Compare · the real competitor
Ridge HQ
Ridge HQ
vs hiring an
automation engineer
The honest comparison most AI retainers avoid. A full-time engineer has advantages. A retainer has advantages. Here's where each wins and where each loses.
| Feature | Ridge HQ | In-house engineer |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | ~1 month of an engineer's salary (waitlist pricing TBC) | $12k-18k/mo loaded (W-2 + benefits + taxes) |
| Ramp to first output | 5-10 business days | 3-6 months to productivity |
| Recruiting time | One business day (you send us a Loom) | 6-12 weeks active recruiting |
| Scope of expertise | Full-stack AI workflow: prompt craft, integrations, evals | Whatever the hire's background covers |
| What happens when work dries up | Pause. Unused days carry forever. | Hiring freeze, severance, or PIP |
| Ongoing iteration | Weekly, forever, while you're a client | Yes, but limited to that human's capacity |
| Institutional knowledge | Documented per-workflow, handed back if you cancel | Leaves when they do |
| Time to scale horizontally | Next workflow goes into the queue. Same retainer. | Hire another engineer. |
HIRE AN ENGINEER IF
- You have a 2+ year pipeline of AI workflows, not a few to start.
- The workflows are so embedded in proprietary systems that handover risk is unacceptable.
- You want someone who sits in your standups and owns the roadmap with you.
- Your budget tolerates $12-18k/mo loaded cost even in months nothing ships.
HIRE US IF
- You want the first workflow shipped next week, not next quarter.
- You need to pause spending when the backlog is thin.
- You don't want to recruit, interview, and manage another engineer.
- Your AI ops needs fit within our scope (see the in/out list on the home page).