Choose The AI Consultancy if you're a mid-market or enterprise firm (they cite a £2M to £100M turnover client base) with board-level AI pressure, vendor sprawl and the budget for a £40,000-plus programme. Choose ainativ.es if you run a service business of 10 to 150 staff, want one defined job automated for around £10,000, want the person on the build to have run and exited technology companies, and want to own the result with no lock-in.
The AI Consultancy and ainativ.es at a glance
| What matters | The AI Consultancy | ainativ.es |
|---|---|---|
| Best-fit client | Mid-market and enterprise, £2M to £100M turnover | Owner-led service businesses, 10 to 150 staff |
| Typical build price | From £40,000 (typical £40,000 to £90,000) | Around £10,000 per project |
| Price published | Yes, in detail | Yes |
| You co-own it, no lock-in | Not stated | Yes, always |
| Named founder with company exits | Certifications named, founder not front and centre | Jim Beattie, three exits |
| Shape of engagement | Sprints, pilots and a Fractional Chief AI Officer | One defined job, shipped in weeks |
| Will tell you what not to build | Not stated | Yes |
What The AI Consultancy do well
A fair amount. They publish their pricing in real detail, from a Readiness Sprint to a Build and Embed tier, which most of the market won't do and which we respect. They hold cloud and vendor certifications, they offer a Fractional Chief AI Officer for organisations with genuine board-level AI pressure, and they're clearly set up for regulated, mid-market and enterprise work with vendor sprawl to untangle. If that's the shape of your problem, they're a serious, credible choice.
Where ainativ.es is the better fit
The gap is scale and price, and it's a real one.
Around £10,000, not £40,000-plus. The AI Consultancy's build tier starts at £40,000 and typically runs to £90,000 for a UK SME. That's the right price for a big programme. It's the wrong price for one job. Our builds typically land at around £10,000 because we scope tightly and build the smallest thing that pays back first. The number is on our pricing page.
An owner can say yes alone. A £40,000 decision usually needs a board. A £10,000 build to fix a job that's costing you eight days a month is a decision an owner can make on a call. We're built for that buyer.
An operator, not just a certification. Certifications are real credibility. So is having run the business. Jim has taken three companies to exit and rebuilt a private-equity-backed firm around AI, cutting engineering headcount from 80 to 25 and saving more than £6M a year. That's the judgement on your build.
Clean ownership. You co-own what we build, your data stays in your own systems, and there's no lock-in. We say it plainly because for an owner it's the thing that matters most after the price.
When The AI Consultancy is the right choice
Go with them if:
- You're a mid-market or enterprise firm with several moving AI initiatives to coordinate.
- You need a Fractional Chief AI Officer at board level, not a single build.
- Vendor sprawl or regulatory exposure is the real problem, and a £40,000-plus programme is proportionate.
If you're an owner who wants one job fixed for around £10,000, with someone who's run the P&L on the build, that's us.
What it costs with us
Most custom AI builds with ainativ.es land at around £10,000 per project, quoted after a fixed-fee mapping phase, with a fast return. If the numbers don't stack up, we tell you not to build. Full detail on the pricing page and in how much custom AI costs.