How much does an AI audit cost in the UK?
What a UK AI audit or readiness assessment costs, from UK agencies' own published prices: the median starting price, what drives it and what you should get.
Published · Updated · By Edgars Lapins
On this page
- Where the numbers come from
- What UK agencies charge for an AI audit
- Two kinds of AI audit
- Why prices differ: provider type and location
- Is the fee credited against the build?
- What an AI audit should give you
- Do you need a paid audit at all?
- What happens after the audit
- Questions to ask before you book
- Get matched, free
Short answer: among UK AI automation agencies that publish a price for an audit, discovery session or readiness assessment, the median starting price is £650. Most start below £1,000, but a fair number start between £2,000 and £5,000.
This guide uses the published prices of the 51 agencies in the TrustedAIAgencies (TAI) UK directory that list an audit-type price on their own website. It covers what you get for the money, why quotes vary so much, and how to tell whether an audit is worth paying for at all.
Where the numbers come from
TAI lists 290 UK AI automation agencies. 125 of them publish at least one price on their own website. We record each price exactly as published, with the date we saw it, and sort each price into a type such as audit, project build or monthly plan.
“Audit” here covers anything a provider sells as a first paid step before a build: AI audits, readiness assessments, discovery sprints, roadmap days and blueprint workshops. 51 agencies publish at least one price like this. Where an agency lists more than one, we use its lowest.
These are starting prices (“from £X”), not what every client pays. And they only cover agencies that choose to publish. Plenty quote on request, and those aren’t here. Prices may exclude VAT, so check each provider’s page.
What UK agencies charge for an AI audit
| Starting price | Agencies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under £500 | 22 | 43% |
| £500 to £999 | 12 | 24% |
| £1,000 to £1,999 | 4 | 8% |
| £2,000 or more | 13 | 25% |
Shares may not add up to 100% because of rounding.
- Median starting price: £650
- Lowest published: £49
- Highest starting price: £4,999
The prices don’t spread evenly. They bunch into two groups. 67% start under £1,000. Then there’s a gap, and 25% start between £2,000 and £5,000. Few sit in between.
That’s because they’re really two different products sold under one name.
Two kinds of AI audit
The short review (usually under £1,000). A call or half-day session, often with the owner only, followed by a short written list of opportunities. It suits a small team that wants a second opinion on where AI could save time before spending more. For many providers it’s the way in to selling a build.
The full discovery (usually £2,000 to £5,000). Several sessions with the people who actually do the work, process mapping, a review of your systems and data, and a ranked, costed roadmap. It suits a business with several teams or systems, or with customer data that needs handling carefully.
Neither is better as such. A £495 review is good value if that is all you need. It’s poor value if you needed the full discovery and only got a list of ideas.
Why prices differ: provider type and location
What kind of firm you go to makes a difference. Among the 51 agencies:
| Provider type | Agencies publishing an audit price | Median starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Consultancy | 28 | £575 |
| Agency | 15 | £499 |
| Software studio | 8 | £1,448 |
Consultancies make up most of the sample. No surprise there: audits are their main product. Agencies tend to price the audit low and make their money on the build. Software studios charge more because their discovery usually feeds a custom build.
Location seems to matter too, though the numbers are small. The 8 London agencies that publish an audit price have a median starting price of £2,500, against £650 for the full sample. With only 8 London firms, treat that as a signal, not a rule.
Use our regional pages to find firms near you.
Is the fee credited against the build?
Some providers deduct the audit fee from the build if you go ahead with them. Three of the audit prices in our data mention a credit, such as an audit “credited against first build” or an operations day “credited against a pilot within 60 days”.
A credit lowers your risk. It also pulls you towards that provider for the build. If you want the roadmap to be independent, ask whether you are free to take the report to another firm. And ask whether you keep it whatever you decide.
What an AI audit should give you
Whatever the price, ask for a written scope before you pay. A useful audit leaves you with:
- A list of your processes in scope, with who does each one and roughly how long it takes each week.
- Ranked opportunities. Not just ideas, but an order: what to do first, what to leave, and why.
- Rough build and running costs for the top few. Compare them with what UK agencies publish for project builds and AI automation in general.
- Data and risk notes. Which customer or staff data each idea touches, and what that means under UK GDPR. Our UK GDPR checklist for AI is a good companion.
- A recommendation on tools, for example whether a low-code tool such as n8n, Make or Zapier will do or whether you need custom work. See n8n vs Make vs Zapier.
- A clear next step that doesn’t commit you to the same provider.
If a proposal doesn’t say which of these you’ll get, ask before you sign.
Do you need a paid audit at all?
Not always.
- Skip it if you already know the one task you want to automate, such as sending appointment reminder texts or handling website enquiries. Go straight to a fixed-price build quote.
- Consider a short review if you have a few ideas and want help choosing between them.
- Pay for a full discovery if several teams or systems are involved, or if the build itself will cost several thousand pounds. A £2,500 discovery before a £15,000 build is proportionate. A £2,500 discovery before a £1,500 build isn’t.
To put numbers on time saved before you talk to anyone, try the free automation savings calculator.
What happens after the audit
Most firms that sell audits also sell the build and the support afterwards. Of the 51 agencies here, 30 also publish a project price and 29 publish a monthly plan, so you can price the whole journey before you start.
For reference, the median published starting price for a project build across 73 UK agencies is £1,500, and the median monthly plan across 76 agencies is £150.
Questions to ask before you book
- What exactly is in scope, and how many people will you speak to?
- What will the written output include? Can I see an anonymised sample?
- Is the fee fixed, and does it include VAT?
- Is it credited against a build, and can I take the report elsewhere?
- Who does the work: the person I’m talking to, or someone else?
Our checklist for choosing an AI automation agency has more, and how we list agencies explains what TAI looks at and what it doesn’t.
Get matched, free
Not sure whether you need a short review, a full discovery or neither? Tell us what you want to automate and your rough budget, and we’ll match you with up to three UK AI automation agencies that fit. It’s free and there’s no obligation. Get matched for free.
Prices are taken from agencies’ own websites and recorded in October 2026. Starting prices only. Check each provider’s page for current terms and VAT.
