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AI tool cost vs headcount

Set four numbers — hours per week on a task, the fully-loaded hourly cost, the AI tool's monthly price, and how much of the work is automatable. See the human cost today against an AI-augmented cost, and a directional annual-savings range. Run it free; add your email to save a shareable link.

hrs/wk

Per person, 1–40 hrs.

CA$/hr

Salary + benefits + overhead, in CAD.

CA$/mo

The monthly subscription for the tool you would add.

Your best guess at the share an AI tool could take over. We cap the effective figure at 85% — tools assist, they rarely fully replace a role.

Estimate mode

Conservative haircuts your automatable estimate by 25% before counting a dollar.

Annual comparison

Human cost today
CA$26,400
/ year, fully loaded
AI-augmented cost
CA$17,100–CA$19,575
/ year, incl. tool
Estimated annual savings
CA$6,825–CA$9,300
Tool cost: CA$600/yr
Return on tool spend: 11.4×–15.5×

Save your comparison

Get a shareable link to this estimate

The calculator is free to run as much as you like. To save a shareable link, drop your work email — that's all it takes.

After the estimate

From a number to a decision

A savings range is a starting point, not a verdict. Here is how teams pressure-test it on one real task before committing budget.

A horizontal 4-step flow: 1. Pick one task, 2. Baseline the hours, 3. Trial the tool, 4. Measure and decide1Pick one taskWeek 12Baseline the hoursWeek 1–23Trial the toolWeeks 2–54Measure and decideWeek 6

Why a range, not a single number?

How much a tool actually offloads depends on your workflow, your data, and how the team adopts it. We treat your automatable estimate as the optimistic ceiling, haircut it by 25% for the conservative floor, and never model a task past 85% automation — tools assist far more often than they replace a whole role.

The AI-augmented cost always includes the tool subscription, so the comparison is honest about what you are adding, not just what you save.

Cost to decision flowMultiple data inputs converging into a single decision output.CRMDocsFormsSignalsAIGo
From raw cost to a decision you can act on.

These figures are illustrative and directional, not guarantees. They depend entirely on your workflows, the tool you choose, data quality, and team adoption — and they are not measured ReadyIQ client results. No savings or dollar amount is guaranteed by use of this calculator.