What does it cost to replace one ops FTE with Monday.com plus Make.com?

The three cost buckets

First, the tool subscriptions themselves (Monday seats, Make ops plan, any connected apps). This is public pricing on both vendors and is small compared to a salary. Second, the implementation cost. This is the design of the workflows, the build of the boards and scenarios, the integrations, and the SOP writing. It is one-time, and it is where the real investment lives. A well-scoped ops replacement build takes weeks, not months. Third, ongoing maintenance. Boards drift, APIs change, new use cases emerge. Budget for a small ongoing spend, either internal time or a fractional operator, to keep the system healthy.

The math that matters

Compare the total first-year spend (tools plus build plus maintenance) against the fully loaded cost of the FTE you are replacing, including benefits, taxes, and the recruiting and management overhead. In most SMB cases the automated option comes in materially lower for the rules-based work, with a fractional senior operator handling the exceptions.

Two honest cautions

You will not eliminate the whole FTE. You will shrink it. And the return only materializes if you actually complete the design and documentation work. Half-built automation is more expensive than no automation.