An AI system costs a fraction of a hire and never sleeps — but a person still wins for judgement-heavy roles. Here's the honest 2026 cost comparison, and exactly when each one makes sense.
For the repetitive, repeatable work — answering calls, following up, booking, chasing invoices, basic support and admin — a HELIX AI system costs a fraction of a full-time employee and works 24/7. A system starts at £999 to build plus £299/month, against roughly £25,000–£40,000 a year for a UK hire once on-costs are included. A person still wins for judgement-heavy, relationship-led and hands-on roles. In practice, the smartest setup pairs both: AI handles the volume, people handle what genuinely needs them.
The cost difference is clearest when you line them up directly. Figures are typical UK ranges for 2026.
| A HELIX AI system | A full-time employee | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | From £299/month + one-time build from £999 | ~£2,100–£3,400/month (≈£25k–£40k/yr + on-costs) |
| Hours covered | 24/7 — evenings, weekends, bank holidays | ~37.5 hours/week, set shifts |
| Ramp-up time | Live in days, productive immediately | Weeks to hire, months to full productivity |
| Holidays & sick days | None — no leave, no cover needed | ~28 days' leave plus sickness; cover required |
| Scalability | Handles more volume with no extra salary | More volume usually means another hire |
| Consistency | Same accurate output every time | Varies with workload, mood and the day |
Ranges are indicative UK figures and depend on role, seniority and London weighting. The point holds across them: for routine work, a system is dramatically cheaper per hour covered.
This isn't AI versus people. It's matching the work to the right kind of worker.
Most growing businesses do best with both — an AI system to carry the repetitive load, and people freed up for the work only they can do.
Each system covers the repetitive parts of roles you might otherwise recruit for.
Covers the equivalent of a part-time admin — lead capture, follow-up, bookings and reviews, handled automatically.
View IGNITE →Covers a receptionist plus half a sales rep — AI voice answering, pipeline automation and reactivation.
View GROW →Covers an ops + marketing hire — outbound, automation across every tool and bespoke Claude agents.
View SCALE →Covers multiple full-time roles — Claude agents on every workflow, AI support and document automation.
View AUTOPILOT →Let's work out which roles you could put on autopilot — and which are better kept human.
A HELIX system works every hour of every day, never takes leave, and scales with your volume instead of your payroll. Built on Claude AI and managed by us each month, it carries the repetitive load so your people — and your money — go where they're worth most.
For routine, repeatable work, yes — by a wide margin. A full-time UK hire typically costs around £25,000–£40,000 a year once salary and on-costs are included, while a HELIX AI system starts at £999 to build plus £299/month. The system also works 24/7 and scales without a second salary, so the gap widens as volume grows.
Hiring still wins for judgement-heavy, relationship-led or hands-on work — closing complex deals, leading a team, in-person service, or anything needing real-world presence and nuanced decisions. The best results usually come from pairing the two.
It replaces the repetitive, rules-based parts of many roles — answering calls, following up, booking, chasing invoices, basic support and admin — rather than an entire person's judgement. A system can cover part-time admin (IGNITE), a receptionist plus half a rep (GROW), an ops and marketing hire (SCALE), or multiple roles (AUTOPILOT).
Most HELIX systems are live within days and productive immediately, with no recruitment, onboarding or training period. A new employee typically takes weeks to hire and months to reach full productivity.
No. We map, build, launch and manage everything for you. You just review the results.
A 20-minute video call. No pitch, no pressure — we'll map which roles you could put on autopilot and what it would cost, against the hire you were considering.
One practical AI-system idea for your business, every week. No fluff.