.svg){kind=small}
.webp)
Let's cut to it. You're thinking about getting help with AI for your business, and you want to know what it's going to cost. Fair enough. The short answer: anywhere from £100 a month to £50,000+ for a full transformation project. The real answer depends on what you actually need.
Here at Blue Canvas in Derry, we talk to business owners every week who've been quoted wildly different numbers by different consultancies. Some have been quoted £500 a day. Others have been told £2,000 for a "strategy session." A few have been pitched six-figure annual retainers by London firms.
So let's break down what AI consulting actually costs in the UK in 2026, what you're paying for, and how to avoid wasting money.
AI consulting isn't one thing. It covers a range of services, and the price depends on which ones you need:
Most UK businesses need a combination of these. The mistake is jumping straight to tools without strategy, or paying for strategy without implementation.
Here's a realistic breakdown based on what we see in the market:
Day rates: £400–£800/day. Good for specific tasks — setting up an automation, running a workshop, auditing your current tools. You'll find these on LinkedIn or through referrals. Quality varies wildly.
Monthly packages: £100–£1,000/month. Project work: £2,000–£10,000. This is where most SMEs get the best value. You get senior attention, practical implementation, and someone who actually understands small business constraints. At Blue Canvas, our packages start at £100/month for ongoing support, with strategy projects from £2,000.
Project fees: £10,000–£50,000. These firms often have teams of 10-50 people and serve mid-market companies. You'll get more structure and process, but also more overhead baked into the price.
Engagements: £50,000–£500,000+. EY, PwC, Accenture — they do excellent work, but they're built for large enterprises with large budgets. If you're an SME, this isn't your lane.
A few things drive the cost up or down:
Phil Patterson, Blue Canvas founder, puts it simply: "The most expensive AI consulting is the kind that produces a 40-page PDF and no actual change in your business."
Here's how to make sure you're spending wisely:
Don't hire a consultant to "do AI." Hire them to fix something specific — reduce proposal turnaround time, automate follow-up emails, generate leads faster. The clearer you are, the better the outcome.
A good consultant will tell you what success looks like in numbers: hours saved, leads generated, cost reduced. If they can't quantify it, be cautious.
You don't need a £20,000 project to get started. A £2,000 strategy session plus a £500/month retainer can transform a small business within three months. We've seen it happen repeatedly with our clients across Northern Ireland and the UK.
Strategy without implementation is just a document. Make sure your consultant actually builds things, trains your team, and sticks around to see results.
Let's do the maths. If an AI automation saves one team member 10 hours a week, that's roughly 500 hours a year. At an average UK salary cost of £15-20/hour (including overheads), that's £7,500–£10,000 saved annually. If the consulting engagement cost £3,000, you've paid for itself in under six months.
The Wall Group, one of Blue Canvas's clients, used AI-driven business development to support £4M in growth and create 50 new jobs. The consulting investment was a fraction of that return.
For most UK businesses, especially SMEs, the question isn't whether you can afford AI consulting. It's whether you can afford to wait while your competitors adopt it.
If you're a UK business exploring AI consulting, here's a simple starting point:
No six-figure commitment needed. No jargon. Just honest advice about what AI can actually do for your business right now.
Blue Canvas is an AI consultancy based in Derry, Northern Ireland. We help businesses across the UK and Ireland implement AI that actually delivers results — from strategy to deployment to training.
Book your free 15-minute consultation →
No obligation. No sales pitch. Just honest advice and a clear idea of costs.
It’s time to paint your business’s future with Blue Canvas. Don’t get left behind in the AI revolution. Unlock efficiency, elevate your sales, and drive new revenue with our help.
Book your free 15-minute consultation and discover how a top AI consultancy UK businesses trust can deliver game-changing results for you.
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg)
