The verdict in three sentences
In 2026, business process automation for a London SME costs 8,000 to 40,000 EUR depending on the number of flows and the complexity of the business rules. The iPaaS layer (Make, n8n, Zapier) adds 20 to 500 EUR/month, but the 10 to 25 hours/week saved pays the project back in 4 to 9 months. The real trade-off is not price: it is fast iPaaS versus durable custom connectors.
What each building block costs in 2026
An automation project breaks down into scoping, connections, business logic and reliability work. Here are 2026 orders of magnitude for an SME of 15 to 80 staff.
| Item | 2026 range (EUR) | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping + flow mapping | 1,500 - 4,000 | 3-5 days |
| Simple automation (1-3 flows, iPaaS) | 8,000 - 15,000 | 3-4 weeks |
| Intermediate automation (4-8 flows) | 15,000 - 25,000 | 4-6 weeks |
| Advanced automation (rules + exceptions) | 25,000 - 40,000 | 6-8 weeks |
| iPaaS subscription (Make/n8n cloud) | 20 - 500 /month | ongoing |
| Maintenance + monitoring | 200 - 900 /month | ongoing |
Cost depends mostly on the number of exceptions to handle: a happy-path flow is cheap, but each edge case (credit note, discount, duplicate) adds development hours.
iPaaS vs custom connector
This choice shapes both the budget and the longevity. iPaaS speeds up the start; custom takes back control when volumes rise.
| Criterion | iPaaS (Make/n8n) | Custom connector |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | 8,000 - 20,000 EUR | 20,000 - 50,000 EUR |
| Monthly cost | 20 - 500 EUR | 0 - 150 EUR (hosting) |
| Time to deliver | 3-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks |
| Volume supported | up to ~100k operations/month | unlimited (infra-dependent) |
| Vendor lock-in | high | none |
| Best for | standard flows, MVP | complex logic, high volume |
For 80% of SMEs, iPaaS is enough in year one. Custom becomes relevant above 50,000 operations/month or when the iPaaS bill exceeds 400 EUR/month.
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Mini case study
Claire, CFO of a 45-staff manufacturing SME in East London, spends 18 hours/week re-keying orders between her inbox, her ERP and a tracking spreadsheet. Loaded cost of an admin FTE: around 32 EUR/hour. Annual loss: 18 h x 45 weeks x 32 EUR = 25,920 EUR. An iPaaS project at 16,000 EUR + 120 EUR/month removes 80% of that load, saving 20,700 EUR/year. Return on investment reached in 8.5 months, then recurring net gain.
FAQ
How long to deliver a first automation? Expect 3 to 8 weeks depending on the number of flows. A first pilot flow can run in production from week 3.
Make, n8n or Zapier: which to choose? For a data-conscious European SME, self-hosted n8n (0 EUR licence, ~30 EUR/month infra) or Make (from 9 EUR/month) are the most cost-effective. Zapier is simplest but climbs fast beyond 50 EUR/month.
What time saving is realistic? Between 10 and 25 hours/week for a multi-department SME, the equivalent of 0.3 to 0.6 FTE redeployed to higher-value work.
Is a maintenance contract necessary? Yes: 200 to 900 EUR/month covers monitoring, failure alerts and API changes. Without monitoring, a broken flow can go unnoticed for days.
Does automation replace jobs? Not in most cases: it removes repetitive tasks and redeploys teams toward control and customer relationships.
Let's scope your project. Send us your 3 most time-consuming processes, your stack (ERP, CRM, tools) and an indicative budget: we price the most profitable automation first. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
