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Automation ROI Calculator
Enter a task you do over and over. See what it costs you now, and what you'd get back by automating it — in hours and in money, per year.
+ Add setup & tool cost (optional, for payback period)
You could save
—hrs/yr
≈ — per year
- Time back per week
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- That's like
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- Payback period
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- Net first-year saving
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How to read your automation ROI
The number that matters most is not the tool's price — it's the gap between what a repetitive task costs you now and what it costs once a machine handles the bulk of it. A task that takes twenty minutes feels trivial. Run it ten times a week, every week, and it quietly consumes more than 170 hours a year. That is the hidden cost automation removes.
Use the automation percentage honestly. Very few processes go to 100% — there is usually an exception, an approval, or an edge case a person still handles. Somewhere between 70% and 90% is realistic for most well-scoped tasks, and it is better to be conservative here than to promise savings that never arrive.
If you added a setup and tool cost, the payback period tells you how long before the automation has paid for itself. Anything under a year is generally worth doing; high-frequency tasks often pay back in a matter of weeks.
Not sure what to automate first?
Our guide on how AI workflow automation saves 20+ hours a week breaks down which tasks give the fastest return, and the business process automation guide covers how to roll it out without breaking what already works.
Frequently asked questions
How is automation ROI calculated?
Automation ROI compares what a repetitive task costs you today against what it costs after automation. This calculator multiplies the time a task takes by how often it runs to get annual hours, multiplies that by your hourly cost to get the current spend, then subtracts the estimated time and cost that remain once the task is automated. The difference is your annual saving.
What counts as a good ROI for automation?
A common rule of thumb is that an automation pays for itself when it returns its setup cost within the first year. Many simple, high-frequency tasks — data entry, report generation, invoice handling — clear that bar within a few months because they run so often. The higher the frequency and the more people involved, the faster the payback.
Does this calculator account for setup and tool costs?
Yes. There is an optional field for one-time setup cost and monthly tool cost. When you enter those, the calculator shows your net first-year saving and a payback period, so you can judge whether the automation is worth it rather than only seeing the gross time saved.
Is the calculation saved or sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is stored or transmitted. You can refresh the page to reset it, and no numbers ever leave your device.