Free tool
Automation ROI calculator
Pick one manual task. Enter how many people do it, how long it takes them and what an hour of their time costs. You'll see what the task costs you a year, how many hours automation would free up and how long the build takes to pay for itself.
Every number in the result comes from what you type. We don't fill in industry averages.
Your result
Fill in the five fields without "optional" and the result shows up here. Nothing is sent anywhere while you type.
Free automation audit
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Tell us which task you just calculated. We'll reply with what we'd automate first and whether your numbers hold up.
How the math works
Six steps, all plain arithmetic. You can redo them on paper.
1. Weekly hours
People on the task times the hours each of them spends on it per week. If you enter a rework share, that share of the time is added on top.
2. Yearly cost
Weekly hours times what one hour costs you, times 52 weeks.
3. Hours freed
Weekly hours times the share of the task you expect automation to take over.
4. Monthly saving
Hours freed per week, times the hourly cost, times 52 weeks divided by 12 months. Then the monthly running cost is subtracted.
5. Payback
The one-time build cost divided by the monthly saving. If the saving is zero or negative, it does not pay back.
6. First-year result
Twelve months of saving minus the build cost.
What it leaves out
The calculator counts time. It doesn't count faster replies to customers, leads that no longer go cold or what your team does with the hours it gets back. Those can matter more than the hours themselves, but they are hard to put a number on, so they stay out of the total.
It also assumes the workload you enter stays flat for the year. If the task grows with your business, the real saving grows with it. If it shrinks, so does the saving.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate ROI on automation?+
Work out what the manual task costs per month (hours times hourly cost), take the share automation would remove, and subtract what the automation costs to run. That is the monthly saving. Divide the one-time build cost by it and you get the payback period in months.
What should I enter as the hourly cost?+
What an hour of that person's time costs the business. Some people use the wage, others add payroll taxes and benefits. Either works as long as you use the same basis for every task you compare.
What if the calculator says it does not pay back?+
Then at those numbers it is probably not worth building yet. Check whether the task can be simplified first, or whether a cheaper tool covers it. If you send us the task, we will tell you the same thing rather than quote a build that does not pay for itself.
Does the calculator store what I type?+
No. The math runs in your browser. The numbers reach us only if you submit the audit form, and then as a one-line summary attached to your request.