07Tools / ROI
What does doing it by hand actually cost?
Six inputs, one bill. This is the same math I run in every diagnosis call — including the part where it sometimes says the automation isn’t worth building. Your numbers never leave this page.
Time spent on this workflow by hand — the honest number, including the checking and the fixing.
Salary + taxes + tools, divided by working hours. For most ops roles this is 1.3–1.4× the raw wage.
Optional. Mis-shipments, overselling, wrong refunds — whatever this workflow breaks when someone's tired.
Optional. If volume grows, the manual cost grows with it — that's the 3-year number.
→ Output
Fill in hours and hourly cost. Everything runs in your browser — your numbers never leave this page.
? / Fine print
How is the annual cost calculated?
Hours per week × people × loaded hourly cost × 52, plus errors per month × cost per error × 12. Loaded cost means salary plus taxes and tools — typically 1.3–1.4× the raw wage for ops roles.
Why does the calculator sometimes say "don't hire me"?
Because the FAQ on this site means what it says: if a workflow doesn't waste at least the build cost per year, automating it is bad math. Maintenance is real and permanent. A checklist is free.
Where does the $8k–$40k build range come from?
It's the range most systems on this site land in, fixed price, quoted after a diagnosis call. The cheap end is a single well-behaved integration; the expensive end is multi-system work with agents, guardrails, and monitoring.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. The URL updates so you can share your result, but nothing is stored or transmitted.
Not sure which workflow to run through this? The pricing guide covers the nine that usually pay back — and the three that never do. Or skip ahead: book the diagnosis call.