How much does an AI consultant cost?

Answers · Costs and hiring

The cost of an AI consultant depends on the size of the job, how much is custom, and whether you want it run for you afterward. Consultants charge in different ways, so ask for the price in writing before work starts. Westward quotes a fixed price per build in writing, with an optional monthly plan and no hourly billing. We do not publish prices, because each build is different.

What drives the cost

Four things matter most. How big the job is. How many tools and accounts it touches. How custom it is, since a tool built around your files takes more effort than one that follows a standard pattern. And whether you want someone to keep running it.

A single task, like drafting replies from your inbox, is a smaller job than a full client system with invoices and a portal.

Ways consultants charge

Some charge by the hour. Some charge a monthly retainer. Some quote a fixed price for a defined project. Hourly work is hard to budget because you do not know the total until the end. Whatever the method, ask for it in writing and ask what is included.

How Westward prices

Before anything is built, you get a quote in writing: a fixed price for each build. If you want us to keep it running, there is an optional monthly plan. No hourly billing. The first call is free, and the week 1 audit ends with a written quote and an honest view of whether we can deliver.

The team setup, where we put your whole office on AI over five days, is priced per person, per month, and quoted on the call.

What a quote should include

Ask what you are getting, how long it takes, what you own at the end, and what happens if you stop. Ask whether changes cost extra. Westward’s quote is in writing and a first build takes about a month.

Ways to keep the cost sensible

Start with one job. Choose work that repeats and is easy to check. Ask what you will own at the end. At Westward, every account and password stays yours.

Who can do this for you

Westward builds these and sets them up. Each page shows what it does and what it has done.

Something custom

Agents and tools built for one job

Proposal writers, private portals, dashboards, automations.

See what it does

Questions

Can you give me a number now?

Not honestly. The price depends on the job, and we would rather quote it in writing after we understand it. The free call is how you get there.

Why do you not publish prices?

Because a price on a web page would be a guess. A build for a small firm and a build for an office with several tools are different jobs, so we quote each in writing after the audit.

Is the first call really free?

Yes. It is 30 minutes with the founder.

Are there surprise charges?

The quote is a fixed price in writing, and we do not bill by the hour. The optional monthly plan is agreed up front too.