How much does it cost to hire through Pangea.ai?

Pricing is set per engagement, based on the role, scope, and seniority you need. Book a consultation for a number built around your requirement.

How much does a forward deployed engineer cost?

Market benchmarks put contractors around $125 to $250 an hour, and fully loaded full-time FDEs at roughly $220,000 to $400,000+ a year. See the forward deployed engineers page for detail.

How much does a fractional CAIO cost?

Far less than a full-time Chief AI Officer, which commonly runs $350,000 to $650,000 a year. See the fractional CAIO page.

How much does a fractional CTO cost?

About $3,000 to $15,000 a month for a standard engagement in the wider market. See the fractional CTO page.

What does an AI development project cost?

Either a fixed price against a defined scope for a build, or a managed AI pod from around $12,000 a month. See the AI development services page.

Why isn't there a fixed price list?

Because engagements differ by type, scope, and seniority. A short MVP pod and an ongoing fractional CAIO are different shapes, so pricing is set per engagement.

Are the prices shown Pangea.ai rates?

No. The ranges on this page are external market benchmarks to help you budget. For a Pangea.ai quote, book a consultation.

How do I get an exact quote?

Book a consultation, or submit a brief and get matched with talent in 72 hours, and we will give you a real number.

AI talent pricing

What applied-AI talent costs, and how our pricing works.

Whether you need a forward deployed engineer, a fractional AI leader, or a delivery pod, this page explains how Pangea.ai engagements are priced, shows honest market ranges so you can budget, and compares hiring through us with hiring full-time or briefing an agency. For a number built around your exact need, book a consultation.

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Pricing is set per engagement, based on the role, scope, and seniority you need, so you pay for the outcome, not a fixed seat.

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How Pangea.ai pricing works

There is no single price list, because a two-week AI MVP pod and an ongoing fractional Chief AI Officer are completely different shapes of engagement. Instead, pricing is built from two things: the type of engagement and its scope.

By type, an embedded forward deployed engineer, a fractional leader on a monthly retainer, an AI pod as a managed team, or a fixed-price AI-native build are each priced in their own way. By scope, the seniority you need, the number of days a week, the length of the engagement, and the complexity of the work all move the number. That is why the ranges below are market benchmarks to budget against, and the exact figure comes from a short conversation about your needs.

What AI talent costs: market benchmarks

The ranges below are market benchmarks drawn from published third-party sources, to set expectations. They are not Pangea.ai quotes. For a Pangea.ai number, book a consultation.

Engagement

Pangea.ai engagement models

Market benchmark

Third-party sources, not Pangea.ai quotes

Full-time equivalent

Fully loaded cost of hiring

Fractional leadership

Fractional Chief AI Officer

Priced per engagement, a fraction of full-time

Full-time CAIO commonly $350K to $650K/yr

Fractional CTO

About $3K to $15K/month standard

Full-time CTO $35K+/month all-in

Fractional CPO

About $5K to $15K/month embedded

Full-time CPO roughly $250K+/yr

Embedded specialists

Forward deployed engineer

Contractor about $125 to $250/hr; packaged engagements vary (e.g. a 12-week FDE around EUR 95,000)

Fully loaded full-time roughly $220K to $400K+/yr

Delivery

AI pod (managed team)

Commonly quoted from around $12K/month

The cost and months of hiring a full team

AI-native build

Fixed price against a defined scope

Open-ended time-and-materials cost

Each engagement links to its page for detail: forward deployed engineers, fractional Chief AI Officer, fractional CTO, fractional CPO, AI pods, and AI-native development. Sources for the ranges: gainam.com, orange-its.ch, securityboulevard.com, truvisory.com, saasfractionalcpo.com, salttechno.ai (2026).

Hiring full-time vs fractional vs an agency

The cheapest-looking option is rarely the cheapest once you count everything. Here is the real trade-off.

Hiring full-time

A long search, often around six months and roughly $180,000 all-in before a senior AI hire is productive, and permanent cost whether or not the work stays at full volume. It suits a broad, permanent mandate; it is heavy for a specific push.

Fractional or embedded talent

Senior output in days, scaling down when the need passes. You pay for the seniority where it matters, not for a permanent seat. It suits a specific challenge, an AI adoption, a build, a turnaround, that needs experience but not forty hours a week forever. See fractional leadership for the roles and how they work.