The full report
According to Edvido's analysis of 128 AI development companies listed on Edvido (October 2026), the median minimum project size is $10,000. 7.7% of firms that publish a minimum accept projects from $1,000, while 66.3% start at $10,000 or more.
This guide uses Edvido's own listing data, not survey estimates. The sample is every firm on Edvido's global directory pages whose profile lists Artificial Intelligence as a service line, counted once. Every number below comes from the downloadable dataset and is explained in the methodology section.
Key findings
- 104 of 128 firms (81.2%) publish a minimum project size.
- 35.6% require $25,000 or more to start a project.
- 7.8% are small teams of 2-9 people.
- Minimums rise with team size: 64% of 10-49-person teams start at $10,000+, against 65.7% of 50-249-person teams.
How much do AI development companies charge? Minimum project sizes
Share of the 104 AI development companies that publish a minimum project size, by band.
| Minimum project size | Share of firms |
|---|---|
| $1,000 or less | 7.7% |
| $5,000 – $9,999 | 26% |
| $10,000 – $24,999 | 30.8% |
| $25,000 – $49,999 | 21.2% |
| $50,000 or more | 14.4% |
AI Development pricing by country
Countries with at least 20 firms publishing a minimum. Percentages are shares of firms with a published minimum; “Start at $1k” = minimum of $1,000; “Small teams” = share of listed firms with 2-9 people.
| Country | Firms listed | With a minimum | Median minimum | Start at $1k | $10k+ minimum | $25k+ minimum | Small teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 34 | 30 | $10,000 | 3.3% | 70% | 43.3% | 5.9% |
Pricing by region
| Region | Firms listed | With a minimum | Median minimum | Start at $1k | $10k+ minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 43 | 38 | $10,000 | 5.3% | 65.8% |
Does team size change the price?
Larger teams usually set higher minimums: they carry more overhead and target bigger budgets.
| Team size | Firms with a minimum | Median minimum | Start at $1k | $10k+ minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-49 people | 50 | $10,000 | 14% | 64% |
| 50-249 people | 35 | $10,000 | 2.9% | 65.7% |
What drives the cost of artificial intelligence projects
The minimum project size tells you where an agency starts. The final quote depends on scope:
- Use case: off-the-shelf model integration versus a custom-trained model.
- Data readiness: collection, cleaning and labelling often take most of the effort.
- Infrastructure, security and privacy requirements.
- Ongoing monitoring, retraining and model running costs.
How to get an accurate quote
Compare quotes on the same written scope, ask what is excluded, and check whether the team that pitches is the team that delivers. Edvido is a digital smart platform designed to connect businesses with service providers in digital marketing, advertising and software. Send your brief, get matched right away, completely free: you are introduced to 4-5 agencies and compare their proposals side by side.
Browse all AI development companies or compare agencies on Edvido.
Methodology and data
- Firms listed on 73 Edvido global city pages (any category) whose public directory profile lists Artificial Intelligence as a service line, collected from the public listing API on 2026-10-21. Edvido has no separate city pages for AI development companies.
- One record per firm (by website, else name); a firm listed in several cities or categories is counted once.
- Minimum project size as published in the firm's public B2B directory profile (such as Clutch and Sortlist), in USD (e.g. "$5,000+"). Firms without a published minimum are excluded from price statistics.
- Country of the Edvido city page the firm is listed on.
- Countries, regions and team-size groups with fewer than 20 firms publishing a minimum are not shown; city rows need at least 10 and are small samples.
- Median of the published minimum project sizes (band lower bounds).
Download: AI Development Pricing Data 2026 — minimum project sizes of 128 AI development companies (JSON). Snapshot date: 2026-10-21. Licence: CC BY 4.0 — cite as: Edvido, AI Development Pricing Data 2026 (https://www.edvido.com/artificial-intelligence-agencies/pricing).
Frequently asked questions
How much do AI development companies charge in 2026?
Across 104 AI development companies on Edvido that publish a minimum project size, the median minimum is $10,000. 7.7% start at $1,000 and 66.3% at $10,000 or more.
Which country has the most affordable AI development companies?
Among countries with at least 20 firms publishing a minimum, United States has the highest share of firms starting at $1,000 (3.3%). Price alone does not show quality: compare portfolios and scope.
Do bigger AI development companies cost more?
Yes, on average. 64% of 10-49-person teams set a minimum of $10,000 or more, compared with 65.7% of 50-249-person teams.
What affects the price of artificial intelligence projects?
Use case: off-the-shelf model integration versus a custom-trained model. Data readiness: collection, cleaning and labelling often take most of the effort. Infrastructure, security and privacy requirements.
Where does this data come from?
From Edvido's global listing pages (October 2026): firms whose public profile lists Artificial Intelligence as a service. Minimum project sizes are the values firms publish in their public B2B directory profiles (such as Clutch and Sortlist). The full dataset can be downloaded as JSON from this page.
How can I get quotes from several agencies?
Send your brief on Edvido, get matched right away, completely free. You are introduced to 4-5 agencies and compare their proposals on the same scope.
