What Buyers Really Think About AI Agent Builders (Backed by G2 Data)

On the no-code, low-code, vibe code, whatever floats your BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies!) side of the B2B tech world, there are a few key phrases we’ve been hearing for years and years. I’ll paraphrase some favorites. “Remove the skill barrier.” “Put the technical in the hands of the non-technical.” Or how about the dreaded “democratize development?”

AI agent builders are among the new school of AI categories employing the old familiar phrases. They claim to give users the building blocks to automate some of their most complex tasks. But are buyers, well, buying it?

What vendors promise vs. what buyers experience

Yes, the tech is new and the promises are old. It’s all part of something I can’t legally call a hype cycle. Workflow automation software tangibly improves, hype is set to 10, and then adoption rates and ROI signal us to calm down a bit and get back to our spreadsheets. Still, there’s something in the air when it comes to AI agents.

Vendors in the AI agent builder space claim drag-and-drop simplicity, fast deployments, and highly scalable agents that handle complex workflows end-to-end. These are exciting promises, and in this case, the tech is hard to deny. Buyers who have gotten their hands on AI agent builders and reviewed the products in this space are happy to highlight the benefits. They’re also happy to divulge pain points and areas where these solutions could improve.

Where the hype holds up

Examining the “what did you like most” section of G2’s most recent 685+ AI agent builder demonstrates where vendor claims align with buyer satisfaction. When discussing their AI agent builder likes, 45% of reviewers mentioned AI and natural language processing quality. Pair that with 39% of buyers mentioning automation capabilities as a like, and we can start to see that buyers are satisfied with the competency levels of the agents they’re building. The vendor promise appears to hold up: agents can handle complex tasks.

Ease of use also gets mentioned 39% of the time, confirming vendor hype. Perhaps we finally do have a category that will, so help me, democratize development. But user likes are only one part of the bigger picture.

Where the hype falls short

Pricing is the number one pain point among buyers leaving reviews in G2’s AI agent builders category, and there’s more to the story than that. Of the reviews that mention pricing as a dislike, our analysis found that 30% specifically call out unpredictable pricing. Some examples:

“If your webhook starts handling high volumes of data, the cost can grow rapidly.” - Sebastian R.

“The pricing and credit model can also be hard to understand at first, making it difficult to estimate costs.” - Rishab Raj G.

“...without careful monitoring, costs can grow faster than expected.” - Ravi P.

Unpredictable costs undermine vendor claims of simplicity and scalability. When it comes to building agents, buyers want to set it and forget it. They can’t properly get comfortable automating when the bill is always a surprise. Note that we see no counterbalance for this negative pricing sentiment in the “likes” section of the review form. In fact, only 3% of users mention price or ROI when discussing what they like about AI agent builders. We’re talking about hype here, and sticker shock is a buzzkill. If vendors want users to buy in, they need to ensure that pricing is palatable and predictable. AI agent builders make big promises, but AI buyers want value above all else.

With steep learning curves coming in as the second most-common complaint in the category, vendor ease of use claims get an asterisk as well. The two stats aren’t a contradiction; the picture we’re getting here is an initial barrier to entry, followed by a smooth user experience. These solutions may make work easier once users have found their footing, but burdensome onboarding means lower adoption rates. Buyers should look for solutions that nail the new user experience.

What this means for AI agent builder buyers

• Costs are unpredictable: 33% of recent G2 reviews mention pricing as a dislike, and a third of those specifically take issue with unpredictability. AI agent builders have a cost problem.
• Easy to use, painful to learn: 39% of recent G2 reviews mention ease of use as a like, but 27% dislike the steep learning curves they encounter. Look for product reviews that praise the onboarding process, and you’re on the right track.
• The capability is real: 45% of recent G2 reviews praise AI agent builders’ underlying quality, paired with 39% that highlight their automation capabilities. Vendors’ claims that buyers can build competent, dependable agents are far from being hot air, despite pricing and learning curve woes.

Buyers evaluating AI agent builders should know that the technology delivers on its core promise, but the path to value isn’t clear-cut. The decision makers who succeed will be those who research pricing models before committing, anticipate the learning curve, and identify solutions with smooth onboarding experiences.

Set yourself up for success by comparing the products in G2’s AI agent builders category with verified user reviews.