Strategy Session
$150
- You get:
- 60-minute focused call on one problem, plus a written summary of recommendations within 2 business days
◇Consulting
Straight answers from the person who actually builds it.
Consulting with RB Digital is billed at $125/hr, or as a fixed-price package when the scope is clear. You work directly with me, a full-stack engineer and solutions architect who owns the whole pipeline, from first question to final recommendation. No account managers, no handoffs.
Consulting means advice, planning and review: helping you decide what to build, which tools to use, and whether what you have is working. Building the thing itself is quoted separately as a project or at the development rate.
Typical consulting work
- Technology and vendor decisions (platforms, CMS, hosting, payment tools, software purchases)
- Website and app audits for security, speed, accessibility and SEO
- Project scoping, roadmaps and budget estimates before you commit to a build
- AI and automation opportunities for your business
- Reviewing quotes, contracts or work from other developers and agencies
- Ongoing technical guidance for founders and small teams without an in-house tech lead
Rate card
All hourly work has a 1-hour minimum per engagement, then bills in 15-minute increments.
Standard consulting
Advice, planning, reviews, calls, written recommendations
$125/hr
Specialized consulting
Software architecture, AI/LLM systems, HIPAA-aware and security work, 3D/interactive
$150/hr
Prepaid block, 5 hours
Use within 6 months on any consulting work
$575 ($115/hr)
Prepaid block, 10 hours
Use within 6 months on any consulting work
$1,100 ($110/hr)
Development and implementation
Hands-on building after a plan is agreed; larger builds quoted as fixed projects
$100/hr
Rush or after-hours
Work requested to start within 24 hours, or evenings and weekends by request
1.5× the applicable rate
Mission Partner rate: Registered nonprofits, churches and ministries, and fair-chance employers receive 20% off any consulting rate or package. Ask about it when you book.
Packaged engagements
Fixed prices for the most common requests, so you know the cost before we start. Each package ends with something you keep: a written report, a plan or a recorded walkthrough.
Website Health Audit
$750
- You get:
- Review of security, speed, accessibility, SEO and hosting setup; prioritized fix list; 45-minute walkthrough call
App or Platform Audit
from $1,500
- You get:
- Code, architecture, security and infrastructure review of a custom web or mobile app; written report with risks and costs to fix
AI & Automation Assessment
$950
- You get:
- Map of your current workflows, 3–5 ranked opportunities for AI or automation with rough cost and time savings, tool recommendations
Project Discovery & Roadmap
$1,500–$3,000
- You get:
- Requirements, user stories, recommended tech stack, phased roadmap and a fixed build quote
Vendor or Quote Review
$250
- You get:
- Independent review of a proposal, contract or quote from another developer or agency, with plain-language findings
Credit toward your build: If you hire RB Digital for the project within 30 days, the full Strategy Session fee and 50% of any audit or discovery fee is credited to the build.
◇Advisory retainers
Monthly · 3-month start
For businesses that want a tech partner on call without hiring one. Retainers are separate from website care plans, which cover hosting and maintenance.
Advisor
$450/mo
- 4 hours of consulting, email and message support
- Response time: 2 business days
Partner
$1,050/mo
- 10 hours, one monthly planning call, priority scheduling
- Response time: 1 business day
Fractional Tech Lead
$2,200/mo
- 20 hours, weekly check-in, vendor and team oversight, roadmap ownership
- Response time: Same business day
Hours beyond the plan bill at $110/hr. Unused hours roll over one month, then expire. Retainers are month to month after a 3-month start, with 30 days' notice to cancel or change plans.
What's free and what's billable
The first conversation is always free; solving the problem is paid work.
Always free
- A 20-minute intro call to see if we're a fit and point you toward the right service
- Proposals and quotes for projects
- Quick questions about an active project or care plan, answered in under 10 minutes
Billable
- Calls or meetings beyond the intro call, including follow-up "quick calls"
- Research, comparing tools or vendors, and reviewing documents or code
- Written recommendations, plans, diagrams and reports
- Troubleshooting or technical help outside an active project or care plan
- Time spent preparing for and following up on meetings
Payment terms and policies
- Strategy Sessions and Vendor Reviews
- Paid in full when booked
- Audits, assessments and discovery
- 50% to start, 50% on delivery of the report
- Hourly consulting
- Invoiced every two weeks, due within 15 days
- Prepaid blocks and retainers
- Paid in advance; retainers bill on the 1st of each month
- Late payments
- 1.5% per month on balances more than 15 days past due; work pauses at 30 days
- Rescheduling
- Free with 24 hours' notice; later cancellations or no-shows are billed at the session rate
- Payment methods
- Card or bank transfer through Stripe invoice; Zelle and PayPal Business also accepted
All recommendations, reports and plans you pay for are yours to keep and share. Prices are effective October 2026 and may be reviewed once a year; active retainers get 60 days' notice of any change.
Book a free 20-minute intro call and we'll pick the right service together.