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ArticleWhat an AI agent costs a small business in 2026
Written by Andreas Berthelsen, managing director of Fjellhøy AS. Last updated 21 October 2026.
In short: an AI agent for a small business does not have a single price. The cost is the vendor's licence, the work of connecting the agent to email and invoices, and the time someone spends approving what is about to be sent. Fjellhøy does not state a subscription price. The subscription is paid to the vendor.
The cost has several parts
A managing director who wants to automate email, invoices and customer follow-up usually meets one question: what does it cost? The answer depends on the tools the company already has, how many people will use the agent, and how much a person has to approve before anything goes out.
This article explains the drivers. Where a public list price exists, the figure is taken from the vendor's own page and marked with the source and the date it was read. The figures are not converted into kroner. They are not an offer from Fjellhøy, and they are not a claim about what a Norwegian company is invoiced.
What drives the cost
- A licence, or usage, at the vendor. Some plans have a fixed price per user. Some features are billed according to how much they are used.
- How many people need access. A company where only the managing director approves drafts has a different need from a company where several people share the same workspace.
- What the company already pays for. Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another office suite can be a condition for an add-on, or it may already include a simpler assistant.
- Which routines are set up. Email alone is a smaller setup than email, calendar and invoices together. Tone, templates and what the agent should leave alone also take time to settle.
- How much the agent may do before someone says yes. A draft that has to be read costs time for the person who approves it. That time is part of the cost, even when it never appears on an invoice.
- Follow-up when the working day changes. A new kind of enquiry, a new supplier or a new deadline means the setup has to be adjusted.
- Currency, local price and tax. A dollar list price on a US page is not automatically the price in Norway. The vendors themselves say that price and currency can vary.
What the vendors themselves publish
Two public pricing pages are quoted here because they are specific, and because they show that “an AI agent” does not have one shared price. The selection is not a ranking. Fjellhøy is not a partner or a reseller for either of them.
| Source | What the source states |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot | USD 32.00 per user per month, paid yearly. |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot | USD 23.50 per user per month, paid yearly. |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, add-on | Stated as originally from USD 21.00, now from USD 18.00, per user per month, paid yearly. Microsoft says the discount runs from 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2026, that the add-on requires an eligible Microsoft 365 Business subscription, that the commitment is annual, and that the promotional price applies for the first year. |
| OpenAI, ChatGPT Business, standard seat | USD 25 per user per month when billed monthly, or USD 20 per user per month when billed annually. At least two seats. |
| OpenAI, ChatGPT Business, premium seat | USD 125 per user per month when billed monthly, or USD 100 per user per month when billed annually. |
On the same page, Microsoft says that everyday use such as chat and Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps is included in the licence, while more advanced use is billed by consumption. Among what Microsoft names as usage-based are Copilot Cowork, Code, Autopilot and the Work IQ API. Microsoft also says that more such services may be added.
In its Help Center, OpenAI says the price can vary by country and currency, and points to its own pricing page for the details. A standard seat and a premium seat can be mixed in the same workspace. Premium is described as more usage included, not as a different kind of company.
Other vendors have their own pricing pages. They are not quoted here, because this article only includes figures that were read on the source page the same day. A list price that has not been checked is left out.
Setup with Fjellhøy, and the time you spend yourself
Fjellhøy sets the agent up in the accounts the company already uses, and shows how to use it on the company's own tasks. The setup takes a few hours. The prices for setup and follow-up are on the home page. They are payment to Fjellhøy for the work. They are not the subscription for the agent platform.
The subscription is paid directly to the vendor, on the company's own card. We go through the amount on a call, because it depends on the vendor, the number of users and whether the company already has an agreement. That amount is not in this article.
Even when the licence is paid, someone still has to read what is about to be sent. The agent can write a reminder or a reply. It does not replace the person who says yes, and it does not replace an accountant or a lawyer.
An example of the way of working, not a customer story: Halvard Mjøsund at Brekkevik Rør AS would read a reminder draft before it might go to a customer such as Lomelde Bygg AS. Marte Ådnanes would read the draft reply to email that is waiting, before anything was sent. The example shows who approves. It says nothing about time saved or money saved.
Questions a managing director can ask before a call
- Which accounts should be connected: email, calendar, invoices?
- Who approves something before it is sent or paid?
- Does the company already have Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another office suite?
- Will one person use the agent, or several?
- What should the agent leave alone, for example payment, deletion and anything that needs an accountant?
More on the work itself: automating invoice handling and AI for email and customer follow-up. On Fjellhøy's role: an AI adviser for small businesses.
Sources
Every figure above was taken from these pages on 21 October 2026. The pages can change after that.
- Microsoft: Microsoft Copilot Plans and Pricing — Business. The list prices for Business Premium with Copilot, Business Standard with Copilot and the Copilot Business add-on, including the promotion from 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2026 and the description of usage-based billing.
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Business — Overview. Standard and premium seats, the minimum number of seats, and the caveat that price can vary by country and currency.
- OpenAI: Premium seats are coming to ChatGPT Business, dated 10 August 2026, with an update on 25 August 2026. The same seat prices as in the Help Center.
Questions and answers
Does Fjellhøy publish a subscription price for the AI agent?
No. The subscription is paid directly to the vendor. Fjellhøy invoices the setup and the follow-up. Those prices are on the home page, and the vendor's subscription is something we go through on a call.
Are the dollar list prices what a Norwegian company pays?
No. The figures are taken from the vendors' own pages and are in US dollars. The Norwegian price, currency and tax can differ, and the pages can change.
How long does the setup take?
Fjellhøy sets the agent up in a few hours, in the email, calendar and invoices the company already uses.