# How much does a chat-with-your-data tool cost?

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

A chat-with-your-data tool typically costs about $2,500. Half of the 439 priced briefs we tracked fall between $500 and $6,400, and one in ten reaches $14,400 or more.

## Key facts

- Typical cost: $2,500, with the middle half of briefs between $500 and $6,400.
- That is close to the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.
- Work expected to take under a month has a median of $600, against $15,600 for over six months.
- Fixed-price median $400; hourly estimate median $5,200.
- Hourly rates mostly run from $22 to $38 an hour.
- Most requested skills: Python, JavaScript and Data Analysis.

## What it includes

A chat-with-your-data tool lets people ask business questions in plain language and get answers from a database or BI tool, with a model writing the query behind the scenes.

- A documented semantic layer over your data
- Natural-language to SQL generation
- Read-only, permission-aware query execution
- Charts and tables in the answer
- Query logging and answer review

## What drives the cost

Work expected to take under a month has a median of $600, against $15,600 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 $400, while hourly briefs work out at $5,200 on our estimate: 13 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 | $600 | 87 |
| 1 to 3 months | $3,200 | 285 |
| 3 to 6 months | $15,300 | 23 |
| Over 6 months | $15,600 | 44 |

| Seniority requested | Median cost | Priced briefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Junior | $960 | 9 |
| Mid-level | $2,000 | 263 |
| Senior | $4,000 | 167 |

- How clean and well documented the data is
- How many tables and business definitions are involved
- Row-level permissions

## Breakdown

| Industry | Median cost | Middle half | Priced briefs |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SaaS | $2,000 | $400–$4,000 | 31 |
| E-commerce | $3,600 | $500–$8,000 | 25 |

## Skills and rates

The skills named most often in these briefs are Python (30%), JavaScript (23%), Data Analysis (22%) and Microsoft Excel (20%). 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 $38 an hour, the middle half of stated rates. The median top of the range is $40 an hour across 242 hourly briefs. These are rates in the open open-market market: agencies and in-house teams usually cost more.

## Who is buying

39% of briefs ask for senior talent. Buyers are most often based in the United States, India and the United Kingdom, with 37% in the United States. Among briefs that state a company size, 92% come from companies of up to 10 people. A typical brief draws about 15 responses.

## What to check before you commit

- Use read-only access, never a write-enabled account
- Agree business definitions such as revenue up front
- Show the query so answers can be checked

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does a chat-with-your-data tool cost?

A chat-with-your-data tool typically costs about $2,500. Half of the 439 priced briefs we tracked fall between $500 and $6,400, and one in ten reaches $14,400 or more. That is close to the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.

### How long does a chat-with-your-data tool take?

27% of briefs expect the work done in under a month, 59% in one to three months and 14% over a longer stretch. Work expected to take under a month has a median of $600, against $15,600 for over six months.

### Why do estimates vary so much?

Fixed-price briefs state a median of $400, while hourly briefs work out at $5,200 on our estimate: 13 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: how clean and well documented the data is and how many tables and business definitions are involved move the price the most.

### What hourly rate should I expect?

Most hourly briefs offer $22 to $38 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 Python, JavaScript, Data Analysis and Microsoft Excel.

### Do I need senior talent?

Briefs asking for senior talent have a median of $4,000, 2.0 times the $2,000 for mid-level talent. 39% of briefs ask for senior talent.

### Where do these numbers come from?

From 439 public project briefs published between December 2025 and November 2026: 197 fixed budgets as stated and 242 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. "Chat with your data: what it costs." Published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. https://aibuildindex.com/cost/text-to-sql-analytics

Method: https://aibuildindex.com/methodology