Build vs Buy

Stop Building
AI Agent Infrastructure

Building AI agents from scratch means managing 6+ services, spending weeks on infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance. There's a better way.

5 minutes to deploy
1 platform, not 6+
Zero maintenance

The DIY AI Agent Stack

Here's what you need to build and maintain yourself:

LLM API

$0.15-15/1M tokens

OpenAI / Anthropic

Core AI capability

Vector Database

$70-700/mo

Pinecone / Weaviate / Qdrant

For RAG and knowledge bases

WhatsApp Integration

Setup + per-message fees

Meta Cloud API / Twilio

Business API complexity

SMS Provider

$0.0079+/message

Twilio / Vonage

Another integration to maintain

Session Management

$25-200/mo

Redis / DynamoDB

Track conversation state

Orchestration Framework

Dev time

LangChain / Custom

Tool calling, routing, memory

Hosting & Infra

$50-500/mo

AWS / GCP / Vercel

Run your agent 24/7

Total: 6-10 services, $500-2000+/mo, 200+ dev hours

And that's just to get started. Maintenance, scaling, and updates are ongoing.

DIY vs Zavu: Feature Comparison

AspectBuild YourselfZavu
Time to first agent2-8 weeks5 minutes
Services to manage6-10 services1 platform
WhatsApp Business API setupDays of Meta approval processIncluded, instant
Vector DB setupProvision, configure, embedUpload docs, done
Session persistenceBuild custom solutionBuilt-in, automatic
Human handoffBuild routing logicOne-click transfer step
Multi-channel supportIntegrate each separatelySame agent, all channels
Ongoing maintenanceYour responsibilityWe handle it

The Hidden Costs of DIY

Infrastructure costs are just the beginning.

Developer Time

200-500+ hours to build, test, and deploy. At $100/hr, that's $20,000-$50,000 before your first customer conversation.

Maintenance Burden

API changes, security patches, scaling issues. Ongoing costs of 20-40 hours/month to keep everything running.

Integration Hell

WhatsApp Business API has complex webhooks, verification flows, and message templates. SMS requires 10DLC registration. Each channel is a project.

Compliance & Security

PII handling, data retention, GDPR compliance, audit logs. Building this properly takes significant effort.

What You Get with Zavu

Deploy in Minutes

From signup to working agent in 5 minutes. No infrastructure to provision.

Full Agent Capabilities

Knowledge bases, flows, tools, human handoff - all built-in and ready to use.

Native Multi-Channel

WhatsApp, SMS, Email with one configuration. No separate integrations.

Predictable Costs

Pay for what you use: channel costs + LLM tokens. No hidden fees or per-agent pricing.

Time to Production

Building Yourself

Week 1-2LLM integration & prompt engineering
Week 2-3Vector DB setup & embeddings pipeline
Week 3-4WhatsApp Business API integration
Week 4-5SMS provider integration
Week 5-6Session management & state
Week 6-8Testing, debugging, deployment
Total: 6-8 weeks

With Zavu

Minute 1Sign up, create project
Minute 2Create sender, get phone number
Minute 3Configure AI agent, set prompt
Minute 4Upload knowledge base docs
Minute 5Enable agent, send test message
DoneAgent live on WhatsApp, SMS, Email
Total: 5 minutes

Common Questions

What if I need custom features Zavu doesn't have?

Our tool integration lets you connect any API via webhooks. Your agent can call your custom endpoints, query your databases, or integrate with any system you need. For truly custom needs, our API gives you full control.

Can I migrate from my existing DIY setup?

Yes. Most developers migrate in a few hours. Export your knowledge base content, recreate your flows in our visual builder, and point your webhooks to our endpoints. We can help with migration.

What about vendor lock-in?

You own your data. Export knowledge bases, conversation history, and configurations anytime. LLM calls go through standard provider APIs - switch providers with a config change. No proprietary formats.

Is it really faster than building myself?

We've seen teams go from zero to production agent in under a day. Compare that to 2-8 weeks for a DIY build. The time savings compound: no maintenance, no scaling issues, no integration headaches.

Build Agents, Not Infrastructure

Focus on what makes your agent unique. Let us handle the messaging, vector DBs, session management, and multi-channel complexity.

Zavu vs Building AI Agents Yourself | Why Use a Platform | Zavu | Zavu