What will your AI project cost?
Answer four questions and get the build cost, monthly running cost, timeline and payback for an AI agent, RAG system or computer vision project. The numbers come straight from our published pricing guides. No sign-up needed to see them.
Every range is in a guide you can read.
We publish our pricing research, so the calculator is not a black box. Each guide explains what drives the cost up and what a complete quote should contain.
AI Agent Development Cost in 2026
Build tiers, integration costs, monthly running costs and the hidden costs nobody quotes.
Read the guide Pricing guideHow Much Does a RAG System Cost in 2026?
Tiers, the ingestion line item everyone underestimates, and running costs by scale.
Read the guide Pricing guideComputer Vision Development Cost in 2026
Project tiers, real labelling costs, and why where the model runs matters more than the model.
Read the guideAbout the estimate
How accurate is this AI cost calculator?
It uses the 2026 market ranges published in our AI agent, RAG and computer vision pricing guides, so it is a sound budgeting range rather than a quote. The real number depends mostly on how clean your data is and how many systems the AI has to connect to. A free consultation turns the range into a fixed-scope price within 24 hours.
Why is the year-one cost higher than the build cost?
Every AI system has two cost buckets: the one-time build and the monthly running cost for models, hosting and monitoring. The calculator also adds a 20% reserve for the first 90 days after launch, because real users always reveal cases the specification missed. Budgeting only for the build is the most common mistake buyers make.
How is the payback period calculated?
Your monthly saving is the number of tasks the AI handles each month multiplied by what each task costs you today when a person does it. The calculator subtracts the monthly running cost from that saving, then divides the build cost and iteration reserve by what is left. If the saving never covers the running cost, the scope needs to narrow before the project makes sense.
Can a project cost less than the calculator shows?
Yes. Starting with a narrow proof of concept, using clean data sources first, and choosing an off-the-shelf platform for commoditised tasks can all bring the cost down. We tell you on the first call when a cheaper route, or no custom AI at all, is the better answer.
Turn the range into a real price.
Book a free consultation. We'll look at your data and systems and send a fixed-scope quote within 24 hours, and tell you if custom AI isn't the right answer.