How AI consulting and website projects are priced in Canada
Fixed fee, hourly, retainer or “contact us”: what each pricing model means for your budget, what Brainfy AI publishes, and the questions to ask any provider before you sign.
Last reviewed: October 2026
The short answer
There is no single price for AI consulting or implementation in Canada. Quotes vary with scope, integrations, data work and ongoing running costs, and providers price by fixed fee, day rate, hourly, retainer or on request. Compare what each quote includes, not the headline number.
For one concrete reference, Brainfy AI publishes fixed fees from $1,997 to $12,000+ (below), and the first discovery call is free. For what drives the number, read what affects AI implementation costs.
AI consultancy pricing models explained
None is universally better. The right one depends on how well the scope is known.
| Model | How it works | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee | One agreed price for a defined scope and deliverables. | Projects whose scope can be written down before work starts. | Check what happens to requests outside the written scope. |
| Hourly or time-and-materials | You pay for hours worked, usually against an estimate. | Open-ended research or work where the scope genuinely cannot be known yet. | Ask for a cap or a review point; the total can move with the calendar. |
| Day rate or phased engagement | A daily rate for a consultant, or a project split into paid phases such as discovery, then build. | Strategy and advisory work where the first step is working out what to build. | Agree the number of days and what you receive at the end of each phase. |
| Monthly retainer | A recurring fee for an agreed amount of ongoing work or support. | Continuing SEO, content, maintenance or optimization. | Ask what is delivered each month and how it is reported. |
| Quote only ("contact us") | No public price; the number arrives after a sales conversation. | Large, bespoke engagements that vary widely. | Ask for a written scope and total before you commit time to discovery. |
What Brainfy AI publishes
Our packages are fixed-fee with the price on the page, in Canadian dollars. Scope is agreed in writing before work starts.
Starter
one-time
Up to 5 pages; contractors, restaurants, sole proprietors
Optional: $99/mo care plan
Growth
one-time
Up to 10 pages with AI chatbot, CRM integration and booking
Optional: $199/mo growth plan
Pro
one-time
Up to 20 pages with CRM automation and lead nurturing
Optional: $349/mo AI growth plan
AI Partner
starting
Custom AI agents, workflow automation, API integrations
Optional: $799/mo & up
Full inclusions and exclusions are on the pricing page. For how these numbers compare with typical Canadian website budgets, read what a website costs in Canada.
Small business vs enterprise: what changes
Enterprises usually need longer discovery, security and procurement reviews, more systems to integrate and staged delivery, often under a retainer. Small and mid-sized businesses are usually better served by one tightly scoped project with a written price, direct access to whoever builds it, and a clear handover.
Brainfy AI works mainly with small and mid-sized Canadian businesses.
Costs beyond the build
- AI model usage, which providers usually bill by volume
- Hosting, monitoring and software licences the solution needs
- Data cleaning before automation can be trusted
- Maintenance, updates and support after launch
- Change requests outside the written scope
- Training and handover
Eight questions to ask any provider
Use these with us or anyone else you are comparing.
- Is the price written down, and what exactly does it include?
- What counts as out of scope, and how is extra work quoted?
- Who does the work: the person you meet, or a different team?
- Do you own the finished site, code and content, with no lock-in?
- Where is personal data stored and processed, and how are privacy obligations handled?
- What does handover include: access, documentation, training?
- What are the ongoing costs after launch, and can you cancel them monthly?
- How quickly will questions get answered, and by whom?
Pricing questions
Want a fixed price for your project?
Schedule a free consultation with our AI experts and discover how we can help you achieve your business goals.