Make vs Buy Analysis

Our free Make vs Buy Analysis helps you estimate costs based on 7 key business variables. The calculator provides 5 detailed outputs using vendor benchmarks and company-size adjustments.

Enter your business details to get market-adjusted estimates as of 2026.

What you'll learn:

• Accurate make vs buy analysis estimates based on your specific inputs
• Low, average, and high cost ranges for budgeting
• How local factors impact pricing
• Tips for optimizing vendor selection and reducing total cost of ownership

Understanding the cost breakdown helps you budget effectively for your make vs buy analysis project. Here are the typical cost components:

Our make vs buy analysis uses a multi-variable formula that accounts for the following inputs:

1. Monthly Workload Units — Compute, processing, or analysis workload per month
2. Avg. Handling Time (minutes) — Average time to handle each item
3. Hourly Labor Cost ($) — Fully loaded cost per hour
4. Automation Rate (%) — Percentage of volume that can be automated
5. Monthly Automation Cost ($) — Monthly cost of automation solution
6. Process Maturity — Choose from: Ad Hoc, Defined, Optimized
7. Scenario Complexity — Choose from: Basic / Standard, Typical, Advanced / Complex

Based on your inputs, the calculator provides:

• Current Monthly Cost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Projected Monthly Cost — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Monthly Savings — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• Annual Savings — Dollar amount based on current market rates
• ROI — Percentage value

All calculations incorporate location-specific cost adjustments when a ZIP code is provided, using data from industry databases updated for 2026.

Several factors influence your make vs buy analysis estimate:

Monthly Workload Units

Compute, processing, or analysis workload per month

Avg. Handling Time (minutes)

Average time to handle each item

Hourly Labor Cost ($)

Fully loaded cost per hour

Automation Rate (%)

Percentage of volume that can be automated

Monthly Automation Cost ($)

Monthly cost of automation solution

Process Maturity

Ranges from "Optimized" to "Ad Hoc." Choosing Ad Hoc can cost 1.9x more than Optimized.

Scenario Complexity

Ranges from "Basic / Standard" to "Advanced / Complex." Choosing Advanced / Complex can cost 1.5x more than Basic / Standard.

Company Size & Scope

Enterprise pricing often differs significantly from SMB pricing. Vendor volume discounts, implementation complexity, and support tiers all scale with company size.

Market Timing

Vendor pricing changes quarterly or annually. End-of-quarter negotiations and competitive bids can reduce costs by 10-25%.

After you run the calculator, your results include interactive sections that help you make informed decisions:

Detailed Breakdown

Your results are broken down into individual components so you can see how each factor contributes to the total. Use this to identify the biggest cost drivers and focus your research or negotiation where it matters most.

Visual Chart

The chart provides a visual summary of your results, making it straightforward to compare components at a glance. This is helpful when sharing estimates with a spouse, business partner, or advisor — the visual format communicates the key story faster than numbers alone.

Save and Share Your Results

Download your complete results as a CSV spreadsheet or PDF report. The PDF includes all your inputs and key results — ready to share with contractors, service providers, or anyone else who needs to review the numbers. No account or signup required.