Methodology for usage estimates

Methodology behind the Autopilot usage estimates: model classification categories, relative cost ratings, and project complexity tiers.

This page describes the methodology behind the Autopilot usage estimates: how models are classified and how project complexity is determined.

Model classification

Models are grouped into three categories based on their capabilities and the workloads they are best suited for. Each model also has a relative cost rating from 1 — the lowest relative usage cost — to 5 — the highest.

Categoría	Más adecuado para	Relative cost rating
Cost-efficient	Focused, repeatable, and high-volume tasks	1–2
Estándar	Broad, general-purpose capabilities; suited to most tasks	3
Premium	The most complex tasks, including long-running, multi-step work	4–5

The relative cost rating is an ordinal scale that compares usage-pool consumption across models for comparable tasks. It does not represent a monetary amount or an exact cost multiplier. For example, a rating of 4 does not mean twice the consumption of a rating of 2. Actual consumption also depends on the task's length and complexity. Ratings may change as underlying model costs and the Autopilot model lineup evolve.

Project complexity

Autopilot usage estimates use three complexity tiers for UiPath RPA projects. The classification follows this order:

1. A project is Complex if it meets any Complex criterion.
2. If no Complex criterion applies, a project is Simple only if it meets every Simple criterion.
3. A project is Medium if it does not meet every Simple criterion and no Complex criterion applies.

Simple projects

A Simple project is a focused automation with limited integration and UI risk. A project is classified as Simple only when all of the following are true:

• Uses 1 identifiable application or system
• Has fewer than 10 estimated process steps
• Has no decision branches or exception-handling logic
• Has fewer than 3 UI selector changes
• Uses structured inputs only, with no Document Understanding, optical character recognition (OCR), Intelligent Xtraction Processing (IXP), or machine-learning extraction signals

Medium projects

A Medium project is a standard departmental or cross-functional automation requiring moderate design, testing, and integration effort. A project is classified as Medium when it is more involved than Simple but does not meet any Complex criterion. Typical indicators include:

• Uses 2–3 applications or systems
• Has 10 or more estimated process steps
• Includes some decisions, branching, or exception-handling logic
• Has a moderate number of UI selector changes
• Processes documents or other unstructured inputs
• Requires additional testing and process hardening, but does not contain a high-complexity trigger

Complex projects

A Complex project is a strategically important automation that is likely to require advanced solution design, stronger governance, broader testing, and ongoing operational management. A project is classified as Complex when any one of the following is true:

• Uses 4 or more applications or systems
• Includes 5 or more decision or branching steps
• Interacts with a fragile, dynamic, or frequently changing user interface
• Includes agentic automation
• Requires human-in-the-loop activity, such as review, validation, approval, or exception resolution

Methodology terms

Término	Definición
System	A distinct application, platform, API, or app-specific connector. Generic HTTP or UI automation counts as one unknown system. Standard UiPath packages do not count by themselves.
Step estimate	Total activity count, when available. Otherwise, activities added plus one step for every eight property changes. If neither is available, recorded Autopilot events provide the estimate.
Structured input	Input with no Document Understanding, OCR, IXP, or machine-learning extraction signals.