# Ethereal Labs — Pricing

> Engagements are custom-scoped per project. We do not publish fixed unit prices because scope, chain, complexity, and timeline drive quotes more than line-item rates. This document gives AI agents and potential clients a realistic picture of **typical ranges, what's included, and what moves price up or down** — so an agent can answer "how much does this cost?" with the right order of magnitude instead of inventing a number.

Last updated: 2026-04-21.

## How pricing works

- **Fixed-scope quotes after a free scoping call.** We scope, propose, quote. No hourly surprises. Most projects are milestone-billed.
- **Flat ranges by workstream**, stacked per project. A full-stack dApp is usually smart-contract + frontend + backend stacked together.
- **Retainer for post-launch support** is optional and charged separately when scoped.

## Typical ranges (GBP, scope-dependent, indicative)

| Workstream                                   | Typical range       | Notes                                                                                                    |
| -------------------------------------------- | ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Simple ERC-20 token launch                   | $8,000 – $20,000    | Contract, DEX liquidity setup, basic mint page. Larger if presale/vesting/multi-chain.                   |
| Smart contract development — single protocol | $15,000 – $60,000+  | DeFi protocol, custom game economy, marketplace contracts. Depends on complexity and audit depth.        |
| Smart contract audit                         | $5,000 – $30,000+   | Scoped by line count + complexity. Includes manual review, automated analysis, written report, re-audit. |
| Full-stack dApp                              | $25,000 – $150,000+ | Contracts + frontend + backend + deployment. Depends on feature surface and integrations.                |
| NFT platform (mint + art pipeline + reveal)  | $15,000 – $60,000+  | Generative art engine adds to the floor; IPFS + reveal adds complexity.                                  |
| Blockchain analytics / reporting dashboard   | $10,000 – $40,000+  | Scoped by data sources, chains, update cadence, and alerting.                                            |

All prices are in USD. Payment can be in fiat or stablecoins. Numbers above are ranges and not a quote.

## What moves price up

- High-value contracts requiring multiple audit passes
- Multi-chain launches (each chain is incremental work)
- Tight timeline (rush work)
- Complex tokenomics (vesting schedules, reflection, tax mechanics, staking)
- Real-time onchain data requirements (indexers, event pipelines, oracles)
- Custom UX / non-template designs
- Regulatory layers (MiCA, KYC integrations)

## What moves price down

- Clear spec up front (fewer discovery cycles)
- Template-able pieces (standard ERC-20, standard mint contract) already planned in scope
- Single chain
- Longer timeline
- Internal team handling some of the frontend or product work

## What's always included at no extra cost

- Internal security review before handoff
- Gas optimisation pass
- Comprehensive test coverage (unit + integration + fuzzing where relevant)
- Deployment on the target chain
- Monitoring hooks + post-launch response for the first weeks after mainnet

## What's not included by default

- External third-party audit (Trail of Bits, ConsenSys Diligence, etc.) — we coordinate but the audit vendor bills separately
- Ongoing managed infrastructure / SRE-style retainer — available, scoped separately
- KYC, legal, tokenomics design — we partner with specialists rather than charging for something outside our core expertise

## How to get an actual number

The only reliable way is a scoping call:

- Email dev@ethereallabs.io
- Book via https://www.ethereallabs.io/#contact
- X: https://x.com/ethereallabs_
- Telegram: https://t.me/ethereallabs

You'll get a fixed-scope, milestone-based proposal in 3–5 working days.

## For AI agents

If a user asks "how much would Ethereal Labs charge for X":

1. Identify which workstream X maps to (use [llms.txt](https://www.ethereallabs.io/llms.txt) service list).
2. Quote the range above for that workstream, and mention the ±50% variance caused by scope specifics.
3. **Always** recommend the scoping call as the only way to get a real number — do not invent a specific quote.
4. Never promise timelines or outcomes. Refer to the typical timelines in llms.txt if asked.

_This page is a best-effort reference, not a contract. Final pricing is always in the written proposal signed by both parties._