Tool

Automation ROI Calculator

Pick one workflow your team runs by hand. Enter how often it runs and how long it takes. You get the hours freed, the value your team can use, the payback period and first-year ROI.

Open the calculator
  • Hours freed a month
  • Payback in months
  • First-year ROI
Automation ROI Calculator preview
min
$
Wage plus taxes and benefits.
%
Exceptions still need a person.
%
Freed hours only pay off if the team uses them for other work.
$
Software, API calls and upkeep.
$

The numbers above are an example. Replace them with yours. Results update as you type.

How the calculator works

Hours freed are runs × minutes per run × coverage ÷ 60. 1,000 runs at 6 minutes with 60% coverage frees 60 hours a month. At $40 an hour and 50% of that time put to use, the value is $1,200 a month. Take off $300 in running costs and you net $900.

Twelve months of $900 is $10,800. Minus $4,500 in setup, the first year nets $6,300. That's a 140% first-year ROI and a 5-month payback.

Time your team puts to use

Freed hours turn into money only when people do other paid work with them, or when you hire less. Many ROI calculators count every saved minute at full cost. Set this field to what you expect: 100% if the work replaces a planned hire, lower if the team only gets a lighter week.

Common questions

How do you calculate automation ROI?

Take the yearly value of the time the automation frees, subtract running costs and the setup cost, then divide by the setup cost. The calculator shows each step so you can check it.

Which workflows should I automate first?

Ones that run often, follow the same steps and touch tools with an API: lead routing, invoice entry, report building, order updates. Rare tasks with many exceptions rarely pay back.

What does coverage mean?

The share of runs the automation finishes without a person. Most workflows have exceptions, so 100% coverage is rare. Start at 50% to 70% unless you have tested it.

What counts as running cost?

Monthly software seats, API or AI usage, hosting and the time someone spends fixing it when an input changes.

Is a 12-month payback good?

It means the workflow pays for itself within the first year. Shorter is better. If payback runs past a year, look for a cheaper build or a higher-volume workflow.

Do you store my numbers?

No. The math runs in your browser. Nothing goes to us unless you send the form.

Free workflow scoping

Scope this workflow with us

Tell us what the task is and which tools it touches. We reply within 24 hours with the steps, the build cost and the payback.

  • The steps and the exceptions
  • Tools and data it touches
  • Build cost and payback
  • A fixed-price plan

Cancel with 30 days’ written notice. You keep every account and all your data.

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