How much does AI automation cost?
Transparent pricing for AI and process automation. The exact quote comes after a free 30-minute audit — no fixed list price hides the real cost drivers.
Quick answer
MVP projects start at €150. Mid-size automations with 3–5 integrations usually range from €500–3,000. Enterprise AI agent systems start from €2,000. Most viable projects can reach payback in 2–6 months, depending on process volume and manual workload.
What you need to know
Begin with a €150–500 pilot. A small MVP de-risks the rest of the project.
Integration count, process complexity, AI features, and support depth.
A process that repeats often, costs hours of manual work, or causes recurring errors.
A process that runs rarely, will change soon, or needs human judgment every time.
Three tiers, depending on scope
Start small to confirm the approach, then scale only what works. Exact prices are fixed after the free audit.
What changes the final price
Each additional system means more time for configuration, testing, and error handling.
A simple A→B differs from A→(loops, branches, conditions)→C–D by 3–5× in cost.
AI solutions (GPT-4o, OCR, RAG) require additional engineering and ongoing API costs.
Self-hosted n8n is a larger upfront project but cheaper long-term. Cloud (Make, Zapier) is faster to start.
Edge case handling, error logic, and retry rules — the more complex the system, the more testing it needs.
14-day baseline support is included on every project. Longer support or an SLA adds to the cost.
What the payback looks like
A typical manual process replaced by an automation. Per employee, that's 100+ hours per year.
Manual data entry is the main source of errors. An automated process is deterministic.
Most projects pay back within a few months. Smaller MVPs pay back even faster.
Worth it vs. not worth it
Frequently asked questions
- How much does AI automation cost?
- MVP projects start at €150. Mid-size automations with 3–5 integrations usually range from €500–3,000. Enterprise AI agent systems start from €2,000. The exact quote comes after a free 30-minute audit.
- What is a typical ROI horizon?
- Most viable projects reach payback in 2–6 months, depending on process volume and how much manual time the automation replaces. Higher-volume document processing tends to pay back fastest.
- Are there recurring fees?
- Our delivery is a one-time engineering fee. Some platforms (Zapier, Make) have their own subscription pricing. Self-hosted n8n costs only the server (around €5–20/month).
- What drives the final price?
- Four factors: number of integrations, process complexity (loops, branching, conditions), AI/OCR/LLM logic, and the depth of post-deployment support.
- Will the project actually pay for itself?
- Most do. If a process takes 2+ hours of manual work per day, automation typically pays back within 3 months. We confirm the math during the free audit before any commitment.
- Can we start with a small project?
- Yes — and we recommend it. A small MVP (3–14 business days) delivers a working result before any larger scope is agreed. Many clients expand from there.
- How do Zapier, Make, and n8n pricing differ?
- Make and Zapier are cloud platforms with monthly subscriptions (from $9–20) and per-operation limits. Self-hosted n8n has no per-execution fee — only server cost (~€5–20/month). For higher-volume projects, n8n becomes cheaper over time.
- What happens after the free audit?
- Within 48 hours you receive a written report: top 3 processes worth automating, recommended tools, estimated cost, and expected ROI. If you decide to proceed, we send a project proposal. If not, there is no further commitment.
Get a fixed quote in 48 hours
Book a free 30-minute audit. We map your top automation candidates and return a written proposal with prices, timelines, and ROI within 48 hours.
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