When organisations calculate the cost of test automation, the licence fee is usually the obvious place to start.
But it is rarely the whole story.
The real cost builds over time through licensing, maintenance, additional tools, infrastructure and the resources required to keep automation running.
Then there is another cost that is harder to quantify: staying with a platform simply because switching feels too difficult.
So, how much is your test automation platform really costing you?
1. Look Beyond the Licence Fee
Test automation pricing can become increasingly complex as automation expands.
Costs may increase with users, executions, environments, devices or additional modules. A licensing model that worked for one QA team may look very different when automation is scaled across an organisation.
The question isn’t simply “What does our licence cost?”
It’s “What does it cost us to run the automation we actually need?”
That includes the additional tools required when one platform cannot cover desktop, mobile, virtual, legacy or RPA requirements.
One tool becomes two. Two become three.
And suddenly the cost of automation is considerably greater than the original licence fee.
2. Maintenance Has a Cost Too
An automated test only delivers value while it continues to work.
Application changes can result in failed tests, script updates and engineers spending time determining whether a failure represents a genuine defect or simply broken automation.
Multiply that across a large test estate and maintenance can become a significant operational cost.
The underlying approach to automation therefore matters.
T-Plan uses visual, screen-level automation, allowing organisations to automate applications through the user interface without relying on access to the underlying code.
This provides a consistent approach across modern, legacy, desktop, mobile and virtual environments, reducing the need to introduce different automation technologies for different applications.
3. What Is the Cost of Staying?
Renewing an existing automation platform can feel like the lowest-risk decision.
Your teams know it. Tests have already been built. Procurement has approved it.
So the contract gets renewed.
But familiarity and value aren’t necessarily the same thing.
If licence costs have increased, teams are maintaining multiple automation products or the existing platform is restricting what can be automated, renewal can simply lock those costs in for another contract period.
Instead of only asking:
“How much would it cost us to switch?”
there is another question worth asking:
“How much will it cost us if we don’t?”
4. Switching Doesn't Have to Mean Starting Again
One of the biggest barriers to changing automation platforms is the investment organisations have already made.
Years of work may exist in test scripts and automation frameworks. The prospect of rebuilding everything can make staying with an incumbent supplier seem like the only practical option.
But migration technology is changing that equation.
T-Plan AI can help convert existing automated tests from supported platforms into T-Plan, reducing some of the manual effort traditionally associated with migration.
Migration will depend on the existing platform, test assets and technical environment, but the principle is important:
The investment you’ve already made in automation shouldn’t prevent you from considering a better alternative.
Would You Choose the Same Platform Today?
Perhaps that’s the most useful question to ask before your next renewal.
If you were selecting your automation platform today, would you still choose the same solution?
- Would you choose the same licensing model?
- Would you still need all the additional tools surrounding it?
- And would the cost still represent good value?
If the answer to any of those questions is no, it may be time to compare the alternatives.
What If You Could Cut the Cost by 50%?
Until 31 October 2026, T-Plan is offering organisations an additional reason to consider switching.
If you’re currently paying for a qualifying commercial test automation or RPA platform, T-Plan could cut the qualifying cost of your existing solution by 50% when you switch, subject to eligibility and the promotional terms and conditions.
With Visual UI Test Automation and RPA in one platform, flexible licensing, secure deployment options and AI-assisted migration, reducing your automation costs doesn’t have to mean reducing capability.
Cut the Cost. Not the Capability.
See If You Qualify for the 50% Switch Offer →
Offer ends 31 October 2026. Eligibility and terms and conditions apply. T-Plan must receive a valid purchase order for the agreed qualifying solution by 31 October 2026.
