Today Madder costs nothing: it is in early access and free during early access. It will be paid later. The price is not set yet, so there is no number on this page, and we will not put one here until it is decided. What you spend on ads is a separate bill, paid by you to Meta.
What do you pay today?#
| What | Who you pay | How much |
|---|---|---|
| Madder | Nobody, during early access | Free during early access |
| Madder, later | Madder | It will be paid. The price is not set yet |
| Your ad budget | Meta, from your own ad account | The daily budget you approved |
That is the whole price list. There is no setup fee to describe and no plan table, because there are no plans yet.
Where does the ad money go?#
To Meta, directly, from your own Meta ad account. Madder never receives it and never passes it on. Meta charges the payment method on your ad account and issues its own invoices; Madder does not add anything to that bill.
A daily budget in Madder is the budget Meta is allowed to spend on that campaign. You approve it before the campaign is created, and a raise above Madder's limit for one change or one day is refused before anything is sent to Meta. The help guide Billing explains the two bills and where each invoice lives, and Budgets and the most you pay explains the daily budget.
What will Madder cost after early access?#
We do not know yet, and we would rather say so than guess. Three things are true today:
- Madder is free during early access.
- It will be paid later.
- The price is not set yet.
When a price is set, this page will change and its date at the top will change with it.
What does an agency or a freelancer cost, for comparison?#
These are published figures from 2026, not our estimates. They are fees for the person or the agency only. The ad budget is on top in every case.
| Who | Typical monthly fee | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer, UK | £300–£800 a month for accounts spending under £3,000 a month, or £35–£75 an hour | Lilach Bullock, 2026 |
| Small agency, UK | £750–£2,500 a month as a flat fee, or a percentage of what you spend on ads | Lilach Bullock, 2026 |
| Agency, UK | £300–£1,500 a month, or 10–20% of what you spend on ads | Whito, updated September 2026 |
| Agency, UK | Most charge about £1,000 a month as a retainer; prices run up to £10,000 a month | The Social Shepherd, updated March 2026 |
| Agency, US, lowest tier | $500–$1,500 a month for basic setup and monitoring with your own photos and videos | Clicks Geek, April 2026 |
| Agency, US, middle tier | $1,500–$4,000 a month | Clicks Geek, April 2026 |
| One large US agency's own entry plan | $975 a month or 15% of ad spend, whichever is greater, with $1,975 for the first month and a required ad spend of $1,000–$30,000 a month | WebFX, 2026 |
We did not find a sourced figure for US freelancers that we were willing to repeat, so there is none in the table.
Two points from the same sources are worth knowing before you compare:
- Small budgets and agency fees do not fit well. Whito puts it plainly for the UK in 2026: if you spend less than £500 a month on ads, an agency fee of £500 means you pay more for management than for the ads.
- Agencies say so themselves. The Social Shepherd, a UK agency, suggests that new businesses and startups consider an agency partnership if they plan to spend at least £3,000 a month on ads (2026).
A person also does things Madder does not: an agency or a freelancer can talk through your offer, shoot or edit photos and video, and take responsibility for a plan. The side-by-side view is in Agency, DIY or an AI agent.
What you get while it is free#
The same product described in How Madder works: the agents read your page, draft a campaign, build ads from your own photos, and create everything paused in your own Meta ad account after one approval. Meta is the only live platform. Google Ads and TikTok are being rolled out and are not available yet.
Early access also means the product is still being built. Some things are not there yet, such as targeting a city or an interest, and we say which on the How it works page.
Questions people ask#
How much does Madder cost?
Nothing during early access. It will be paid later, and the price is not set yet.
Is the ad spend included?
No. Your ad budget is paid by you to Meta from your own ad account. It does not go through Madder.
How much does a Facebook ads agency cost a month?
Published 2026 figures for the UK range from £300–£1,500 a month (Whito) and £750–£2,500 a month for small agencies (Lilach Bullock) to about £1,000 a month as the most common retainer, with prices up to £10,000 (The Social Shepherd). A US agency guide from April 2026 puts its lowest tier at $500–$1,500 a month. The ad budget is extra.
Will I be charged without warning when early access ends?
The price is not set yet, so there is nothing to charge today. See Billing.
Is Madder cheaper than an agency?
Today it is free, and an agency is not, but that is early access and not a lasting comparison. Once Madder has a price, the honest answer will depend on that price and on what you need a person for.