How to hire · 10 min

US agency retainer vs a Lagos creative-marketing pod: cost

Cost advantage is real and easy to misuse. The point is not the cheapest Figma file. It is studio-grade systems that do not assume an $8k/month US floor. If you strip the work to $200 logos, you will get $200 outcomes and blame the map.

Written for: Operators writing the marketing line in a budget memo

Published numbers, not a wink

Brand Starter $1,500. Landing Page + Ads $2,500 (first sprint live in 14 days or we do not invoice). Lite $2,000/mo. Growth $4,500/mo. Case analogs we publish: Harbor content+web quarter ~$18k US vs $4.5k pod; NovaPay brand+site analog ~$22k US vs $1.5k brand sprint; Aether first quarter ~$14k vs $2.5k.

What the US invoice is actually paying for

Sometimes craft. Often overhead, account layers, and a discovery month before a pixel ships. If their first artifact is a 40-slide “opportunity,” you bought process. Compare week-two artifacts on the same brief.

Always compare scope, not day rates.
Include their onboarding month in the first-quarter math.
Keep a quality floor: system, tracking, named lead.
Do not use NGN hardship rates as the strategy — we price in USD.

Where you should still spend

The conversion event, the offer, and someone in-house who can brief. Saving money on a pod and then starving the page of a real CTA is how CFOs decide “marketing does not work.”

Checklist

Line up this quarter’s US quote next to a productized SKU.
Add the cost of a month of delay (pipeline, not fees).
Confirm who owns ads, analytics, and source files.
Refuse any quote that will not name week-two delivery.
Keep a reserve for media; production savings are not media budget.
Recompute after 90 days with CAC or MQL in the cell next to fees.

Common mistakes

Picking the lowest bid with no system.
Comparing a full US retainer to a single logo file.
Forgetting currency and payment friction until procurement stalls.
Spending the entire savings on unused tools.

Benchmarks

$2,500 — Landing + Ads. 14-day launch window
$2k / $4.5k mo — Lite / Growth. Cancel Lite after 2 months
$4.5k vs ~$18k — Harbor analog. Same quarter, content + web
$1.5k vs ~$22k — NovaPay analog. Brand sprint vs US studio + site

FAQ

Why not even cheaper?

Because the work includes strategy, craft, and a named lead. Marketplace logos are cheaper and they look like it.

Are prices in USD?

Yes. Checkout supports major currencies at published rates. The catalog is the source of truth.

Is the US analog fair?

It is a comparable-scope estimate we publish on the cases, not a scientific census. Use it as a planning range, then collect your own quotes.

What is not included in the SKU price?

Ad media, third-party software, and out-of-scope revisions. Those stay yours.

Can we start small and upgrade?

Yes. Sprint → Lite → Growth → Full. That is the designed path.

Will a cheaper pod hurt our raise?

A weak site will. A tight system at a sane cost is a board-friendly story. NovaPay’s investors commented on the system.