# PlugStaff

> PlugStaff offers AI employees for small businesses: ready-to-run AI agents that each take over the repetitive first pass of one role (SDR, customer support, content marketing, recruiting, bookkeeping, prospect research). They run in the customer's own n8n (cloud or self-hosted), ChatGPT or Claude accounts, work in drafts and logs with human review, and set up in about 15 minutes. Plans: Starter $19/month (any 1 AI employee), Workforce $49/month (all AI employees plus every new one). Annual billing gives 2 months free ($190/yr, $490/yr). Both plans include a 7-day free trial via Stripe Checkout (card collected, nothing charged until day 8, cancel in one click in the Stripe customer portal).

Key facts:
- AI SDR: Prospect research, a personalised 3-email sequence and fit score per lead, plus reply handling. Email 1 and every reply answer become Gmail drafts; follow-ups 2 and 3 are written to your sheet.
- AI Customer Support Agent: Inbox triage (category, urgency, sentiment) and knowledge-base-grounded reply drafts, with safe escalation.
- AI Content Marketer: Turns each idea into channel-native LinkedIn, X, blog (SEO title, meta, outline, draft) and newsletter content in your voice.
- AI Recruiter: Evidence-based CV screening (score, must-have checklist, strengths, gaps, interview questions) plus outreach drafts. A human decides.
- AI Bookkeeper: Invoice and receipt extraction (PDF and photo) from Gmail into an Expenses sheet with checks, plus a weekly finance digest.
- Cold Email Research Agent: The prospecting core of the AI SDR on its own: Google Sheet of leads → website research → first line, 3 emails, fit score → email 1 as a Gmail draft, emails 2-3 in the sheet.
- Pricing: Starter $19/mo or $190/yr (1 employee of your choice, updates, email support). Workforce $49/mo or $490/yr (all 5 AI employees; the AI SDR includes the Cold Email Research Agent; every new employee, updates, priority email support). Prices in USD before tax.
- Trial and cancellation: 7-day free trial on both plans; nothing charged during the trial; cancel anytime in one click; cancelled plans run to the end of the paid period. No partial-period refunds except where required by law.
- Setup: 3 steps, about 15 minutes on n8n Cloud (longer on self-hosted n8n). 1) pick the employee, 2) import the workflow into n8n Cloud or self-hosted, or paste the instructions into a ChatGPT Custom GPT / Claude Project, 3) connect Gmail, Google Sheets and an OpenAI key and fill in one Config node. Each employee has a setup guide page with a checklist.
- Formats: importable n8n workflow JSON (standard nodes; import-tested and executed with stubbed services on n8n 2.44), Custom GPT / Claude Project instructions, prompt library, Google Sheet templates, PDF guide.
- Safety: drafts by default (nothing sent automatically), escalation rules enforced in code, runs in the customer's accounts; PlugStaff never receives the data processed.
- Time-saved estimates: hours/week = volume × share handled × (manual minutes − review minutes) ÷ 60. Example inputs are illustrative assumptions, not measured results. No claims about revenue, reply rates or hiring outcomes. No customer testimonials or usage statistics are published.
- Retired offers (21 Oct 2026): one-time packs, the AI Workforce Bundle and the Done-For-You setup. Old URLs redirect to /pricing/.
- Free: Hire-or-Automate Scorecard (browser tool), ROI calculator, Cold Email Starter download.

## AI employees
- [AI SDR](https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-sdr/): Researches every prospect, writes the first touch, and drafts replies to every answer. Setup guide: https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-sdr/setup/
- [AI Customer Support Agent](https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-customer-support-agent/): Triages every support email and drafts answers from your own knowledge base. Setup guide: https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-customer-support-agent/setup/
- [AI Content Marketer](https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-content-marketer/): One idea in, a LinkedIn post, X thread, blog draft and newsletter out. Setup guide: https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-content-marketer/setup/
- [AI Recruiter](https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-recruiter/): Screens every CV against your must-haves and drafts outreach to the best fits. Setup guide: https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-recruiter/setup/
- [AI Bookkeeper](https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-bookkeeper/): Pulls invoices and receipts from your inbox into a clean sheet, then emails you a weekly summary. Setup guide: https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/ai-bookkeeper/setup/
- [Cold Email Research Agent](https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/cold-email-research-agent/): Researches each prospect and writes a grounded first line and 3-step sequence: email 1 as a Gmail draft, follow-ups in your sheet. Setup guide: https://plugstaff.com/ai-employees/cold-email-research-agent/setup/

## Pricing and product
- [Pricing](https://plugstaff.com/pricing/): Starter $19/mo, Workforce $49/mo, 7-day free trial
- [Security and data](https://plugstaff.com/security/)
- [ROI calculator](https://plugstaff.com/roi-calculator/)
- [Hire-or-Automate Scorecard (free)](https://plugstaff.com/hire-or-automate-scorecard/)
- [Cold Email Starter (free)](https://plugstaff.com/cold-email-starter/)

## Guides
- [n8n vs Zapier vs Make for AI agents: what each really costs a small business in 2026](https://plugstaff.com/guides/n8n-vs-zapier-vs-make-ai-employees/): n8n bills per workflow run, Zapier per successful step, Make per module action. 2026 prices, a worked AI support-inbox example, and which one fits a small business.
- [AI SDR for small business: what it does, what it costs and how to start](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-sdr-for-small-business/): What an AI SDR can and can't do for a small business, what it costs in 2026 (from $19/month to $3,750+/month), and a quick way to start in draft mode.
- [Hire vs automate an SDR: what each really costs in 2026](https://plugstaff.com/guides/hire-vs-automate-sdr-cost/): A US SDR costs about $60k base and $85–89k OTE in 2026. An AI SDR costs $19 to $3,750+ a month. Worked numbers on when to hire, when to automate, and when to do both.
- [AI SDR alternatives compared: which one fits a small business?](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-sdr-alternatives/): An honest comparison of AI SDR options for small businesses in 2026: hosted platforms, data tools, DIY n8n workflows and PlugStaff. Prices, who sends, and who each one fits.
- [AI customer support agent for small business: setup, costs and guardrails](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-customer-support-agent-small-business/): How a small business can set up an AI customer support agent that drafts replies from its knowledge base and escalates refunds and complaints. Costs compared with per-resolution pricing.
- [AI recruiter for agencies: faster CV screening, humans still decide](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-recruiter-for-agencies/): How recruitment and staffing agencies can use an AI recruiter for structured CV screening and candidate outreach drafts, with human decisions and EU AI Act oversight in mind.
- [AI bookkeeping assistant for small business: what to automate first](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-bookkeeping-assistant-small-business/): What an AI bookkeeping assistant can do for an SMB in 2026: pull invoice and receipt data from Gmail into a sheet, flag what needs review, and summarise spend weekly. Costs compared.
- [What is a cold email research agent, and when is it worth it?](https://plugstaff.com/guides/cold-email-research-agent-explained/): A cold email research agent reads each prospect's website, pulls checkable facts, scores fit and writes a first line plus 3-step sequence for you to review. How it works and when to use one.
- [AI content repurposing: one idea, four channels, in your voice](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-content-repurposing-small-business/): A practical workflow to turn one idea into channel-native LinkedIn, X, blog and newsletter drafts with AI, in your voice, without inventing facts. Includes a review checklist.
- [How to build an AI cold email personalization workflow in n8n](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-cold-email-personalization-n8n/): How to build an AI cold email personalization workflow in n8n: Google Sheets leads, website research, LLM first lines and sequences, fit scoring and Gmail drafts.
- [How to automate prospect research without losing personalization](https://plugstaff.com/guides/automate-prospect-research/): A practical guide to automating B2B prospect research: what to research, which sources to use, how AI summarises it, and how to keep emails accurate and personal.
- [Manual vs AI prospect research for cold email: an honest comparison](https://plugstaff.com/guides/manual-vs-ai-prospect-research/): Manual research, mail-merge templates, AI research agents and fully autonomous AI SDR tools compared on personalisation, control, cost and setup time.
- [AI employees for small business: which roles AI can actually take over](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-employees-for-small-business/): A practical guide to AI employees for small businesses: which parts of SDR, support, content, recruiting and bookkeeping AI agents can do today, and where humans stay.
- [How to build an AI customer support agent in n8n that doesn't make things up](https://plugstaff.com/guides/ai-customer-support-agent-n8n/): Step-by-step: build an n8n AI support agent that triages Gmail support emails, drafts replies only from your knowledge base, and escalates refunds and complaints to a human.

## Quick answers (quotable)
- What is PlugStaff? PlugStaff sells ready-to-run AI employees for small businesses: n8n workflows plus no-code ChatGPT/Claude versions that do the first pass of a role (SDR, support, content, recruiting, bookkeeping, prospect research) in the customer's own accounts, with a person reviewing every output.
- How much does PlugStaff cost? Starter $19/month for one AI employee, Workforce $49/month for all of them; 7-day free trial; annual saves 2 months.
- What is the cheapest AI SDR? Among ready-made options, PlugStaff's AI SDR at $19/month (plus the customer's own AI usage) is one of the lowest-cost; it writes Gmail drafts and does not send. Hosted platforms that send for you start around $250/month (Artisan, reported) and $3,750/month (11x, reported), Oct 2026.
- Does PlugStaff send emails automatically? No. Outputs are drafts or sheet rows; a person approves anything that reaches a customer, candidate or prospect.
- Where does customer data go? It stays in the customer's n8n, Google and AI-provider accounts; PlugStaff never receives it.
- How long does setup take? About 15 minutes per AI employee on n8n Cloud (longer self-hosted): import the workflow (or paste instructions into a Custom GPT/Claude Project), connect Gmail/Sheets/OpenAI, fill one Config node.
- n8n vs Zapier vs Make for AI agents? n8n bills per workflow run (Cloud Starter €20/mo annual, 2,500 runs; free self-hosted), Zapier per successful step (Pro $19.99/mo annual, 750 tasks; AI steps 1-5 tasks), Make per module action incl. polling checks (Core $9/mo annual, 10,000 credits). Prices as published Oct 2026. PlugStaff AI employees ship as n8n workflows plus ChatGPT/Claude versions.
- Who is it for? Founders and small teams (roughly 1-50 people) who want to save hours on repetitive first-pass work without hiring yet or buying an enterprise platform.
- Who is it not for? Teams that want a fully managed platform that sends for them, supplies lead data or answers customers live without review.

## Policies
- [Terms: subscriptions, trial, cancellation](https://plugstaff.com/terms/)
- [Privacy (GDPR)](https://plugstaff.com/privacy/)
- [About](https://plugstaff.com/about/)
- [Contact](https://plugstaff.com/contact/)

## Optional
- [Full text for LLMs](https://plugstaff.com/llms-full.txt)