How much AI consulting costs: hourly rate, packages and monthly retainer
We show you plainly what an hour of an expert practitioner costs and the order of magnitude we work in — so you don't waste time if the budget doesn't fit. Every project is quoted to scope, once we understand what you want to solve. There's nothing to buy on the site and we don't ask for a card to talk — an expert practitioner replies by email within 48 hours.
Expert practitioner time: from €250/hour — the reference we build our fixed prices from. We don't sell hours, we quote the outcome: you pay for what we deliver, not for time. We don't second people out "X days a week" and we don't work off procurement rate-cards.
Where you start: fixed-price packages
Most clients start with a fixed package — a defined scope up front that ends in a deliverable, not a subscription. It converts naturally into a retainer. If the deliverable isn't useful, we revise it free or refund you.
AI Diagnostic
2–3 weeks, fixed scope. We look at where you are, pick the right use case, and you leave with a prioritized roadmap and next steps.
For those who want to know which use case to bet on first.
AI adoption led for 2,000 employees at Microsoft.
AI Pilot to Production
4–6 weeks. We take one use case from idea to something working and measured in production — not on slides.
For those who want to see AI shipped, with a number behind it.
AI/ML for Alexa at Amazon · AI product live across 200,000 documents.
Monthly retainer — from €2,500/mo
An expert practitioner owns the engagement — with a written plan, a fixed cadence and a capped monthly capacity, agreed through a proposal. It is not a subscription bought on the site. Three tiers, depending on how involved we are:
AI On-Call
An expert practitioner on hand for decisions, reviews and course-corrections as you build. Capped monthly hours, one owner, two-business-day response. Month-to-month, 30 days' notice.
For those who want a person to lean on, not a team.
Fractional AI Lead
A fractional AI lead who owns the AI portfolio: architecture, governance, adoption, plus a monthly working session. One-business-day response. Three-month initial term, then month-to-month (30 days' notice).
For those shipping AI to production who want someone holding the direction.
Transformation Partner
Reserved and capped expert capacity, an included co-delivery credit (extended delivery quoted separately) and a quarterly executive review. Initial term to the first review, then month-to-month.
For those after company-level transformation. A limited number of active engagements.
Retainer or ad-hoc — which do you choose
You can also work with us on a one-off basis, without a monthly retainer. Here's the difference, plainly:
| Ad-hoc | Monthly retainer | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | quoted to scope, per intervention (€250/h reference) | fixed monthly price, capped hours — the same expert hours |
| Response | when we have a slot | priority, guaranteed (1–2 business days) |
| Continuity | each request starts from scratch | a written plan that connects the months |
| Who owns it | you hold the thread | an expert practitioner owns the portfolio |
| Capacity | not reserved | reserved monthly |
| When it fits | a short, isolated intervention | when AI is a direction, not a task |
Ad-hoc fits a short, isolated intervention — we quote it separately each time and you start from scratch. If you need help month after month, the retainer gives you reserved capacity, a priority response and a person who knows you, at a fixed monthly cost — usually better value than repeated ad-hoc interventions. You choose a retainer when AI is a direction, not an isolated task.
What accountability looks like
A retainer isn't vague hours of "availability". It's a person and a plan:
- A named expert practitioner owns the engagement and signs the plan — one accountable name, not "the team".
- A written plan up front: agreed outcomes, cadence and success criteria, with go/no-go checkpoints.
- A monthly progress note and a capped, transparent scope: you see what shipped and where the hours went. Advisory availability is separate from guaranteed delivery capacity.
- You own the outputs: every deliverable, in your tooling. Your data stays yours — we reuse only anonymized methods, never your data or specifics. No long lock-in: you leave on 30 days' notice.
- We're accountable for the work, not an ROI multiple: we hold ourselves to the deliverables, cadence, quality and the movement of the metrics we agree and measure — which is why we ask for an internal owner on your side, since adoption doesn't happen without one.
Why AI Leaders
You pay for practitioners, not slides
- AI adoption led for 2,000 employees at Microsoft
- AI/ML for Alexa at Amazon
- AI products live across 200,000 documents
- EU AI Act and GDPR compliance expertise
See all the AI experts on the team and what we help with.
Pricing FAQ
What is the hourly rate?
A reference: from €250/hour of an expert practitioner. It's the number we build our fixed prices from — we don't sell hours separately from the outcome. On fixed-price packages and retainers you pay for the result, and the hours come bundled with a plan, an owner and reserved capacity. For a one-off intervention, we quote it to scope from that same reference.
Retainer or ad-hoc — which do I choose?
Ad-hoc is good for a short, isolated intervention: we quote it separately each time. A retainer makes sense when you need help month after month — reserved capacity, a priority response and an expert practitioner who owns your portfolio, at a fixed monthly cost.
Why don't you publish a single fixed price?
Because the result depends on what you want to solve: a strategy decision, a pilot taken to production, or compliance do not cost the same. We publish the hourly rate and indicative "from" floors so you know the order of magnitude, then quote exactly to your scope.
What is a monthly retainer?
An expert practitioner owns the engagement — with a written plan, a fixed cadence and a capped monthly capacity. It is not a subscription bought on the site. Hours are capped, you own the outputs, and you leave on 30 days' notice.
Am I locked into a long contract?
No. Tier 1 is month-to-month with 30 days' notice; Tiers 2 and 3 have a short initial term, then run month-to-month. On the fixed-price packages, if the deliverable isn't useful we revise it free or refund you.
Are workshops included in these rates?
No, applied workshops are quoted separately based on the topic, format and number of participants. Tell us the topic and we come back with a proposal.
Indicative prices, excluding VAT. EU B2B reverse charge applies; for clients in Romania, 19% VAT is added.
Want a quote for your scope?
Write to us about the AI decision or project you are working on. An expert practitioner replies by email within 48 hours, with a clear proposal and next steps.
Let's talk