eDiscovery Cost Estimator

Our free eDiscovery Cost Estimator helps you estimate costs based on 11 key business variables. The calculator provides 7 detailed outputs using vendor benchmarks and company-size adjustments.

Enter your business details to get market-adjusted estimates as of 2026.

What you'll learn:

• Accurate ediscovery cost estimator estimates based on your specific inputs
• Low, average, and high cost ranges for budgeting
• How local factors impact pricing
• Tips for optimizing vendor selection and reducing total cost of ownership

Understanding the cost breakdown helps you budget effectively for your ediscovery cost estimator project. Here are the typical cost components:

Our ediscovery cost estimator uses a multi-variable formula that accounts for the following inputs:

1. Data Volume (GB) — Required user-entered data volume.
2. Custodians — Required user-entered custodian count.
3. Review Method — Choose from: Manual review, Technology-assisted review, Managed service
4. Hosting Timeline (Months) — Required user-entered hosting/review timeline.
5. Processing Rate per GB ($) — Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.
6. Estimated Documents per GB — Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.
7. Review Cost per Document ($) — Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.
8. Hosting Cost per GB-Month ($) — Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.
9. Assumption Source Name — Required source label for user-entered eDiscovery cost assumptions.
10. Assumption Source Date — Required source/access date for eDiscovery cost assumptions in YYYY-MM-DD format.
11. Assumption Source URL — Optional URL when external eDiscovery cost assumptions are used.

Based on your inputs, the calculator provides:

• Processing Cost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Review Cost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Hosting Cost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Total eDiscovery Cost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Deprecated alias: use processingCost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Deprecated alias: use reviewCost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Deprecated alias: use totalCost — Dollar amount based on current market rates

All calculations incorporate location-specific cost adjustments when a ZIP code is provided, using data from industry databases updated for 2026.

Several factors influence your ediscovery cost estimator estimate:

Data Volume (GB)

Required user-entered data volume.

Custodians

Required user-entered custodian count.

Review Method

Options include: Manual review, Technology-assisted review, Managed service. Each choice impacts the final estimate.

Hosting Timeline (Months)

Required user-entered hosting/review timeline.

Processing Rate per GB ($)

Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.

Estimated Documents per GB

Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.

Review Cost per Document ($)

Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.

Hosting Cost per GB-Month ($)

Required user-entered, source-dated assumption. No default is applied when a source-backed value has not been supplied.

Company Size & Scope

Enterprise pricing often differs significantly from SMB pricing. Vendor volume discounts, implementation complexity, and support tiers all scale with company size.

Market Timing

Vendor pricing changes quarterly or annually. End-of-quarter negotiations and competitive bids can reduce costs by 10-25%.

After you run the calculator, your results include interactive sections that help you make informed decisions:

Detailed Breakdown

Your results are broken down into individual components so you can see how each factor contributes to the total. Use this to identify the biggest cost drivers and focus your research or negotiation where it matters most.

Visual Chart

The chart provides a visual summary of your results, making it straightforward to compare components at a glance. This is helpful when sharing estimates with a spouse, business partner, or advisor — the visual format communicates the key story faster than numbers alone.

Save and Share Your Results

Download your complete results as a CSV spreadsheet or PDF report. The PDF includes all your inputs and key results — ready to share with contractors, service providers, or anyone else who needs to review the numbers. No account or signup required.