What does each choice cost a California business each month?
A monthly total adds only the priced parts. Setup is separate. First year adds setup to twelve months. Unpriced costs stay outside each sum.
Last updated .
Not legal or tax advice.
Our estimate uses the same workload for each choice: 10 workflows, 20 steps each, 50 runs each a month. That makes 500 runs and 10,000 steps a month.
Table: Our cost estimates as of October 2026, from saved maker prices, BLS wages and owner assumptions checked .
| Choice | Each month | To set up | First year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | $716 | 60 hours ($3,866) | $12,455 |
| Make | $534 | 60 hours ($3,866) | $10,277 |
| n8n | $716, plus n8n's plan fee | 80 hours ($5,155) | $13,741, plus n8n's plan fee |
| Temporal | $997, plus usage fees | 160 hours ($10,310) | $22,278, plus usage fees |
| BreadHead | $1,497 (Full) | Already set up | $17,964 |
All totals are our estimates. The n8n plan fee and Temporal usage fees are extra. BreadHead's sum is twelve plan payments; its other costs and use caps aren't stated.
What do we assume for this workload?
We estimate the cost of playbooks, skills, agents and workflows at this use. This isn't measured use.
- One Zapier step counts as one successful billable task. One Make step counts as one module action at one credit. One n8n run counts as one workflow execution. We assume no extra retries or billable actions.
- AI model access is our estimate of $200 a month for each tool, supplied by Jeremy Kenerson. Models and token use aren't set. A chat plan doesn't prove API rights or enough use for these workflows.
- Every hour, including owner time, uses $64.44. This is the 2025 U.S. median hourly wage for Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers in BLS Quick Facts. It isn't a contractor quote. A contractor or agency may charge more.
- Jeremy set Zapier and Make setup at 60 hours each. Our lead set n8n at 80 hours and Temporal at 160 hours. The lead set monthly upkeep at 5, 5, 8 and 12 hours, in that order.
- Zapier, Make and n8n Cloud need no separate server in our example. Temporal uses Cloud plus one small worker server. Its capacity hasn't been tested.
- Credentials means the logins and API keys for other tools the workflows connect to. Those tools' fees and API use vary. No figure is given and none is in the totals.
- We treat dollar signs as U.S. dollars for this estimate. Make's saved price doesn't name its currency or billing choice. Temporal's saved price doesn't name its currency. No annual discount or trial credit reduces our monthly sums.
- Model choice, tokens, retries, tool mix, storage size and storage time aren't measured. Taxes, extra use, payroll taxes, benefits, hiring costs and contractor or agency markup vary. They aren't in the sums.
What does Zapier cost to run?
Our estimate for Zapier is $716 a month, plus $3,866 to set up.
Zapier calls its platform "No-code automation across 9,000+ apps". Our take: you set it up yourself, and it's limited in what it can do.
- Tool fee: Professional Pro 10K, $193.50 billed monthly for 10,000 tasks. Our assumed workload uses 10,000 tasks. Zapier pricing, read .
- The yearly choice costs $1,548 up front, equal to $129 a month. We use monthly billing in our sum.
- Zapier offers nonprofits 15% off paid plans, except pay-per-task charges. New accounts get a free 14-day Professional trial with no credit card required. These offers aren't deducted.
- AI access: our estimate, $200 a month, from Jeremy's budget. Model and token use aren't set; API access isn't proved by a chat plan.
- Hosting: no separate server cost in our estimate. We assume the hosted service handles the steps.
- Logins and API keys: varies, outside the sum, including linked-tool subscriptions and API use.
- Setup: our estimate, 60 owner hours at $64.44 = $3,866.40 once. Jeremy supplied the hours; BLS supplies the wage.
- Upkeep: our estimate, 5 owner hours a month at $64.44 = $322.20 a month. Our lead supplied the hours.
- A contractor or agency may charge more. Taxes, extra use, payroll taxes, benefits, hiring and markup vary and aren't in the sum.
Our monthly math: $193.50 + $200 + $322.20 = $715.70.
Our first-year math: 12 x $715.70 + $3,866.40 = $12,454.80. All unpriced costs above stay outside it.
What does Make cost to run?
Our estimate for Make is $534 a month, plus $3,866 to set up.
Make calls itself a "No-code visual workflow builder". For Core, it says "For those with fundamental AI and automation needs". Our take: the same idea as Zapier.
- Tool fee: Core, $12/mo for 10k credits/mo. Our assumed workload uses 10,000 credits. Make pricing, read .
- Monthly and annual billing are offered. Annual billing says Save 15% or more. The saved price doesn't show which billing choice applies or name the dollar currency. We assume U.S. dollars and apply no discount.
- AI access: our estimate, $200 a month, from Jeremy's budget. Model and token use aren't set; API access isn't proved by a chat plan.
- Hosting: no separate server cost in our estimate. We assume the hosted service handles the steps.
- Logins and API keys: varies, outside the sum, including linked-tool subscriptions and API use.
- Setup: our estimate, 60 owner hours at $64.44 = $3,866.40 once. Jeremy supplied the hours; BLS supplies the wage.
- Upkeep: our estimate, 5 owner hours a month at $64.44 = $322.20 a month. Our lead supplied the hours.
- A contractor or agency may charge more. Taxes, extra use, payroll taxes, benefits, hiring and markup vary and aren't in the sum.
Our monthly math: $12 + $200 + $322.20 = $534.20.
Our first-year math: 12 x $534.20 + $3,866.40 = $10,276.80. All unpriced costs above stay outside it.
What does n8n cost to run?
Our estimate for n8n is $716 a month, plus its plan fee, and $5,155 to set up.
n8n says "AI agents and workflows you can see and control". Our take: it gets more done, but you need a developer to set it up.
- Tool fee: n8n's own plan fee is outside our dollar total. Our estimate uses 500 executions a month. Starter has a 2.5K execution cap with unlimited steps. This doesn't prove every feature or concurrency need fits. n8n pricing, read .
- AI access: our estimate, $200 a month, from Jeremy's budget. Model and token use aren't set; API access isn't proved by a chat plan.
- Hosting: Starter is hosted by n8n. There's no separate server cost in our example. The total still leaves out n8n's plan fee.
- Logins and API keys: varies, outside the sum, including linked-tool subscriptions and API use.
- Setup: our estimate, 80 developer hours at $64.44 = $5,155.20 once. Our lead supplied the hours; BLS supplies the wage.
- Upkeep: our estimate, 8 developer hours a month at $64.44 = $515.52 a month. Our lead supplied the hours.
- A contractor or agency may charge more. Taxes, extra use, payroll taxes, benefits, hiring and markup vary and aren't in the sum.
Our monthly math: $200 + $515.52 = $715.52, plus n8n's plan fee.
Our first-year math: 12 x $715.52 + $5,155.20 = $13,741.44, plus n8n's plan fee. All unpriced costs above stay outside it.
What does Temporal cost to run?
Our estimate for Temporal is $997 a month, plus usage fees, and $10,310 to set up. This is a partial sum.
Temporal says "Write your business logic as code as a Temporal Workflow." Our take: you need a full-stack developer to set it up.
- Tool fee: Cloud actions vary. The starting rate is $50 per million actions. There are no minimums or base monthly fee. The saved source gives no step-to-action count, so 10,000 steps can't be priced as 10,000 actions. Temporal pricing, read .
- Active storage, for open workflows, starts at $0.042 per GB-hour. Retained storage, for closed workflows, starts at $0.00105 per GB-hour. Both totals vary; history size and storage time aren't set. Add-ons may cost extra.
- Developer support is 10% of usage for all Cloud accounts. Its bill varies with actions and storage. Optional Business support is the greater of $500/mo or 10% of usage. It isn't a required Cloud minimum.
- AI access: our estimate, $200 a month, from Jeremy's budget. Model and token use aren't set; API access isn't proved by a chat plan.
- Worker hosting: our estimate, $24 a month for one small DigitalOcean server, with 4 GiB memory and 2 vCPUs. DigitalOcean pricing, read . Capacity isn't tested. Extra backups, storage and transfer vary.
- Logins and API keys: varies, outside the sum, including linked-tool subscriptions and API use.
- Setup: our estimate, 160 full-stack developer hours at $64.44 = $10,310.40 once. Our lead supplied the hours; BLS supplies the wage.
- Upkeep: our estimate, 12 full-stack developer hours a month at $64.44 = $773.28 a month. Our lead supplied the hours.
- A contractor or agency may charge more. Cloud actions, both storage charges, Developer support, add-ons and extra server costs vary and aren't in this partial sum. Neither are taxes, extra use, payroll taxes, benefits, hiring or markup.
Our monthly math: $200 + $24 + $773.28 = $997.28, plus usage fees.
Our first-year math: 12 x $997.28 + $10,310.40 = $22,277.76, plus usage fees. All unpriced costs above stay outside it.
The Cloud terms below don't reduce that sum.
- Volume discounts can reach $25 per million actions for self service. Larger discounts need a minimum spend commitment.
- The free start offers $150 credits for 90 days. Usage charges are automatically deducted from them.
- A credit card is required to check identity, prevent abuse and let use continue after credits expire. Temporal won't place a hold on it.
- Once credits expire or are fully used, continued use is billed. No use means no bill. Active workflows keep running without interruption. Billing is at the start of the month, based on use. You can cancel at any time through account settings.
- The saved source shows a dollar sign but doesn't name the currency. It gives no flat monthly or yearly Cloud total.
What does BreadHead cost to run?
BreadHead's published Full plan is $1,497 a month; Pro is $2,497 a month, as of October 2026. Our first-year sums count only twelve plan payments.
- Full lists 24 agents in 8 departments, Smart Memory, structured training, 3 marketing playbooks and 3 two-hour group calls a week.
- Pro includes Full, double token bandwidth and double memory space.
- Setup: already set up, in our view. No numeric setup fee or hours are sourced. This doesn't mean a zero setup bill.
- AI access and hosting charges: varies. The current public plan terms don't state separate charges or that all costs are included.
- Logins, API keys and linked-tool charges: varies, outside the listed price.
- Setup time, review time and use limits for this workload aren't priced or stated. You still direct and review the work. No added dollar figure is guessed.
- Source: BreadHead's home page and public terms, read .
Our first-year math for Full: 12 x $1,497 = $17,964.
Our first-year math for Pro: 12 x $2,497 = $29,964.
These are estimates from monthly payments, not published yearly plans. Unpriced costs stay outside both sums.
Owner time to direct and review the work: varies, outside totals.
How do these sums compare with payroll?
Our first-year estimates are shares of estimated 2023 payroll per location with fewer than 5 employees, in professional, scientific and technical services. The base is $119,885 for California and $111,707 for the United States.
Table: Our first-year cost shares, from October 2026 estimates and Census Bureau 2023 payroll data read .
| Choice | California share | United States share |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | 10.4% | 11.1% |
| Make | 8.6% | 9.2% |
| n8n, plan fee left out | 11.5% | 12.3% |
| Temporal, usage fees left out | 18.6% | 19.9% |
| BreadHead Full, plan payments only | 15.0% | 16.1% |
| BreadHead Pro, plan payments only | 25.0% | 26.8% |
For each sum, divide the first-year cost by the payroll base, then multiply by 100. Our results, rounded to one decimal, are:
- Zapier: $12,454.80 / $119,885 x 100 = 10.3890%, shown as 10.4% in California. $12,454.80 / $111,707 x 100 = 11.1495%, shown as 11.1% nationwide.
- Make: $10,276.80 / $119,885 x 100 = 8.5722%, shown as 8.6% in California. $10,276.80 / $111,707 x 100 = 9.1998%, shown as 9.2% nationwide.
- n8n: $13,741.44 / $119,885 x 100 = 11.4622%, shown as 11.5% in California. $13,741.44 / $111,707 x 100 = 12.3013%, shown as 12.3% nationwide. Its own plan fee stays outside both shares.
- Temporal: $22,277.76 / $119,885 x 100 = 18.5826%, shown as 18.6% in California. $22,277.76 / $111,707 x 100 = 19.9430%, shown as 19.9% nationwide. Usage fees stay outside both shares.
- BreadHead Full: $17,964 / $119,885 x 100 = 14.9844%, shown as 15.0% in California. $17,964 / $111,707 x 100 = 16.0814%, shown as 16.1% nationwide.
- BreadHead Pro: $29,964 / $119,885 x 100 = 24.9940%, shown as 25.0% in California. $29,964 / $111,707 x 100 = 26.8237%, shown as 26.8% nationwide. Both BreadHead sums count plan payments only.
All unpriced costs stay outside these shares. They compare October 2026 costs with 2023 payroll. They promise no savings or staff replacement.
Where do the payroll figures come from?
The payroll figures come from the Census Bureau's 2023 County Business Patterns data for professional, scientific and technical services. We use locations with fewer than 5 employees.
- For California, $12,663,804 thousand in yearly payroll divided by 105,633 locations gives $119,884.92. The comparison shows $119,885.
- For the United States, $78,872,381 thousand divided by 706,067 locations gives $111,706.65. The comparison shows $111,707.
- Each share uses the average rounded to the dollar as shown. These are our sums on the saved Census figures.
The Census counts establishments, which this research reads as places of business. A company with two offices can count twice. Payroll has added Census noise of under 2%, so we call the figures estimates. The location count has no noise flag.
Payroll is what those locations paid staff. It isn't business income or a budget for tools. We use it only to give the cost estimates a common point of reference.
Does the price include sales tax?
The comparison leaves sales tax out.
The tax agency's regulation and guide we read don't name a monthly plan for an online tool or a managed service. We give no yes-or-no tax answer for those plans.
Read the California rules for the tax pages and their limits.
How can you compare the work behind the fee?
Choose a job to test, then check who will set it up, who will maintain it and who will review the result. Include the links to your systems, changes you'll need and costs as use grows in that test. Test those needs on your own work.
Each of the three tool lists we read on put its publisher's own product first.
Book a discovery call. We'll talk through your work and whether BreadHead fits.
How we worked this out
The same workload and assumptions above apply to each option. Every sum uses the saved fact rows. Setup is added once, after twelve months of running costs. Unpriced costs stay outside the sums.
Jeremy supplied the AI budget and Zapier and Make setup hours. Our lead set the other hours and workload at his word. These are our estimates.
Citation
Use this name to cite the page: AI Workflow California. Page name: What it costs. Use this link: https://aiworkflowcalifornia.com/what-it-costs.
Sources
Read each maker's terms with its rate.
- Zapier pricing, read ; workload mapping checked October 6.
- Make pricing, read ; workload mapping checked October 6.
- n8n pricing and n8n home page, read ; workload mapping checked October 6.
- Temporal pricing and Temporal home page, read ; workload mapping checked October 6.
- BLS software developers, QA analysts and testers, 2025 Quick Facts wage, read .
- DigitalOcean Droplets, read .
- BreadHead home page, breadhead.ai, and public terms, read .
- Jeremy Kenerson's saved words of , and our lead's assumptions, checked .
- Census Bureau state data for 2023, saved rows read .
- Census Bureau national data for 2023, saved rows read .
What changed
- : Replaced starting prices with running costs, setup and first-year estimates for one workload. Added each cost part, source, assumption and exclusion.
- First draft dated .