# Best AI Consulting Agencies for Project-Based Work

> 80 agencies. Top-ranked: Storm Technology, Merantix Momentum, Preste.

Canonical page: https://www.aiagencies.eu/services/ai-consulting/for/project-based
Generated: 2026-09-28 · Curated by Gabor Kiss · No paid placements — inclusion, score, and rank are never sold.

## Ranked roster
Top 30 of 80 agencies on this page.

1. **Storm Technology** — Dublin, Ireland · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 1995 · services: AI Consulting, Generative AI, AI Development · 8 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-03 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/storm-technology
2. **Merantix Momentum** — Berlin, Germany · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 2019 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 12 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-24 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/merantix-momentum
3. **Preste** — Paris, France · €45-85/hr (directory-listed) · team 10-49 · founded 2019 · services: AI Development, Generative AI, AI Consulting · 12 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-24 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/preste
4. **Lexunit** — Budapest, Hungary · €45-85/hr (directory-listed) · team 10-49 · founded 2017 · services: AI Development, AI Automation, AI Consulting · 9 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-03 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/lexunit
5. **ontolux** — Berlin, Germany · rate not published · team 10-49 · services: AI Development, AI Consulting, Generative AI · 11 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-24 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/ontolux
6. **Pixelette Technologies** — London, United Kingdom · €20-40/hr (directory-listed) · team 250+ · founded 2018 · services: AI Development, AI Agents, AI Consulting, Generative AI · 7 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-23 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/pixelette-technologies
7. **OstraconAI** — Helsinki, Finland · €250-400/hr (agency-confirmed) · team 10-49 · founded 2024 · services: AI Consulting, AI Marketing, AI Automation · 11 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-23 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/ostraconai
8. **Instituto de Ingeniería del Conocimiento** — Madrid, Spain · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 1989 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 10 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-24 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/instituto-de-ingenieria-del-conocimiento
9. **b.telligent** — Munich, Germany · rate not published · team 250+ · founded 2005 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development · 9 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-20 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/b-telligent
10. **Babel** — Madrid, Spain · rate not published · team 250+ · founded 2003 · services: AI Consulting, Generative AI, AI Development · 9 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-24 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/babel
11. **Datatonic** — London, United Kingdom · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 2013 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 8 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/datatonic
12. **Fast Data Science** — London, United Kingdom · €175-260/hr (directory-listed) · team 2-9 · founded 2018 · services: AI Development, AI Consulting · 8 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/fast-data-science
13. **Zühlke** — Zurich, Switzerland · rate not published · team 250+ · founded 1968 · services: AI Development, AI Consulting · 5 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-08-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/zuehlke
14. **Kortical** — London, United Kingdom · €85-130/hr (directory-listed) · team 2-9 · founded 2016 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 8 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/kortical
15. **Hiflylabs** — Budapest, Hungary · rate not published · team 250+ · founded 2015 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, AI Automation · 8 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-03 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/hiflylabs
16. **Lautmaler** — Berlin, Germany · rate not published · team 10-49 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 8 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-08-05 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/lautmaler
17. **Data Analytics** — Rotterdam, Netherlands · rate not published · team 10-49 · services: AI Consulting · 10 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-24 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/data-analytics
18. **Hybrid Heroes** — Berlin, Germany · €85-130/hr (directory-listed) · team 10-49 · founded 2015 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI, AI Agents · 7 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-08-05 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/hybrid-heroes
19. **QED Software** — Warsaw, Poland · €85-130/hr (directory-listed) · team 10-49 · founded 1999 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 7 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-23 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/qed-software
20. **Satalia** — London, United Kingdom · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 2008 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, AI Agents · 6 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/satalia
21. **elunic** — Munich, Germany · rate not published · team 10-49 · founded 2013 · services: AI Development, AI Consulting, AI Agents · 6 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-20 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/elunic
22. **Datasparq** — London, United Kingdom · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 2018 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, AI Agents · 6 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/datasparq
23. **Bismart** — Barcelona, Spain · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 2009 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 6 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/bismart
24. **MS iHub** — Ljubljana, Slovenia · €45-85/hr (directory-listed) · team 2-9 · founded 2018 · services: AI Consulting, AI Automation, AI Development · 7 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-24 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/ms-ihub
25. **Mercury Labs** — London, United Kingdom · €85-130/hr (directory-listed) · team 10-49 · founded 2018 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 6 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-23 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/mercury-labs
26. **Unit8** — Lausanne, Switzerland · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 2017 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, Generative AI · 4 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-08-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/unit8
27. **Visium** — Zurich, Switzerland · rate not published · team 50-249 · founded 2018 · services: AI Consulting, Generative AI, AI Development · 5 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-08-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/visium
28. **Siili Solutions** — Helsinki, Finland · €45-85/hr (directory-listed) · team 250+ · founded 2005 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development, AI Automation · 5 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/siili-solutions
29. **In The Pocket** — Ghent, Belgium · rate not published · team 250+ · founded 2010 · services: AI Development, Generative AI, AI Consulting · 5 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-07 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/in-the-pocket
30. **Sparkbit** — Warsaw, Poland · €85-130/hr (directory-listed) · team 10-49 · founded 2014 · services: AI Consulting, AI Development · 5 documented client engagements with source URLs · reviewed 2026-09-23 · https://www.aiagencies.eu/agency/sparkbit

## Compared head-to-head
Curated comparison pages (published rates, team size, coverage, projected 12-week engagement cost, and the curator's verdict on both sides — pairings are never sold):
- Datatonic vs Merantix Momentum: https://www.aiagencies.eu/compare/datatonic-vs-merantix-momentum
- Datatonic vs Satalia: https://www.aiagencies.eu/compare/datatonic-vs-satalia
- OstraconAI vs Siili Solutions: https://www.aiagencies.eu/compare/ostraconai-vs-siili-solutions
- Visium vs Zühlke: https://www.aiagencies.eu/compare/visium-vs-zuehlke

## About this market
AI consulting bought as a project is the phase that can end at a deck, and the documented work here shows where it went further. Merantix Momentum's reference pages carry both kinds: strategy engagements such as the ams OSRAM AI Center of Excellence (30-plus use cases validated, 900-plus staff trained) and a Siemens Energy roadmap from a two-day workshop, beside systems still running, with KRASS Optik's recommender serving 900,000-plus customers daily since 2021 and a Federal Chancellery proof of concept handed over for integration. Datatonic's Vodafone engagement produced an MLOps platform live in more than eight markets. Fast Data Science's Clinical Trial Risk Tool for the Gates Foundation was deployed publicly, open-sourced and published. OstraconAI splits the same way: Sanoma, Attendo and Eficode are assessments and roadmaps, while Singa is a lead pipeline live in week three. Datasparq's Leeds Bradford Airport workshop produced a roadmap, which the curator reads as opportunity identified, not value delivered.

The sorting question for a consulting project is whether the firm publishes the build that followed its advice. Read each write-up for its status word, since a roadmap and a proof of concept are different deliverables from an operated system, and ask what happened after the workshop. Then ask who delivered the production systems: the curator notes that seven of Merantix Momentum's 27 references are funded research consortia, that b.telligent's Data Science and AI practice is one of seven service lines, and that several OstraconAI headline numbers are forecasts rather than measurements.

## Questions buyers ask

### How many AI agencies work with project-based on ai consulting?
80 agencies in our directory combine verified project-based client evidence with documented AI Consulting work. The current top-ranked are Storm Technology, Merantix Momentum, Preste — ordered by depth of documented client evidence, then our editorial scoring (portfolio quality, credibility, completeness); placement is never paid.

### How much does an AI agency cost for ai consulting?
Published rates across this page's agencies run €20–400 per hour (median ~€65). Project totals depend on scope — the rate index at /rates breaks the computed bands down by region, country and team size.

### How is the project-based model verified?
Every agency here documents project-based work on its own site or in a published case study, describing the engagement structure rather than a service-list claim. We never infer the model from portfolio tone, so this list only contains agencies that operate project-based engagements deliberately.

### Can these agencies embed consultants with our team?
13 of the agencies on this page document an embedded / team-extension working model. See the team-extension page for the full verified list, or check the engagement chips on individual profiles.

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Source: AIAgencies.eu — the curated register of European AI agencies. Rate provenance: "agency-confirmed" = disclosed via submission or claimed profile; "directory-listed" = Clutch or two agreeing B2B directories (lone unverified sources are never written). Full method: https://www.aiagencies.eu/methodology · Rate index: https://www.aiagencies.eu/rates