Two honest paths to automating your busywork
Done-for-you vs DIY automation
Every automation decision comes down to one fork: build it yourself on a DIY platform, or have it built and maintained for you. Both are valid. The right answer depends on your team, your tolerance for upkeep, and how much judgement the work involves.
Scribe.sg
Done-for-you (Scribe.sg): you describe the work, we build the AI workflow on your data, run it, watch it, and keep it working. You approve outputs and get the time back. The build and the maintenance are ours.
DIY platforms
DIY platforms (Zapier, Make, n8n, and others): you get a builder and connectors and assemble the workflow yourself. Powerful and direct, with the design, testing, debugging, and ongoing maintenance owned by your team.
Side by side
| Capability | Scribe.sg | DIY platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | We do — by hand, on your real data. | Your team does, in the a DIY platform builder. |
| Who maintains it | We do — monitored, retried, and fixed for you. | You do — you own breakages and upkeep. |
| Pricing model | Usage + a fixed fee for a dedicated developer. | Subscription by task/operation volume. |
| Skill needed on your side | None — you describe the work and approve outputs. | Someone comfortable building and debugging automations. |
| AI judgement in the flow | Custom agents trained on your tone, docs, and rules. | AI steps available; you design and tune the prompts. |
| Human-in-the-loop approvals | Built into every workflow, web or Telegram. | Possible to assemble with extra steps. |
| When something changes | We adjust it — included in your monthly fee. | You update and re-test the automation yourself. |
Who builds it
Scribe.sg: We do — by hand, on your real data.
DIY platforms: Your team does, in the a DIY platform builder.
Who maintains it
Scribe.sg: We do — monitored, retried, and fixed for you.
DIY platforms: You do — you own breakages and upkeep.
Pricing model
Scribe.sg: Usage + a fixed fee for a dedicated developer.
DIY platforms: Subscription by task/operation volume.
Skill needed on your side
Scribe.sg: None — you describe the work and approve outputs.
DIY platforms: Someone comfortable building and debugging automations.
AI judgement in the flow
Scribe.sg: Custom agents trained on your tone, docs, and rules.
DIY platforms: AI steps available; you design and tune the prompts.
Human-in-the-loop approvals
Scribe.sg: Built into every workflow, web or Telegram.
DIY platforms: Possible to assemble with extra steps.
When something changes
Scribe.sg: We adjust it — included in your monthly fee.
DIY platforms: You update and re-test the automation yourself.
Which should you choose?
DIY platforms is the better fit when…
DIY is the better fit if you have the time and the right person, your automations are simple and stable, and you'd rather pay a low platform fee than a service fee.
Scribe.sg is the better fit when…
Done-for-you is the better fit if your time is the constraint, the work needs real judgement on documents and messages, and you want it to keep running without becoming someone's second job.
Common questions
Isn't done-for-you more expensive than a DIY subscription?
The platform fee is usually lower; the true cost of DIY is the time to build, the time to maintain, and the cost of failures you find late. Done-for-you folds all of that into one fee. Which is cheaper depends on what your team's time is worth.
Can I start done-for-you and move to DIY later?
Yes. The workflows run against your own accounts and your own data. The point of Scribe.sg is to remove the burden, not to lock you in.
Buy back your time
Prefer to have it done for you?
Book a 30-minute call. Tell us what you'd automate and we'll tell you straight whether Scribe.sg is the right fit — or whether DIY is.
30 minutes, no obligation — we reply within one business day.