Content agencies grow fast — and they descend into spreadsheet chaos just as fast. Dozens of clients, hundreds of content pieces a month, shoots, editing, approvals, team payroll — all living in chats and sheets nobody has time to update. We built a CRM that pulls this entire production into one window. And now we're announcing that you can get it in three ways — for different budgets and different levels of patience.
In short: there's a ready-made template for ~$1600 (you own it forever), there's custom work from $3000 (your own modules, auto-publishing), and there's a SaaS version on the way (subscription, no install — "coming soon"). Below is what that means in practice and how to choose.
Why spreadsheets aren't enough anymore
When an agency runs video for 5 clients, Google Sheets still holds. When it's 20-30 clients, each with their own TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, the sheets start bursting at the seams:
- Deadlines get lost. The shoot date is in one file, the publish date in another, and the reminder is in someone's Telegram. The reel that was due Monday gets remembered on Wednesday.
- Nobody knows the real numbers. How much content was made this month? How much got published? Which reels went viral? The answer is "let me count" and an hour of reconciling sheets.
- Payroll is done by hand. Especially painful when the team mixes schemes: some paid per project, some per reel, some on a retainer. Every month means a separate calculator and arguments.
- The client can't see progress. They pay but don't understand what's happening. You end up hand-building screenshot reports just to prove the work is moving.
This isn't a discipline problem. It's a tooling problem: a spreadsheet doesn't know what a "content stage," a "responsible operator" or a client's "MRR" is. A CRM does.
What our CRM for content agencies does
We've already deployed this system for an agency running video for dozens of clients across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The full breakdown is in the case study, CRM for TikTok and content agencies. Inside are 10 modules that cover the full production cycle:
- Owner dashboard — projects, how much was shot and published, views, viral reels, team load. At a glance.
- Data structure — clients → projects → social accounts → content units. Every reel has its place.
- Content plan with stages — script → shoot → edit → approval → publish. You see where each reel is stuck and who owns it.
- Role-based workspaces — content maker, operator, editor, copywriter, owner. Everyone sees their tasks, not someone else's noise.
- Shooting calendar — so shoot days don't overlap and nobody forgets a location trip.
- Views analytics — top viral content, which formats take off, what works for a specific client.
- Payroll in 3 modes — per project / per unit / retainer, with auto-calculation. The end of manual calculators.
- Sales module — leads and pipeline, so new clients don't get lost between shoots.
- Client payments — prepayments, debts, MRR. You see who owes what and how much the agency earns each month.
- Client portal — limited access where the client sees progress on their own reels.
The result: the entire production in one window. Every content unit has a stage, an owner and a date. The owner sees the full picture, the team sees their tasks, the client sees progress. Payroll calculates itself.
Three ways to get the system
Here's the main news. "Your own CRM" used to sound like something for $10,000+ and six months of development. We made the entry point ten times lower — and added two more options for different needs.
1. Ready-made template — ~$1600 one-time + support
This is our base system, already integrated for a content agency's typical processes. You get all 10 modules, deployment on your server and support. The key point: ~$1600 is one-time, and you own the system — you don't rent it monthly. The annual server-and-support fee isn't a "subscription to access": stop paying and the system doesn't disappear.
Who it fits: agencies with more or less standard processes (clients → projects → content plan → payroll) who want to start now and don't want to overpay for custom work they don't yet need.
2. Custom work — from $3000
If your processes are non-standard or you need things the base template doesn't have — for example, auto-publishing reels straight to social networks, integration with your accounting software, or your own niche-specific modules — we adapt the system to you. Pricing starts at $3000 and depends on scope.
Who it fits: agencies with established, "their own" processes where it matters that the system fits them exactly, not the other way around.
3. SaaS version — on the way
We're preparing a SaaS version: a monthly subscription, no install and no server of your own — sign up and work. It'll be the most convenient option for those who don't want to bother with deployment and ownership. For now it's an announcement — the version is coming soon, and we're not naming the subscription price yet. If that's exactly what you want, write to us and we'll add you to the waitlist and notify you first at launch.
Who each option fits: a decision table
| Criterion | Template ~$1600 | Custom from $3000 | SaaS (soon) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership | You own the system | You own the system | Rent (subscription) |
| Payment | ~$1600 once + annual support | from $3000 once | monthly |
| Own server | Yes | Yes | Not needed |
| Custom modules / auto-publishing | No (base set) | Yes | Per release roadmap |
| Time to start | Days | Weeks | Sign up and go |
| Best for | Standard processes, start now | Non-standard processes | Those who don't want to install |
Honestly: when to pick the template, custom, or wait for SaaS
Take the template if your agency runs on a fairly typical model and your main goal is to move production out of spreadsheets into a real system this week. 90% of the functions you need are already in the base set. There's no point paying for custom work "just in case."
Order custom if there's a specific thing the template lacks and without which the system won't close your process — most often that's auto-publishing, specific integrations, or unique payroll/bonus logic. Then a build from $3000 pays off fast, because it saves hours of manual work every week.
Wait for SaaS if you fundamentally don't want your own server and ownership, you're fine paying monthly for the convenience of "log in and work," and you're ready to wait a bit for launch. If production is on fire right now — don't wait, take the template, and switch to SaaS later if you want.
About market prices — honestly
A full custom CRM built from scratch is often priced on the market at $10,000+ — and sometimes much more. Those are market figures, not ours. We mention them deliberately for a fair comparison: writing such a system from scratch really is expensive, and if you've seen price tags like that, it's normal.
Our logic is different. The core is already written and battle-tested (see the kadr-crm case), so you don't have to pay for from-scratch development. You get a ready, working product for ~$1600 — or a build tailored to you from $3000. Coding it from scratch would cost several times more; with us it starts at ~$1600, because you're paying for adaptation, not for reinventing the wheel.
How MaxICo Labs solves this
MaxICo Labs is an applied-AI studio from Ukraine. We don't sell a "we'll build it someday" idea — we have a ready, deployed product and a real case study. Here's what you get:
- A ready CRM for content/TikTok agencies with 10 modules: dashboard, content plan with stages, role-based workspaces, shooting calendar, views analytics, payroll in 3 modes, sales, client payments and MRR, client portal.
- Template solution — ~$1600 one-time + annual server and support. You own the system, you don't rent it.
- Custom work — from $3000: auto-publishing to social networks, your own modules, niche integrations.
- SaaS version — on the way: subscription, no install. Coming soon; we'll add you to the waitlist.
- Real proof, not promises — see the kadr-crm case, where this whole system already runs for an agency with dozens of clients.
- An honest market comparison: where a from-scratch custom build costs $10,000+ (market figures, not ours), we start at ~$1600.
Want a closer look?
If your agency has outgrown spreadsheets — write to Valerii in the chat or leave a request on the site. We'll tell you which of the three options fits you, show the system from the inside, and advise whether you should start with the template now or wait for SaaS. No pressure — just an honest consultation around your real process.
If you need help, reach out to MaxICo Labs: https://maxicolabs.com/