# How much does a recommendation system for e-commerce businesses cost?

_The AI Build Index, published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. USD._

A recommendation system for e-commerce businesses typically costs about $1,700. Half of the 65 priced briefs we tracked fall between $500 and $4,700, and one in ten reaches $15,050 or more.

## Key facts

- Typical cost: $1,700, with the middle half of briefs between $500 and $4,700.
- That is 32% below the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.
- Work expected to take under a month has a median of $740, against $450 for over six months.
- Fixed-price median $560; hourly estimate median $4,700.
- Hourly rates mostly run from $22 to $50 an hour.
- Most requested skills: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Python.

## What it includes

A recommendation system suggests products or content to each user based on behaviour and item data, to lift engagement or order value.

E-commerce builds are shaped by the store platform. Most work connects to Shopify or a similar system, and has to handle catalogue data, orders and returns accurately during peak trading.

- Event tracking
- Item and user features
- A ranking model
- An API serving recommendations
- A/B testing

## Systems it usually connects to

- Shopify or WooCommerce
- Klaviyo or another email platform
- Helpdesk tools such as Gorgias or Zendesk
- Inventory and shipping systems

## What drives the cost

Work expected to take under a month has a median of $740, against $450 for over six months. Part of that gap is built in, because hourly estimates are calculated from expected length. Fixed-price briefs state a median of $560, while hourly briefs work out at $4,700 on our estimate: 8.4 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly briefs describe sustained work.

| Expected length | Median cost | Priced briefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under 1 month | $740 | 12 |
| 1 to 3 months | $3,500 | 42 |
| 3 to 6 months | Too few briefs | 4 |
| Over 6 months | $450 | 7 |

| Seniority requested | Median cost | Priced briefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Junior | Too few briefs | 2 |
| Mid-level | $2,650 | 28 |
| Senior | $1,300 | 35 |

- Catalogue size and traffic
- Real-time versus daily updates
- How much behavioural data already exists

## Skills and rates

The skills named most often in these briefs are Artificial Intelligence (35%), Machine Learning (34%), Python (33%) and Data Science (16%). Read this as the working stack for this kind of build, and as a checklist when assessing who should do it.

Hourly briefs for this work typically offer $22 to $50 an hour, the middle half of stated rates. The median top of the range is $40 an hour across 31 hourly briefs. These are rates in the open open-market market: agencies and in-house teams usually cost more.

## Who is buying

47% of briefs ask for senior talent. Buyers are most often based in the United States, India and the United Kingdom, with 35% in the United States. Among briefs that state a company size, 97% come from companies of up to 10 people. A typical brief draws about 11 responses.

## What to check before you commit

- Confirm you have enough traffic for the model to learn
- Start with a simple baseline to beat
- Measure revenue impact with a controlled test

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does a recommendation system for e-commerce businesses cost?

A recommendation system for e-commerce businesses typically costs about $1,700. Half of the 65 priced briefs we tracked fall between $500 and $4,700, and one in ten reaches $15,050 or more. That is 32% below the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.

### How long does a recommendation system for e-commerce businesses take?

19% of briefs expect the work done in under a month, 65% in one to three months and 16% over a longer stretch. Work expected to take under a month has a median of $740, against $450 for over six months.

### Why do estimates vary so much?

Fixed-price briefs state a median of $560, while hourly briefs work out at $4,700 on our estimate: 8.4 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly briefs describe sustained work. Scope matters most: catalogue size and traffic and real-time versus daily updates move the price the most.

### What hourly rate should I expect?

Most hourly briefs offer $22 to $50 an hour, with a median top rate of $40. Agencies and in-house specialists usually charge more than the open open-market market.

### What skills does this work need?

Briefs most often ask for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Python and Data Science.

### Do I need senior talent?

Briefs asking for senior talent have a lower median ($1,300) than mid-level ones ($2,650). Seniority alone does not explain the price here. 47% of briefs ask for senior talent.

### Does the industry change the price?

For e-commerce businesses, the median of $1,700 is in line with the $1,850 median for recommendation system across all industries. E-commerce builds are shaped by the store platform. Most work connects to Shopify or a similar system, and has to handle catalogue data, orders and returns accurately during peak trading.

### Where do these numbers come from?

From 65 public project briefs published between December 2025 and November 2026: 34 fixed budgets as stated and 31 hourly briefs we costed from their rate, expected length and assumed hours. They are what buyers offered, not signed contract prices.

## Source

The AI Build Index. "Recommendation system for e-commerce: what it costs." Published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. https://aibuildindex.com/cost/recommendation-system-for-ecommerce

Method: https://aibuildindex.com/methodology