The best AI assistant services for small businesses, compared honestly
The best AI assistant for a small business depends on whether you want to build it or have it built. DIY platforms like Lindy, Zapier Agents and Sintra start under $50 a month. Done-for-you services like Agentfy ($1,950 setup + $450/mo), SADOS and WiseVAs cost more but set everything up for you.
I run Agentfy, one of the services on this list. I’ve ranked everything against the same criteria below, used only each company’s own published information (checked October 26, 2026), and said where the others beat Agentfy. — John Hanusek
How we compared them
Six criteria, equal weight, no scores:
- Who builds it: done-for-you or DIY
- Approval controls: does it say outside actions wait for your OK?
- Pricing transparency: is a starting price published?
- Small-business fit: who it says it’s for
- Setup time: as stated by the vendor
- What else you pay for: model usage, credits, seats
Comparison table
Prices and wording as published on each company’s own site, checked October 26, 2026. Prices change, so check the source before you buy.
| Service | Type | Published starting price | Approval / human review (as stated) | Stated setup time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agentfy | Done-for-you | $1,950 setup + $450/mo (no minimum term); $250 onboarding session | Drafts only; nothing sent, posted, published or paid without your OK | Not stated (depends on your setup; agreed at the discovery session) | Owners who want a supervised bot team set up for them, with approval on everything |
| SADOS Managed AI Agents | Done-for-you | $500 per agent/mo; +$250 per additional agent; model usage billed by your provider | Not stated as an approval step; says monitored and tuned | 2–3 weeks | Businesses (DMV area, existing IT clients) wanting one managed agent per role, alongside managed IT |
| WiseVAs AI deployment | Done-for-you | From $1,000/mo, no setup fee | “Anything that needs judgment goes to a person for review” | Live in 7 days | Teams wanting a new workflow every month plus optional human VA talent |
| Lindy | DIY (with live onboarding on Team) | Free ($50 credits, 7 days); paid from $29.99 per user/mo (3,000 credits) | Yes: “Anything with outside impact waits for approval” | Self-serve | Slack-based teams wanting an assistant for inbox, meetings and follow-ups |
| Zapier Agents | DIY | Free tier (400 activities/mo); Pro ~$33.33/mo annual (1,500 activities) | No agent approval step stated on Zapier's pricing page | Self-serve | Businesses already using Zapier who want agents across 9,000+ apps |
| Relevance AI | DIY | Pro $19/mo annual or $29/mo monthly (pricing docs; marketing page shows only Enterprise) | “Smart Escalations (Email & Slack)” listed | Self-serve | Sales/go-to-market operators building their own agent teams |
| Sintra AI | DIY | $48.50/mo month-to-month sale price (list $97); $15.60/mo on 12-month plan (also a sale price; list $52/mo) | Not stated | “Zero technical setup” | Solo owners wanting cheap chat-based helpers for content, social and email drafts |
The seven options
1. Agentfy (the author’s own service)
Agentfy sets up a team of AI assistants that drafts your posts, emails, bookings and books, and nothing goes out until you approve it: $1,950 to set up, $450 a month. It is run by John Hanusek in Crested Butte, CO, who has 25+ years of experience building for the web.
Path: a free 30-minute discovery session, then a $250 90-minute onboarding session, then the $1,950 AI Team Setup and $450/mo Monthly Tuning with no minimum term (30 days’ notice to cancel). Add-ons are $350 per extra workflow and $500 per extra specialist bot. AI model usage and software subscriptions are billed by those providers to your own accounts. Source: agentfy.app/pages/pricing
Best for: Owners who want it built for them and want to approve every outgoing action.
Where others beat it: Lindy, Zapier and Sintra are far cheaper to start, and you can try them free or the same day. WiseVAs has no setup fee. Agentfy is a small, founder-run studio.
2. SADOS Managed AI Agents
Managed agents on your own OpenAI/Claude account, wired into email, calendar and CRM. Source: https://www.sados.com/services/managed-ai-agents/
Best for: Businesses that also want managed IT/cybersecurity from one provider.
Where it beats Agentfy: No setup fee shown, and one bundled provider for IT and agents.
3. WiseVAs
Builds and maintains a “company brain” (in your private GitHub repo), a personal brain, and 1 new workflow per month. Source: https://www.wisevas.io/done-for-you-ai-agents
Best for: Teams that also want human VAs on the same bill.
Where it beats Agentfy: No setup fee, and a new workflow every month is included.
4. Lindy
An AI assistant teammate in Slack/iMessage: inbox, meeting notes, scheduling and drafts in your voice; 1,500+ integrations; SOC 2/GDPR as stated. Source: https://www.lindy.ai/pricing
Best for: Small teams on Slack who are happy to set it up themselves.
Where it beats Agentfy: Price, a free trial, built-in approvals at platform level, and compliance options.
5. Zapier Agents
An Agents add-on to Zapier, billed in “activities,” separate from Zap tasks. Source: https://zapier.com/pricing
Best for: Existing Zapier users.
Where it beats Agentfy: App coverage (9,000+), a free tier, and self-serve setup.
6. Relevance AI
A no-code platform for building AI agent “workforces,” aimed at go-to-market teams. Source: https://relevanceai.com/docs/get-started/pricing (the marketing page https://relevanceai.com/pricing shows only Enterprise).
Best for: Technically comfortable sales/ops people who want to build multi-agent setups.
Where it beats Agentfy: Flexibility and price for builders.
7. Sintra AI
12 pre-built “AI employee” helpers (social, support, email, SEO and more), 250 credits/mo, and a 14-day money-back guarantee. Its prices are promotional sale prices. Source: https://sintra.ai/pricing
Best for: Solo owners on a tight budget who want content drafts.
Where it beats Agentfy: Price and an instant start. Note that these are chat-based helpers, not agents that act in your tools.
How to choose
- Want to build it yourself and spend under $50/mo: Lindy, Zapier Agents, Sintra, Relevance AI.
- Want it built and run for you: Agentfy, SADOS, WiseVAs.
- Must approve every outgoing email or post: check the approval wording; Agentfy and Lindy state it explicitly.
Related: what an AI agent costs a small business in 2027.
FAQ
How much does an AI assistant cost a small business?
DIY platforms publish prices from free tiers to about $50 a month per user. Done-for-you services in this list run from $500 a month per agent (SADOS) to $1,000 a month (WiseVAs), or a $1,950 setup plus $450 a month (Agentfy). Model or software usage is often extra.
What’s the difference between done-for-you and DIY?
With DIY you sign up and build the workflows yourself. With done-for-you, a person maps your work, connects your tools and keeps the setup tuned for a monthly fee.
Will an AI assistant send emails or post without asking me?
It depends on the product. Agentfy works in drafts and needs your OK before anything goes out, and Lindy says anything with outside impact waits for approval. Check each vendor’s wording before you connect your accounts.
Do I need my own OpenAI or Claude account?
Some services require it: SADOS runs on your own model account, and Agentfy bills third-party AI costs to your own accounts. Others, like Lindy and Sintra, include usage through credits.
How long does setup take?
DIY tools are self-serve. Agentfy says it depends on your setup and agrees the plan at the discovery session, WiseVAs says 7 days, and SADOS says 2–3 weeks.
Can I cancel?
Agentfy’s monthly tuning has no minimum term and needs 30 days’ notice. SADOS says cancel anytime. Lindy and Zapier stop at the end of the billing cycle. Sintra offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Who wrote this comparison?
John Hanusek, founder of Agentfy and Hanusek Studio. Agentfy is his own service, so it’s disclosed at the top, and every competitor fact links to that company’s own page.
John Hanusek, Founder, Agentfy / Hanusek Studio. 25+ years building for the web, Crested Butte, CO. j.hanusek.com