The verdict in three sentences
For a Brussels mid-sized company, RPA is quick to deploy on applications without an API, but it breaks whenever a screen changes: 10 to 30% of bots need repair every year. API integration costs more upfront, EUR 4,000 to 15,000 per flow, but runs for years without intervention. The right decision is made process by process, not by picking one technology for all 15 at once.
3-year cost comparison
| Item | RPA (UiPath, Power Automate Desktop) | API integration |
|---|---|---|
| Annual licences | EUR 5,000 to 20,000 | EUR 0 to 3,000 (iPaaS or hosting) |
| Development per process | EUR 2,000 to 6,000 per bot | EUR 4,000 to 15,000 per flow |
| Time per process | 1 to 3 weeks | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Annual breakage rate | 10 to 30% | 2 to 5% |
| Annual maintenance per process | EUR 800 to 2,000 | EUR 300 to 800 |
| Infrastructure | dedicated VMs, Windows sessions | server or cloud functions |
| 3-year cost for 15 processes (estimate) | EUR 120,000 to 240,000 | EUR 100,000 to 260,000 |
Over 3 years, the budgets overlap. The difference comes down to stability and whether an API is available in each application involved.
Decision grid, process by process
| Process situation | Recommendation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy application with no API or accessible database | RPA | only realistic short-term option |
| ERP or SaaS with documented API | API | robustness and volume |
| Volume above 500 transactions per day | API | RPA becomes slow and costly in sessions |
| Screens changed more than twice a year | API or rebuild | RPA breaks too often |
| Temporary process (under 12 months) | RPA | short payback |
| Sensitive data (payroll, health) | API | traceability and access control |
| Document reading (invoices, delivery notes) | document AI + API | extraction more reliable than screen capture |
In a typical mid-sized company, the final split is around 4 to 6 processes on RPA and 9 to 11 on APIs, with bots gradually migrated to APIs as legacy applications are replaced.
Governance: what keeps automation running
Whatever the technology, you need a business owner per process, centralised error monitoring and an automation register. Without them, bots fail silently and teams go back to manual work without telling IT. Allow half a day a week of monitoring for 15 processes, about 0.1 FTE.
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Mini case study
Pieter, CIO of a 450-employee distribution company in Brussels, must automate 15 processes representing 2,600 hours of data entry a year. He keeps 5 RPA bots on a legacy logistics system, at EUR 4,000 each plus EUR 9,000 a year in licences, and 10 API flows on the ERP and HR system, at EUR 8,000 on average. Initial investment: EUR 100,000, plus EUR 9,000 in licences and EUR 10,000 in maintenance a year. The 2,600 hours freed, valued at EUR 45 loaded (Belgian labour costs), are worth EUR 117,000 a year, or EUR 98,000 net. The project pays back in about 12 months, and the 5 bots will be replaced by APIs when the logistics system is changed in 2028.
FAQ
Is RPA cheaper than APIs? At the start, yes: EUR 2,000 to 6,000 per bot against EUR 4,000 to 15,000 per flow. Over 3 years, licences and maintenance narrow the gap considerably.
Why do RPA bots break? They replay clicks on screens. An interface update, an unexpected window or a resolution change is enough, hence 10 to 30% of bots needing repair each year.
UiPath or Power Automate Desktop? Power Automate Desktop ships with Windows and costs about EUR 15 per user per month in attended mode, while UiPath remains more complete for orchestrating 10 or more bots.
Can RPA and APIs be combined? Yes, that is the most common setup. A shared orchestrator triggers both and centralises errors.
How long does it take to automate 15 processes? Plan for 6 to 9 months in waves of 3 to 4 processes, starting with those that free the most hours.
Let's scope your project. List your candidate processes and the applications involved, and we will build the RPA or API grid, the budget and the wave-by-wave plan. 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.
