Choose an AI agent platform by asking it to complete a task you recognise, with the information and permissions you are prepared to provide. Then compare the result, the review it needs and who will maintain it. A long feature list does not tell you whether it will be useful on Monday morning.
For an owner or professional, the choice is often between using an existing AI app, having an assistant configured around your work, and commissioning a custom process. My role is to help choose and set up the appropriate option, train you and stay involved as your needs and the tools change.
What is an AI agent platform?
An AI agent platform combines a model with instructions and access to tools or information so it can carry out a task in several steps. Products vary in what they can read, change and run without intervention. The labels “agent”, “assistant” and “chatbot” overlap; ask what the proposed setup actually does.
This is a comparison of approaches, not a ranking of products or a hands-on benchmark. A product recommendation needs a trial with your task and a check of its current plan, permissions and costs.
Compare three ways to get an AI assistant
| Approach | Suitable starting point | Work still needed |
|---|---|---|
| Use an existing AI app | You can supply the context and ask for the result yourself. | Choose the plan, practise useful instructions and review the output. |
| Configure an assistant with help | You want repeatable outputs from agreed sources, with a person responsible for setup and support. | Agree access, connect supported tools, test the routine and maintain it. |
| Build a custom process | The task has a specific requirement that available tools cannot meet adequately. | Define requirements, build integrations, test failures and fund maintenance. |
Start by checking what you already pay for. If a task can be completed usefully with a well-prepared instruction and a few documents, you may not need a new platform. The Cowork practice guide provides one way to try a document task before adding connections.
Use the same task to compare options
Fictional evaluation brief: prepare tomorrow's meeting pack from a calendar extract, two email threads and the current proposal. Produce a one-page brief, link each important fact to its source and list anything missing. Do not send messages or change appointments.
With an existing app, you supply those files for the exercise. A configured assistant might retrieve them through approved connections. A custom process might be justified if a required source is unavailable through those connections. Each approach should be judged on the same accepted output.
| Test | Evidence to ask for |
|---|---|
| Find the right version | The brief names the current proposal and identifies the outdated one. |
| Handle a missing fact | It marks the attendee's role as unknown rather than inventing one. |
| Resolve conflicting information | It flags different meeting times in the email and calendar for review. |
| Respect action limits | It prepares the pack without emailing it or changing the meeting. |
| Handle loss of access | It identifies the unavailable source and the effect on the result. |
| Make review practical | You can open the sources and correct the result without reconstructing the whole task. |
Keep the files and a simple score sheet. Record each result as usable, needs correction or failed, with the reason and your review time. Repeat with an unseen example before relying on a successful demonstration.
Download the evaluation worksheet and use it with any proposed platform or provider.
What belongs in the cost comparison?
- Setup: discovery where needed, configuration, integrations, testing and training.
- Running costs: subscriptions, usage, hosting and any connector or messaging charges.
- People: your review time, someone responsible for support, and staff time spent maintaining source material.
- Changes: what a new task costs, what happens when a provider changes an integration, and how you leave the service.
Ask for a normal-use estimate with its assumptions and a higher-use scenario. A low subscription price can still be a poor fit if you spend substantial time correcting outputs. A custom build can be justified when it solves a specific constraint, but it should earn that extra cost.
Where do n8n, Zapier and Make fit?
These are options to investigate when a task needs steps coordinated across systems. Their relevance depends on the required connections and who will operate the setup. Start with the output you need; choose implementation tools after establishing which connections, approvals and error handling are required.
Do not compare a subscription to an implementation quote as though they buy the same thing. If a proposal includes a workflow tool, ask who owns the account, where credentials are held, how failures are noticed and how you obtain the configuration when you leave.
What does a managed AI assistant service include?
A supported setup should name the person you contact, the scope of help and the boundaries of ongoing work. “Fully managed” is too vague on its own. Ask whether it includes training, reviewing failures, changing instructions and considering useful new tools.
Working with me means one person learns your setup and stays involved. If you keep me on as your embedded AI lead, it’s a monthly fee with a three-month minimum. If a job is too big for the monthly fee, I quote it before any work starts.
Questions to ask before choosing a provider
- Can you demonstrate my task, including a missing input and a failed connection?
- What can the assistant read and change, and how do I revoke access?
- Who checks outputs and who owns support?
- Which charges vary with usage?
- What can I export or keep if I stop working with you?
- What would make you recommend using my existing tools instead?
For an example of the service around a concrete task, read about a personal assistant on WhatsApp or meeting preparation. Those are easier decisions to evaluate than buying “AI” in the abstract.
Start with a 30-minute call
We pick one job worth fixing and measure it first. The fee for each step is agreed before it starts.
Online worldwide. In-person work in Johannesburg and Cape Town can be arranged after the call.