The AI Web Automation Budget Calculator
“AI will write the scraper in five minutes, right?” It will. Keeping it running is the rest of the job. Pick the kind of automation, say how many websites it has to deal with, set a budget, then take the six-question reality check. Runs entirely in your browser.
More calculators: Website · SaaS · Business process automation
Six things that go wrong in real projects. Answer honestly, the AI will not see your answers.
How the numbers work
Short version: it is a rough model, not a quote.
Where do the hours come from?
Each kind of automation and each requirement has a typical effort for an experienced developer, based on the automations we build and maintain. Extra websites, plus 15% for testing, QA and project management, are added on top.
How much does AI save?
Writing the code that reads a page is where AI helps most, so we take 30 to 40% off that. Logins, bot protection, legal checks and upkeep save far less (5 to 15%): the difficulty is the other side’s website, and AI cannot change that.
Why does each extra website cost so much?
Every site has its own structure, its own way of loading data and its own defences. Code written for one rarely works on the next, so each source is a small project of its own.
Why is upkeep on the list?
Because websites change without telling you. A scraper with no one looking after it works until the next redesign and then fails, often silently. A few hours a month is the realistic cost of data you can rely on.
How is the DIY estimate calculated?
Your quiz score sets a skill level. The less you know, the longer the same work takes (up to four times the specialist’s AI-assisted time), and the more likely it breaks in production. It is a joke with maths in it, not a prediction.
Is this a price quote?
No. The real cost depends on the websites involved, and the estimate uses whichever hourly rate you pick. For a real quote, tell us what you want automated.
Need data or a task automated?
We build scrapers, monitoring and browser automation that keep working after the first redesign. Tell us what you need collected or automated and we will give you an honest estimate.