How is this different from an agency?

You get one senior specialist — a Rivet engineer — instead of a junior account handler, a project manager, a designer and a developer. Less friction, same or better output, typically at one-third the cost.

Do you work in North American time zones?

Yes. Rivet overlaps 9am–3pm ET / 6am–12pm PT every weekday. For Scale clients, coverage extends further. Critical response SLA applies 24/7.

Can we pause or cancel?

Yes, any time, for any reason, with no cancellation fee. All retainers are month-to-month.

What if we need fewer or more hours?

Hours roll over one month on Starter / Growth, two months on Scale. If you consistently need more, we upgrade; less, we downgrade. No drama.

Always and fully. You own every line written for you, every credential, every account. Rivet uses revocable, scoped access.

What platforms do you NOT work with?

Drupal (legacy only), Wix (cannot do advanced work there), SharePoint, Joomla. Everything else — yes.

Can you sign an NDA / DPA?

Yes — Rivet can sign either or both before any access is granted.

Do you charge sales tax?

Invoices are USD (or CAD on request) from Rivet's EU-based entity, so US and Canadian clients are generally exempt. Rivet will advise on your specific jurisdiction during onboarding.

How quickly can we start?

Kickoff call within 48 hours of a signed agreement. First ticket closed usually inside 7 days.

What happens if you're unavailable (holiday, illness)?

Rivet gives 3 weeks notice for planned time off, during which the backlog is either completed in advance or handled by a vetted backup specialist. For unplanned outages, emergency partners pre-briefed on each client retainer cover incidents until primary coverage resumes.

What disciplines does a Rivet retainer cover?

Senior design (brand, product, marketing), development (WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Laravel, Next.js and custom), and growth marketing (SEO, content, paid, CRO, email, analytics). Hours are fungible across all of it.

Can we spend all hours on marketing one month and design the next?

Yes. Hours are fungible. The only rule is hours don't double-book — one deliverable at a time, but the mix per month is yours.

Do you do brand work or just logos?

Full brand systems: logo, wordmark, palette, typography, voice, templates, tokens, and ongoing art direction. Not one-off logos.

Article · Apr 5, 2026

Retainer vs agency: the real cost math for 2026

Hidden costs, churn, junior developers — the honest comparison founders never get.

Full post coming soon.

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