Short answer: Australia has good custom AI agencies at every size. For founder-led, fixed-price builds, look at 13Labs or Lightning Ventures. For messy problems and senior people on the work, Hyperfocus Studio. For Microsoft-stack agents, Team 400. For AWS programs, Cevo, DiUS or Versent. For Google Cloud, intelia. For large enterprise and government programs, Mantel Group, Datacom or Deloitte Australia.
We wrote this list and we are on it. Yes, we noticed. So we set rules that keep it useful: public facts only, no scores, no podium, and alphabetical order throughout. If you are still working out whether you need an agency at all, start with our guide to custom AI solutions for business and come back.
In this guide
How we built the list
The shortlist table: 15 agencies, alphabetical
Short profiles: boutique studios, mid-size consultancies, larger firms
The 7-point fit check for choosing an agency
Who publishes pricing
What to do next
How did we build this list?
We used public pages only, recorded positive or neutral facts, and checked everything in September 2026. Nobody paid to be included, and nobody was asked. Hyperfocus Studio is one of the 15 rows, and we say so plainly.
The rules we held ourselves to:
Public sources only. Each fact comes from the agency’s own website, a public listing such as Clutch or LinkedIn, or trade press. We name the source in the sentence.
Agency claims stay agency claims. We report what each firm says about itself. We did not audit anyone.
Positive or neutral facts only. This is a shortlist of firms worth a conversation.
No rankings and no scores. Every table and group is alphabetical. “Best for” describes fit, and fit depends on your problem.
No paid placements. No fees, no swaps.
Unconfirmed facts were left out. If we could not confirm it on a public page, it is not here.
Size bands are our grouping. Where a headcount is public, we quote it with its source. Where it is not, we grouped the firm by the shape of its offer and marked the headcount as not published. Plenty of good Australian teams are missing. That says nothing about their work.
Which custom AI agencies are on the shortlist?
Fifteen agencies, from small founder-led studios to firms with thousands of staff. The table is in alphabetical order so nobody reads it as a ranking. That puts 13Labs first and Versent last. Take it up with the alphabet.
Agency | Base | Size band | Focus | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
13Labs | Melbourne | Boutique (headcount not published) | Custom AI apps, agents and automation | Founders and smaller businesses wanting a fixed-price build |
Adaca | Sydney | Mid-size (headcount not published) | Staged Production AI program, custom agents | Regulated businesses that want to own the IP |
Cevo | Melbourne | Mid-size (headcount not published) | AI and agentic systems, data and cloud on AWS | Enterprises standardised on AWS |
Datacom | Auckland, New Zealand, with Australian operations | Large (about 5,000, per ARN) | Agentic AI, AI-powered application modernisation | Large organisations wanting AI within managed services |
Deloitte Australia | National | Large (about 13,000, per its website) | Generative AI applications, AI and data platforms, Trustworthy AI | Board-level strategy, governance and large transformation |
DIGITALON AI | Sunshine Coast | Boutique (headcount not published) | Custom AI agents, voice agents, private AI hosted in Australia | Businesses that need data to stay onshore |
DiUS | Melbourne | Mid-size (150+, per its website) | Generative and agentic AI, machine learning, IoT on AWS | Enterprises wanting a long-standing AWS partner |
Enterprise Monkey | Geelong and Melbourne | Mid-size (about 100, per press) | Custom AI agents, automation, web and mobile software | Regional Victoria and Melbourne businesses |
Hyperfocus Studio | Melbourne | Boutique | Custom AI systems, plans and solutions | Messy problems nobody has cracked, small or large, and teams that want senior people on the work |
intelia | Melbourne | Mid-size (124, per Great Place To Work) | Data, analytics, machine learning and AI on Google Cloud | Organisations on Google Cloud |
Kablamo | Sydney | Mid-size (about 82, per LinkedIn) | AI agents, machine learning, geospatial intelligence | Government and enterprise teams with high-stakes data |
Lightning Ventures | Melbourne | Boutique (headcount not published) | LLM agents, custom MCP servers, AI integration | Regulated smaller businesses wanting fast delivery |
Mantel Group | Melbourne | Large (850+, per its website) | Agentic AI, legacy modernisation, data, cloud | Large enterprise and government programs |
Team 400 | Brisbane | Mid-size (50 to 249, per Clutch) | AI agents, AI consulting, Microsoft-stack engineering | Mid-market companies on the Microsoft stack |
Versent | Melbourne | Large (600+, per ARN) | Data and AI, agentic AI modernisation on AWS | Mid-market and enterprise teams on AWS |
Spotted a mistake? If we got something wrong about your studio, tell us at hello@hyperfocus.studio. We will fix it fast and owe you a coffee. A good one, this is Melbourne.
Boutique studios
Boutique studios suit you when you want a small senior team and a short line to the people doing the work. Listed alphabetically.
13Labs
13Labs is a founder-led studio based at the Stone & Chalk innovation hub in Melbourne’s CBD. According to its website, founder Callum Holt leads every project, and the studio builds custom AI apps, AI agents and automation for revenue and operations. Scope and price are fixed before development starts, with a post-launch support period and a code ownership handover included. It also runs public buildDay workshops, where non-technical founders learn to ship an AI app in six hours. Best for founders and smaller businesses that want a fixed price.
DIGITALON AI
DIGITALON AI is based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. According to its website, it builds custom AI agents, chatbots, voice agents, retrieval systems and private AI for Australian businesses. Its distinctive point is hosting. The site says its stack runs on a virtual private cloud in Sydney and Melbourne data centres, and that AI software and data stay inside it. It uses open-source components alongside Anthropic’s Claude. Best for businesses that need their data to stay onshore.
Hyperfocus Studio
This is us, so read it with that in mind. Hyperfocus Studio is a Melbourne agency that builds custom AI systems into businesses: a plan to solve the problem, an AI solution that solves it, or both. The team is neurodivergent by design: ADHD thinkers who take problems apart, engineers who build the solution, and a Chief Time Wrangler who keeps delivery on time. You start when you drop your problem by text or voice note. A human replies within 24 hours. A recommendation with scope, price and timeline lands within 72 hours. The first step is a free 15-minute Clarity Session.
Small custom AI agent projects start at A$8,500 (about US$6,000) and medium-size projects at A$15,000 (about US$10,000), converted at 1 USD = 1.43 AUD, September 2026. Our published price ranges, in AUD and ex GST:
Clarity Session: free, 15 minutes
The Plan: A$15,000 to A$45,000, 2 to 4 weeks
Small AI agent project: A$8,500 to A$15,000 (from about US$6,000), 1 to 3 weeks, plan included
Medium AI solution: A$15,000 to A$30,000 (from about US$10,000), 2 to 4 weeks, plan included
Advanced custom AI agent: A$30,000 to A$75,000, 4 to 8 weeks
Production AI solution: A$90,000 to A$280,000, 8 to 16 weeks
Enterprise AI system: A$280,000 to A$900,000+, 4 to 9 months
Care plan: 15% to 25% of build cost per year, billed monthly
Every project is quoted individually after the Clarity Session. These are ranges, not a rate card. Small and medium projects sit within the market’s entry bands. Production and enterprise work sits above the Australian market midpoint, because senior people do the work and the system ships working.
Who should not pick us. If you need a 200-person delivery team, talk to one of the larger firms below. If the lowest price is the goal, we are the wrong call. Project size is no barrier: we work with a lot of enterprise businesses and also build small, focused solutions. If you need a wall of published case studies before a first conversation, we have not published ours yet. If you need an official cloud partner badge, we build with tools such as Claude, OpenAI, Vercel and GitHub as users, with no vendor partner status. Best for messy problems nobody has cracked, small or large, and teams that want senior people on the work.
Lightning Ventures
Lightning Ventures is a Melbourne studio that also serves Sydney. According to its website, it builds LLM-powered agents, custom MCP servers and end-to-end automation. The site reports more than 80 apps built across Australia, a typical 2 to 6 weeks to production, and an intake of 2 to 3 new projects per quarter. Clients named on its site include Bupa, IAG, Ford and RMIT University. Best for regulated smaller businesses in finance, legal and real estate that want a fast path to production.
Mid-size consultancies
Mid-size consultancies suit you when the job needs a bigger bench, a formal cloud partnership or a structured program. Listed alphabetically.
Adaca
Adaca is headquartered in Sydney, with offices in Melbourne and Auckland and a delivery centre in Manila. According to its website, it was founded in 2015. Its Production AI program runs in three stages, Crawl, Walk and Run, moving from training and policy through governance to agent builds. The site describes it as vendor-agnostic across Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot, says clients keep full IP, and lists Qantas, ANZ, IAG and Prospa among its clients. Best for financial services and regulated businesses that want to own what gets built.
Cevo
Cevo is an Australian-owned consultancy founded in 2016, headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, according to its website. It became an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner in 2024 and launched Cevo AI Studio at the same time. Its AI offer includes a sprint, co-delivered with AWS, that takes a use case from strategy to production-ready in 6 to 12 weeks. Case studies on its site include PICA Group and NEOS. Best for enterprises standardised on AWS that want a structured path.
DiUS
DiUS is a Melbourne technology consultancy. Its LinkedIn page lists a 2004 founding date, and its website says it has more than 150 people across Australia and New Zealand. It has been an AWS partner since 2012 and, according to its website, signed an AWS Strategic Collaboration Agreement in 2025 covering generative and agentic AI. TechPartner News reported in September 2026 that DiUS had achieved the AWS AI Competency in both Generative AI Consulting and Agentic AI Consulting. Best for enterprises that want a long-standing AWS partner with formal AI credentials.
Enterprise Monkey
Enterprise Monkey has offices in Geelong and Melbourne. Press profiles of founder Aamir Qutub date the company to 2014 and put the team at about 100 people. According to its website, its AI practice covers custom goal-driven agents, voice and email automation, workflow automation and integration with the systems you already run. It also builds web and mobile software. Best for businesses in regional Victoria and Melbourne that want an established local software team with an AI practice.
intelia
intelia is a Melbourne data and AI consultancy. According to its website, it is a Google Cloud Premier Partner with specialisations in data, analytics, machine learning and infrastructure, and it also lists a partnership with C3.ai. Its Great Place To Work listing shows 124 employees as at 30 June 2026 and certification each year from 2023 to 2026. The work covers data platforms, advanced analytics, machine learning and intelligent automation. Best for organisations on Google Cloud that need AI and the data platform underneath it.
Kablamo
Kablamo is a Sydney firm with a second office in Toronto, founded in 2017, according to its website. LinkedIn shows about 82 employees. It lists AWS, Google Cloud, Anthropic and Auth0 as partners. Its published case studies include the Athena bushfire intelligence platform for the NSW Rural Fire Service and AI search across the ABC’s archive. It also offers a 12-week AI readiness program that, per its website, delivers three or more working prototypes plus governance and a roadmap. Best for government and enterprise teams with high-stakes data.
Team 400
Team 400 is the new name for XAM Consulting, and the old XAM web address now redirects to team400.ai. It is based in Brisbane and also works from Sydney and Melbourne. Its Clutch profile lists 50 to 249 employees. According to its website, it builds AI agents and .NET and React software, works across Azure and the Power Platform, and offers a Forward Deploy model that places engineers inside client teams. It also organises the AI Builders meetup and AgentCon. Best for mid-market companies on the Microsoft stack.
Larger firms
Larger firms suit you when the program spans business units, needs hundreds of people, or sits inside an existing managed services or advisory relationship. Listed alphabetically.
Datacom
Datacom is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, and has large Australian operations, so read it as an Australia and New Zealand firm. ARN reports about 5,000 employees across both countries, including 1,700 developers using Amazon Q Developer. It holds the AWS Generative AI Competency for applications and consulting services. In June 2025 it announced a partnership with AWS on migration and modernisation work accelerated by generative AI. Best for large organisations and government agencies that want AI delivered inside a managed services relationship.
Deloitte Australia
Deloitte Australia runs the Deloitte AI Institute, launched locally in 2021, and an AI and Data practice. According to its website, the practice delivers generative AI applications, MLOps and AI and data platforms, with alliances including AWS, Google, Nvidia, Snowflake and Databricks. Deloitte says it rolled out its MyAssist Enterprise platform to about 13,000 Australian staff. Consultancy.com.au reported that it acquired Sydney machine learning specialist Intellify in May 2022. Best for board-level strategy, governance and large transformation programs.
Mantel Group
Mantel Group is a Melbourne-headquartered firm with more than 850 people across 10 hubs in Australia and New Zealand, according to its website. Its AI brand Eliiza now sits under the Mantel Group name, and the Eliiza web address redirects there. Listed partners include AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, OpenAI and Anthropic. Case studies on its site include HBF, Deputy and the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation. The site also lists seven consecutive years of Great Place To Work certification. Best for large enterprise and government programs.
Versent
Versent is headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Denver. ARN reported in May 2026 that it has more than 600 staff and had signed a five-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS, covering AI-driven migrations and agentic AI modernisation for the mid-market. According to its website, its Data and AI practice offers a GenAI Readiness Assessment and Pathfinder+ proofs of concept, and names Woodside Energy, Transurban, Colonial First State and Vix Technology as clients. Best for mid-market and enterprise teams on AWS, especially in regulated industries.
Corrections, round two. Studios change faster than blog posts. If you have rebranded, moved, grown or spotted an error about your firm, email hello@hyperfocus.studio and we will update it quickly. The coffee offer stands. If your studio belongs here and is missing, send us your public pages.
How do you choose a custom AI agency?
Choose on fit: the size of your problem, the stack you already run, and how you like to work. Every firm above is a sound choice for somebody. The 7-point fit check below helps you work out which one is a sound choice for you.
The 7-point fit check
Write the problem in one paragraph. What is slow, costly or stuck, and what fixed looks like. If you are unsure what an agency should be doing for you, read what an AI solutions agency does.
Match the firm’s size to the job’s size. A single workflow suits a boutique studio. A program across several business units suits a larger firm.
Check the stack fit. If you are standardised on AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft, a partner in that ecosystem saves time.
Ask who does the work. Get the names and seniority of the people on your project, and how much of their week you get.
Ask how pricing works. Fixed price, published ranges, or a monthly team rate. All three are legitimate. Pick the one your finance team can plan around.
Ask where data lives and who owns the IP. Get it in writing: hosting region, access, and what you own at handover.
Ask what happens after launch. AI systems need monitoring and model upgrades. Published agency guides from Team 400 and Lanex (both 2026) put ongoing maintenance at 15% to 25% of build cost per year.
If you are still weighing an agency against hiring or buying a tool, our comparison of an AI agency, an in-house team and off-the-shelf tools covers that decision.
Which Australian AI agencies publish their pricing?
A handful do, and it helps buyers plan. Most firms quote after scoping, which is normal for custom work. Here is who puts numbers or a pricing model in public, as checked in September 2026. All figures are in AUD as published. The last five studios sit outside our shortlist.
Team 400. Its website (2026) says Fast Packages start from A$25,000 and custom projects typically run A$50,000 to A$250,000. Its February 2026 cost guide gives A$20,000 to A$50,000 for a proof of concept, A$50,000 to A$150,000 for an MVP and A$150,000 to A$500,000+ for production.
Hyperfocus Studio. Small custom AI agent projects (2026) start at A$8,500 (about US$6,000) and medium-size projects at A$15,000 (about US$10,000). Enterprise AI systems run A$280,000 to A$900,000+.
Adaca. Its website (2026) states there is no minimum project size, with monthly rates for dedicated teams or a fixed cost for initial phases. No dollar figures are published.
13Labs and Lightning Ventures. Both websites (2026) describe fixed-price work with scope agreed up front. No dollar figures are published.
Lanex. Its January 2026 budget guide gives A$15,000 to A$40,000 for a proof of concept and A$40,000 to A$120,000 for an SME custom AI application.
Valenor. Its March 2026 pricing guide gives A$5,000 to A$15,000 for light custom work and A$50,000 to A$100,000+ for enterprise custom builds.
Beyond Himalaya Tech. Its July 2026 guide gives A$8,000 to A$25,000 for an AI chatbot and A$80,000 to A$250,000+ for AI agent systems.
Digital One Agency. Its May 2026 guide gives A$50,000 to A$300,000 for a custom AI solution, quoted as fixed scope with milestone billing.
Dataclysm. Its 2026 guide gives A$50,000 to A$150,000 for basic builds and A$400,000 to A$800,000+ for enterprise.
Two notes on reading these. First, they are published agency guides, which means marketing content from the firms themselves. Nobody has audited them. Second, the ranges describe different kinds of work, so compare like with like. The other firms on the shortlist quote after scoping. For the full breakdown, see our guide to what a custom AI solution costs in Australia.
What to do next
Pick two or three names from the table that match your size and stack, and talk to each. Bring your one-paragraph problem and the 7-point fit check.
If the problem is messy and you would like our view, drop your problem by text or voice note. A human replies within 24 hours. If another firm on this list is the right fit for you, we will say so.
Sources
13Labs, AI agency Melbourne (Checked Sep 2026)
13Labs, AI development Melbourne (Checked Sep 2026)
13Labs, buildDay (Checked Sep 2026)
DIGITALON AI, AI development services (Checked Sep 2026)
DIGITALON AI, AI agents (Checked Sep 2026)
Lightning Ventures, AI agency Sydney (Checked Sep 2026)
Adaca, Production AI (Checked Sep 2026)
Adaca, About Adaca (Checked Sep 2026)
Cevo, AI and agentic systems (Checked Sep 2026)
Cevo, About us (Checked Sep 2026)
Cevo, Cevo achieves Premier Tier status within the AWS Partner Network and launches Cevo AI Studio (2024)
DiUS, DiUS website (Checked Sep 2026)
DiUS, DiUS and AWS Strategic Collaboration Agreement (2025)
LinkedIn, DiUS company page (Checked Sep 2026)
TechPartner News, DiUS achieves AWS AI Competency for generative and agentic AI consulting (Sep 2026)
Enterprise Monkey, AI agency Melbourne (Checked Sep 2026)
YourStory, Enterprise Monkey global tech journey (Oct 2023)
The Weekend Leader, Dream chaser (Checked Sep 2026)
intelia, Google Cloud machine learning partner page (Checked Sep 2026)
intelia, C3.ai partner page (Checked Sep 2026)
Great Place To Work Australia, intelia company listing (30 Jun 2026)
Kablamo, Kablamo website (Checked Sep 2026)
Kablamo, Who we are (Checked Sep 2026)
Kablamo, Enterprise AI accelerator (Checked Sep 2026)
LinkedIn, Kablamo company page (Checked Sep 2026)
Team 400, Team 400 website (Checked Sep 2026)
Team 400, About Team 400 (Checked Sep 2026)
Clutch, Team 400 profile (Checked Sep 2026)
Team 400, How Much Does Custom AI Development Cost in Australia (10 Feb 2026)
ARN, Datacom doubles down on AI and agentic AI (Checked Sep 2026)
About Amazon Australia, AWS and Datacom partner to accelerate cloud migration using generative AI (Jun 2025)
Deloitte Australia, Deloitte AI Institute Australia (Checked Sep 2026)
Deloitte Australia, Artificial intelligence and data (Checked Sep 2026)
Deloitte Australia, Deloitte launches new Australian AI Institute (2021)
Consultancy.com.au, Deloitte buys data science and machine learning specialist Intellify (May 2022)
Mantel Group, Mantel Group website (Checked Sep 2026)
Mantel Group, About Mantel Group (Checked Sep 2026)
Versent, Data and AI (Checked Sep 2026)
ARN, Versent brings agentic AI to mid-market with five-year AWS deal (May 2026)
Lanex, AI Development Cost in 2026: Australia Budget Guide (7 Jan 2026)
Valenor, How Much Does AI Actually Cost? A 2026 Pricing Guide for Australian Businesses (22 Mar 2026)
Beyond Himalaya Tech, How Much Does Custom AI Software Cost in Australia? 2026 Guide (14 Jul 2026)
Digital One Agency, The Real Cost Of Building A Custom AI Solution In Australia (2026) (6 May 2026)
Dataclysm, AI Development Cost in Australia (2026)