By Laas Nury"What does an AI consultant cost?" has a short answer and a useful one. The short answer: in the Dutch market, self-employed AI consultants charged on average around EUR 120 an hour in 2026. The useful answer is that the rate says little about what you will pay in the end, because AI consultants sell very different things under the same name.
This article gives the market figures, explains what drives the rate, describes the five ways consultants price their work, and shows how to compare quotes on what you actually get.
The market figures
- Average freelance rate: according to Knab's 2026 survey of more than 20,000 Dutch freelancers, self-employed AI consultants charge on average EUR 120 an hour excluding VAT. The average across all freelancers is EUR 83.
- Usual freelance range: Consultant.nl puts the range for freelance AI consultants at EUR 80 to 200 an hour excluding VAT, with experienced independents with a strong track record at the top.
- Agencies and large consultancies generally charge more per hour, because the rate also covers a team, management and overhead. In return you may get more capacity and continuity.
A day is usually eight hours, so a day rate is roughly eight times the hourly rate, sometimes with a small discount for longer assignments.
What drives the rate
- Advise, build, or both. Someone who only advises sells a different product from someone who builds and stays until it runs.
- Experience and track record. Especially: what have they actually got into production, and does it still run?
- Specialism. Knowledge of your sector, of regulated data or of the EU AI Act is worth more for some questions.
- One person or a team. A team brings capacity and continuity, and costs more per hour.
- Commitment. A long assignment of several days a week often comes at a lower rate than a few loose days.
- Urgency. Starting next week costs more than starting next quarter.
Five ways to price the work
| Model | How it works | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | You pay for the hours worked | Small questions, open scope | No ceiling unless you agree one |
| Day rate | You pay per day, usually eight hours | Interim and on-site work | Same as hourly; agree the days per week |
| Fixed price | One price for a defined result | A clear deliverable, such as one process live | The scope must be precise, or it will be renegotiated |
| Retainer or monthly fee | A fixed amount per month for a set level of support or availability | Ongoing support, running and improving solutions | Check what is included and what counts as extra |
| Result-based | Part of the fee depends on an agreed outcome | Cases with a clear, measurable result | Needs a measure both sides trust |
Many engagements combine them: a fixed price for scoping and the first build, then a monthly fee for running and support.
How to compare quotes
Do not compare rates. Compare the total cost to a result:
- Is the result named? "Order intake for customers X to Y running in the ERP, with exceptions routed" is a result. "Twenty days of AI consultancy" is not.
- What is included? Scoping, the build, testing, training, the handover, documentation.
- What comes after? Running costs, support, changes. A cheap project with an expensive tail is not cheap.
- What do you have to provide? Time from your team, access to systems, test data. That is cost too.
- Who owns what is built? The solution, the rules, the configuration.
- How do you leave? Can you continue without them, and what do you get when you stop?
A higher rate with a clear result, a fixed scope and a handover often costs less in total than a low rate with an open number of hours.
Red flags
- Only hours, no result. If a quote cannot say what will be different afterwards, nobody will be able to tell you whether it worked.
- One tool for every problem. A consultant who recommends the same product whatever the question may be selling that product.
- No production references. Ask what they got live, where, and who runs it now.
- No handover. If the plan does not end with your team able to continue, it ends with dependence.
- No talk of your data or the rules. Anyone serious about AI in your company asks where the data goes and what the AI Act means for your use.
Where it fits
If you need someone to get AI going inside your organisation for a period, read hiring an interim or fractional AI lead. If you want to understand the full budget beyond the consultant, what AI implementation costs breaks it down line by line. And for a build specifically, having an AI agent built explains what moves the price.
