# How a WorkflowPal project works, and what it costs

Every project follows four steps: a free audit, a fixed-price build, a handover in your own accounts, and optional support. You see the scope and the price before any work starts. The first workflow is usually live within a couple of weeks, and you own everything that gets built.

## What happens in the free audit?

You describe the work that eats your team’s week. We map how it runs today and send back a one-page plan: the 3 tasks worth automating first, hours saved, and what a build would cost. It takes about 15 minutes of your time. [Request the audit](https://workflowpal.com/free-workflow-audit/).

## How much does an AI automation project cost?

**Your first workflow starts from $1,000, fixed price (the exact figure depends on its size), and ongoing automation starts from $3,000 a month. The audit is free.**

WorkflowPal prices (as of October 2026):

| What | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free workflow audit | $0 | A one-page plan: the 3 tasks worth automating first, hours saved, and what a build would cost |
| Your first workflow | From $1,000, fixed price | One process, connected to the tools you already use. The exact price depends on its size and is fixed in your audit plan; usually live within a couple of weeks |
| Ongoing automation | From $3,000 a month | An ongoing engagement to keep building, running and improving your automations, with the scope agreed up front |

Platform and AI usage fees (for example n8n, Make or Zapier, and OpenAI or Anthropic) are billed by those providers directly, to your own accounts; we estimate them in your audit plan. Prices as of October 2026.

Your audit plan gives the fixed price for your specific first build, so you can compare it with the hours it saves before you commit.

## What changes the price?

Scope, not hours. The price is fixed per scope and agreed in writing, with clear milestones, so the number in your plan is the number you pay unless you ask for more. These factors move it:

What changes the price of a build:

| Factor | Toward the lower end | Toward the higher end |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Systems involved | One inbox and one CRM | ATS or ERP plus email, spreadsheets and portals |
| Data quality | Clean forms and structured records | Free-text emails, PDFs, data that needs cleaning first |
| AI steps | One classify or draft step | An agent that looks things up and takes actions |
| Volume and exceptions | Low volume, few edge cases | High volume, many paths that need a person |
| Compliance and approvals | Internal use only | Customer-facing output, audit trails, stricter review |

## How long until it’s live?

The first workflow is usually live within a couple of weeks of agreeing the scope. Larger projects are split into milestones so something useful ships early. A typical first build:

Typical timeline for a first workflow:

| When | What happens | What you do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Week 0 | Free audit and one-page plan; scope and fixed price agreed | Describe the process, answer a few questions |
| Week 1 | Build against real examples from your work; first demo | Review the demo and flag edge cases |
| Week 2 | Test on live inputs with human approval switched on; go live | Approve outputs during the pilot |
| Handover | Documentation, recorded walkthrough, access confirmed in your accounts | Decide whether you want ongoing support |

## What do I own at the end?

Everything. The workflow runs in your accounts on your tools, any code lives in your repository, and AI usage is billed to your own provider account. You get written documentation and a recorded walkthrough, so your team or another developer can run and change it without us.

## What does ongoing support look like?

Optional. You can keep us on as an ongoing automation engagement to run and improve the workflow and add the next ones (from $3,000 a month), or run it yourself after handover. [See pricing](#pricing).

## What if it doesn’t work?

Each milestone is demoed on your real examples before you approve it, and AI steps run with a person approving the output until you trust them. Fixed price, built to spec, or your money back. Before we start, we agree in writing on exactly what your workflow will do. If what we deliver doesn't do that, we fix it at no cost; if we can't, you get the build fee back. Every build also includes 30 days of free fixes after launch.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do you bill hourly?

No. Builds are fixed price per scope, agreed before work starts. If you want to add something mid-build, we price the addition separately before doing it.

### What are the running costs after handover?

Only platform and AI usage fees. Platform and AI usage fees (for example n8n, Make or Zapier, and OpenAI or Anthropic) are billed by those providers directly, to your own accounts; we estimate them in your audit plan.

### Who owns what you build?

You do. Everything runs in your accounts on your tools, and you get documentation and a recorded walkthrough at handover. There is no platform you have to keep paying us for.

## Related

- [AI workflow automation](https://workflowpal.com/services/ai-workflow-automation/)
- [Custom AI agents](https://workflowpal.com/services/ai-agents/)
- [Case studies](https://workflowpal.com/case-studies/)

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Last updated: 2026-10-05

Next step: request a free workflow audit at https://workflowpal.com/free-workflow-audit/ or book a call at https://calendly.com/dan-workflowpal/30min.

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