Pricing Guide
AI automation pricing: the numbers nobody else publishes.
Most AI consulting firms hide their pricing behind “contact us” forms. We publish ours. Below you'll find real industry benchmarks, our exact pricing, what drives costs up or down, and the ROI data that makes the business case.
By James Perkins & Sean Boyce | Last updated: February 2026
Industry benchmarks: what AI automation costs in 2026
These ranges are based on publicly available data, RFP responses, and our direct experience across dozens of engagements. Your mileage will vary based on scope, industry, and vendor.
Hourly consulting
$100 – $450/hour
Independent consultants and small firms. Wide variance based on specialization, market, and whether they write code or slide decks.
Typical use cases: Strategy sessions, advisory, audits
Small projects & pilots
$10K – $40K
Proof-of-concept builds, single-workflow automations, or scoping engagements. Most companies start here before committing to a larger build.
Typical use cases: Chatbots, document processing, single-agent workflows
Mid-range builds
$50K – $200K
Multi-workflow automation, custom agent development with integrations, or department-wide AI deployments. Typically 2-4 month engagements.
Typical use cases: Multi-agent systems, ERP integrations, cross-department automation
Enterprise programs
$200K – $2M+
Organization-wide AI transformation, multi-year engagements, large consulting firms. Often includes strategy, change management, and ongoing support.
Typical use cases: Full digital transformation, org-wide agent ecosystems, compliance-heavy industries
Monthly retainers
$2K – $25K+/month
Ongoing AI leadership, maintenance, optimization, and new build cycles. Cost scales with scope of responsibility and seniority of the embedded resource.
Typical use cases: Fractional AI officers, managed AI operations, continuous builds
Our pricing: transparent, project-based, no surprises
We publish what we charge because hiding pricing wastes everyone's time. Here's exactly what each engagement costs and what's included.
AI Kickstart
$7,000 – $10,000
1 week
We embed with your team for one week. We audit your workflows, identify the highest-impact AI opportunity, and build a working prototype, not a strategy deck.
- Full workflow audit across your team
- Prioritized opportunity map ranked by ROI
- Working prototype with real data
- Implementation roadmap with cost estimates
- Executive presentation with concrete numbers
Most Popular
Automation Build
$15,000 – $25,000
4-8 weeks
We scope, build, and ship a production-ready AI agent integrated into your existing tools. Error handling, monitoring, and team training included.
- Production-grade AI agent with error handling
- Integration with Slack, Jira, Salesforce, or your stack
- Monitoring dashboards and audit trails
- Team training and full documentation
- 30-day post-launch support
Fractional CAIO
$10,000/month
Ongoing
Embedded AI leadership for your company. Strategy, vendor selection, team training, build oversight, and making sure AI initiatives actually ship, from someone who's done it at Fortune 10 scale.
- AI strategy aligned to business goals
- Vendor evaluation and selection
- Team upskilling and AI literacy training
- Build oversight and quality assurance
- Board-ready reporting and ROI tracking
What drives cost up (and down)
AI automation pricing isn't random. These six factors determine whether your project lands at the low end or the high end of the range.
Complexity of the workflow
Cost increasesA single-step data extraction agent costs less than a multi-step orchestration agent that coordinates across teams and handles branching logic. Simple rule-based automation sits at the low end; agentic AI with reasoning and decision-making sits at the high end.
Number of integrations
Cost increasesEvery system the agent connects to (Slack, Salesforce, Jira, internal APIs, databases) adds scope. Two integrations is standard. Six integrations with custom authentication and rate limiting is a different project entirely.
Data readiness
Cost increasesIf your data is clean, structured, and accessible via APIs, the build moves fast. If data lives in spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems with no documentation, 30-40% of the project timeline goes to data preparation before the agent is even built.
Compliance and security requirements
Cost increasesHealthcare (HIPAA), finance (SOC 2), and government (FedRAMP) add audit logging, access controls, data residency constraints, and review cycles. Expect 20-40% cost increase for regulated industries.
Starting with a focused scope
Cost decreasesThe single biggest cost-reducer: automate one workflow instead of five. Companies that start with the narrowest, highest-ROI use case spend less upfront and expand from a position of proven value.
Existing API infrastructure
Cost decreasesTeams with modern tooling (RESTful APIs, documented schemas, CI/CD pipelines) reduce integration time by 40-60%. If your systems already talk to each other, the agent plugs in faster and cheaper.
The ROI case: when does AI automation pay for itself?
The question isn't whether AI automation costs money. It's how fast it pays back. Here's what the data shows.
2-6 months
Typical payback period
For well-scoped, single-workflow automation projects
3x – 6x
First-year returns
Based on labor savings, error reduction, and throughput gains
20-40 hrs/wk
Time recaptured
Average manual hours eliminated per automated workflow
60-90%
Error reduction
In data processing, document review, and routing tasks
Example: Document processing automation
A mid-size financial services company was spending 30 hours/week on manual document processing: extracting data from PDFs, verifying against internal systems, and routing for approval. At a blended rate of $55/hour, that's $85,800/year in labor costs for a single process.
An Automation Build engagement ($20K, 5-week build) eliminated 80% of the manual work. Annual savings: $68,640. Payback period: 15 weeks. First-year ROI: 3.4x. The agent also reduced processing errors by 73%, which eliminated an additional $12,000/year in rework costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does AI consulting cost per hour?
AI consulting rates range from $100 to $450 per hour depending on the consultant's specialization, whether they deliver code or strategy, and their track record with production deployments. Independent practitioners and small firms typically charge $100-$200/hour, while specialized AI engineering firms charge $250-$450/hour.
What's the difference between a $15K AI project and a $200K one?
Scope, complexity, and number of integrations. A $15K project automates a single workflow with 1-2 integrations and ships in 4-8 weeks. A $200K project automates multiple workflows across departments, integrates with 6+ systems, includes compliance requirements, and often involves a multi-month engagement with ongoing support.
Is AI automation worth the investment for small businesses?
Yes, if you target the right workflow. A $7-10K AI Kickstart that eliminates 20 hours/week of manual work pays for itself in under 3 months. The key is starting with a specific, measurable problem, not a vague 'AI strategy.' Small businesses often see faster ROI because there's less organizational friction.
How long does it take to see ROI from AI automation?
Typical payback period is 2-6 months for well-scoped projects. An automation that saves 20 hours/week at $50/hour generates $52,000/year in labor savings alone, before accounting for reduced errors, faster throughput, and the ability to scale without additional headcount. First-year returns of 3x-6x are common.
Should I hire an AI consultant or build in-house?
For your first 1-3 AI projects, hire a build partner who can deliver production-ready agents while training your team. Building an in-house AI team from scratch costs $500K-$1M/year in salaries alone, before they've shipped anything. A Fractional CAIO ($10K/month) bridges the gap: embedded leadership at a fraction of the full-time cost.
Get a custom quote.
Every project is different. Tell us what you're trying to automate and we'll give you a specific scope, timeline, and price. No generic proposals, no bait-and-switch.