Knowledge
AI agency or software house — who do you need, and for what?
An AI agency advises, trains and optimises visibility. A software house builds the solution and integrates it into your systems. If you want production AI inside your own company, you need engineering; if you are looking for orientation and training, an agency is a good fit. Many providers mix the two. What matters is the form of the result and the contract.
What all calls itself an “AI agency” in 2026
The term “AI agency” is not protected. Behind it stand very different providers with very different results. Four types are the ones you will meet most often in 2026.
- Marketing and SEO agencies with an AI arm. They bring AI into visibility, content and campaigns. The result is reach, not software in your systems.
- Training and coaching providers. They convey knowledge through workshops, training and prompt courses. What you end up with is skills in the team, not a running system.
- Resellers of ready-made tools. They set up chat or phone bots on a subscription. That is fast, but it ties you to someone else's product and its limits.
- Engineering houses. They build the solution and connect it to your data and systems. The result is software that you own.
How to tell them apart in the first call
You do not need to be a tech expert to distinguish the types. Four characteristics are enough.
- Form of the result. Do you end up with a slide deck, a tool subscription, or integrated software that runs in your systems?
- Form of pricing. Does the provider bill by day rate, sell a monthly subscription, or name a fixed price with clear acceptance criteria?
- Form of references. Are you shown logos, or described projects with task, solution and result?
- Team. Do you talk to the people who build, or only to sales and project management?
When an agency is the right choice
An agency is often exactly right. Not every AI initiative needs its own development project, and for some goals an agency is the faster and cheaper choice.
- Training and upskilling. If your team should learn to work with AI tools, training and coaching are the direct route.
- First orientation. If you are still exploring where AI could help at all, a neutral assessment helps.
- Marketing use cases. For content, visibility and campaigns, marketing agencies with an AI arm are well set up.
- Quick standard bots. If a simple chatbot with standard features is enough, a ready-made tool on a subscription is ready to go faster than a custom build.
When a software house is the right choice
As soon as AI is to work with your own data and systems, the picture shifts. Then you need engineering.
- Your own data and systems. The solution should access your documents, your ERP or your specialist application — not a generic standard model.
- Data-protection requirements. EU hosting, data minimisation and access control belong in the architecture, not in an afterword.
- Integration into ERP, portals and apps. The result lands where your people already work and fits into existing processes.
- Operation over years. A solution that is meant to stay needs maintenance, further development and a provider who hands over the source code.
Seven questions for the first call
No matter which type of provider you are talking to, these seven questions separate software that stays from a demo that fizzles out.
- Who writes the code? An employed team, freelancers, or a subcontractor abroad?
- Do we own the source code? Do you get the complete code, or do you stay tied to the provider?
- Where does the solution run? Hosting and region, with an eye on GDPR and the EU data space.
- What does operation cost from month 13? What running costs follow after the first year?
- Which acceptance criteria are in the contract? How is it measured whether the result works?
- What happens to our data? Processing, storage and sharing, settled in writing.
- Which comparable environment have you already delivered to? Concrete projects instead of general promises.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is an AI agency the same as a software house?
No. An AI agency advises, trains and optimises visibility. A software house builds the solution and integrates it into your systems. Some providers mix the two; what matters is the form of the result and the contract.
Which is better for a project with your own data?
As soon as AI is to work with your own data and systems, you need a software house that builds the solution, integrates it and hands over the source code. An agency is more the right choice for training, orientation and marketing.
How do I tell in the first call who I am dealing with?
By four things: form of the result (slides, tool subscription or integrated software), form of pricing (day rate, subscription or fixed price with acceptance criteria), form of references (logos or described projects) and team (do the people you talk to build it themselves?).