What an AI consultant costs a business of 5 to 50 people
An AI consultant can charge by the hour, by the project or by the month. My prices are published: the first call is free, a first project is a fixed price from $10,000, and ongoing work starts at $5,000 a month.
I set those prices for owner-run businesses of about 5 to 50 staff with no engineering team of their own.
By Alex Smith, founder of spktr · Updated September 25, 2026
What I charge
I charge in three steps, and you can stop after any of them.
| Step | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Intro call | PriceFree · 45 minutes | What it coversA 45-minute call where I learn how your business runs and where to start. Afterward I send a written proposal for your first project. |
| First project | PriceFrom $10,000 · Fixed price | What it coversOne workflow, a named result and a finish date. |
| Ongoing work | PriceFrom $5,000 · Per month | What it coversI work as your embedded AI lead: one three-hour session at your office each week, and remote building the rest of the week. I take on one workstream at a time and finish as many each month as the pace allows. Two workstreams in parallel is $10,000 a month. The first term is two months, then it runs month to month. |
Why a first project has a fixed price
A fixed price caps what you can lose while you find out whether AI works in your business. Owners worry, with reason, that an AI consultant will turn their confusion into an expensive project with no end.
So a first project covers one workflow, and the written proposal names the result, the price and the finish date before any work begins. I build the smallest version that does real work, usually running within a few weeks, and only the part that earns its place gets finished and scaled.
What moves the price of a first project
A first project starts at $10,000, and the scope sets where it lands: the points below are what make one workflow more work than another. Once the proposal names the price, it’s fixed, so the hours I spend don’t change it.
- How many systems the workflow touches. Work that stays inside one tool costs less to automate than work that carries data between your accounting software, your CRM and your inbox.
- Whether software can reach those systems. Many tools have an API, a documented way for other software to read and write their data. An older system without one takes more work, because the data has to come out through exports or off the screen.
- Where the information lives. Records kept in one system are quicker to work with than the same records spread across spreadsheets, inboxes and paper.
- Whether you already know what to build. If you’ve put your finger on the bottleneck, the project is the build. If you know AI could help but not where, it starts with me shadowing how the work flows and mapping what’s worth automating. The AI readiness checklist is a free way to find out which of those you are.
- How sensitive the data is. Client files, health records and financial data need handling rules agreed before I touch anything, and the tool has to follow them.
- How many people will use it. Every build ends with your team trained on it, and training twenty people takes longer than training two.
You get the number in the written proposal after our first call, before you commit to anything. The questions to ask any AI consultant cover the rest of what that proposal should say.
What ongoing work costs
Ongoing work costs $5,000 a month for one workstream and $10,000 a month for two in parallel. For that I work as your embedded AI lead: one three-hour session at your office each week and remote building the rest of the week, finishing as many pieces each month as the pace allows. The first term is two months, then it runs month to month.
What I build in a first project is yours either way. The code, the documentation and admin access are handed over as each piece ships, and everything lives in your own accounts. Ongoing work suits a business with more than one workflow worth automating, or one that wants someone adding to its tools as the business changes.
What a tool costs to run after it’s built
A tool that uses AI has running costs on top of my fee: the AI provider bills for usage, and some tools need a software subscription. Because the tool runs in your own accounts, those bills come to you from the provider, and you can see every one.
Cost questions
Do you charge by the hour?
No. A first project is a fixed price and ongoing work is a flat monthly fee, both set in writing before work starts.
Is the intro call free?
Yes. It runs 45 minutes, and afterward I send a written proposal for your first project at no charge.
Do I have to sign up for ongoing work after the first project?
No. The first project stands on its own, and you own what it produces. Ongoing work is there if you want more built.
How long is the commitment for ongoing work?
The first term is two months. After that it runs month to month.
Do nonprofits pay the same?
For nonprofits and public offices I do fixed-fee projects in place of ongoing monthly work, sized to fit a board or council budget.
For a number on your own workflow, book the free call. Afterward I send a written proposal with the price and a finish date.