Comparison updated August 2026
Side by side
Published data on both agencies. Where one side measurably differs, the dot marks it: the higher score, the lower published rate, the larger team, the more recent review. Which of those is an advantage depends on your brief.
| Attribute | appliedAI | Wavestone |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | 64.3/100 | Higher score: 65.8/100 |
| Hourly rate | Contact for rates | Contact for rates |
| Team size | Larger team: 1000+ | |
| Location | Munich, Germany | Paris, France |
| Founded | — | — |
| Last reviewed | Aug 4, 2026 | More recent review: Aug 5, 2026 |
What we said about each
Our take on appliedAI
The Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen build is the one to read: a large language model on a skills-based architecture over a RAG knowledge base, in production, publishing roughly 45x faster Q&A, 1500x on automated extraction and 90% accuracy on base-analysis extraction. The published client list runs to Roche, Linde, Nokia, Vonovia and Giesecke+Devrient, and the G+D write-up tracks a named enterprise from "experimenting" to "practising" over two years rather than claiming a single win. Much of the…
Reviewed Aug 4, 2026
Read the full assessment →Our take on Wavestone
Wavestone approaches AI from governance rather than from engineering, and for a regulated buyer that is the point rather than a limitation. The practice is built on DORA, NIS2, the EU AI Act and ISO 27001, with delivery attached to it. The published work follows: generative AI replacing manual steps in document processing at the Helvetia Group, a use-case prioritization exercise in wealth and asset management, a unified data operating model for a healthcare group built for compliance as much as…
Reviewed Aug 5, 2026
Read the full assessment →Best for
Where each agency measurably leads on the published data — team capacity, declared specializations, editorial scoring, and rates where both publish them. Use these to match an agency to your project priorities.
Choose appliedAI if you need
- closer collaboration at a smaller team scale
- disclosed specialization in Manufacturing
- broader service offering — also covers AI Agents and Generative AI
Choose Wavestone if you need
- larger team capacity for multi-stream or enterprise-scale programs
- disclosed specialization in FinTech
- broader service offering — also covers AI Automation
Strengths and watch-outs
Both upsides and risks, straight from our editorial assessments.
appliedAI
Strengths
- One of the few listed agencies publishing hard speedup and accuracy figures from a production system
- AI Act and governance work is a stated practice line, not a blog topic
- An agent program with a published three-month path to a production-ready agent
Watch-outs
- Several reference pages describe use cases rather than named client engagements—ask which are live deployments
- No published rates, headcount or founding year; budget for enterprise procurement
Wavestone
Strengths
- Publishes an average daily rate of €944, which makes budgeting possible before the first meeting
- AI delivery attached to a real regulatory practice—DORA, NIS2, the EU AI Act, ISO 27001—rather than sold beside it
- A listed consultancy of 6,000-plus people, so capacity and continuity are not the risk they are with a boutique
Watch-outs
- One named AI client (Helvetia) among several anonymized stories—ask for a reference inside your own regulatory perimeter
- The published AI work is governance, adoption and process rather than model building; check the split before scoping
Service coverage
Where the two overlap, and where each covers ground the other does not.
Industry coverage
Where the two overlap, and where each covers ground the other does not.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has more Healthcare experience, appliedAI or Wavestone?
- Both agencies show documented Healthcare work and have similar industry breadth. Compare directly on the agency profiles: appliedAI and Wavestone.
- Which scores higher overall, appliedAI or Wavestone?
- Wavestone scores 65.8/100, 1.5 points higher than appliedAI at 64.3/100. See our methodology for how scores are calculated.
- When should I consider both appliedAI and Wavestone?
- Consider running parallel discovery briefs with appliedAI and Wavestone if your project spans multiple workstreams, you want competitive proposals to compare scope and approach, or you're undecided between the specialization angles each brings (see the Best for cards above). Most engagements ultimately go with one — but the parallel-brief phase is a low-cost way to validate fit.
Read the full reviews
A side-by-side is a starting point. The full assessments carry the portfolio analysis, documented engagements, and the evidence behind every strength and watch-out above.