UBIKON.ioEngagement models
Three ways to commission a product build, and how they differ from hiring engineers directly. All three are priced from line-item delivery data across 300+ completed builds, so the number you get is a commitment rather than a meter that runs.
Pick the shape
Which model fits which situation.
The ranges match the pricing page exactly — this table is the decision layer, not a second price list.
| Model | Choose it when | Range | Duration | Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-scope build | You can describe what you want built | $8k–$80k | 3–16 weeks | Per milestone |
| Monthly product squad | v1 exists and needs to keep moving | $6k–$18k / month | Ongoing | 30 days notice |
| AI sprint | Adding one AI capability to a live product | $10k–$60k | 4–14 weeks | Per milestone |
Ranges are from line-item delivery data, not a rate card. Your fixed quote for a specific scope arrives within 48 hours of a scoping call — and every engagement carries the Walk-Away Guarantee.
In detail
What each model actually commits to.
Fixed-scope build — a number and a date
You describe the product; the quote comes back line-item by feature with a milestone plan and a payment schedule. That number holds for the scope it describes. If Ubikon underestimated, that is Ubikon's cost to absorb — not a change order. If you add scope, it is quoted separately against the same data before any work begins. This is the right model for an MVP, a first mobile app, or a defined platform build.
Monthly product squad — a running product
A dedicated sprint cadence with weekly demos, priced by the scope agreed each month rather than a vague retainer. Infrastructure, monitoring and on-call bug response are included. No minimum term and 30 days notice to end it — the model has to earn its place every month, which is the point. This is what most fixed-scope clients move onto after v1 ships.
AI sprint — a scoped capability, with evaluation
An assistant, a RAG pipeline over your own data, or an agent workflow, delivered into a product that already exists. The distinguishing commitment is an evaluation set built before launch, so quality is measured rather than asserted, plus rate limiting and cost monitoring on the AI-calling code path. If the honest answer is that you do not need this yet, that comes as a written recommendation instead of a project.
The tradeoff
What a fixed quote rules out.
Fixed pricing buys you certainty. These are the things it costs, stated plainly.
Hourly time-and-materials
Hourly billing pays a studio to be slow. It also transfers all estimation risk to you: the number you are quoted is a guess, and every way the guess is wrong costs you money. Ubikon built a line-item dataset across 300+ completed projects specifically so the estimate could become a commitment instead. If genuinely open-ended exploratory work is what you need, hourly contractors are the right tool and a marketplace will find them faster.
Fixed-scope work priced by the hour
The two are contradictory. A fixed scope with an hourly meter is just an estimate with extra steps — you carry the overrun either way. If the deliverable is defined, it gets a fixed number; if it genuinely is not definable yet, that is a discovery conversation rather than a blank cheque.
Straight answers
What buyers ask about engagement
Which model should I start with? +
If you can describe what you want built, start with a fixed-scope build — you get a committed number and date. If you already have a product and want continued iteration, the monthly product squad fits better. If you are adding one AI capability to something that already exists, take the AI sprint. When a project genuinely spans two, that gets said on the call rather than sold as a third.
Do you offer hourly time-and-materials billing? +
Not for product builds, and that is deliberate. Hourly billing pays a studio to be slow, and it transfers all estimation risk to you: the number you are quoted is a guess, and every way the guess is wrong costs you money. Ubikon prices from line-item delivery data across 300+ completed builds precisely so the estimate can be a commitment rather than a meter.
Can I hire engineers directly rather than commission a build? +
Yes — Ubikon offers dedicated team engagements, where you get named engineers by role and stack rather than a fixed-scope deliverable. That is a different commercial shape from the three models on this page, so it is scoped on a call. Which one fits depends on whether you want Ubikon to own delivery of an outcome, or to add engineering capacity to a team you are already directing.
Can I switch models partway through? +
Yes, and it is the common path: a fixed-scope build to get v1 shipped, then a monthly squad to keep iterating. The switch happens at a milestone boundary with the codebase already handed over, so it is a decision rather than a renegotiation.
What is the minimum engagement? +
There is no hard minimum, but projects under $5,000 are usually better served by a freelancer, and you will be told that during scoping rather than sold a package that does not fit. The monthly squad has no minimum term and ends on 30 days notice.
What happens to the code if we stop? +
You keep it. Full IP transfer applies to work delivered, not only to completed projects — source, infrastructure configuration and documentation, on a mainstream stack (Flutter, Next.js, FastAPI, PostgreSQL) that any competent team can pick up. There is no proprietary runtime holding the product hostage.
Not sure which fits?
Describe the project — we'll tell you which model, honestly.
30 minutes, no deck. If a freelancer or an hourly contractor serves you better, you'll hear that.