Compare Your Options
A $495 audit or
a free vendor assessment?
Every AI platform offers a free assessment, and some are good. The thing to know is what they are for. A vendor assessment is a sales step, and it ends in a recommendation to buy that vendor's software. That is not a criticism. It is just what it is.
The audit is paid because it is not selling you anything but the report, and it is cheap because it is the first step, not the whole engagement.
Side by Side
How they stack up
What each one is built to produce. Free assessments vary a lot; this describes the typical one.
Figures for the alternative are typical ranges, not quotes. Your numbers will differ, and we would rather you check them than take ours.
When to Pick Which
Which one fits your situation?
Six situations we hear on discovery calls, and the honest call for each.
You have already decided on the platform
Vendor assessment
If the decision is made and you want their team to configure it well, take the free assessment. It is the best way to get the vendor's own people invested in your setup.
You are not sure which tools, or whether you need new ones
Audit
Most teams already own more AI capability than they use. A vendor-neutral look usually finds the first wins in the tools you are already paying for.
You need something to take to the board or the owner
Audit
A written report with three moves, hours, and a 90-day plan is a decision document. A vendor scorecard is a sales document, and the people you show it to will read it that way.
You are paying for AI licenses nobody uses
Audit
A vendor assessment will not tell you to use their competitor's tool less. The audit will tell you which of your subscriptions earn their keep and which workflows would make the rest earn theirs.
You just want to see what is possible
Either, or a free workshop
If it is curiosity, a vendor demo is free and fun. So is the AI for ROI™ Jump Start, which takes ten minutes and does not sell anything.
Governance is the thing holding you back
Audit
The audit's governance flags are specific to your work and your industry. A vendor assessment treats governance as a feature of their product, which is a different question.
The Honest Answer
Where the free assessment wins
When you have already chosen a platform, the vendor's free assessment is the right next step. Their people know their product better than anyone, it costs nothing, and it gets them invested in your success. We would tell you to take it.
Where it loses is before that decision. A vendor cannot tell you that you do not need their product, and most teams at the start of this do not need a new product at all. The audit is for that moment, and the $495 is what keeps it honest.
Run Your Own Numbers
See what one task is worth before you book anything
The calculator is free and vendor-neutral too. If the number for a single task covers the audit in a week, you already know the answer.
Questions
The questions behind the question
What exactly is in the AI Opportunity Report?
Your three highest-ROI first moves, prioritized, with estimated hours and dollars where they are defensible, the governance and safety flags specific to your work, and a 90-day plan. It is about eight pages and it is yours to keep. See everything in the report.
Is the $495 refundable if we do not continue?
The report is the product, so there is nothing to refund: you own it either way. If you do continue within 30 days, the $495 comes off the workshop, build, or advisory you book.
Do you take referral fees from vendors?
No. The audit is vendor-neutral, and the recommendations are built on the tools you already own first. That is the whole point of paying for it instead of getting it free from someone with a product to sell.
Get the three moves, not the sales pitch.
A 15-minute intake, an hour together, and your AI Opportunity Report within 48 hours. The fee credits toward whatever you book next.
Book Your AI Opportunity AuditWant to talk it through first? Book a free 30-minute discovery call.