The cost of an AI automation project depends less on the technology than on the scope. An assistant answering recurring emails and a system orchestrating several AI agents wired into your ERP have nothing in common in complexity. But you can give honest orders of magnitude, and that's exactly what this market sorely lacks.

The real ranges in 2026

For an SMB, there are three tiers. A simple, well-bounded automation (email triage, document extraction, report generation) most often sits between 5,000 and 15,000 euros. An intermediate project, integrated with your existing tools with guardrails and monitoring, starts around 15,000 and climbs to 40,000 euros. Beware of very low quotes: they often exclude integration, testing and maintenance.

  • Simple automation, single scope: 5,000 to 15,000 euros.
  • Integrated project (CRM/ERP, guardrails, monitoring): 15,000 to 40,000 euros.
  • Multi-agent system or complex custom build: 40,000 euros and up.
  • Diagnostic and scoping only: often 1,500 to 5,000 euros, deductible from the project.

A very low AI quote rarely hides a bargain: mostly it hides what it doesn't include.

The costs everyone forgets

The development price is only the visible part. Recurring costs are decisive over time and too often ignored at decision time. AI model subscriptions, billed per request, vary widely with volume: a few tens of euros per month for moderate use, hundreds or even thousands for a high-traffic system.

  • Model API costs: billed by usage, to monitor monthly.
  • Maintenance and enhancements: budget 15 to 25% of the initial cost per year.
  • Data cleanup and preparation: sometimes a third of the total budget.
  • Change management and training: the cost of adoption, often underestimated.
  • Hosting and infrastructure: server, database, monitoring.

Reason in ROI, not in price

The right instinct isn't to find the cheapest project, but the one with the fastest return. The formula is simple: divide the total annual cost (amortised development plus recurring costs) by the expected annual gain. If the tool saves 15 hours a week at a loaded cost of 40 euros, that's about 30,000 euros a year: a 20,000-euro project pays for itself in under nine months. This logic guides every quote at NexusOS: we size the gain first, then the cost.

To budget without surprises, insist on a quote that clearly separates development, integration, recurring costs and maintenance, ask for an API cost estimate at the real expected volume, and favour a small first scope that proves value before investing more. In 2026, AI automation is more accessible than ever, but the trap remains confusing the headline price with the total cost. For an honest, quantified estimate, write to us at contact@nexus-os.fr: we always start with the ROI.