Why eDiscovery Has No Standard Pricing
Unlike legal software with published subscription rates or court reporters with established market rates, eDiscovery pricing is almost entirely opaque. Every vendor quotes differently. Rates vary based on volume, contract length, relationship, and frankly how much they think you know. The buyer with no benchmarks gets the list rate. The buyer who's done this before — or who's done their homework — gets a very different number.
This guide reflects market rates observed across corporate legal departments, Am Law 200 firms, and mid-market litigation practices. These are not vendor list rates. These are the rates that informed buyers actually pay.
Data Processing Costs
Processing is typically the first major cost in any eDiscovery project — converting raw collected data into a reviewable, searchable format. It's also one of the most widely abused line items in the industry.
The spread between naive buyer rates and informed buyer rates on processing alone is extraordinary — often a 5x to 10x difference on identical work. The key variable isn't the vendor's cost structure; it's your leverage. Volume commitments, master service agreements, and competitive bidding all dramatically reduce processing rates.
Many vendors still charge separately for converting native documents to TIFF format — a legacy requirement that most modern productions no longer need. Native production is accepted in the vast majority of federal courts today. If your vendor is billing you for native-to-TIFF conversion on data that could be produced natively, that's an avoidable cost that can add 15–25% to your processing bill.
Monthly Hosting and Storage Costs
Hosting is where ghost billing lives, but it's also where rational ongoing costs can spiral without anyone noticing. These are the rates you should be benchmarking against.
| Hosting Type | High Rate (Overpaying) | Market Rate | Best-in-Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Review Hosting (per GB/mo) | $40–$75 | $15–$30 | $8–$15 |
| Cold/Archive Storage (per GB/mo) | $15–$25 | $5–$10 | $1–$3 |
| Platform User License (per user/mo) | $150–$300 | $75–$150 | $40–$80 |
| Relativity Workspace (flat/mo) | $2,000+ | $800–$1,500 | Negotiated flat |
Document Review Costs
Review is typically the largest single cost in any eDiscovery matter — representing 60–80% of total project spend in document-intensive cases. It's also the area where technology has the most dramatic cost impact, yet many legal teams still default to linear review.
| Review Type | Cost Per Document | 100K Doc Project | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear (contract attorneys) | $0.06–$0.12 | $6,000–$12,000 | No culling, every document touched |
| TAR 1.0 (seed set + continuous) | $0.025–$0.05 | $2,500–$5,000 | Requires validation documentation |
| TAR 2.0 (continuous active learning) | $0.008–$0.02 | $800–$2,000 | Best for large, complex matters |
| Near-dupe + email thread culling | $0.003–$0.008 | Reduces volume 20–40% | Run before any review method |
Production Costs
Production — the final delivery of documents to opposing counsel or the court — is often a relatively small line item that nonetheless contains hidden fees worth watching.
Standard production costs run $0.005–$0.015 per page for PDF or native production. Watch for vendors who charge separately for Bates labeling, redaction, slip sheets, load file generation, and media. These should be included or explicitly excluded from any production quote. Unbundled production fees can add 30–50% to the apparent per-page rate.
What a Full Project Actually Costs
Pulling these numbers together, here's what a 500 GB matter looks like at market rates versus overpay rates — assuming 6 months of active review and standard production.
| Cost Category | Overpay Rate | Market Rate | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processing (500 GB) | $200,000 | $37,500 | $162,500 |
| Hosting (6 months) | $135,000 | $45,000 | $90,000 |
| Review (100K docs, TAR) | $10,000 | $2,000 | $8,000 |
| Production (50K pages) | $2,500 | $750 | $1,750 |
| Total | $347,500 | $85,250 | $262,250 |
The $262,000 difference on a single 500 GB matter is not an outlier. It's the predictable result of accepting first-quote pricing versus running a competitive RFP process with benchmarks in hand.
How to Use These Benchmarks
Take these numbers into your next vendor conversation. Ask for itemized quotes that break out each cost category. If a vendor refuses to unbundle their pricing or can't explain why their per-GB rate is 4x the market rate, that tells you something important about the relationship you're entering.
For existing vendor relationships, request a billing audit using these benchmarks as the baseline. Many clients find that opening the conversation with "we've done some market research and we'd like to discuss our rates" is sufficient to trigger a meaningful repricing conversation without going through a full RFP.