Search for this and you mostly get "it depends". It does, but you can still get a useful range before you talk to anyone. Below are the market ranges I found, a way to build your own estimate, and a quick payback check, because the honest answer for some projects is that they cost more than they save.
Where the numbers come from. These are ranges published in 2026 by Indian AI and consulting providers, listed at the bottom of the page. They are marketing pages, not audited surveys, and they disagree with each other at the edges. Use them to sanity-check a quote, not to set a budget to the rupee. Prices exclude 18% GST.
What Different Kinds of Providers Charge per Day
The single biggest driver of price is who you hire, not what you ask them to do. One published benchmark for consulting day rates in India looks like this:
| Provider type | Typical day rate (INR) |
|---|---|
| Independent or boutique | 25,000 to 75,000 |
| Tier 2 consulting firm | 1,00,000 to 2,00,000 |
| Big 4 | 1,50,000 to 3,00,000 |
| Top strategy firms | 3,00,000 to 5,00,000 |
Hourly figures you will see quoted for experienced AI strategy consultants are higher, roughly Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 an hour, and go above that for CXO-level or domain specialists in areas like financial services and healthcare. That works out to more than the day rates above because it prices senior strategy time, not delivery time. When you compare quotes, convert everything to a day rate so you are comparing the same thing.
What Different Kinds of Work Cost
| Type of work | Typical range (INR) | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| AI readiness assessment | 1.5 to 5 lakh | 2 to 4 weeks |
| AI strategy and roadmap | 5 to 20 lakh | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Prototype or proof of concept | 1.5 to 3 lakh | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Production build (e.g. a business chatbot or workflow) | 6 to 15 lakh | 2 to 4 months |
| Advisory or fractional retainer | 75,000 to 3 lakh per month | Ongoing |
For chatbots specifically, which is the most common thing Indian companies ask for, published ranges step up with what the bot has to do: a basic FAQ bot at roughly Rs 30,000 to 75,000, a bot connected to your CRM and WhatsApp with lead routing at Rs 1 to 4 lakh, and an advanced one with knowledge-base search, multilingual support, booking or payments and human handoff at Rs 5 lakh and above. Testing and QA is usually quoted as another 15 to 25 percent on top.
How I Estimate a Project Myself
When I scope work, I do not start from a price list. I count days, then multiply. The formula is simple:
Total = (discovery days + build days + testing days + handover days) x day rate, plus running costs.
Here is a worked example. This is a hypothetical project and my own day estimates, not a client quote: automating invoice data entry, where PDFs arrive by email and the fields need to land in an accounting system.
- Discovery: looking at sample invoices, the accounting system and the exceptions, 3 days
- Build: extraction, validation rules, the integration, an exceptions queue for a human, 12 days
- Testing on real historical invoices and tuning, 3 days (about 20 to 25 percent of build)
- Handover and documentation, 2 days
That is 20 days. At an independent or boutique day rate of Rs 25,000 to 75,000, the build lands between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh, which sits inside the market range for a production build above. A larger firm doing the same 20 days at Rs 1.5 lakh a day would be Rs 30 lakh, and you would not get a different result, just a bigger invoice and probably more days.
Running costs come on top and continue after delivery. They are hosting, plus any per-use charges for the AI service you call. To estimate them, multiply your monthly volume (say, invoices per month) by the cost per item, and ask the consultant to show that calculation. Vendors change these prices often, so it should be written down in the proposal, not left vague.
A Payback Check Before You Spend
Divide the cost by the yearly saving. Take the invoice example. If your team spends 60 hours a month on entry and an hour of their time costs the company Rs 500 all-in, that is Rs 30,000 a month, or Rs 3.6 lakh a year. A Rs 5 lakh project pays back in about 17 months. A Rs 15 lakh project pays back in about 4 years, which is probably not worth doing on time saved alone.
This is useful in both directions. Some projects clearly pay off (10,000 invoices a month across a team of ten). Others look exciting and do not. A good consultant will run this calculation with you, and if the number does not work, tell you so. If yours will not, treat that as information about them.
Sanity-Checking a Quote
- Far below the ranges above. Often a template or a junior team, or a scope that quietly excludes testing, integrations or handover. Ask what is not included.
- Far above. You may be paying for a large firm's overhead and a team of juniors. Ask how many days, at what rate, and who is doing them.
- No day count anywhere. A price without a day breakdown cannot be compared with anything.
- No mention of running costs or maintenance. Ask before you sign.
I wrote a separate guide on how to choose an AI consultant or AI consulting firm that covers what to ask beyond price.
How I Price My Own Work
I do not publish a rate card, because the same request can be three days or thirty depending on your data. I start with a fixed-price discovery phase of one to two weeks, at the end of which you get a written plan with days, scope and cost that you can take to any other consultant. See how engagements work, or tell me what you are trying to fix and I will say whether it is a discovery-sized or a build-sized job.
Sources
Figures above were compiled from these published 2026 pricing pages. They are vendor-published and vary, so verify current numbers with any provider you consider.
- LeanStrat: AI consulting pricing guide, India and USA (day-rate benchmarks)
- Deepak Jain: cost of AI consulting in India (assessment, strategy, retainer ranges)
- BrainGuru: AI development cost in India (prototype vs production)
- Decipher Consultancy: AI chatbot cost in India (chatbot tiers, QA overhead)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does AI consulting cost in India?
Published 2026 ranges put an independent or boutique consultant at roughly Rs 25,000 to 75,000 per day, an AI readiness assessment at Rs 1.5 to 5 lakh, a prototype at Rs 1.5 to 3 lakh, and a production build at roughly Rs 6 to 15 lakh, plus 18% GST. Larger firms charge several times more per day. These are market ranges, not quotes.
How do I estimate the cost of my own AI project?
Count the days for discovery, build, testing and handover, multiply by the provider's day rate, then add running costs such as hosting and per-use AI charges. Then divide the total by the yearly saving to check payback.
Why do AI consulting quotes vary so much?
Mostly because of who does the work and how many days they assume. Day rates differ by several times between independents and large firms, and scope differences such as testing, integrations and handover change the day count.
Is AI consulting worth the money?
Only if the yearly saving or revenue gain is meaningfully larger than the cost. As a rough check, a project that pays back within 12 to 18 months is usually reasonable. If it takes several years to pay back, reconsider the scope.
Are there ongoing costs after an AI project is delivered?
Yes. Expect hosting, per-use charges for any AI service, and some maintenance. Ask for an estimate of running costs in the proposal.
About the Author: Utkarsh Gupta is an AI, Analytics & Automation consultant with 6+ years of experience. He helps companies across India implement practical AI solutions that deliver measurable business impact. See his AI consulting services in India or get in touch.