20-minute intro call, to understand what you need
- Working sessions, audits, builds, fractional and embedded work: quoted after that call, once the scope is clear
- Every quote: in writing, before any work starts
A fixed-scope audit is often the right first step. A source code audit ranks the risks in your codebase, and a technical due diligence consultant prepares you for an investor's questions. Comparing UX audit agency quotes? Ask what each one covers. Ours reviews your key flows and ranks fixes by impact.
Want a number before you talk to anyone? Our founder self-checks give you a starting point. Estimate a fractional CTO cost from your own inputs, or sort your features with the MVP scope planner to see a build range and its assumptions.
FAQ
Questions about BrainStormers pricing
Do you offer fixed-price projects?
Every engagement is quoted after a short call and agreed in writing before work starts. When the scope can be written down, such as an audit, a due diligence review or a defined build, the quote covers that whole scope. Open-ended work, such as a fractional lead or embedded engineers, is quoted for the time and people it needs.
How do monthly fractional engagements work?
A fractional CTO or product lead works an agreed share of each month with you. They own decisions in their lane, join the meetings that matter, report in writing every week and help you hire. The share of time and the scope are agreed up front and reviewed together each month, so the engagement can grow or shrink.
What is included in a fixed-scope audit?
A defined review with a written result. We agree what is in scope, such as the codebase, the infrastructure or your key user flows, and study it. You get a report with findings ranked by risk or impact, a recommended order of fixes and a walkthrough call to answer questions. You can act on it with anyone.
Can we change the engagement model during a project?
Yes. Engagements often change shape: an audit becomes a build, a build becomes embedded support, or a fractional lead steps back to advisory once a permanent hire starts. We agree the change, its scope and an updated quote in writing before the next block of work begins, so there are no surprises.
How do you estimate the cost of a project before it starts?
We estimate from a written scope, not from a first impression. After a short call, the Audit step turns your goals into a list of work, with the assumptions and risks spelled out, and the quote is built from that list. If the scope changes later, the quote is revised in writing before work continues.
NEXT STEP
Scope it with us
Book a 20-minute call or send a short note on what you need. We reply with a suggested model and a written quote.
