What does AI consulting cost? Cost drivers, formats and funding

What a AI consulting costs depends mainly on how much consulting time is needed, which format you choose, and what should be delivered in the end – a short impulse, a potential analysis, or a guided introduction. For small and medium-sized companies, the most important figure is often not the fee, but the own contribution after funding: The BAFA consulting subsidy covers up to 80%, and INQA-Coaching also covers 80% of up to €1,200 per day.

What the costs of AI consulting depend on

An AI consulting service is not a commodity with a list price. Reputable offers differ above all in these cost drivers:

• Scope: How many meetings, workshops, and analysis days are needed? A company with a clear bottleneck needs less time than one that first wants to understand how to classify AI.
• Format: An impulse workshop is shorter than a potential analysis, and both are shorter than a guided rollout over several weeks.
• Preparation and follow-up: Interviews, process mapping, and a written report with recommendations take time – but they are exactly what you will use later.
• People involved and locations: The more departments, locations, or entities are involved, the more coordination is required.
• IT landscape and data:If systems, interfaces and data quality need to be checked, the effort increases.
• Data protection and legal matters:If you process sensitive data, data protection and the obligations under the EU AI Act are part of the consulting.
• On site or online:On-site workshops often deliver more, but they also involve travel time.

Typical formats of AI consulting

Which format is suitable depends on your starting point. A first impression of your current status is provided by the free AI Readiness Check; the article describes how a potential analysis works AI potential analysis.

What the funding covers

The consulting itself is eligible for funding. BAFA consulting grant covers 80% of consulting costs in the new federal states as well as the Lüneburg and Trier regions (maximum €2,800) and 50% in the rest of Germany (maximum €1,750); it was extended in October 2026 until the end of 2028. For a longer, guided rollout with your team, there is INQA-Coaching with 80% of up to €1,200 per day for up to twelve days. The grant covers the consulting, not software or implementation. Which program is suitable is shown by the Funding check.

Calculation example: What remains for you?

Example with assumed fees, no offer and no client case:

In both programs, you initially pay the fee in full and receive the grant after the supporting documents have been reviewed. The calculation example for BAFA consulting funding shows what the BAFA invoice looks like in detail.

What to look for in the quote

• Clear result:What is delivered in the end – report, prioritized use cases, roadmap?
• Scope instead of buzzwords: How many hours or days, which dates, who is involved?
• Eligibility for funding: Is the consultant registered with BAFA or an authorized INQA coach? Without that, there is no subsidy.
• Independence:Is a solution recommended because it fits, or because the consultant sells it?
• Follow-up costs:Are licenses, operations, and implementation named transparently, even if they are not part of the consulting?

Costs that are often overlooked

In addition to the fee, AI consulting also costs internal time: Management and employees take part in workshops and provide information. After the consulting, costs for software, operation, and implementation are added – these are neither funded by BAFA nor by INQA. Good consulting shows these follow-up costs in advance so that you can make a realistic decision.

From practice

For the management of Pumpenallianz Nord, a collective brand of several regional pump service companies, the goal of a general AI consulting project was deliberately modest: to assess where AI can be usefully applied in day-to-day operations without having to go deep into the topic themselves. The result was a clear assessment and a concrete next step – an AI chatbot for the website that leads interested parties more quickly to the right partner company.

How we structure AI consulting is described on the page AI consulting.

Frequently asked questions

Is AI consulting subsidized?

Yes. The BAFA consulting subsidy covers 80% in the new federal states as well as the Lüneburg and Trier regions and 50% in the rest of Germany, each up to a maximum of €3,500 in consulting costs. INQA coaching provides nationwide funding of 80% of up to €1,200 per day for up to twelve days.

Do I have to pre-finance the consulting?

Yes. In both programs, you first pay the fee in full by bank transfer. The grant is paid out to your company after the supporting documents have been reviewed.

Is software also funded?

No. The funding covers the consulting or coaching, not software, licenses, or programming.

Until when is the BAFA funding for consulting available?

The guideline was extended in October 2026 and applies to consulting for which the proof of use is submitted by December 31, 2028.

As of: October 2026. Funding conditions may change; the applicable guidelines in force at the time are decisive.