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Subscription tool or custom automation: which costs less over three years?

Put in what you pay your automation tool today and how fast your volume is growing. You get the three-year cost of staying put against building custom automation, and the month it overtakes. If custom would not pay back, it says so.

Three questions. We use typical figures for the rest.

Your subscription toolWhat you pay and how fast it grows.

Tasks a month (optional)

Only used to show your cost per 1,000 tasks.

What you pay the tool each month

From your latest invoice. 300 is a placeholder.

How much your volume grows a year

Your bill is assumed to grow with it.

Custom automationBuilt for you, run on your own accounts.

Custom automation set-up, once

Placeholder until your workflow is scoped.

Custom running cost a month

Hosting, usage and support. Placeholder.

Running cost growth a year

Custom costs usually rise more slowly.

Want to change the rest of the figures? Switch to Advanced.

Working it out

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See the full breakdown

Your subscription cost is assumed to grow in step with your volume. Custom running costs are assumed to grow more slowly. Change both in Advanced.
Custom automation is not always cheaper. It tends to win when volume is high and the workflows stay stable. It loses when you change tools often or run few tasks.
The custom set-up and running figures are placeholders until we have scoped your workflow. Nothing on this page quotes the prices of any subscription vendor: you enter your own bill.

A worked example

A team runs about 5,000 tasks a month on a subscription tool costing £300 a month, growing 20% a year with volume. Over three years that comes to about £14,300. Custom automation at £3,500 to set up and £150 a month costs about £9,300 over the same period, overtaking the subscription in month 19 and saving around £5,000. With a lower subscription bill or a higher custom running cost it could go the other way, which is why you should enter your own bill.

What it counts

Your subscription bill, growing with your volume.
Custom set-up once, then a monthly running cost.
The month custom automation overtakes, if it does.

What it leaves out

The time it takes to move your existing automations.
The cost of changing a workflow later.
Features you use in the subscription tool that custom work would have to rebuild.

Questions people ask

Is custom automation cheaper than Zapier?

Sometimes. A subscription bill tends to rise with the number of tasks, while custom automation has a set-up cost and a lower running cost. It tends to win at high or growing volume with stable workflows, and the calculator says plainly when it does not.

When does Zapier become expensive?

When your task volume grows, because plans are priced in tiers by tasks. Enter your latest invoice and the growth you expect, and the calculator shows the three-year cost and the month custom automation overtakes it, if it does.

How much does custom workflow automation cost in the UK?

Fixed workflow builds with us start from £1,500 and GoHighLevel CRM QuickStart from £2,000, excluding VAT. The set-up and running figures in the calculator are placeholders until we have scoped your workflow, so change both in Advanced.

How do I calculate automation ROI?

Compare the three-year cost of what you pay now with the set-up plus running cost of custom automation. The gap is your saving, and the month the two lines cross is your break-even. Remember the hours you spend looking after either one.

Do you compare vendor prices?

No. You enter your own bill from your latest invoice, so nothing here depends on a vendor price list, which changes often.

Can it tell me to stay with my subscription tool?

Yes. If your figures do not pay back within three years, it says so plainly. That is a useful answer, and we would rather you knew before spending anything.

Are these figures a promise?

No. It is an estimate built from the numbers you enter and a small set of assumptions that are shown on the page. Real results depend on your business and how well the service is set up. Check your figures against your own records before you commit to anything.

Is my information stored?

The numbers you type stay in your browser. We record that the calculator was used and the verdict it gave, not your figures. Nothing is sent to us unless you press the send button and give us your contact details.