Comparison
AI agency vs in-house team
When you need AI automation, you have two paths: hire your own team or work with an external agency. This text compares both approaches on concrete parameters. No bias — there are cases when an in-house team is the better choice.
When to pick us
AI agency (Cresare)
Choose an agency when: you have 1-3 clear processes to automate without plans for continuous AI development; you want a fast first deployment to test the model before investing in a permanent team; you work with a budget under 50,000 EUR on the first project; you have no AI experience and want to learn from someone who has been there.
When to pick the other option
In-house AI team
Choose an in-house team when: AI is strategically central to your product (not just process optimization); you have the capacity to hire and develop strong people; you operate in a regulated sector where external data access is prohibited; your budget allows 12+ months of waiting for first real results.
Comparison by concrete parameters
| AI agency (Cresare) | In-house AI team | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first working result | 2-4 weeks | 4-8 months |
| Cost over first 12 months | 15,000 - 35,000 EUR | 90,000 - 180,000 EUR (salaries + social + office + software for 1-2 people) |
| Expertise across technologies | High — team works with 15+ clients simultaneously | Limited — learning on your dime |
| Deep knowledge of your business | Medium — learns for the specific project | High — lives with the problems daily |
| Adaptability to change | High — on next contract you can change scope | Low — fixed costs regardless of work volume |
| Post-launch maintenance | Monthly plan; code is yours, you can continue without us | Continuous; if someone leaves, the rest of the team must continue |
| Risk | Concentrated — if we don't deliver, you have a contract | Distributed — but salaries continue even without results |