Last updated · Peter Baker
Short answer: for a UK service firm of up to around 50 people, a £750 Ishigai AI Opportunity Audit covers the same core question as a £5,000 consultancy audit: where AI saves hours, ranked and costed. The bigger audit earns its price for larger firms, many departments, or a board that needs a formal readiness report.
Side by side
| Ishigai AI Opportunity Audit | Typical consultancy audit | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From £750, fixed scope | Commonly £3,500 to £15,000 (sources) |
| Built for | Service firms from solo founders to around 50 people | Mid-size and larger organisations, several departments |
| Time | Usually one to two weeks | Often several weeks |
| You get | A ranked, costed roadmap, "don't bother" calls and one first project | A readiness assessment, often with a strategy deck and governance framework |
| Credit | Credited in full against a pilot started within 60 days | Varies; usually separate from any build |
| Who does the work | Peter Baker, start to finish | A team, often with a partner and junior consultants |
Why the Ishigai audit is cheaper
The Ishigai audit is cheaper on purpose. The Ishigai audit is the start of a relationship, not the product: we would rather earn the build than charge heavily for the map. It is also scoped to firms where one person can map every workflow in a week or two, which keeps the cost down without cutting the depth on the parts that matter.
The deliverable is the same shape you'd expect from a bigger audit: opportunities ranked by hours saved against build effort and risk, a costed roadmap, and honest calls on what not to automate. You can read the whole thing in the worked example for an eighteen-person recruitment agency before you spend anything.
When the £5,000 audit is the right call
- You have more than around 50 staff or several departments with their own systems.
- Your board or a regulator needs a formal readiness report with governance and risk frameworks attached.
- You need several consultants on site for interviews across locations.
If any of those apply, pay for the bigger audit. If none of them do, the extra £4,000 mostly buys slides.
What any AI audit should give you
Whatever an AI audit costs, a UK service firm should come away with the same six things. If an audit is missing any of them, the price is not the problem.
- Opportunities ranked by return against risk, not by how impressive they sound.
- Hours saved per month for each one, estimated from how your team actually works.
- A build cost range for each one, so you can see the payback before committing.
- "Don't bother" calls. A roadmap that recommends everything is a sales document.
- One first project, small enough to prove the idea inside a quarter.
- A roadmap you keep, whether or not you build with the firm that wrote it.
Five questions to ask any auditor
- Can I see a full example deliverable before I pay?
- Who does the interviews and writes the roadmap: you, or a junior?
- Will the audit tell me where AI won't help?
- Do you sell one product the recommendations will point towards?
- Is the audit fee credited if I go on to build with you?
For the Ishigai audit the answers are: yes, in the worked example; Peter Baker, start to finish; yes, every time; no; and yes, in full against a pilot started within 60 days.
Frequently asked questions
Is a £750 AI audit too cheap to be any good?
Judge it by the deliverable, not the price. The worked example shows the full format: ranked opportunities, hours saved, build effort and the "don't bother" calls.
What does a consultancy AI audit cost in the UK?
Consultancy readiness assessments are commonly £3,500 to £15,000. Smaller firms typically pay £750 to £2,500. The UK price guide lists the sources.
Do I have to build with Ishigai afterwards?
No. The audit is standalone and the roadmap is yours to keep. If you do start a pilot within 60 days, the £750 comes off it in full.
How long does the Ishigai audit take compared with a consultancy audit?
The Ishigai AI Opportunity Audit usually takes one to two weeks for a firm of up to around 50 people. Consultancy audits covering several departments often run for several weeks, because more people and more workflows need interviewing and mapping.
Can I use the Ishigai roadmap with another provider?
Yes. The roadmap is written so any competent builder can pick it up: each opportunity has the workflow, the hours at stake, the build effort and the risks. Many firms use it to brief a builder they already trust.
Related reading
- Pricing: every Ishigai price on one page.
- Worked example: what the £750 audit actually looks like.
- What an AI audit costs in the UK: 2026 market ranges, with sources.
- Ishigai vs building it yourself: Zapier, n8n and when DIY wins.
- Ishigai vs doing nothing: what waiting actually costs.
The weekly note. One short email a week from Akashuin, our research blog: what UK firms are actually doing with AI, the numbers behind it, and one thing you can try that week. Free, and one click to unsubscribe.