Guides

Guides for software teams adopting AI.

Plain answers to the questions founders and engineering leads ask us most: what to build, who to hire, what it costs and how to get found.

20 minutes. Walk away with your first quick win.

Start with the question you have.

7 min read

How to get your SaaS recommended by ChatGPT and other AI search tools

AI search tools pick sources they can reach, read and trust. This guide covers what the vendors say, what you can control, and how to check your progress.

7 min read

How to add AI to existing SaaS without a rebuild

You can ship a useful AI feature on the stack you already run. This guide walks through choosing the feature, building it, testing it and measuring whether customers use it.

6 min read

Should you hire an AI consultant vs hire an AI engineer

A consultant helps you decide what to build. An engineer builds it. This guide shows which one a software company needs first, and how to get both without wasting a quarter.

7 min read

AI strategy for SaaS companies and how to build a 6 to 12 month roadmap

A good AI strategy is a short, ranked list of work with owners and metrics. This guide shows how to build one for the next 6 to 12 months.

7 min read

The cost to add AI features to SaaS, broken down

AI features cost more than the model bill. This guide splits the total into 4 parts, gives typical market ranges, and works through a hypothetical example.

6 min read

Fractional CTO vs full-time CTO and when to switch

A fractional CTO gives you senior technical leadership for a few hours a week. A full-time CTO gives you all of their time. Here is how cost and scope compare, and how to tell when it is time to switch.

6 min read

Chief AI officer vs CTO and what each role owns

The chief technology officer owns how your product is built. A chief AI officer owns where AI fits. Here is how the two roles split, where they overlap, and why small teams rarely need both full time.

7 min read

Claude Code vs Cursor for teams and how to choose

A fair comparison for engineering leads at software companies of 5 to 500 people. Both tools are good. They start from different places.

7 min read

Fractional CTO vs agency and how to pick the right one for your startup

A fractional CTO owns your technical decisions. A development agency builds what you ask for. Here is how to tell which one you need, and how to use both.

6 min read

Fractional CTO vs AI consultant and which one your software company needs

A fractional CTO owns all of your technology. An AI consultant helps with AI. Here is how to tell which gap you have, and when one person can fill both.

5 min read

An AI adoption maturity model in 5 stages

Most companies are further along on AI in engineering than anywhere else. This model shows the five stages from scattered personal use to shared, measured infrastructure, and how to move up one stage at a time.

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