Last updated · Peter Baker
Short answer: a UK business with under 10 staff typically pays £750 to £2,500 for an AI audit. A business with 10 to 50 staff typically pays £2,500 to £8,000. Consultancy-led readiness assessments run £3,500 to £15,000, and Big 4 versions start around £50,000. Implementation is extra in almost every case.
UK AI audit prices in 2026
- Under 10 staff: £750 to £2,500, usually one to three days of consultant time. Source: Lilach Bullock.
- 10 to 50 staff, several departments: £2,500 to £8,000, typically a week of interviews, documentation review and a written report. Source: Lilach Bullock.
- Consultancy readiness audit or opportunity assessment: £3,500 to £15,000 over one to three weeks. Source: We Call Shotgun, August 2026.
- Agency-run audits: £5,000 to £15,000 or more. Source: Lilach Bullock.
- Big 4 and large consultancies: £50,000 and up. Source: We Call Shotgun.
- Day rates: independent AI consultants charge roughly £500 to £2,000 a day; boutique and mid-tier firms £900 to £1,600. Source: We Call Shotgun.
Sources: Lilach Bullock, AI audit for small business: cost; We Call Shotgun, AI consulting costs in the UK (2026). Both sell consulting themselves, so treat these as market benchmarks rather than neutral surveys.
What drives the price
- Team size and departments. More people and more teams means more interviews and more workflows to map.
- How many workflows are in scope. One process is a day or two. A whole operation is a fortnight.
- Whether the roadmap is costed. A list of ideas is cheap. A ranked roadmap with build costs and payback takes real work.
- Who does it. Day-rate consultants, boutiques and large consultancies price very differently for similar scope.
What a good audit should include
Whatever you pay, you should come away with more than a slide deck:
- A map of how work actually gets done, not the org chart.
- A view of your data: is it clean enough for anything smarter?
- What you already pay for. Many firms own software features nobody has switched on.
- Risk and compliance, especially where customer or employee data is involved.
- Quick wins separated from longer projects.
- A written, ranked roadmap with cost and effort estimates.
- Honest "don't bother" calls. A roadmap that recommends everything is a sales document.
Where Ishigai sits
Our AI Opportunity Audit is from £750, fixed scope, and usually takes one to two weeks. It's built for UK service firms from solo founders to around 50 people. If you start a pilot with us within 60 days, the full £750 comes off the pilot.
That puts us at the lower end of the market on purpose. We'd rather earn the build than charge heavily for the map. You can see exactly what you'd get in the worked example, including the parts where the answer is "don't bother".
Not ready to spend anything? The free website report takes two minutes and shows where your site is losing enquiries.
What an audit won't tell you
- The exact build cost. An AI audit gives indicative ranges. A fixed quote comes once the first project is scoped.
- That every idea is worth doing. A good AI audit says "don't bother" as often as "do this". An audit that recommends everything is a sales document.
- Whether your team will use it. Hours saved only count if the people doing the work adopt the new process, so a good audit talks to them, not just the owner.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI audit cost in the UK?
For a business under 10 staff, typically £750 to £2,500. For 10 to 50 staff, £2,500 to £8,000. Consultancy readiness assessments are commonly £3,500 to £15,000, agency-run audits £5,000 to £15,000 or more, and Big 4 versions £50,000 and up.
How long does an AI audit take?
Usually one to three weeks, depending on how many people and workflows are reviewed. A small business audit is often one to three days of consultant time spread over a week or two.
Is a free AI audit worth it?
It can be a useful starting point, but check who is offering it. If the provider sells one product, the recommendations tend to point at that product. Ask whether the report includes things not to do.
Do I need an audit before building anything?
Not always, but building the wrong thing costs twice: once to build and again to unpick. An audit is the cheapest way to find the one place worth starting.
Related reading
- AI Opportunity Audit: from £750, credited against a pilot started within 60 days.
- Worked example: what a £750 audit deliverable actually looks like.
- AI for recruitment agencies: what to automate first, and what the ICO expects.
- AI for accountants: what to automate first, and what ICAEW expects.
- AI for law firms: what to automate first, and what the SRA expects.
- AI for web agencies: automate the agency, not the craft.
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