HowMuchDoesanAIProjectCost?Real2026Ranges
Almost nobody publishes AI prices. We do: here are the real ranges by project type, from a €3,000 audit to enterprise systems, plus the factors that move each budget. They come from our published prices and from 30+ LLM projects since 2023, not from a third-party study.
How much does an AI project cost?
In 2026, an AI project for a European SMB or mid-sized company runs from €3,000 for an initial audit to over €200,000 for large RAG or multi-agent systems. The most common ranges: automating a process costs €3,000-15,000, an AI chatbot €8,000-30,000, an AI agent in production €25,000-100,000 and an enterprise RAG from €45,000. The final budget depends above all on the state of your data, the integrations and compliance.
Where these figures come from
First-party data, verifiable on this very website.
Over 15 years delivering digital projects and, since 2023, applied AI.
Quoted, built and operated by us since 2023.
Systems running for real, not pilots or lab demos.
Audit, compliance and GEO with ranges published on each service page.
AI Project Prices in 2026: Reference Table
Ranges from our published prices and our experience across 30+ LLM projects since 2023. The final budget is set at kickoff.
| Project type | Typical range | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| AI audit Diagnostic, ROI-ranked scorecard and roadmap. Published price. | €3,000-8,000 | 2-3 weeks |
| AI process automation Per process, with self-hosted n8n or Python. | €3,000-15,000 | 2-6 weeks |
| AI chatbot Customer support over a bounded knowledge base. | €8,000-30,000 | 4-8 weeks |
| AI agent in production Single agent with 2-3 tools; with ML, up to €100,000. | €25,000-100,000 | 2-4 months |
| Enterprise RAG Basic from 1 data source; multi-source builds up to €200,000. | from €45,000 | 2-6 months |
| Multi-agent / enterprise system Orchestration, complex integrations, on-premise option. | €100,000-500,000+ | 6-12 months |
| EU AI Act compliance Compliance diagnostic; full program €15,000-30,000. | €4,500-9,000 | 2-3 weeks |
| Ongoing support and evolution Roadmap, governance and continuous improvement. Published price. | from €1,500/mo | Ongoing |
| GEO: visibility in ChatGPT and Perplexity Getting answer engines to cite your brand. Published price. | from €1,500/mo | Ongoing |
Indicative ranges, excl. VAT. Prices marked as published are the ones on our service pages; the rest are ranges from our own experience. The final budget is set at kickoff based on data, integrations and scope.
The 5 Factors That Move the Price of an AI Project
Two projects with the same name can cost twice as much as each other. It almost always comes down to this.
The state of your data
The biggest multiplier. With accessible, well-structured data the project moves; with data scattered across PDFs, inboxes and systems without APIs, preparation can eat 30 to 50% of the budget. It's the first thing we assess in the AI audit.
The integrations
Every system the project touches adds cost: CRM, ERP, email, telephony. A modern API integrates in days; a legacy ERP without documentation can take weeks of reverse engineering or RPA.
Compliance
If the use case falls into the risk categories of the EU AI Act, add technical documentation, impact assessment and human oversight. With personal data, GDPR dictates where and how everything is processed.
Languages and markets
Each language adds content, testing and answer-quality evaluation. It doesn't multiply the price linearly, but a chatbot in 5 languages doesn't cost the same as one in a single language.
Autonomy and the cost of error
An assistant that suggests is not the same as an agent that executes orders or payments. More autonomy means more evals, guardrails and human-in-the-loop, because the cost of a mistake rises too.
Where the Budget of an AI Project Actually Goes
The model is the cheap part. Data and integrations rule.
The line item that surprises people is not the model: in our projects, LLM calls rarely exceed 5% of the total cost. What rules is data preparation and the number of systems to integrate. That's why two "identical" chatbots can cost €8,000 or €30,000, and why we distrust any fixed quote given before anyone has seen the data.
Where to Start: Kiwop's Fixed Prices
The only prices on this page that are not indicative.
Our entry packages have published scope, price and timeline. The rest of your budget gets estimated in the audit with your data on the table, not by eye. Prices excl. VAT, finalized at kickoff.
AI audit for small businesses
For small companies with few systems and a bounded scope.
- Inventory of systems and data
- Scorecard of opportunities prioritized by ROI
- 6-12 month implementation roadmap with costs
- Delivered in 2-3 weeks
AI audit for mid-sized companies
For organizations with several systems, more data and multiple departments.
- Everything in the small-business audit
- In-depth assessment of stack and integrations
- Risk and compliance note (EU AI Act)
- Roadmap per department with cost estimates
Audit + quarterly support
The audit plus ongoing tracking of the roadmap and its execution.
- Full initial audit
- Quarterly review of the roadmap and priorities
- Support in executing the first initiatives
- Scorecard updates as the market moves
No lock-in. Support can be cancelled with 30 days' notice. Prices excl. VAT.
How to Budget for AI Without Getting Burned
For CEOs and CFOs.
Don't start with the big project. The lowest-risk sequence is to spend €3,000-8,000 first on an audit that tells you which initiatives have a return, what each one will cost and in what order to tackle them. Demand a success metric per initiative before signing anything: if nobody can tell you which number has to move, the budget is smoke.
Separate the project investment from the cost of running it. In our experience it pays to reserve 15 to 25% per year of the project cost for operations and evolution: tokens, monitoring, maintenance and improvements. And apply a simple filter: well-chosen projects pay for themselves in 6-12 months; if the business case can't survive that horizon, better not to build it.
Frequently Asked Questions About AI Pricing
The figures companies ask us for before starting.
How much does an AI chatbot cost in 2026?
In our experience, a customer-support AI chatbot over a bounded knowledge base costs between €8,000 and €30,000, depending on integrations (CRM, web, WhatsApp) and languages. In operation, the cost per query is around €0.02, versus €8-15 for a query handled by a person. A chatbot that needs to search large volumes of internal documentation is RAG territory, with a different budget.
How much does an enterprise RAG cost?
A basic enterprise RAG, with one data source and an assistant on top, runs from €45,000 to €80,000. An intermediate build, with several sources, semantic search and continuous evaluation, from €80,000 to €200,000. Enterprise projects (multi-tenant, on-premise, complex integrations) exceed €200,000. The variable that weighs most is the state of the source documentation.
How much does an AI agent cost?
An AI agent in production, with 2-3 connected tools, costs between €25,000 and €50,000. With ML on board (classification, prediction), between €50,000 and €100,000. Enterprise multi-agent systems run from €100,000 to €500,000+. Price rises with autonomy: an agent that executes real actions demands more evaluation, guardrails and oversight than one that only suggests.
How much does it cost to automate a process with AI?
Between €3,000 and €15,000 per process, with self-hosted n8n or Python. It's the entry point with the best ROI: a €5,000 automation that saves 10 hours a week pays for itself in about 5 months. That's why it's usually the first initiative on the roadmap that comes out of an audit.
How much does it cost to run an AI system?
As a reference from our projects, reserve 15 to 25% per year of the project cost for operations and evolution: model tokens, monitoring, maintenance and improvements. For automations, we offer managed maintenance at €500-1,000/month. Token costs depend on volume, but in well-sized projects they are rarely the dominant line item.
Why does almost no agency publish its AI prices?
Because every project varies, and because not publishing leaves room to quote per client. The first is only half true: anyone who has quoted dozens of projects can give honest ranges by project type, which is exactly what this page does. If an agency can't give you even a range before meeting you, that usually signals thin experience or made-to-measure pricing.
Isn't ChatGPT or a no-code tool enough?
Often yes, and we'll tell you so. For individual team use, a €20-60/user/month subscription to ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot is the best first step. A custom project is only justified when your own data, integrations with your systems or compliance requirements come into play. We have a guide on when you need an AI agency and when you don't.
Are these ranges valid outside Spain?
Yes. We work from Spain with clients across Europe and the US, and these are the ranges we apply in those markets too. In our experience with international RFPs, local agencies in markets like Germany, the Netherlands or the US often quote above these figures for comparable scope. That's an observation from our own deals, not a market study.
Get a Quote That Starts with Ranges, Not with "It Depends"
Tell us your case and on the first call we'll tell you which range it falls into and what could bring it down. If a €30 subscription is all you need, we'll tell you that too.
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