What AI consultants charge across audit, buildout, retainer, and fractional engagements — pulled from the 2026 pricing guide. One page you can read in 60 seconds.
Numbers below are market rate bands. Your engagement number lands somewhere inside them — book a 30-minute discovery call and we'll tell you where.
Every service type a mid-market team is likely to face, with the rate range and the delivery model it's priced against. Use this as your benchmark anchor before reaching out for a specific quote.
| Service type | Range | Delivery model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Readiness Audit | $997–$1,500 | Project fee · 1–2 weeks | $997 floor = focused audit, written deliverable. $1,500 ceiling = multi-department audit with executive readout. Comprehensive engagements (multiple departments, vendor scoring) run $3,500–$6,000. |
| Implementation / Automation Buildout | $7,500–$12,000 | Project fee · 4–8 weeks | Single-function automation: one workflow, one integration, working in production by handoff. $12,000 ceiling = multi-system integration with documentation package. |
| AI Retainer (light) | $97–$197 / mo | Monthly recurring | Async Q&A with a 24–48 hour window plus one 30-minute monthly alignment call. Advisory only — no active execution. |
| AI Retainer (substantive) | $750–$1,500 / mo | Monthly recurring | Active maintenance, defined async SLA, prompt/system updates, monthly operating review. For teams running AI in production. |
| Fractional AI Officer | $2,500–$3,500 / mo | Monthly recurring · 3–12 months | Strategic AI leadership — roadmap ownership, vendor governance, monthly leadership readout. $2,500 = strategy-only; $3,500 = strategy + execution oversight. |
| Hourly (advisory / fractional overflow) | $150–$400 / hr | Hourly | Used for one-off questions, ad-hoc advisory, or overflow work outside an active retainer scope. Most buyers prefer a scoped project or recurring engagement over hourly billing. |
| Full project (multi-workstream) | $8,000–$35,000 | Fixed-fee project | Multi-workstream implementations — several automations, cross-department integration, or a full system rollout. Scope and timeline defined upfront, fixed-fee with change-order trigger. |
Consultant seniority moves the number. A solo practitioner with three years of AI implementation experience won't quote the same rate as a senior consultant leading a multi-workstream rollout. Both fit the same range because both are credible buyers of the engagement — you're seeing the band, not picking from a single answer.
Scope depth moves the number. A focused AI audit on one department is a different engagement from a multi-department audit with a structured executive readout. They're both "AI readiness audits," they're priced within the same range, and the floor / ceiling reflects which one you're actually buying.
Buyer context moves the number. Mid-market teams with internal AI execution capacity quote toward the floor of the substantive retainer. Teams with no internal AI capability and a higher operating complexity quote toward the ceiling. Same service type, different client profile — that's why figures appear as bands, not as a single rate card.
The bands above are the market. Your specific number lives inside them. Book a 30-minute discovery call and we'll point to the engagement shape that fits — fractional, project, or retainer — including whether none of these is the right fit.
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