01
Commercial models
The pricing model should match the uncertainty you are asking the provider to own.
There is no responsible universal CRO price. The same provider may quote a bounded diagnostic, a production sprint, or an ongoing program very differently.
| Model | Useful when | Ask before comparing |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed diagnostic or audit | You need a bounded diagnosis, evidence review, or roadmap before ongoing delivery. | Exact inputs, deliverables, revision cycle, review meeting, and the boundary between diagnosis and implementation. |
| Defined project or sprint | The target journey and output are known, such as research, a landing-page program, or experiment setup. | Number of concepts, pages, experiments, implementation rounds, and what happens when scope changes. |
| Monthly program | You need recurring research, prioritization, design, development, QA, analysis, and reporting. | Named team, senior involvement, expected throughput, client dependencies, pause terms, and knowledge handoff. |
| Performance-linked fee | Both sides can agree on attribution, baseline, risk, measurement window, and the value of the outcome. | Metric definition, incrementality method, seasonality, downside handling, data access, fee cap, and dispute process. |
02
Quote drivers
Six variables explain more than the agency logo.
Write these assumptions into every proposal comparison. Otherwise, two prices that look similar may buy materially different work.
- Business model and funnel
- A lead-generation journey, ecommerce checkout, and product-led activation require different research, metrics, and implementation.
- Traffic and conversion volume
- Feasible test cadence depends on the baseline rate, detectable effect, allocation, and runtime—not traffic alone.
- Research depth
- Interviews, usability work, analytics QA, session analysis, and customer-language research add different effort and lead time.
- Execution ownership
- Quotes change substantially when the provider supplies design, copy, development, QA, and platform operations.
- Program complexity
- Multiple brands, markets, products, platforms, and approval layers increase coordination and governance work.
- Proof and reporting standard
- Source-linked evidence, statistical review, stakeholder reporting, and data handoff require explicit time and ownership.
03
All-in cost
Ask who pays for the work around the experiment.
A retainer can look complete while still depending on internal specialists, vendor tools, and stakeholder time that never appear on the invoice.
Data and instrumentation
Analytics access, event repair, data engineering, consent constraints, and dashboard ownership.
Research operations
Recruiting, participant incentives, interview moderation, transcription, and evidence synthesis.
Creative production
Copy, design systems, page variants, localization, and stakeholder review rounds.
Development and QA
Implementation, experiment setup, device/browser QA, release support, and rollback ownership.
Testing platforms
Licenses, traffic limits, implementation services, and renewal timing.
Program management
Prioritization, meetings, approvals, reporting, documentation, and handoff.
04
Pricing evidence
Treat every public price as a dated signal, not a permanent rate card.
GrowthLayer directory profiles distinguish a provider’s own published price, a third-party report, and an undisclosed quote. Confirm current scope and price directly before making a purchasing decision.
A provider can request a factual correction without paying. Sponsorship, if introduced, will be labeled separately and will not change editorial fit or scored-attribute coverage.
Current published references · not a market average
Speero publishes a starting price of USD 10,000 per month on a 12-month full-service experimentation program and a 100,000 monthly unique-visitor threshold. Verified July 21, 2026 on the provider's program page. This describes one published offer, not what every agency costs.
Invesp publishes a flat-fee Growth program starting at USD 9,000 per month for brands doing USD 6 million or more, with month-to-month or longer terms. Its Foundation program for brands doing USD 1–6 million is priced by application. Verified July 21, 2026 on the provider's pricing page. Confirm current eligibility, scope, and price directly.
05
Continue the decision