The verdict in three sentences
A business process automation (BPA) project for an SME costs 15,000 to 60,000 EUR in 2026, depending on the number of flows and the depth of ERP/CRM integration. Add 500 to 2,000 EUR/month in RPA or iPaaS licenses and 10 to 15%/year in maintenance to keep the bots alive. The return on investment lives in hours freed: 120 hours/month removed is often worth more than the initial invoice.
What automation costs in 2026
Price depends mostly on how many processes you automate and their complexity (business rules, exceptions, systems to connect). Here are 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Scope | Price EUR | Timeline | Licenses/month | Maintenance/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 simple process (no-code) | 15,000 - 22,000 | 6-8 wks | 500 - 900 | 10% |
| 2-3 processes (workflow + RPA) | 25,000 - 40,000 | 8-11 wks | 900 - 1,500 | 12% |
| Multi-flow suite (iPaaS + RPA) | 40,000 - 60,000 | 11-14 wks | 1,500 - 2,000 | 15% |
| Complex case (AI + orchestration) | 60,000+ | 14+ wks | 2,000+ | 15% |
Licenses vary by tool: a self-hosted iPaaS like Make or n8n costs less than a proprietary RPA suite but needs more upfront engineering.
Where the ROI hides
The real gain isn't the software price but the fully loaded cost of a repeated manual task. Compare before/after on your most time-consuming flows.
| Process | Before (h/month) | After (h/month) | Cost avoided/month (35 EUR/h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier invoice entry | 45 | 6 | 1,365 EUR |
| Customer dunning | 30 | 4 | 910 EUR |
| Weekly reporting | 25 | 3 | 770 EUR |
| Order reconciliation | 35 | 5 | 1,050 EUR |
| Total | 135 | 18 | 4,095 EUR |
That's roughly 49,000 EUR/year of reallocated time, before counting fewer errors and shorter processing delays.
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Mini case study
Sarah, COO of a 45-person distribution firm in Miami, automates supplier invoice entry and customer dunning. Project at 32,000 EUR, plus 1,200 EUR/month of iPaaS and RPA. Her teams save 120 hours/month, valued at 35 EUR/h, i.e. 4,200 EUR/month. Total monthly cost (licenses + smoothed maintenance): about 1,550 EUR. Net monthly gain: 2,650 EUR. The project pays back in 9 months, then frees more than 30,000 EUR/year of recovered capacity.
FAQ
RPA or no-code? No-code (iPaaS) is enough to connect apps with APIs; RPA becomes useful against software with no API or legacy screens. Most SMEs mix both, with 60 to 70% of flows handled in no-code.
How long to the first flow in production? Count 6 to 8 weeks for a first simple process, scoping included. Following flows go faster because the architecture and connectors are already in place.
Does data protection complicate automation? It mostly requires logging processing, minimizing data and hosting in-region. Region-based hosting plus an up-to-date processing register cover the essentials for an SME.
What does maintenance cost? Budget 10 to 15%/year of the project cost: APIs change, business rules evolve and bots must be supervised. Without maintenance, an unmaintained flow breaks within months.
Can we start small? Yes, and it's recommended: a first high-volume process (15,000-22,000 EUR) proves ROI before scaling. It's the best way to convince a leadership committee.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your 2-3 most time-consuming processes, your ERP/CRM and an indicative budget (15,000-60,000 EUR): we'll price the scope and expected ROI. 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.
