How much does a marketing automation agency cost in India?

The cost of a marketing automation agency in India is really four separate costs: the ad spend you pay Meta or Google, the agency's management fee, the software that runs your CRM, calling and WhatsApp, and a one-time onboarding cost, with GST on top of most of them. Agencies bundle these differently, which is why quotes are so hard to compare. The way to get a clear answer is to ask for each part separately.

This guide breaks down each cost, explains what drives it up or down, lists the questions to ask before you sign, and uses our own published prices as a concrete reference point. We do not quote other agencies' rates, because they vary widely and we cannot verify them.

The four parts of the cost

1. Ad spend

This is the money that goes to Meta (Facebook and Instagram) or Google to show your ads. It is usually the largest number, and it is not the agency's fee, even if the agency manages the payments.

Two things to check:

Whose account is it? Ideally the ad account, pixel and page are in your business's name, with the agency given access. If the agency owns the account, you can lose your data and history when you leave.
Who pays the platform? Some agencies ask you to pay Meta or Google directly on your own card. Others collect the ad budget from you and pay it themselves. Both work, but the second should come with the platform's own invoices so you can see exactly what was spent.

Taxes on ad spend depend on how the platform bills you, so ask your accountant how GST applies to your account.

2. Agency management fee

This is what you pay the agency's people to plan campaigns, make creatives, write copy, set up landing pages, manage the CRM and report results. Common structures are:

Fixed monthly retainer for an agreed scope of work.
Percentage of ad spend, which rises as your budget grows.
Hybrid: a base retainer plus a percentage above a certain spend.
Performance-linked fees tied to leads or meetings, usually with a minimum.

What drives the management fee:

Number of platforms (Meta only, or Meta plus Google plus portals).
Number of campaigns, projects or locations.
How many creatives and videos are needed each month.
Whether landing pages or a website are included.
How much reporting and how many review calls you want.

3. Software

Marketing automation needs software: a CRM to hold the leads, something to call or message them, and automation to send follow-ups. Agencies handle this in one of three ways:

They use your own tools, and you pay for them separately.
They include software in their retainer, which is convenient but hides the cost.
They resell a platform and charge you a monthly software fee alongside their management fee.

The third is common and perfectly fine, as long as you know what the platform is, what it costs on its own and whether you can keep it if you change agency.

Software cost usually depends on the number of team seats, the number of calling minutes, and which modules you need, such as AI calling, WhatsApp AI replies or follow-up sequences.

4. Onboarding

There is usually a one-time cost to connect lead sources, build pipelines, write calling scripts and WhatsApp templates, and train your team. Ask whether it is a fixed amount and exactly what it covers.

Usage costs people forget

Beyond the four main parts, a few costs grow with usage:

WhatsApp messages. Meta charges per message for business-initiated WhatsApp messages sent through the API. Check whether your provider adds a markup on top of Meta's rate. Our straight answer on WhatsApp markup explains how this works.
Calling minutes. AI or cloud calling is usually priced per minute, with a bundle included and top-ups above it.
Extra seats. Adding sales people to the CRM often costs extra per seat.
GST. Most quotes in India are given before GST. Confirm whether the number you are comparing is inclusive or exclusive.

Branofy's real prices as a reference

To make this concrete, here is what we charge for the software side. All prices are in rupees per month and exclude GST. The full breakdown is on our pricing page.

Bundles

Bundle	Monthly price (excl. GST)
Solo	₹3,999
Growth	₹8,999
Convert (most popular)	₹14,999
Scale	₹18,499

Individual modules

Module	What it does	Monthly price (excl. GST)
Platform (AI CRM)	Lead capture from ads, portals, forms and Sheets, pipelines, scoring, WhatsApp team inbox, broadcasts	Starter ₹1,999 (5 seats), Pro ₹3,499 (10 seats)
Pre-Sale Agent	AI calling of every new lead within 10 seconds, qualification, meeting booking	From ₹4,000 (1,000 min) or ₹9,000 (3,000 min)
Inbox Agent	AI replies on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and website chat	From ₹3,000 or ₹6,000
Follow-up Automation	WhatsApp and email nurture sequences, inactivity alerts	₹1,500 or ₹3,500 (included free with the Inbox Agent)

Other charges

One-time onboarding: ₹5,000 + GST.
Extra team seat: ₹299 per month.
Calling top-ups: ₹4 per minute on Starter, ₹3 per minute on Pro.
WhatsApp messages: billed by Meta directly at Meta's rate, with 0% markup from us. For reference, Meta's India marketing message rate is ₹0.8631 per message before GST, effective 1 January 2026.
Billing periods: monthly, quarterly, half-yearly (10% off) or yearly (20% off), with no lock-in.

A worked example

Say a real estate broker in Pune chooses the Convert bundle on yearly billing and sends 2,000 WhatsApp marketing messages a month:

Convert bundle: ₹14,999 less 20% = ₹11,999.20 per month.
WhatsApp messages: 2,000 × ₹0.8631 = ₹1,726.20 per month, paid to Meta.
One-time onboarding: ₹5,000 in the first month.
GST added on top of each.

Ad spend and any agency management fee would be separate. If you also want us to run your campaigns, landing pages or SEO, our growth marketing service is quoted based on scope.

What makes automation cheaper or more expensive

Your total cost moves mostly with:

Lead volume. More leads mean more calling minutes and more WhatsApp messages.
Team size. Each sales person who needs CRM access is a seat.
Channels. Calling, WhatsApp AI and email sequences are separate modules. Start with the one that fixes your biggest leak.
Billing period. Longer billing periods usually cost less per month.
Custom work. Bespoke integrations, custom dashboards and heavy creative production raise agency fees.

The cheapest option is not always the best value. A setup that calls every lead within seconds and books more site visits can cost more per month and still lower your cost per meeting or sale.

Questions to ask any agency before you sign

What is the ad spend, the management fee, the software fee and the onboarding cost, each listed separately?
Are all prices inclusive or exclusive of GST?
Whose name are the ad account, pixel, CRM and WhatsApp number in?
Which software platform will you use, and what does it cost if I buy it directly?
Do you add a markup on WhatsApp messages or calling minutes?
Is there a lock-in period or a notice period?
What exactly is included each month: number of creatives, campaigns, landing pages and reports?
Which metric will you report: cost per lead, cost per qualified lead or cost per meeting?
How quickly will new leads be contacted, and who does it?
What happens to my data if I leave?

An agency that answers these clearly is usually easier to work with than one with the lowest headline price.

A note on agencies that resell platforms

Some agencies resell Branofy through our partner program. In that case the agency owns the relationship with you and may charge its own service or campaign fees on top of the platform price, while we run the platform and the technical setup. Ask the agency to show both parts separately.

Frequently asked questions

Is ad spend included in an agency's fee?

Usually not. Ad spend is paid to Meta or Google and is separate from the agency's management fee, even when the agency handles the payments. Always ask for the two numbers separately so you can see what the agency itself charges.

What does Branofy cost per month?

Bundles start at ₹3,999 per month for Solo and go up to ₹18,499 for Scale, excluding GST, with the Convert bundle at ₹14,999 the most popular. There is a one-time onboarding fee of ₹5,000 plus GST, and half-yearly or yearly billing gives 10% or 20% off.

Are WhatsApp message charges extra?

Yes. Meta charges per message for business-initiated WhatsApp messages. We pass these through at Meta's own rate with no markup, and Meta bills you directly. Other providers may add a margin, so it is worth asking.

Is there a minimum contract or lock-in?

We have no lock-in. You can choose monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly billing. Other agencies set their own terms, so check the notice period and what happens to your data and accounts if you leave.

How long does it take to go live?

With us, you go live within 48 hours of receiving all your details, such as lead source access, team members, qualifying questions and WhatsApp templates. Agency campaign work can take longer if creatives or landing pages need to be produced.