What is a custom software or AI investment actually worth?
Model the annual savings, payback period, 5-year NPV and ROI of a software, AI, automation or cloud initiative — using your numbers and assumptions you can see and change.
Software ROI is the net annual benefit — labor saved, IT cost reduced, and margin on new revenue, minus ongoing maintenance — measured against the build investment. This calculator turns your inputs into a payback period, 3- and 5-year savings, a discounted 5-year NPV, and a first-year ROI, with every assumption shown and editable.
Where the annual benefit comes from
≈ manual hours removed per year.
Indicative maturity indices
Directional scores from your opportunity inputs — a conversation starter, not an audit.
Executive summary
We'll email the full breakdown and the assumptions behind it — ready to forward to your CFO or board.
The assumptions behind every number
This is a planning model, not a quote or a guarantee. Every figure is your input multiplied by the transparent assumptions below. Administrators can change any of these from the CMS — the calculator uses the configured value.
How the numbers work
How do you calculate software ROI?
Software ROI is the net annual benefit — labor savings, plus reduced software and IT cost, plus the margin on any revenue uplift, minus ongoing maintenance — measured against the build investment. This tool multiplies your inputs by the assumptions shown above and reports payback, 3- and 5-year savings, 5-year NPV and year-one ROI.
What is a good payback period for a custom software project?
Enterprise software and automation projects commonly target a payback period under 18–24 months, and anything under 12 months is strong. Payback here is your build cost divided by the net monthly benefit your inputs produce.
Are these ROI numbers guaranteed?
No. Every figure is an estimate derived from your inputs and the stated assumptions, which are shown and configurable. It is a model to size the opportunity and align stakeholders — not a guarantee of outcomes.
What is NPV and why does it matter?
Net present value discounts future net benefits back to today using a discount rate, so a five-year return is expressed in today's money. A positive NPV means the initiative is expected to create value above the cost of capital.
Turn the estimate into a plan
Book a 30-minute architecture review — we'll pressure-test these numbers against a real delivery plan, no sales script.
No obligation · A senior engineer replies within 1 business day · NDA on request