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AIAlberta vs. an agency vs. doing it yourself
Three ways to get software built in Alberta: hire a traditional agency, build it yourself with an AI tool, or work with a lean local team. Here is how they compare on cost, speed, and what happens when things break.
| AIAlberta | Traditional agency | Do it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | About half agency price, fixed quote | High — overhead and markup | Cheap up front, expensive when it breaks |
| Who does the work | The people who build it, directly | Account managers between you and the devs | You, plus an AI tool |
| Speed to first result | Days to a couple of weeks | Weeks of onboarding first | Fast to a demo, slow to production |
| Fixes broken AI-built apps | Yes — most requested service | Rarely; prefers rebuilds | This is usually the problem |
| Ongoing support | Optional maintenance from $500/mo | Expensive retainers | None — it's on you |
| Local to Alberta | Yes — Edmonton based | Sometimes | N/A |
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Common questions
Is AIAlberta cheaper than a software agency?+
Yes — most projects land at roughly half of agency pricing. We skip the agency overhead of account managers and sales layers, so you pay for the build, not the markup.
Should I hire an agency or a lean team like AIAlberta?+
If you want to work directly with the people building your software, move fast, and pay about half, a lean team fits. Large enterprises with procurement requirements sometimes need a full agency, but most small and medium Alberta businesses do not.
Can I just build it myself with Cursor, Lovable, or Bolt?+
You can get to a demo quickly, but AI-built apps often break, slow down, or become unsafe to change in production. That is exactly the work AIAlberta takes over and stabilizes.
What if I already started a build and it stalled?+
Send it to us. Taking over stalled AI-built and vibe-coded apps is our most requested service — we audit the code, fix what is broken, and make it production-ready.