What does AI consulting cost? Day rate from 1,000 euros net

A consulting day costs an average of 1,300 euros net in Germany. That is the average invoiced day rate from the study “Fees in Consulting 2025” by the BDU. Anyone asking about the cost of AI consulting still rarely gets a number, since many AI consultants only name their price after the initial conversation. Here you'll find which day rates and packages are published, what to compare offers by, and what NordFlux charges. As of: September 2026, all prices net.

What day rate is typical for AI consulting?

Public figures put the day rate for AI consulting in a range of roughly 800 to 1,600 euros net, depending on whether you hire a freelancer or a consulting firm. The range comes from these sources:

• Consulting firms: According to BDU the average is 1,300 euros, partners and managing directors charge 1,600 euros on average, analysts 700 euros.
• Freelancers: The Freelancer Compass 2026 by freelancermap names an average of 103 euros per hour, which comes to a good 800 euros a day over eight hours.
• Openly published prices: A Power Platform consulting firm states on its pricing page a day rate from 1,100 euros, an AI consultant 220 euros per hour for sparring.

The BDU figure applies to the entire consulting industry, not just AI. A separate statistic just for AI consulting does not exist, according to our research. However, the openly published prices of AI consultants fall in the same range.

What packages do AI consultants offer, and what do they cost?

Besides the day rate, AI consultants mainly sell three formats: analyses, workshops, and ongoing support. Prices vary widely, because very different services hide under the same name. Some examples with an open price:

• Potential analysis: 500 euros for a 60-minute analysis conversation, 3,500 euros for a three- to four-week strategy package, 7,900 euros for a three-day audit.
• Workshop: an AI practice day from 1,950 euros, a fundamentals day from 3,500 euros, a two-day workshop for 5,000 euros.
• Ongoing support: a monthly sparring from 1,500 euros, cancellable monthly, an AI support over three months from 5,680 euros a month or a ten-session card for 1,990 euros.

A 60-minute conversation and a three-week investigation are both called a potential analysis. So the package price alone says little.

How do you compare offers for AI consulting?

Compare offers by the number of consulting days and the outcome, not by the package name. These questions help:

• How many consulting days are in the package? Divide the package price by the days, and you'll see the actual day rate.
• What do you end up holding? A slide deck is something quite different from a process document that lets someone build an agent.
• How long are you tied in? For ongoing support, cancellable monthly is common in the market.
• What additional costs come up? Travel costs, preparation time, and above all licenses. What Microsoft Copilot costs is covered in our article on the Copilot licensing jungle 2026.

On funding: The BAFA guideline on funding for business consulting applies until 31 December 2026. Whether a particular offer is eligible for funding depends on the consultant and on your company. NordFlux is currently not listed for BAFA consulting funding, so the prices below apply without a subsidy. More on this in the article Is AI consulting subsidized?

What does AI consulting cost at NordFlux?

NordFlux works with an open day rate of 1,000 euros net, and all formats are built from it. That is below the BDU average and at the upper end of the freelancer market. For on-site appointments, travel costs and expenses are added, which we state in advance.

• Consulting day: 1,000 euros net per day, see AI Consulting.
• AI potential analysis: one or two survey days at 1,000 euros each. You receive a process document with prioritized AI candidates, see AI Potential Analysis.
• AI sparring: from 1,000 euros a month for one day, cancellable monthly, remaining hours transferable for one month, see AI Sparring.
• On-site training day: 1,000, 2,000, or 2,900 euros for up to 4, 8, or 12 people, see AI Training for Employees.
• AI Champions: three days over three months for 3,000, 6,000, or 8,700 euros, see AI Champions.
• Copilot start: 1,500 euros for four weeks remote, regardless of how many employees take part, see Copilot Enablement.

The initial conversation lasts 30 minutes and costs nothing. A practical example: for a medical device supplier, NordFlux built an agent that answers inquiries about article stock. In such projects, much is decided before the first build day, namely the question of which inquiries actually come in and which system the answer comes from. That is exactly what the potential analysis is for.

Frequently asked questions about the cost of AI consulting

What does an AI consultant cost per day?

A consulting day costs an average of 1,300 euros net across the German consulting industry, according to the BDU study for 2025. Freelancers are below that, averaging 103 euros per hour, which comes to a good 800 euros a day. NordFlux charges 1,000 euros net per day.

Why do many AI consultants not name prices?

The scope often only becomes clear in the conversation, and packages with the same name differ widely. Ask for the day rate anyway. That also lets you compare flat-rate offers, because you can convert the package price into days.

Is there AI consulting at a fixed price?

Yes. Many providers sell analyses and workshops as a fixed-price package; the publicly stated prices range from 500 euros for a short analysis conversation to 7,900 euros for a three-day audit. Pay attention to how many days and what outcome are included in the fixed price.

Is AI consulting subsidized?

The BAFA funding for business consulting runs, under the current guideline, until 31 December 2026. According to IHK Cottbus the BAFA subsidizes at most 3,500 euros of consulting costs at 50 percent, and in eastern Germany as well as the Lüneburg and Trier regions at 80 percent. NordFlux is currently not listed for BAFA consulting funding, so consulting with us is not subsidized through it.