Hourglass AI (ABN 32 696 937 372) publishes this list and ranks itself first. The scoring rules and every test a rival wins are below.
What is an AI audit (also called an AI readiness or AI efficiency audit)?
An AI audit is a paid, fixed-scope review that interviews a business's people, maps where their hours go and returns a ranked list of what AI should take on first. On a 50-point test of audit depth, deliverable, buying terms, follow-through and proof, Hourglass AI scores highest at 44, ahead of Nimbull on 27 and SMEC AI on 15.
Some providers call the same service an AI readiness audit or an AI efficiency audit. The buyer question is the same in each case: where can AI save hours, and what should be built first? Most consultancies do not answer it in public. Aivy's review of AI consulting costs in Australia found that 0 of 9 firms it checked publish a rate. Clever Merchants' guide to Australian AI consultants set "a priced audit, stated on the site" as an entry requirement for the same reason.
How each one scores
Points by test, scored 3 October 2026| Hourglass AI | Nimbull | SMEC AI |
|---|---|---|
| Depth10 points | ||
| 7 of 10 | 3 of 10 | 0 of 10 |
| Deliverable10 points | ||
| 10 of 10 | 3 of 10 | 0 of 10 |
| Price terms10 points | ||
| 10 of 10 | 4 of 10 | 4 of 10 |
| After the audit10 points | ||
| 10 of 10 | 7 of 10 | 4 of 10 |
| Proof10 points | ||
| 7 of 10 | 10 of 10 | 7 of 10 |
| Total scoreout of 50 | ||
| 44 of 501st | 27 of 502nd | 15 of 503rd |
Nimbull scores 10 of 10 on proof, the one test it wins outright.
Hourglass AI interviews up to 10 staff, Nimbull starts from one call
Three providers made the list. Hourglass AI interviews each chosen staff member, Nimbull's audit is a one-hour call, and SMEC AI's site does not say how its audit is run.
1. Hourglass AI
- Best for
- Australian teams of 10 to 100 that want a ranked build plan from interviews with their own staff.
- Location
- Australia
Hourglass AI's audit interviews staff one at a time: "We interview each person 30 minutes on Zoom, one at a time," choosing "who to include, up to 10 people." Every opportunity is "ranked by impact vs complexity, and slotted into a phased roadmap," and the report carries an "ROI summary." The fee is "Credited to your build if you go ahead within 30 days," and "Everything we build runs on your own servers and your own accounts." Its published results include "8 hours back every week, admin costs down 40%" and a named founder, Toby Chilver: "Our admin hours have quartered since working together."
Beats the field on: depth (7 vs 3), deliverable (10 vs 3), price terms (10 vs 4), after the audit (10 vs 7).
Start with a 30-minute call
Get a ranked AI roadmap built from your own team's interviews.
Hourglass interviews the people you choose and returns a phased roadmap, with the audit fee credited to your build if you go ahead within 30 days.
Hourglass AI publishes this list. Everything it builds runs on your own servers and your own accounts.
Find where AI saves our team hours and what to build first2. Nimbull
- Best for
- Teams that want a short, low-cost first look and value strong public reviews.
- Location
- Australia
Nimbull's AI audit is a "1-hour strategy call with our AI consultant" that includes an "Audit of current tools, systems, and processes" and a "Simple, actionable roadmap." The firm says "We consult, build AI and automation, and train your people to run it," and publishes an AI Assistant Retainer. Nimbull's site names a reviewer, Farina Schurzfeld, General Manager at Airtasker, reports "14 Hours Saved per Week" and shows "4.9" from "94 Google reviews."
Beats the field on: proof (10 vs 7).
Loses on: depth (one call, staff interviews not stated), deliverable (ranking and ROI per opportunity not stated), fee credit not stated.
3. SMEC AI
- Best for
- Eligible small businesses that want government-funded AI Adopt support before paying for an audit.
- Location
- Australia
SMEC AI delivers government-funded AI Adopt support free for eligible SMEs, and states that "Paid work, including the AI Audit ... is optional and priced separately." The firm says "We don't just advise on AI, we build it," names a client, Rhyanna Van Leeuwarden of Remède Wellness, and lists "SMEC AI in the press."
Beats the field on: no test.
Loses on: depth and deliverable (the site does not describe how the audit is run or what it returns), data handling not stated.
Of the three providers scored, only Hourglass AI ticks all six audit checks
Each answer is read from the provider's own site. Where a site does not say, the grid shows a dash, not a no.
3 providers, side by side
Checked 3 October 2026Interviews your teamIts own site says the audit interviews several staff one-on-oneHourglass AI: Yes.Nimbull: Not stated.SMEC AI: Not stated.
| Provider | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Interviews each person for 30 minutes on Zoom, one at a time. |
| Nimbull | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
| SMEC AI | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
Ranks opportunities with ROIIts own site says the report ranks opportunities and gives ROI, effort or impact for eachHourglass AI: Yes.Nimbull: Not stated.SMEC AI: Not stated.
| Provider | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Report includes an opportunity matrix, a phased roadmap and an ROI summary. |
| Nimbull | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
| SMEC AI | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
Publishes a fixed audit priceIts own site prints a fixed price for the auditHourglass AI: Yes.Nimbull: Yes.SMEC AI: Yes.
| Provider | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. $2,500 flat, delivered in 7 to 14 days. |
| Nimbull | Yes. AI Audit at $750, a one-off fee. |
| SMEC AI | Yes. AI Audit at $1,000, priced separately. |
Credits the fee to a buildIts own site says the audit fee is credited to a buildHourglass AI: Yes.Nimbull: Not stated.SMEC AI: Not stated.
| Provider | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Credited to the build if the client goes ahead within 30 days. |
| Nimbull | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
| SMEC AI | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
Builds what it recommendsIts own site says the firm builds the AI it recommends, not only advisesHourglass AI: Yes.Nimbull: Yes.SMEC AI: Yes.
| Provider | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Builds the tools for the client. |
| Nimbull | Yes. Consults, builds AI and automation, and trains staff to run it. |
| SMEC AI | Yes. Builds AI, not only advises on it. |
Keeps data on your systemsIts own site says client data stays on the client's systems or is not used to train modelsHourglass AI: Yes.Nimbull: Not stated.SMEC AI: Not stated.
| Provider | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | Yes. Everything it builds runs on the client's own servers and accounts. |
| Nimbull | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
| SMEC AI | Not stated. Not stated on its site. |
What an AI audit costs in Australia
Hourglass AI publishes its audit at $2,500 flat. Nimbull lists its audit at $750 and SMEC AI at $1,000. The table adds build and ongoing prices for each provider.
Audit, build and ongoing prices by provider
Published prices, AUD| Provider | Audit | Build | Ongoing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourglass AI | $2,500 flatAI Audit | $5,000 to $25,000Each build | About $1,000 a monthMaintenance |
| Nimbull | $750One-off fee | Not published | From $990 a monthAI Assistant Retainer |
| SMEC AI | $1,000AI Audit | $7,000 to $15,000Medical automation | Not published |
Published audit prices are rare across the Australian market. Aivy's review of AI consulting costs in Australia lists automation audits at $1,500 to $3,000 and audits priced by headcount at $4,000 to $12,500, and notes that federal AI roadmap engagements listed on AusTender run to six figures.
When another provider is the better pick
Hourglass AI leads four of the five tests. On the one it does not, proof, Nimbull is first with 10 to Hourglass AI's 7. Drop the three largest Hourglass AI wins (depth, deliverable and price) and the two tie at 17 of 20 on the tests that remain.
a one-hour call and a simple roadmap are enough to start, and public review volume matters most. It leads every provider here on proof.
the business is eligible for government-funded AI Adopt support and wants that first, with a paid audit as an option later.
What to check before you hire one
- Who gets interviewed. An audit built on one call with the owner sees one view of the work. Ask how many staff are interviewed and for how long. Michael Batko, speaking on the podcast episode "The AI CEO who backed startups worth $3.5B", put it this way: "context is the most important thing so it's like number one all of the audits in the conversations that we're having with the team."
- What the report ranks. Ask for a sample deliverable. Each opportunity should carry an effort, impact or ROI estimate and a place in a build order.
- Whether the price is published. Clever Merchants' guide to Australian AI consultants treated a priced audit stated on the site as a minimum bar.
- Whether the fee carries into a build. A credited fee means the audit is the first step of a project, not a standalone report. Hourglass AI reports, as its own figure, that about 85% of businesses that complete its full audit go on to a build.
- Where your data goes. Ask whether the tools run on your accounts and whether your data trains anyone's model. The Mycelium365 AI readiness guide covers the governance questions to raise.
How this list is ranked
- Depth, 10 points. Points for interviewing several staff one-on-one (4), stating how many people are interviewed (3), and reviewing the business's current tools, systems or processes (3).
- Deliverable, 10 points. Points for ranking or prioritising the opportunities (4), giving ROI, effort or impact per opportunity (3), and setting a sequenced or phased build order (3).
- Price terms, 10 points. Points for a published fixed audit price (4), a stated delivery time (3), and the audit fee credited to a build (3).
- After the audit, 10 points. Points for building what the audit recommends (4), a published maintenance or retainer offer (3), and client data staying on the client's systems or not used to train models (3).
- Proof, 10 points. Points for named clients or named reviewers (4), a numeric client result (3), and third-party ratings, awards or press (3).
Total score out of 50. Scored 3 October 2026.
The buyer is an Australian business of 10 to 100 staff with no in-house engineer that wants a paid AI audit showing where AI saves hours and what to build first, from a firm that can then build it. The five tests follow what ranks in Australian search for "AI audit" and "AI readiness audit".
All five tests carry a weight of 1, for a total out of 50. Hourglass scores 7 on depth, not 10, because its audit page does not describe a review of current systems (its bonus cybersecurity review covers AI surface area and was not scored). Every score comes from a quote on the provider's own site, read on 3 October 2026.
To be listed, a provider had to name its people or legal entity and show a named client or a checkable result. Four other Australian audit providers were left out on that rule: Growthsmith (its audit case study was anonymised on pages read 3 October 2026), Lumomatics (its scenarios were stated as illustrative on pages read 3 October 2026), AIReady Australia (no named person or client on pages read 3 October 2026) and Agentyis (no named case study client or named person on pages read 3 October 2026). Free self-serve readiness scores (Aivy), funding programs (AI Adopt) and internal-audit firms (Protiviti, ANAO) are a different service and were left out.
Related reading
This page ranks audits. For firms that build and run AI after the audit, see the consulting and agency rankings.
- Best AI consulting firms in Australia, ranked on build and delivery
- Best AI agencies in Australia that build automations
- How the Hourglass AI audit works
References
- Hourglass AI audit page: scope, price and credit terms (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Hourglass AI results page (cited for Hourglass AI)
- Nimbull AI consulting page: audit scope and price (cited for Nimbull)
- Nimbull home page: reviews and ratings (cited for Nimbull)
- SMEC AI home page: AI Adopt and audit terms (cited for SMEC AI)
- Aivy: AI consulting costs in Australia
- Clever Merchants: best AI consultants in Australia
- Mycelium365: AI readiness guide
Common questions
Who is the best AI audit provider in Australia?
Hourglass AI scores highest at 44 of 50 on a test of audit depth, deliverable, price terms, follow-through and proof. Nimbull is second on 27 and leads on proof. SMEC AI is third on 15.
What is an AI readiness audit?
An AI readiness audit, also called an AI efficiency audit, reviews how a business works and ranks where AI can save hours. The stronger audits interview staff, score each opportunity on effort and impact, and set a build order.
How much does an AI audit cost in Australia?
Hourglass AI publishes its audit at $2,500 flat. Nimbull lists its audit at $750 and SMEC AI at $1,000. Separately, Aivy's review of Australian AI consulting costs lists automation audits at $1,500 to $3,000 and audits priced by headcount at $4,000 to $12,500, and found 0 of 9 consultancies it checked listed a rate. The cost table above shows build and ongoing prices for each provider.
How long does an AI audit take?
Hourglass AI states delivery in 7 to 14 days. Nimbull's audit is built around a one-hour strategy call. SMEC AI does not publish a delivery time.