ScaleyScaley vs DIY + freelancers
If you're running Google Ads yourself or with a freelancer, here's where Scaley adds leverage and where it doesn't.
Plenty of operators run their own Google Ads with a part-time freelancer. It's cheaper than an agency. It's also the setup most likely to hit a ceiling, because one human can only watch the account so many hours a day.
| Dimension | DIY + freelancers | Scaley AI |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 2-4 weeks | Under 5 minutes |
| Monthly cost | €1-4k + your time | From $199/mo |
| Scales with spend | Blocked by hiring | Handles any account size |
| Transparency | You build it | Every change logged + explained |
| Lock-in | Freelancer dependency | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
| Speed of iteration | When someone has time | 24/7 continuous |
| Account ownership | You own it | Yours, always. Read-only access. |
Pick Scaley if
- You or your freelancer are spending more than 10 hours a week on exclusions, budget tweaks, or reporting
- You have a catalog of 500+ SKUs that aren't tiered by margin
- You're at €10K+/month in spend and scaling is getting harder, not easier
- You want daily negative keyword mining instead of monthly
- You want the labelizer: automatic margin/velocity tagging synced to Merchant Center
Pick DIY + freelancers if
- You're under €3K/month in spend and you already know what you're doing
- You have a very small catalog (under 100 SKUs) that doesn't need tiering
- You enjoy running the account yourself and don't want to delegate it
- You already have a freelancer you trust and they have enough hours in the week
DIY works until your account's complexity outgrows your hours. Most operators hit that wall around €10K/month in spend or 500+ SKUs. Scaley takes over the repetitive work (setup, scaling, exclusions, labels, reporting) without taking over the strategy. You stay the operator, the software does the grunt.
What brands said after ditching DIY.
Scaley found €4K/month of wasted spend in our first audit. The auto-scaling rules have been better than our old agency. Honestly wild.
We stopped hiring junior buyers. Scaley handles the account and our lead just reviews the suggestions. Saves us like 15 hours a week.
Stop paying agencies for grunt work.
Connect your Google Ads, run the free audit, turn on what you want. Your media buyer starts working the moment you sign up.
14-day free trial · no credit card · cancel anytime