Free tool

Is automation worth it? Savings calculator for UK small businesses

Pick a task, say how long it takes each week and what that time costs. You'll see what automating it could save, and how many months a one-off project would take to pay for itself.

Add up everyone who does it. Your best guess is fine.
Starts at £20.81, the ONS median hourly pay (excluding overtime) for UK full-time employees in April 2026. It leaves out employer National Insurance and pension, so your real cost is likely higher. Put in your own figure if you know it.
This is your estimate. Some of the work usually stays manual, such as checking exceptions or replying to unusual cases.
A quote you've had, or a figure to test. Leave it blank if you don't need a payback figure.
Software subscriptions or a support plan. Taken off the monthly saving.

Your estimate

Hours saved a month
0
Hours saved a year
0
Net saving a month
£0
Net saving a year
£0
Payback
Add a project cost

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What UK agencies publish as starting prices

From our study of published prices (113 of 277 agencies in our directory show a price on their own website, each checked on the agency's page):

  • Workflow automation builds: starting prices from £99 to £5,000, median £1,500 (29 agencies).
  • Audits and discovery: starting prices from £49 to £10,000, median £750 (47 agencies).

These are starting prices, not quotes. What you pay depends on how many systems are involved and how much the agency handles after launch. For a rough idea, try the median in the project cost box. For what drives the price up or down, see how much AI automation costs in the UK.

How the calculator works

  • Hours saved a month = hours a week × share automated × 52 ÷ 12.
  • Net saving a month = hours saved a month × hourly cost, minus running costs.
  • Payback = one-off project cost ÷ net saving a month.

The result depends on the numbers you put in, and it only counts time. It leaves out benefits that are harder to price, such as fewer missed invoices or faster replies to leads, and costs such as the staff time spent testing the new set-up. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Source for the default hourly cost: ONS, Employee earnings in the UK: 2026, released 22 October 2026 (provisional figures), checked 27 October 2026.

Next steps

Want to try it yourself first? Our automation recipes start from the problem and point to the right guide. If the numbers look worth it but you'd rather not build it, tell us what you need and we'll suggest UK agencies that fit.