Hire an automation engineer, or bring in a team?

In the US, an automation engineer costs about $106,000 to $119,000 a year in pay alone. For a few jobs your team hates, that's a lot of person. Here's how the two compare, and when hiring is the right call.

What a hire costs.

$119,141

Automation engineer, average total pay

$105,899 base plus $13,242 in other cash, from self-reported salaries. Built In

$106,299

RPA engineer, average base pay

from job postings over the past 36 months, updated October 18, 2026. Indeed

$135,980

Software developer, median pay

May 2025; the closest occupation the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks. BLS

Pay only, before benefits and recruiting. Checked October 28, 2026.

Side by side.

QuestionHire someonelilAgents
What you payA salary of about $106,000 to $119,000 a year, plus benefits, recruiting, and the tools they use.Month one, and if it isn't earning its keep within 14 days, you cancel and pay nothing. Then a fixed price per automation and one flat monthly fee. Software is billed to your accounts at cost.
When the first one runsAfter you recruit, hire, and onboard someone.In month one.
Who checks the workYou, or whoever manages them.A person on our team. For the first week of each automation, they check every write.
Your team learns itMostly the hire knows how it works.We teach your team at regular check-ins, in plain words, so you understand what you own.
If they leaveWhatever wasn't written down leaves with them.Everything lives in your accounts and is documented. If you leave us, it keeps running.
Best forA long list of automation work, and someone technical to manage it.A handful of jobs your team hates, done well, without adding headcount.

When hiring is the right call

  • You have more automation work than a few agents: dozens of processes, systems to connect, and new requests every month.
  • You have someone technical to manage the hire, set priorities, and check the work.
  • You want the skill in-house for the long run, and you can wait while you recruit.

If that's not you yet, start with the one job that eats the most of your team's week. Everything we build lives in your accounts and comes with a written handover, so a hire can take it over later.

Rather set it up yourself? Compare the platforms, from Lindy to n8n.

David V. KimballDylan BakerKevin TurnbullJonathan Robinson

Start with us, and your team still learns it.

We're consultants, not just builders. The goal is a team that knows how its own automations work.

  1. 1We build it with youIn your accounts, on the tools you already use, around how your team actually works.
  2. 2We check the workA person on our team watches what the agents do, and fixes what breaks.
  3. 3We teach your teamRegular check-ins and a written handover, in plain words, so you understand what you own.

Questions.

How much does an AI automation engineer cost?
In the US, about $106,000 to $119,000 a year in pay: Indeed puts the average base pay for an RPA engineer at $106,299, and Built In puts average total pay for an automation engineer at $119,141. Benefits, recruiting, and tools come on top. Figures checked October 28, 2026.
Should a 300-person company hire an AI automation engineer?
If you have a long list of processes to automate and someone technical to manage the hire, yes. If you have a handful of jobs that eat your team's week, start with a service on one of them, see what it saves, and hire once the list outgrows it.
Can we start with a service and hire someone later?
Yes. Everything we build runs in your accounts and comes with a written handover of what runs where, so a hire can take it over. If you leave us, it keeps running.
What does lilAgents cost?
It depends on the job, so we price it on a call. You sign month one, and if the first automation isn't earning its keep within 14 days, you cancel and pay nothing. After that, each automation gets a fixed price agreed up front, and one flat monthly fee covers supervision.
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Find out what you could stop doing.

We take the repetitive work that eats your week and automate as much of it as we can, so you can spend your time on meaningful work that moves the business forward.

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