A problem to describe
What are the alternatives to hiring a software agency?
There are five: build it with your own team, hire a freelancer, use a no-code or workflow tool, hire a full-time developer, or work with a studio that writes the scope and the price before it builds. Which one fits depends on how clear the problem is, who will look after the result, and whether you want a price you know up front or one that stays open.
The five options
- Your own team. Best when someone already has the time and the skill, and the system is part of their job rather than a second job.
- A freelancer. Good for a small, well-defined piece of work. The risk is that everything sits with one person: if they get busy or move on, what they know goes with them.
- A no-code or workflow tool. Often the quickest and cheapest way to start a simple job. The tool sets the limits, and the bill usually grows with users or usage.
- A full-time developer. Makes sense when software is a steady need rather than a project, because you are paying for their time whether or not there is work.
- A studio that prices before it builds. You describe the problem, receive a written scope and price, approve it, and receive a finished system.
Four questions that tell them apart
Ask every option the same four questions and compare the written answers.
- Who owns the result when it is finished, including the accounts it runs on?
- What happens to the price if the scope changes?
- Who fixes it when it breaks, and how fast do they answer?
- Can I see what was checked before it went live?
How each option bills
By the hour, you pay for time, so the final cost stays open until the work ends. At a fixed price per scoped piece, the number is known before you start and a change is priced as a change. By subscription, you pay every month for a product that is not yours. None of these is wrong. They put the risk in different places.
How LOJIK works as one of the five
LOJIK is a founder-led studio of the fifth kind. You describe the problem in your own words on the site and a plan fills in as you answer. A person at LOJIK reads it and sends a written price set for your business, and you approve it before anything starts. The founders who scope your project are the ones who deliver it.
When LOJIK is not the right fit
LOJIK is probably not the right choice if:
- You already have a developer who knows your business and has time. Give them the job.
- The work is one connection between two tools that a no-code tool does well for a low monthly price.
- You need many engineers working on one product at the same time. LOJIK is a small, founder-led studio.
- You want to pay by the hour and steer the work day to day.
What working with LOJIK costs
Start with a free plan on screen. A person then sends a price set for your business, and nothing starts until you approve it in writing.
The plan: free
Describe the problem and the plan fills in as you answer: the fix, what it includes and how long it takes.
Workflow Review: USD 1,500
For when you are not sure what to fix. One week on one task, ending in a written recommendation: build the fix, change how the work is done instead, or stop. If you go ahead with the fix within 30 days, the full fee counts toward its price.
Sprint: from USD 5,000
A scoped, priced, finished system built around how your business works. A person sets the price after reading your plan and gives the reason for each line.
Operate (we run it for you): a monthly plan per live workflow
LOJIK keeps the finished system online, watched and fixed, with small changes included. Optional, and you can cancel any month.
Prices are in US dollars. Companies in Mexico pay IVA on top.
How the work is done
What you can count on, whichever door you come in through.
You approve every quote.
A person at LOJIK sends a written price with the reason for each line. Nothing starts until you approve it.
A person answers.
Send your plan and a person at LOJIK replies within one business day. If we are not the right team, we tell you.
Questions
Is a freelancer cheaper than a studio?
The quote can be lower. What to compare is who carries the risk: with one person, a missed week or a departure stops the work. Ask a freelancer the same four questions above and compare the answers in writing.
Can I use AI tools to build it myself?
For a prototype or a simple tool only you use, yes. For anything that holds customer data or money, plan for a person to review it before it goes live.
What if I do not know what to ask a builder for?
Describe the problem instead of the solution: what happens today, what should happen, and where the work gets stuck. A good builder turns that into a written scope.
Does LOJIK work in Spanish and English?
Yes. The team works from Mexico City, in both languages, and the site is written in both.
How much does LOJIK cost?
The plan is free. A Workflow Review is USD 1,500, and the full fee counts toward the fix if you go ahead within 30 days. A Sprint starts at USD 5,000. Operate, where LOJIK runs the system for you, is a monthly plan per live workflow. A person sets the final price for your business, and you approve it in writing before anything starts.
Describe the problem. See the plan.
It takes about 3 minutes on screen, and a person at LOJIK reads it before any price.