# Should I build or buy AI?

Source: https://getstartedwithai.net/articles/build-vs-buy-ai
Site: Get Started With AI
Tagline: Build AI automations that actually run your business.
Audience: solo professionals, freelancers, consultants and AI implementers in training
Contact: hello@getstartedwithai.co.uk

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# Should I build or buy AI?

Most businesses should buy AI in 2026. The off-the-shelf tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Notion AI, Copilot) cover 90 percent of common business workflows. Building only makes sense when you have a genuine moat to protect or a specific operational need that no tool fits. This guide is the decision rule.

## When to buy

- Your workflow looks like a thousand other businesses workflows. Email triage, lead scoring, content production, scheduling.
- You want to be running by next month, not next year.
- You do not have engineering capacity in-house.
- You can adapt your workflow to fit the tool, not the other way around.

## When to build

- You have a genuine competitive moat (proprietary data, unique process).
- No off-the-shelf tool fits your workflow without significant compromise.
- You have engineering capacity to maintain the build long-term.
- The build will pay back inside 18 months at scale.

## The middle path

Most businesses settle on a hybrid: buy the foundation (ChatGPT or Claude) and build a thin layer on top using Custom GPTs, Zapier AI Steps or a small Cursor-built tool. The thin layer captures your moat without rebuilding what already exists.

## The cost trade-off

Buying costs £100 to £500 a month for a typical small business AI stack. Building from scratch starts at £40,000 for the simplest custom model and runs into six figures for anything serious. The buy approach pays back in weeks; the build approach pays back in years if at all.

## Build your first AI system live with Richard

A 60-minute live build with Richard Batt. Bring one repeatable task. Leave with a mapped automation, success metrics and a deploy plan you can test the next morning. Free seat, no upsell.

### Live build session

The next live session covers the WIRE Method end to end on a real audience build.

[Join the next session](/webinar)

## Questions people ask before they start

### Do I need to code?

No. Most builds run on ChatGPT, Claude, Zapier, Make, Notion or Canva. Code tools are only used when they are the fastest route to a working outcome.

### How much time does each build take?

Most starter builds ship in 30 to 90 minutes. Each one states the outcome, the time to ship, the tool cost and the running system you should have when you finish.

### Is this for beginners or consultants?

Both. The site is calibrated for solo professionals who want the working system for themselves first, then repackage the same build as paid client work.

### Where should I start?

Start with the free Starter Kit, then ship the first ChatGPT project and the first Zapier flow. That gives you one assistant and one live automation by the end of the week.