Hire an AI agency or do it yourself with ChatGPT or Copilot?
Doing it yourself makes sense for single texts you sit over yourself. An agency makes sense when the work comes back every day, has to happen in your own mailbox, calendar and accounts, and must be checked before it goes out.
The four options side by side
| AI agency | Do it yourself with ChatGPT or Copilot | Chatbot tool | Virtual assistant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suited to | Recurring written work, hours every week | Single texts, summaries, an answer you send yourself | The same ten questions on your website | Work that needs judgement and personal contact, at low volume |
| Works in your mailbox, calendar and accounts | Yes, per connection | No, you copy and paste | Rarely | Yes, with your login |
| Knows your business | Learns from your website, documents and answers | Only what you put in each time | Only what you enter | As well as you train them |
| Review before sending | Yes, by default; switch a task to automatic when you choose | You do everything yourself | No | Depends on agreements |
| Who sets up and maintains | The agency | You | You | You train them |
| Cost | Fixed price per business: one-off setup, monthly management | A subscription per user, plus your own hours | € 50 to € 300 a month | € 2,500 to € 4,500 a month |
| Start-up | Two to four weeks | At once | A day to a week | Weeks |
When doing it yourself is the better choice
- You write a quote, an email or a text now and then and sit over it yourself.
- It is less than a few hours a week.
- You first want to experience what AI can do before spending money on it.
When an agency is the better choice
- The same work comes back every day: questions, enquiries, appointments, invoices.
- It has to happen in your own mailbox, WhatsApp, calendar or accounts, not in a separate window.
- Mistakes must not go out: someone has to set it up, watch it and adjust it.
- You have no time to build and maintain it yourself.
What to look for in an agency
- A fixed price in advance, not billing by the hour.
- A calculation of what it delivers for you, with your own numbers.
- Approval in advance: nothing goes to a customer without your approval, until you change that yourself.
- Where your data is stored, and whether there is a data processing agreement.
- What happens if it does not work: guarantee and notice period.
- An agency that also says when it does not pay.
Updated on 11 November 2026. Ashwin Sheobaran, founder of BizzKitt.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start with ChatGPT and switch later?
Yes. Whatever answers and prices you have recorded by then, we use in the setup.
Is Copilot in Microsoft 365 not enough?
For writing and summarising in Word, Outlook and Teams, often yes. A process that runs on its own, such as answering a request, scheduling and following up with review before sending, has to be set up and managed by someone.
What does doing it yourself cost?
A subscription per user and your own hours. The hours are usually the largest item.
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