If you've asked an AI consultant how much it'll cost to bring AI into your business, you've probably had a frustrating experience.
Some won't give you a number until you've had three discovery calls. Others quote a vague "from £500" that turns into £5,000. Most just refuse to answer at all.
It's the most common question we get. So here's the honest version.
The three things you actually pay for
AI costs break down into three buckets. Most consultants conflate them. They're separate, and each one varies wildly depending on what you're building.
1. Tool subscriptions (ongoing)
This is what you pay each month to use AI software. It's the equivalent of paying for Microsoft 365 or Xero.
For most UK small businesses, this looks like:
- ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro for the team: £15-25 per user per month
- An automation tool like Make.com or n8n: £20-50 per month
- A custom AI agent platform: £50-200 per month
- API costs for specific tasks (transcription, document processing): £20-100 per month
A typical setup for a 5-person business: somewhere between £80 and £400 per month total.
This is the unavoidable cost of doing AI at all. Even DIY approaches cost something.
2. Build and setup (one-off)
This is where a consultant or developer earns their money, actually building the AI into your workflow.
Wide range:
- Do it yourself: free, but takes your time. Most owners try this first.
- Light fixed-scope project (one workflow built and handed over): £500 to £2,000
- Medium project (a custom AI agent integrated with your CRM, plus a couple of workflows): £2,000 to £8,000
- Full implementation across multiple parts of the business: £10,000 plus
The variation isn't because consultants charge wildly different rates. It's because the scope of what you're building varies wildly. A simple AI quoting tool is a different beast from a full customer service agent that books appointments, answers emails, and updates your CRM.
3. Maintenance and updates (ongoing)
Things get added, things break, AI tools change. Maintenance is real.
- Light tweaks as needed: £100-500 per month
- Active managed service (someone improving it monthly): £500-2,000 per month
- DIY: free, but takes your time again
Some businesses don't need monthly maintenance. Others can't function without it. Depends on how mission-critical the AI is to your operations.
What this actually looks like
Three realistic examples based on UK SMEs we've worked with.
A 3-person consultancy. AI handles initial enquiry responses and drafts proposals.
Tools: about £100/month
Build: about £1,500 one-off
Maintenance: £100/month as needed
Year one total: roughly £3,900
Year two onwards: roughly £2,400/year
A 12-person construction business. AI for quoting, customer follow-up, and scheduling.
Tools: about £250/month
Build: about £5,000 one-off
Maintenance: £300/month
Year one total: roughly £11,600
Year two onwards: roughly £6,600/year
A 25-person service business. Full AI agent handling customer service end-to-end.
Tools: about £400/month
Build: about £12,000 one-off
Maintenance: £800/month
Year one total: roughly £26,400
Year two onwards: roughly £14,400/year
Not nothing. But against the cost of hiring another person to do the same work, the maths usually works out.
What you should never pay for
A few things that should be free:
- An initial conversation to scope the work. Anyone charging for the first call is a red flag.
- A vague "AI strategy document" with no specific tools or implementation plan. Useless.
- Generic AI training that could be a YouTube video.
You should pay for actual implementation, custom builds tailored to your business, and specific recommendations with tools, prices, and timelines attached.
The cheapest realistic path
If you're starting from zero and want to see if AI works for your business before spending anything, here's the cheapest route:
- Sign up to ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro yourself: about £20/month
- Identify one task that takes you 3 or more hours a week
- Spend a Saturday morning trying to automate it
- If it works, do another one
You won't build anything sophisticated, and you'll hit walls fast. But you'll learn whether AI is worth your business pursuing seriously. About £20-50 to find out.
When you've decided it's worth doing properly, that's when you'd bring in someone like us.
What we charge
Our pricing is simple. The free AI Readiness Assessment is free. The 2-hour AI Assessment is between £299 and £999 depending on the size of your business. Implementation projects are quoted fixed-price after the assessment, with the cost confirmed before you sign anything.
If a consultant won't tell you their pricing model in writing, that's information about how they'll treat you later.
Bottom line
A realistic AI budget for a UK small business in year one:
- DIY exploration: £20-50/month
- Light fixed-scope project: £1,500-3,500 total
- Medium build with ongoing maintenance: £8,000-15,000 total
- Full implementation: £20,000 plus
These aren't list prices. They're realistic ranges based on what UK SMEs we've talked to actually end up spending.
The real cost question isn't how much will this cost. It's how much will this cost compared to not doing it.
If you're already losing 6 hours a week to admin AI could handle, that's £15,000+ a year you're already paying. You just don't see it on an invoice.