An AI agency in Melbourne designs, builds and runs AI systems inside a business's existing software, such as its CRM and phone systems, rather than only advising. On a 60-point test of build depth, proof, prices, support and team, Hourglass AI scores highest at 53, ahead of Growthfirst and YesAI, both on 47.
The best AI agencies in Melbourne, ranked
How each one scores
Points by test, scored 1 October 2026| Hourglass AI | Growthfirst | YesAI | Mantel Group | Lightning Ventures | Revium | V2 AI | Enterprise Monkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build depth20 points | |||||||
| 20 of 20 | 20 of 20 | 18 of 20 | 20 of 20 | 20 of 20 | 18 of 20 | 20 of 20 | 18 of 20 |
| Evidence10 points | |||||||
| 8 of 10 | 5 of 10 | 5 of 10 | 8 of 10 | 6 of 10 | 7 of 10 | 5 of 10 | 3 of 10 |
| Published pricing10 points | |||||||
| 10 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 0 of 10 | 4 of 10 | 0 of 10 | 0 of 10 | 2 of 10 |
| Run and maintain10 points | |||||||
| 10 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 6 of 10 | 8 of 10 | 8 of 10 | 8 of 10 | 8 of 10 |
| Team and track record10 points | |||||||
| 5 of 10 | 2 of 10 | 4 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 6 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 8 of 10 | 10 of 10 |
| Total scoreout of 60 | |||||||
| 53 of 601st | 47 of 602nd | 47 of 603rd | 44 of 604th | 44 of 605th | 43 of 606th | 41 of 607th | 41 of 608th |
1. Hourglass AI
- Best for
- Australian companies of 10 to 100 people that want an AI system built on their own servers and maintained monthly
- Location
- Sydney and Melbourne
Hourglass AI builds AI systems for Australian companies of 10 to 100 people, and it starts with the foundation. Its Company AI Brain joins the email, files, CRM and finance systems a business already runs into one knowledge layer. That layer holds the company's data, voice, decisions and processes, so every agent built on top starts with full context.
The agents on top take the busywork. The AI Inbox reads and sorts every email overnight and drafts replies in each person's own voice, and nothing is sent until a person approves the draft. Other builds cover pre-meeting briefs, live dashboards and an AI coworker in Slack or Teams.
Two of its named results are in Melbourne. Integr8, a martial arts gym in Bentleigh East, cut its admin costs by 40%, and its co-founder reports that automating his weekly reporting saves him 8 hours a week. Voyagin Australia, a Melbourne campervan rental business, reports admin hours quartered. All three figures are client-reported.
Independent coverage names more of its clients. Startup Daily reported at the firm's launch that Schweigen, a multi-billion-dollar appliance retailer, runs an AI customer support system Hourglass built, live on its own site. It also reported that Hourglass-built AI systems were streamlining core operations at Sense of Self, a Melbourne wellness destination.
The work starts with an AI Audit that interviews up to 10 staff and ranks every opportunity with an ROI figure attached. About 85% of the businesses that take the full audit go on to commission a build. Builds are published at $5,000 to $25,000 each, and maintenance covers daily ingestion, weekly accuracy passes and model upgrades for about $1,000 a month per build.
The system runs on the client's own servers and accounts. Hourglass AI never stores client data, and the client owns all of the IP, with the model connected through the client's own Claude or OpenAI account. Its September 2026 update reported seven clients on monthly retainers and said each system would keep running even if Hourglass disappeared tomorrow.
Hourglass AI works from Sydney and Melbourne and is led by its two co-founders. Michael Batko spent eight years leading Startmate, which backed 228 companies with first cheques in that time. Finlay Ekins started the firm as Hourglass Digital. Renamed Hourglass AI, it had worked with 35 companies by June 2026. In Melbourne it is hiring a full-time forward-deployed engineer to work in person with client teams, starting with property and finance work.
- Strongest on: build depth, published prices and run and maintain, with full marks on all three, 40 of 40 points, and evidence, where its 8 is the highest on this list, level with Mantel Group.
30 minutes. Zero pressure.
Find out what we'd build first, and what it would cost
Bring one job your team repeats every week and the systems it runs through, such as your CRM or accounting software. In 30 minutes we check whether an AI build pays back, what it would connect to and how its cost compares with the prices on this page. If the numbers don't work, we'll say so.
For Melbourne businesses of 10 to 100 people. We reply the same day, and if we're a fit, your AI Audit can start the same week.
Book a 30-minute call2. Growthfirst
- Best for
- Trades and insurance businesses that want a CRM and workflow build at a fixed, published price
- Location
- Run from Melbourne's west, no street address published
Growthfirst prices every stage in public. A paid workflow audit costs $750, single-process automation builds start from $3,500, and monthly support runs $1,500 to $3,000 for monitoring, workflow changes and platform updates. It completed an 18-service-line build for Haisey Insurance Brokers in about six weeks, and it has built Procore and Xero integrations for Pirotta Services, a commercial fitout contractor. Clients hold their own platform accounts and own everything it builds.
- Beats the field on: published prices and run and maintain, 20 of 20, level with Hourglass AI and YesAI.
- Loses on: team and track record, 2. Its leadership page names one person, its founder, and the site states no founding year or street address.
3. YesAI
- Best for
- Small practices and trade businesses that want an AI phone receptionist on a monthly plan
- Location
- 101 Collins St, Melbourne
YesAI publishes its phone-agent plans from $299 a month plus a $499 one-off setup, month to month with 30 days' notice. A 30-minute consultation costs $200, free for businesses with 20 or more full-time staff. For Firebox Australia it built a Shopify rewards engine the client owns and migrated two batches of historic rewards data with zero errors. In 2025 it connected Reignite Health's voice booking agent to Cliniko and the practice's own booking rules.
- Beats the field on: published prices and run and maintain, 20 of 20, level with Hourglass AI and Growthfirst.
- Loses on: team and track record, 4. Its blog names its founder, Peter Ball, but the site states no founding year.
4. Mantel Group
- Best for
- Large organisations that want AI built into their cloud and data platforms by a firm with a national bench
- Location
- L2/452 Flinders St, Melbourne, with offices in six other Australian cities, New Zealand and Vietnam
HBF cut its cost per claim by 95% with claims automation Mantel Group built on AWS, with Claude working alongside OCR and vision language models. Its case studies also credit machine learning with a tenfold rise in new product uptake at Latitude Financial Services, and it put a generative AI pipeline into production for WesTrac in a six-week engagement. CRN reports that an AI pipeline Mantel built for nib made half of all claims fully touchless. The group lists more than 850 staff and a Melbourne office on Flinders Street, and its managed services run 24/7 across the platforms and AI systems it supports.
- Beats the field on: team and track record, 10 of 10, level with Revium and Enterprise Monkey, and evidence, 8, the highest on this list, level with Hourglass AI.
- Loses on: published prices, 0. No price appears on any page read.
5. Lightning Ventures
- Best for
- Businesses that want a fixed-scope AI build shipped in sprints and handed over
- Location
- Melbourne, no street address published
Lightning Ventures says AI integration projects typically range from $10,000 to $80,000, and clients get the source code, documentation and infrastructure access with no vendor lock-in. Indee Labs' monthly leads rose 72-fold after a HubSpot sales automation build, and Climate Salad saves 2 hours a week from automated manual processes. Its about page names four team members, led by founder Dave McManus in Melbourne.
- Beats the field on: none outright. Build depth, 20 of 20, is its best test.
- Loses on: published prices, 4. No entry or ongoing price appears on the pages read.
6. Revium
- Best for
- Mid-sized and large organisations that want AI delivered onshore by an ISO 27001 certified firm
- Location
- Level 5, 84 Cubitt St, Cremorne, with a Brisbane office
Revium states ISO 27001 certification, fully onshore delivery and more than 20 years of experience. Its AI search for the Real Estate Institute of Victoria logged 7,500 conversations in its first three months. Its strategy and advisory programmes are retainer-shaped and usually run 6 to 18 months, with cost quoted per scope.
- Beats the field on: team and track record, 10 of 10, level with Mantel Group and Enterprise Monkey.
- Loses on: published prices, 0.
7. V2 AI
- Best for
- Large regulated enterprises moving AI from pilot to production
- Location
- Level 2/555 Collins Street, Melbourne, with Sydney, Brisbane and Perth offices
V2 AI took Swinburne University's predictive models to production on Databricks in eight weeks, and Swinburne now runs the system without outside support. It built Ada, a production agentic assistant for Allianz Retire+ advisers. A data platform for Onyx Gaming carries an estimated 30% annual saving. Its AI Build and Assurance service covers ongoing operation of AI and agent systems. Founded in 2023, it added four senior executives in July 2026 as demand from enterprise customers rose fivefold.
- Beats the field on: build depth, 20 of 20, level with Hourglass AI, Growthfirst, Lightning Ventures and Mantel Group.
- Loses on: published prices, 0.
8. Enterprise Monkey
- Best for
- Organisations that want ISO 27001 and ISO/IEC 42001 certified AI builds with project management in Melbourne and Geelong
- Location
- 140 William St, Melbourne, with an office in North Geelong
Enterprise Monkey has built software in Australia since 2014 and holds ISO 27001 and ISO/IEC 42001 certification. It keeps discovery and project management in Melbourne and Geelong and runs engineering through a global team. For The Gordon TAFE it built predictive models of student success and at-risk students on Python, PostgreSQL, AWS and Power BI. Support after launch is hourly, on a monthly retainer or fully managed, with a warranty period.
- Beats the field on: team and track record, 10 of 10, level with Mantel Group and Revium.
- Loses on: evidence, 3. The Gordon TAFE is its one named AI client, with no number attached.
Also scored
- Redmarble, Melbourne, 38/60: it has delivered more than 100 AI projects for enterprise customers, with no published prices.
- Aivy, Kensington, 34/60: its showcase builds are anonymised and run on synthetic data.
- Appliers AI, Melbourne, 31/60: its work page says Effective Logistics grew its Melbourne operation 30% without adding staff, but the site names no team members.
- RUBIX, Melbourne, 26/60: a data and AI consultancy that names engagements with NAB, ANZ, MUFG and AustralianSuper, with no published prices or support terms.
How they compare
Each agency's own pages answer the five questions a buyer asks on the first call: does it publish build prices, does the client own the code, does it run on your own servers, does it offer monthly maintenance, and does it name its AI builders? The cost table below shows what each one charges. Four of the eight publish a build price: Hourglass AI, Growthfirst, YesAI and Lightning Ventures. All eight offer support after launch.
8 agencies, side by side
Checked 30 September 2026Publishes build prices?A price or range for a build, on its own siteHourglass AI: Yes.Growthfirst: Yes.YesAI: Yes.Mantel Group: Not stated.Lightning Ventures: Yes.Revium: Not stated.V2 AI: Not stated.Enterprise Monkey: Not stated.
| Agency | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Builds are $5,000 to $25,000 each, confirmed after a scoping call. |
| Growthfirst | Yes. Publishes build prices, with CRM setup and configuration at $3,500 to $15,000. |
| YesAI | Yes. Publishes one-off setup fees of $499 and $999 for its AI phone agent. Custom builds are quoted. |
| Mantel Group | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| Lightning Ventures | Yes. Publishes a typical range of $10,000 to $80,000 for AI integration projects. |
| Revium | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| V2 AI | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| Enterprise Monkey | Not stated. Gives only a broad band, from a few hundred dollars a month to six figures, with no build price of its own. |
Client owns the code and IP?Its own site says the client owns what is builtHourglass AI: Yes.Growthfirst: Yes.YesAI: Yes.Mantel Group: Not stated.Lightning Ventures: Yes.Revium: Not stated.V2 AI: Not stated.Enterprise Monkey: Not stated.
| Agency | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. The client owns all of the IP. |
| Growthfirst | Yes. Says the client owns everything it builds, with no lock-in. |
| YesAI | Yes. Its Firebox case study says the client owns the engine, the data and the Cloudflare Worker that runs it. |
| Mantel Group | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| Lightning Ventures | Yes. Hands over source code and infrastructure access with no lock-in. |
| Revium | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| V2 AI | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| Enterprise Monkey | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
Runs on your own servers?Its site says the system runs on the client's own servers or accountsHourglass AI: Yes.Growthfirst: Yes.YesAI: Yes.Mantel Group: Not stated.Lightning Ventures: Yes.Revium: Not stated.V2 AI: Not stated.Enterprise Monkey: Not stated.
| Agency | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Everything runs on the client's own servers and accounts, and Hourglass AI does not store client data. |
| Growthfirst | Yes. Self-hosts n8n on Australian infrastructure where data residency is needed, and the client holds its own platform accounts. |
| YesAI | Yes. Builds on infrastructure the client owns and offers on-premises deployment. |
| Mantel Group | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| Lightning Ventures | Yes. Builds on infrastructure the client controls and keeps data onshore where required. |
| Revium | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| V2 AI | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| Enterprise Monkey | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
Monthly maintenance offered?Ongoing support after launch, offered on its own siteHourglass AI: Yes.Growthfirst: Yes.YesAI: Yes.Mantel Group: Yes.Lightning Ventures: Yes.Revium: Yes.V2 AI: Yes.Enterprise Monkey: Yes.
| Agency | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Daily ingestion, weekly accuracy passes and model upgrades, about $1,000 a month per build. |
| Growthfirst | Yes. Offers a monthly support retainer covering monitoring and optimisation. |
| YesAI | Yes. Offers ongoing support plans with monitoring and monthly optimisation. |
| Mantel Group | Yes. Mantel Group offers ongoing managed services and 24/7 support for applications. |
| Lightning Ventures | Yes. Offers an optional retainer for maintenance after launch. |
| Revium | Yes. Offers an ongoing operate phase after build. |
| V2 AI | Yes. Offers lifecycle management and ongoing operation of AI and agent systems. |
| Enterprise Monkey | Yes. Hourly, retainer or fully managed support after launch, with a warranty period. |
Named AI builders on staff?Names at least one person in an AI or engineering build roleHourglass AI: Yes.Growthfirst: Yes.YesAI: Not stated.Mantel Group: Yes.Lightning Ventures: Yes.Revium: Not stated.V2 AI: Yes.Enterprise Monkey: Not stated.
| Agency | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Jeremy Sharpe, AI Builder, builds company memory and agent infrastructure. |
| Growthfirst | Yes. Names its founder as lead systems architect. |
| YesAI | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| Mantel Group | Yes. The company lists several named partners specialising in AI and data. |
| Lightning Ventures | Yes. Names a senior engineer and a developer on its team page. |
| Revium | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
| V2 AI | Yes. Names technical staff, including Field CTO Dr Pete Stanski. |
| Enterprise Monkey | Not stated. Not stated on the pages read. |
What an AI agency build costs in Melbourne
Published prices, AUD| Agency | Entry or audit | Typical build | Ongoing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Flat feeAI Audit, credited in full to a build started within 30 days | $5,000 to $25,000Each build, quoted as a range and confirmed after a scoping call | About $1,000 a monthPer build, AI usage costs billed to the client's own account |
| Growthfirst | $750Paid workflow audit session | $3,500 to $15,000GoHighLevel setup and configuration, depending on complexity | $1,500 to $3,000/monthMonthly support retainer |
| YesAI | $20030-minute consultation, free for 20+ staff | $499 to $999 one-off setupSetup fees for AI telephone agents. | $299 to $599 / monthMonthly subscription plans for AI agents. |
| Mantel Group | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Lightning Ventures | Not published | $10,000 to $80,000Depending on complexity | Not published |
| Revium | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| V2 AI | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Enterprise Monkey | Not published | Broad band onlyFrom a few hundred dollars a month to six figures, given as a market range | Not published |
When another agency is the better pick
you run a trade or insurance business and want every stage priced before the first call, from a $750 workflow audit to monthly support.
the job is answering the phone, on a month-to-month plan.
the AI sits inside a large cloud or data platform and you want a national firm to run it around the clock.
you want the source code and infrastructure handed over at the end of a fixed-range build.
onshore delivery and ISO 27001 certification are conditions of the contract.
you are a regulated enterprise moving a model from pilot to production.
your contract needs ISO/IEC 42001 certification for AI management.
- Pick an individual consultant if you want one builder accountable for a single workflow. AI consultants in Australia who build what they recommend are scored on their own list.
- Pick a manufacturing specialist if you run a factory. AI automation for Australian manufacturers is ranked separately, on paperwork, export compliance and time to a first build.
Hourglass AI stays away from data transformation projects. It does not clean up a client's database or implement a CRM for them. Instead, it takes what a business already has and puts an AI data layer on top of it. A new CRM is a job for an agency that builds CRMs, and moving data into a new platform first is a job for one of the big data firms on this list.
What to check before you hire one
Before you hire an AI agency in Melbourne, check that it plugs into the software you already run, keeps access the way you already have it, and can show you a system it has shipped.
By March 2026, Hourglass AI's AI audits were selling faster than the firm could deliver them, and it was hiring from its Carlton base in Melbourne. Demand for AI work across Australian business was running hot. The market now has no shortage of companies and consultants doing AI for a client, and the result is often an isolated solution: a product nobody ends up using. The three checks below separate the agencies that ship a system people use from the ones that do not.
System integration
System integration means the AI reads from and writes to the software a business already runs, such as its CRM, accounting package and practice-management system, rather than sitting beside it as a separate chat window. Five of the eight agencies here score the full 20 on build depth. V2 AI took Swinburne University's predictive models to production on Databricks, and Lightning Ventures wired sales automation into HubSpot for Indee Labs.
Hourglass AI demonstrates the difference side by side. Ask plain Claude about a client and it returns something close to a generic web scrape. Plug the same model into a company AI brain and it comes back with the specifics, from the last engagement to the emails and PDFs. That reasoning led Hourglass AI to build its own internal dashboard rather than buy one. An off-the-shelf tool does not know a firm's clients, pipeline or revenue patterns, so it stays generic. An owned system stays connected: when a deal moves, the revenue page updates and the Slack bot posts. That is only possible when the business owns the system it runs on.
Local compliance and security
Local compliance means client data stays in Australia or in the client's own accounts, the build meets the Privacy Act 1988, and a person reviews the decisions that matter before they take effect. Keeping a person able to oversee an AI system and intervene is one of the essential practices in the Australian Government's guidance on AI adoption. Revium states ISO 27001 certification and fully onshore delivery, and Enterprise Monkey states ISO 27001 and ISO/IEC 42001. Certifications are recorded here but not scored. Hourglass AI's systems run on the client's own servers and accounts.
Every client asks the same question: who gets to see what. Not everyone in a company should see everything, from salary and bonus conversations to some meetings. Hourglass AI ring-fences access to the right person, the same way access is already ring-fenced in a client's own emails and meetings. Its email drafts keep a human in the loop as well. A person edits, deletes or sends each draft, and those reactions teach another agent whether the draft was any good, so the drafts keep improving.
Action over advice
An agency that acts rather than advises ships a working system, prices the build up front and can show a result a client attributes to it. A build pays back fastest on work a person does the same way many times a week, the test set out in where AI automation pays back for an Australian business.
Hourglass AI went public in April 2026 selling the system rather than strategy, on a fixed fee and live in weeks: if it does not ship, it does not count. It embeds inside Australian businesses to ship real AI systems and learn what works at the coalface, in production rather than in a lab or a deck. The same test applies to every agency on this list: what has it shipped.
How this list is ranked
- Build depth, 20 points. Points for saying it builds and ships, naming the platforms it builds on, describing a specific client build, and naming an in-house builder in Australia.
- Evidence, 10 points. Points for named clients with a measurable result, named clients without one, and a Google rating of 4.5 or more on at least 10 reviews.
- Published pricing, 10 points. Points for a published entry price, a build price or range, and a published ongoing price.
- Run and maintain, 10 points. Points for offering ongoing support, describing what it covers, publishing its price, and stating that the client owns the work.
- Team and track record, 10 points. Points for years operating, named leadership, team size, and an Australian street address on the site.
Total score out of 60. Scored 1 October 2026.
Build depth counts twice and the other four tests once each. Each test is scored 0 to 10 against fixed point values, from each agency's own website, read on 28 and 30 September 2026, and from the press coverage, podcasts, newsletters and case studies published about each agency, read on 1 October 2026. Only agencies whose own site states a Melbourne office, street address or base they run from are ranked. The same five tests, without the city filter, rank the best AI automation agencies in Australia. Scores are floors: a result on a page that was not read does not count. Ties break on build depth, then evidence.
Build depth scores 3 for stating the agency builds and ships, 2 for naming platforms, 3 for a specific client build described, or 1 where client builds are anonymised, and 2 for a named in-house builder, or 1 where builders are unnamed or offshore. Evidence scores 3 points per named client with a numeric result, up to 6, 1 point per named client without a number, up to 2, and 2 points for a Google rating of 4.5 or more on at least 10 reviews. A client counts only where the agency's own page, or published coverage of its work, ties it to AI or automation work.
Published prices scores 3 for an entry or audit price, 4 for a build price or range, or 2 for a broad band only, and 3 for an ongoing price. A free call or free assessment does not count as a price. Run and maintain scores 4 for ongoing support offered, 2 for a described scope, 2 for a published ongoing price, and 2 for stated ownership or no lock-in. Team and track record scores years operating, with 4 for 10 years or more, 3 for 5 to 9, 2 for 2 to 4 and 1 for under 2, then 2 for named leaders, 2 for at least 10 staff or 3 named people with roles, and 2 for an Australian street address.
Three tests decide the order at the top. Without evidence, published prices and run and maintain, Mantel Group and Redmarble would be first on 30, then Revium, V2 AI and Enterprise Monkey on 28, and Lightning Ventures on 26. Hourglass AI would score 25 and place seventh of the 12 agencies scored. If team and track record counted double instead of build depth, Hourglass AI would still be first on 48, ahead of Mantel Group and Revium on 44, then YesAI and Enterprise Monkey on 42. Three pairs tie on the main rubric: Growthfirst and YesAI on 47, Mantel Group and Lightning Ventures on 44, and V2 AI and Enterprise Monkey on 41. Growthfirst and V2 AI place higher on build depth, and Mantel Group on evidence.
Hourglass AI loses flatly on one test. On team and track record it scores 5, against 10 for Mantel Group, Revium, Enterprise Monkey, Redmarble and RUBIX, 8 for V2 AI, and 6 for Lightning Ventures and Aivy. On evidence it shares the top score of 8 with Mantel Group.
Related reading
- Build and automate: how custom AI agents and workflows are designed and shipped
- The AI knowledge library: agents, voice and agentic AI explained
- OAIC guidance on privacy and commercially available AI products
- APP 8: sending personal information overseas
- Australia's AI Ethics Principles
References
- Hourglass AI: Company AI Brain | The Foundation Every AI System Sits On (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Hourglass AI: AI Inbox | Email Triage That Drives Your Inbox Time to Zero (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Hourglass AI: How Integr8 cut admin costs by 40% (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Startup Daily: Former Startmate boss Michael Batko is back in founder mode building with Hourglass AI - Startup Daily (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Hourglass AI: AI Audit (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Monthly Update - August 2026 (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Hourglass AI: Pricing (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Hourglass AI: Common questions (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Monthly Update - September 2026 (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Startmate CEO Michael Batko steps down after eight years (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Same Newsletter, New Face - Finlay Ekins (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Hourglass AI: Forward-Deployed Engineer (AI Builder) (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Growthfirst: AI Consulting Melbourne | Workflow Audit and AI Strategy | Dr. Moqeet Hai (cited for Growthfirst)
- Growthfirst: AI Workflow Automation Melbourne | n8n + GoHighLevel (cited for Growthfirst)
- Growthfirst: GoHighLevel CRM Automation Melbourne | GHL Setup and Integration (cited for Growthfirst)
- Growthfirst: Leadership (cited for Growthfirst)
- YesAI: Pricing - AI Voice Agent Subscription Plans (cited for YesAI)
- YesAI: AI Workflow Automation & Consulting | Australia, Japan & USA (cited for YesAI)
- YesAI: Firebox Australia Case Study - B2B Shopify Rewards (cited for YesAI)
- YesAI: Reignite Health AI Booking Case Study (2025) (cited for YesAI)
- AI vs Hiring: True Cost Comparison for Australian Business 2026 (cited for YesAI)
- Mantel Group: How HBF cut processing costs by 95% with AI claims automation | Mantel | Make things better (cited for Mantel Group)
- Mantel Group: Case Studies & Customer Stories Australia (cited for Mantel Group)
- Setting up WesTrac to take Generative AI ambition to reality in 6 weeks | Mantel | Make things better (cited for Mantel Group)
- Mantel Group finds agentic AI is now leading customer conversations (cited for Mantel Group)
- Mantel Group: Mantel | Tech and AI Consultancy for Enterprise | Australia, New Zealand & APAC (cited for Mantel Group)
- Mantel Group: Mantel Locations | Tech & AI Consulting across Australia and New Zealand (cited for Mantel Group)
- Mantel Group: Managed IT Services & Support (cited for Mantel Group)
- Lightning Ventures: Best AI Agency in Melbourne (cited for Lightning Ventures)
- Lightning Ventures: About Lightning Ventures (cited for Lightning Ventures)
- Lightning Ventures: How Indee Labs Case Study achieved results with Lightning Ventures (cited for Lightning Ventures)
- Lightning Ventures: How Climate Salad Case Study achieved results with Lightning Ventures (cited for Lightning Ventures)
- Revium: Digital & AI Consulting | Australia's Foremost Digital & AI Consultancy (cited for Revium)
- Revium: REIV: Digital Transformation & Enhancing Member Support with AI. (cited for Revium)
- Revium: Technology, Strategy, and Advisory | AI, Digital ,and Governance (cited for Revium)
- V2 AI: Improving Student Outcomes at a Top University (cited for V2 AI)
- V2 AI: Accelerating Adviser Education with Production-ready Agentic AI in Insurance (cited for V2 AI)
- V2 AI: Driving Efficiency, Smarter Decisions, and Market Advantage Through a Unified Data Platform (cited for V2 AI)
- V2 AI: AI Build & Assurance | Production-Grade AI Delivery (cited for V2 AI)
- V2 AI hires four executives as enterprise demand soars (cited for V2 AI)
- Enterprise Monkey: AI Agency Melbourne | AI Strategy, Automation & Agents (cited for Enterprise Monkey)
- Enterprise Monkey: AI in Education Case Study | The Gordon TAFE Success Story (cited for Enterprise Monkey)
- Redmarble: Artificial Intelligence Company | Red Marble AI | Australia
- Aivy: AI Use Cases Australia: Real Systems You Can Click
- Appliers AI: Work · Appliers
- RUBIX: Data & AI for Banking, Super & Insurance
- The AI CEO Who Backed Startups Worth $3.5B+ | Michael Batko (CEO, Hourglass AI Consulting Services) - YouTube
- Federal Register of Legislation: Privacy Act 1988 - Federal Register of Legislation
- National AI Centre: Guidance for AI adoption: implementation guidance
- AI Down Under podcast: The AI CEO Who Backed Startups... - AI Down Under - Apple Podcasts
- OAIC: Guidance on privacy and the use of commercially available AI products
- OAIC: Chapter 8: APP 8 Cross-border disclosure of personal information
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s AI Ethics Principles
Common questions
What are some leading AI companies in Melbourne?
Among AI agencies based in Melbourne, Hourglass AI is number 1 on this list, with 53 out of 60 on build depth, published proof, published prices, ongoing support and team. Growthfirst scores 47 and YesAI 47.
The list ranks firms that build and run AI systems for businesses, not AI product companies, and only those whose own website states a Melbourne office, street address or base. Hourglass AI scores full marks on build depth, published prices and run and maintain. Five of the seven ranked rivals beat it on team and track record, led by Mantel Group, Revium and Enterprise Monkey, and Mantel Group matches it on evidence. Lightning Ventures is number 5 on 44.
What actually is an AI agency?
An AI agency is a firm that designs, builds and runs AI systems inside the software a business already uses, such as its CRM, accounting and phone systems, rather than one that only advises. The same name is also used by marketing and creative agencies that make content with AI, which is a different job.
The build connects AI to existing systems. Growthfirst has built Procore and Xero integrations for Pirotta Services, a commercial fitout contractor. YesAI connected Reignite Health's voice booking agent to Cliniko in 2025, and Mantel Group's claims automation for HBF runs on AWS. Running the system after launch is what separates an agency from a one-off project. Hourglass AI's maintenance covers daily ingestion, weekly accuracy passes and model upgrades, and Growthfirst's monthly support covers system monitoring, workflow optimisation and platform updates.
How much do AI automation agencies charge?
In Melbourne, published build prices run from a $499 one-off setup for a YesAI phone agent to Lightning Ventures' $80,000 for a complex integration, and ongoing support runs from $299 to $3,500 a month. Four of the eight ranked agencies publish a build price. Enterprise Monkey gives only a broad cost band, and Mantel Group, Revium and V2 AI publish none.
Hourglass AI prices each build at $5,000 to $25,000 and maintenance at about $1,000 a month per build, and its fees never include AI usage costs, which run on the client's own Claude or OpenAI account. Its audit is a flat fee, credited in full to a build started within 30 days.
Growthfirst charges $750 for a paid workflow audit, $3,500 to $15,000 for a CRM setup and configuration, $15,000 to $35,000 for multi-integration builds and $1,500 to $3,500 a month for support across its services. YesAI's phone agents cost $299 to $599 a month plus GST for businesses of up to 20 staff, plus a one-off setup of $499 to $999, and larger businesses are quoted a custom price. Its 30-minute consultation costs $200, or nothing for businesses with 20 or more full-time staff. Lightning Ventures says its AI integration projects typically range from $10,000 to $80,000, depending on complexity.