The Real Cost of Digital Forensics: What Firms Actually Charge in 2025
Understand the line items before you sign a retainer
Most attorneys and individuals are quoted broad figures like “$5,000–$12,000” for a digital forensics engagement. That range is accurate, but the pricing mechanics are opaque: retainers, device handling fees, hourly collections, and reporting surcharges add up fast. We analyzed 2024–2025 proposals across the U.S. and Canada to expose how invoices are structured and where you can save.
Typical Pricing Breakdown
| Line Item | What Firms Charge | What It Covers | How ForensAI Approaches It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retainer / Engagement Fee | $1,500–$4,000 due upfront | Secures lab time, preserves chain of custody, allocates lead examiner | $0 — ForensAI is self-service software |
| Evidence Intake & Imaging | $250–$450 per device (minimum 2-hour block) | Clone drives, collect mobile backups, unpack Takeout exports | Included — You import the files directly |
| Analysis Labor | $250–$500 per hour, 8–20+ hours | Filtering logins, correlating IPs, building timelines, drafting findings | Automated — AI review completes in minutes on your device |
| Expert Reporting & Testimony | $2,000–$5,000 per report; $350–$450/hr testimony | Formal declarations, affidavits, deposition prep, court appearances | ForensAI exports professional PDFs for you to review or share |
Where the Quote Grows
Even modest cases cross $7,000 after the first week. There are three predictable triggers:
Multiple Accounts & Log Sources
Google Takeout alone can contain 3–5GB of JSON files. Add Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Snapchat, TikTok, and X exports, and examiners spend hours writing custom scripts just to parse the archives. Every additional platform adds 2–4 billable hours.
Scope Creep
Once attorneys see red flags, they expand the scope. Requests like “check 2019 data” or “include Dropbox devices” trigger new imaging and analysis cycles. Firms rarely absorb that cost.
Rush Turnaround
Court deadlines and TROs compress timelines. Overnight or 72-hour delivery typically applies a 1.5× multipliers to labor, pushing a $6k project past $9k.
Readable Logs Are Half the Battle
Account exports were never designed for humans. They ship as nested .json, .csv, and zipped image folders. That’s the advantage firms sell: they have tooling to normalize the chaos. ForensAI brings those normalization pipelines to your laptop, with 20+ built-in risk pattern detectors for suspicious logins, device changes, and password resets.
When Hiring a Firm Still Makes Sense
- Certified expert testimony is needed for court.
- Devices require hardware-level acquisition (e.g., chip-off mobile forensics).
- You need a neutral third party to preserve evidence for litigation.
ForensAI doesn’t replace those scenarios. Instead, it acts as a first-pass analysis so you can decide what warrants escalation—and what you can document yourself.
ROI Comparison
| Traditional Firm | ForensAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to Findings | 3–14 days | Minutes |
| Total Cost | $3k–$10k per report | $179 one-time |
| Data Custody | Data leaves your environment | 100% on-device |
| Scalability | Each case is bespoke | Unlimited scans |
How to Decide What You Need
- Inventory your exports. Gather Google Takeout, Apple privacy report, Facebook/Instagram downloads, Microsoft sign-in logs, Dropbox activity, Snapchat, TikTok, and X exports.
- Scan in ForensAI. See immediate risk scores, timeline visualizations, and flagged anomalies.
- Escalate when necessary. If you uncover tampering, stalking, or workplace policy violations that require legal weight, bring your ForensAI findings to a firm to accelerate their work.
Free scans show top findings. Full Forensics ($179) unlocks complete analysis + PDF reports.
ForensAI is an educational, read-only analysis tool. It does not provide legal advice, expert testimony, or certified evidence.
