What digital forensics actually costs

Done-for-you device packages

When you want us to run the investigation for you, we package the work by the number of devices. Each package is a flat total that already includes the $995 lifetime tool license — no separate charge. We start at the package that matches your situation, scope it in writing on the free triage call, and only escalate with a written scope update you authorize first.

Need a different number of devices? 4, 6, or more devices, or anything beyond a 5-device package, is scoped per case at the flat $400/hr rate on the free triage call — there is no cliff between packages.

$400/hr flat covers everything beyond a package — additional devices, open-ended forensic and advisory time, breach-counsel support, and every bracket of expert-witness work (case review, deposition prep, deposition, trial testimony). No surge, after-hours, or rush multipliers, and no premium for expert-witness work — the methodology, senior-practitioner involvement, and court-admissible documentation overhead are the same across every case, so the rate is the same. Hourly engagements without a retainer carry a 4-hour-per-session minimum.

Engagement retainer (active matters)

Done-for-you and expert-witness engagements begin with a $5,000 refundable retainer (proportional for larger work). The retainer is held against the flat $400/hr rate; unused balance is refunded at engagement close. It is an advance on fees, never a non-refundable charge, and we do not bill outside the written scope without a scope update you authorize first.

The rest of the catalog

Self-serve tool

$995 once, lifetime access — every tool unlocked, including AI triage, link analysis, the evidence vault, court-ready reports, and the full methodology engine. Includes $995 of usage credit. Usage draws down a prepaid token balance you top up in-app, and the balance never expires. Purchase and prepaid top-ups check out in-app.

Complex & litigation cases

The largest cases — identity-theft rings, multi-actor harassment, layered scams (romance-to-crypto, executive sextortion, pig-butchering rings) coordinated across multiple devices, accounts, and jurisdictions — run $15,000–$50,000, scoped per case at the $400/hr rate and often coordinated with breach counsel and law enforcement.

Expert witness & testimony

Case review, deposition, and trial testimony all bill at the same flat $400/hr rate, with a $5,000 engagement retainer per matter. We charge no premium for testimony — review, deposition, and trial are the same work, so they are the same rate. Findings are documented to a court-admissible standard with full chain of custody.

Enterprise

$20,000/mo — the team tier: frontier reasoning, a dedicated analyst escalation channel, and team billing for firms and organizations running multiple cases. Checks out in-app.

Payment

All standard payment methods are accepted via Stripe — credit card, debit card, and ACH bank transfer for US clients. For larger engagements we prefer ACH or wire transfer to keep processing costs down for both sides. The self-serve tool ($995 one-time) and Enterprise ($20,000/mo) check out in-app; prepaid usage top-ups are handled there too. Done-for-you engagements collect a $5,000 refundable retainer before any billable work begins; payment instructions go out in the engagement letter.

Cross-cutting policies

Free first call

The 30-minute consultationis free, NDA-protected, and confidential. If your case can be handled with the self-serve tool, with the free version of SleuthX, or with a referral to a different specialist (police, IC3, a licensed Florida PI, breach counsel, the platform's own recovery process), we will tell you that and decline the engagement. We do not take cases for billing reasons. We take cases where forensic work is actually the right answer.

Written scope before any billable work

Every engagement is scoped in writing before any retainer is collected. The estimate names the device package or hour range, the deliverables, and the milestone gates where scope is reviewed before additional time bills.

Sliding scale for survivors

Survivors of domestic violence and stalking, and victims of cyber crime where cost is a barrier, are eligible for sliding-scale pricing — the same quality of work, applied privately on the first call, with no paperwork and no survivor turned away for cost. If this is you, start safely on our domestic-violence resource.

Attorney volume

Attorneys with 3 or more active cases per quarter receive floor pricing on subsequent personal-side cases (internal volume policy).

Need B2B, enterprise, or federal pricing?

SleuthX is the consumer-facing brand. Enterprise DFIR, vCISO, MDR, managed cybersecurity, SOC 2, CMMC, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001, ITAR, red team, pentest, and federal advisory work runs through our sister brand at varcoe.ai. Same legal entity (SleuthX, Inc.), same Quinn, different brand voice for the B2B audience. The full B2B rate card lives at varcoe.ai/pricing.

What this means for you

• Written scope before any work. You see a written scope — deliverables, timeline, and price — and approve it before we begin. You are never billed for work you did not authorize.
• We commit to findings, not outcomes. We tell you up front what the evidence can and cannot establish. Recovery, attribution, and prosecution are decided by banks, platforms, insurers, and courts — we produce the record they act on, and we put that distinction in writing.
• Every case is investigated, not just scanned. A credentialed examiner reviews every case before findings leave the practice. You get a documented investigation to court-admissible standards — not a single automated scan and a one-line answer.
• We will tell you if you do not need us. If a free or simpler step — a police report, an IC3 filing, a platform's own recovery flow — would resolve your situation, we point you there first.
• One flat rate. A single senior-practitioner rate, flat — no surge, after-hours, or rush multipliers.
• Senior work at the senior rate. The examiner you are quoted is the one who does the work — quoted rates and delivered work are the same tier.

How to schedule

1. Free first call. 30 minutes. NDA-protected. Book on Calendly or call (239) 241-8095.
2. Written scope and estimate. Within 24 hours of the call, you receive a written engagement letter naming how you're working with us (self-serve tool, done-for-you package, or hourly), the price or device package, deliverables, and retainer.
3. Retainer + start. Done-for-you engagements start with a $5,000 refundable retainer (proportional for larger work). Unused balance is refunded at engagement close. The self-serve tool starts immediately — purchase once at sleuthx.ai/app and begin.
4. Investigation, report, optional testimony. Court-admissible methodology, written report, expert testimony coordination if your case ends up in court.