Comparison
burn-r8 vs a Google Ads agency
Agencies manage Google Ads for you. burn-r8 gives your AI assistant 65 tools to do the same thing, instantly, for a fraction of the cost. Here is what you are actually paying for.
Choose burn-r8 if:
- You want instant changes, not a 2-week turnaround
- You already use AI tools (Claude Code, Cursor)
- You want full control over your ad account
- You want to pay $20/mo, not $5K/mo
Choose an agency if:
- You need full-service creative (ad copy, landing pages, video)
- You want a human strategist for high-spend accounts
- You need someone to own the entire funnel, not just Google Ads
Cost comparison
What you pay per month. What you get in return.
| Option | Cost | Reporting | Turnaround | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small agency | $1,500-3K/mo | Monthly reports | 1-2 weeks | Low |
| Mid-market agency | $5-10K/mo | Weekly reporting | 3-5 days | Medium |
| Enterprise agency | $15K+/mo | Custom dashboards | 1-3 days | Medium |
| burn-r8 Pro | $20/mo | Real-time via MCP | Seconds | Full |
What you gain, what you give up
Speed
Agency turnaround is measured in days. Even fast agencies take 24-48 hours for campaign changes. With burn-r8, you describe what you want in natural language and changes happen in seconds. Pause a campaign, add negative keywords, adjust bids. Done.
Control
Agencies own the execution. You review reports, give feedback, and wait. With burn-r8, you see exactly what is happening in your account and make changes yourself. Open source means you can inspect every tool call.
Strategy
This is where agencies still win. A good agency brings media buying expertise, creative strategy, and cross-channel coordination. burn-r8 gives you tools, not strategy. If you are spending $50K+/mo on ads and need a strategist, an agency might be worth it. If you are spending $1-10K/mo and know what you want, burn-r8 gets it done faster and cheaper.
Cost
A mid-market agency costs $5-10K/mo. That is $60-120K/year for someone to manage your Google Ads. burn-r8 Pro is $20/mo. That is $240/year for 1,000 tool calls, 3 Google Ads accounts, and full control. The math is straightforward.
Try burn-r8 free
50 free tool calls/mo. Open source. No credit card.