The honest answer: it depends on what the plan is actually for
A business plan written to satisfy a bank application for a £20,000 start-up loan is a very different document to one written to support a £2 million equity raise from institutional investors. The research depth, financial modelling, market analysis and narrative complexity differ substantially — and so does the price. When founders ask "how much does a business plan cost?", the most useful starting point is clarifying what the plan needs to achieve.
"A business plan is not a commodity. The right question is not what is the cheapest plan available — it is what level of quality will give this plan the best chance of achieving its purpose."
Typical price ranges in the UK and what you get
£300–£800: Template-based or freelance
At this price point, you are typically getting a formatted template populated with information you provide. The financial model may be basic, the market research generic, and the narrative unlikely to have been written with a specific funder or investor audience in mind. For some purposes — internal planning, simple loan applications or early-stage clarity — this may be sufficient. For anything involving serious scrutiny, it is rarely enough.
£800–£2,000: Professional consultant or boutique agency
This range typically includes a discovery process, proper market research, custom financial projections, and a document tailored to the specific purpose. The writer will ask substantive questions about the business model, the target market and the funding context. This is the most commonly recommended range for established-route bank applications, Innovate UK applications, visa business plans and early investor decks.
£2,000–£5,000+: Full-service with deep financial modelling
At this level, you should expect dedicated consultancy time alongside the plan — scenario modelling, sensitivity analysis, detailed market sizing, and a document that has been reviewed and refined through multiple iterations. This range is appropriate for larger funding rounds, complex businesses, applications where the plan will face rigorous due diligence, and founders who need the strategic thinking as much as the document itself.
What actually drives the price
- Purpose: A plan for bank lending, a Start Up Loan, an investor raise or a visa application each requires different depth, structure and emphasis.
- Business complexity: A straightforward service business costs less to plan than a marketplace, a multi-revenue model, or a business with significant capital expenditure.
- Financial modelling depth: Basic projections take a few hours. Detailed three-statement models with scenario analysis can take days.
- Research requirements: Some plans require primary market research and competitor analysis; others rely primarily on the founder's existing knowledge.
- Writer experience: A specialist who has written plans that have successfully raised funding will charge a premium — and usually justify it.
Should you write it yourself?
Many founders choose to write their own business plan, particularly at the early stage. This can work well if the purpose is internal — to clarify thinking, test assumptions and map the early months of the business. For external purposes, the quality threshold rises considerably. Lenders and investors are experienced readers. They notice when a plan lacks rigour, when financial projections are inconsistent, or when the narrative does not address the questions they care about.
A professionally written plan does not guarantee funding. But it does remove one of the most common reasons applications are declined or ignored: a document that does not demonstrate the level of preparation the audience expects to see.
Questions to ask before you commission a plan
- What have they written plans for before? (Bank loans, Start Up Loans, investors, visas — each requires different knowledge.)
- Can they show examples or client outcomes?
- Will they produce the financial model or expect you to provide figures?
- How many revision rounds are included?
- Do they understand the specific lender, investor or programme your plan is targeting?
Price is one variable. The quality of the outcome is the one that matters. A plan that does not succeed at its purpose, regardless of what it cost to produce, has returned no value at all.