AI ads for phone repair shops: what they cost vs an agency
An agency charges a retainer or a percentage of spend on top of the ads themselves, usually with a minimum term. AI-run ads replace the fee with a flat subscription: Self Driving Ads is $125 a month plus your own ad spend, builds the Meta campaign from the real prices and reviews on your site, and launches it from your own account. It is in closed beta.
By JJ Brown, founder of STACKS. Updated 2026-10-04.
How to compare the two without fooling yourself
Separate three numbers: the fee, the ad spend, and the term. Agencies often quote one blended figure. Ask what you pay the agency, what goes to Meta or Google, and how many months you are committed. Then compare like for like.
| Ad agency | Self Driving Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | Retainer or a percentage of spend | $125 a month, flat |
| Ad spend | Yours, on top | Yours, on top, in your own Meta account |
| Term | Usually a minimum | Monthly |
| Who makes the ad | Agency designer and copywriter | Built from your prices, reviews and photos; no prompts, no blank canvas |
| Where it points | Wherever they build | The page on your site for that repair or device |
| Results | A monthly report | Meta results come back into STACKS; ask it questions in your own numbers |
| Platforms | Whatever they offer | Meta today. Google Ads not in the beta. |
What "AI ads" means here, specifically
Not a chat box where you type prompts. Self Driving Ads reads the data already on your site: your repair prices, your buyback offers, your reviews, your currency. It writes the ad, picks the creative, builds the Meta campaign, and launches it from your own ad account. You own the account, the audience and the history. If you stop, nothing leaves with us.
When an agency is still the right call
- You need Google Ads now, and cannot wait for it.
- You run a large budget across many markets and want a person on the phone every week.
- You have no website and no prices online. An agency can build a landing page; so can a Starter STACK, in under 24 hours.
When AI-run ads are the right call
- Your site already shows real prices for real repairs, or you are about to put one up.
- You want ads on, consistently, without a retainer and without doing it yourself at 11pm.
- You want the results in the same place as your leads, bookings and inventory.
Honest caveat. Ads are the last lever, not the first. If the profile is stale and the booking is an iframe, ads send paid clicks to pages that do not convert. Fix the free sources of leads first. Then ads pay for themselves faster.
Questions shops ask about this
What does an ad agency charge a repair shop?+
Agencies price by retainer or by a percentage of ad spend, on top of the ad spend itself, and usually with a minimum term. Ask for the fee, the spend and the term as three separate numbers before you compare anything.
What does Self Driving Ads cost?+
$125 a month, plus whatever you spend on ads in your own Meta account. There is no agency fee and no percentage of spend. It is in closed beta; you can join the list on the Self Driving Ads page.
Does it run Google Ads too?+
Not yet. Self Driving Ads builds and runs Meta campaigns (Facebook and Instagram) today. Google Ads is not available in the beta, and we do not announce dates.
Do I need a website first?+
Yes. The ads are built from the real prices and reviews on your site, and the click needs a page to land on. A Starter STACK or a Repair Stack gives it that.
Join the closed beta, or talk it through first.
Self Driving Ads is in closed beta. Book a free consult, bring your site, and we will tell you whether ads are the right next step for your shop yet.
Book a Demo