AI ROI calculator

Tick the work you do each week. See the hours AI saves you, what they are worth against what it costs, and the first three jobs to hand off.

Your time is worth $ an hourPeople on the team AI plan per person $ a month

Work you do	Hours a week, each	AI saves
Emails and repliesMIT study: writing tasks took 40% less time with ChatGPT		%
Social posts and marketing copyMIT study: writing tasks took 40% less time		%
Proposals, quotes and documentsMIT study: writing tasks took 40% less time		%
Meeting notes and follow-upsEstimate: the transcript and summary are automatic, you only check them		%
Customer questionsEstimate: AI drafts every answer, a person still checks each one		%
Research and readingEstimate: AI reads and summarizes, you still check the sources		%
Spreadsheets and adminEstimate: formulas and cleanup speed up, typing in data mostly does not		%
Planning and schedulingEstimate: AI drafts the plan, the decisions are still yours		%

Your result

0hours back every week

Hours a year: 0
Worth a year: $0
AI plans a year: $0
You keep: $0

Hours × saving % × people × 52 weeks × your rate, minus plan × people × 12.

Your first three handoffs

Biggest time back first. Copy the prompt, fill the brackets, paste it into the app.

How the numbers work

For each task you tick: hours a week × the share AI saves × people on the team gives hours back per week. Times 52 weeks gives the year. Times your hourly rate gives what it is worth. The AI plan cost is your plan price × people × 12.

The writing tasks use the 40% time saving measured by MIT with 453 professionals. The rest are my estimates, shown under each task, set on the low side. For a sense check: people who use generative AI report saving about 5.4% of their work hours, around 2.2 hours a week (St. Louis Fed), and daily users save more.

Not sure which app to use? Read which AI is best for beginners or what AI costs a small business.

Questions

How much time does AI save a small business?

A St. Louis Fed survey found people who use generative AI save about 5.4% of their work hours, roughly 2.2 hours a week, and daily users save more. On writing tasks, an MIT study measured 40% less time. Use this calculator to see your own number.

How do I calculate the ROI of AI for my business?

Multiply the hours AI saves each week by what an hour of your time is worth, multiply by 52, then subtract the yearly cost of your AI plans. That is the formula this calculator uses, and every input can be changed.

Are the time savings percentages accurate?

The writing tasks use the 40% measured in an MIT study of 453 professionals. The others are TechGuyver estimates, labelled as such, and set on the low side. Change any of them to match your own experience.