Every few weeks someone asks us some version of the same question: “what would it cost to get someone in to help us with AI?” It’s a fair question and a hard one to Google, because the honest answer is “it depends,” and most of what shows up when you search is either a consultant trying to sound expensive or a software company trying to sell you a subscription. Here’s the plain version.
What actually drives the price
Three things move the number more than anything else:
How custom the work is. A one-hour workshop that shows your team three tools they can start using tomorrow costs a lot less than someone building you a custom system that talks to your inventory software. Most small businesses need the first thing far more often than they think they need the second.
Whether it’s a person or a package. Hourly consulting from someone experienced runs roughly $100–$300 an hour depending on your market and their background. A packaged product — a course, a template kit, a done-for-you setup — is usually a flat fee in the tens to low hundreds of dollars, because you’re buying something built once and reused, not someone’s afternoon.
How much hand-holding you need. “Show me once and I’ve got it” is cheaper than “come back every month and keep it running.” Both are legitimate — they’re just different services, and you should know which one you’re buying before you agree to a price.
What that looks like in real numbers
- A single workshop or assessment call: often $150–$500 for a half-day, sometimes bundled into a larger engagement.
- A structured course or toolbox (prompts, templates, a walkthrough you work through yourself): usually $20–$100. You’re paying for someone else’s hours of testing, not their live time.
- Ongoing retainer consulting (someone actively managing AI tools for your business monthly): commonly $500–$3,000+ a month, which only makes sense once AI is doing real, recurring work for you — not while you’re still finding out what it’s good for.
- Custom build work (a tool wired into your specific systems): can run into the thousands, and is the one category where “get three quotes” is worth the effort every time.
If a number you’re seeing doesn’t roughly match one of those categories, ask what you’re actually being sold before you say yes.
When you don’t need to hire anyone
This is the part most people selling AI help won’t tell you, so we will: a lot of small businesses can get real value from AI using nothing but free tools and an hour of their own time. If your goal is “draft my emails faster” or “answer common customer questions without starting from a blank page,” that’s a free tool and a good prompt, not a consulting engagement. Save the paid help for when you’ve hit an actual wall — you know what’s possible now, you’ve tried it, and you’re stuck on something specific to your business.
When it’s worth paying for
Paying makes sense when one of these is true: you don’t have an hour to spend figuring it out yourself and your time is worth more than the fee; the task touches something sensitive enough that you want a second set of eyes on how it’s set up (see our safety post for what “sensitive” means here); or you’ve outgrown the free-tool version and need something that actually connects to how your business runs day to day. None of those are about being behind — they’re about your time being worth more than the task.
The honest bottom line
Most owners don’t need a consultant on retainer. They need thirty focused minutes and the right starting point. That’s the gap we built the free checklist and quiz to close — and if you get through both and still have a specific, sticky problem, that’s the point where paying for help starts to make sense, and you’ll know exactly what you’re asking someone to solve.
If you want the ranked, personalized version of where to start, take the AI Readiness Quiz or grab the free AI Leverage Checklist.
Quick answers
How much does AI consulting typically cost?
It depends on the format: a single workshop or assessment call often runs $150–$500, a structured course or toolbox is usually $20–$100, ongoing retainer consulting commonly runs $500–$3,000+ a month, and custom build work can run into the thousands.
Do I need to hire an AI consultant for my small business?
Not necessarily. A lot of small businesses get real value from free tools and an hour of their own time. Paid help makes the most sense once you’ve tried the free version and hit a specific, sticky problem.
When is it actually worth paying for AI help?
When your time is worth more than the fee, when the task touches something sensitive enough to want a second set of eyes, or when you’ve outgrown free tools and need something wired into how your business actually runs.