Everything you need to build the $280K competitor comment mining system
💰 Complete Cost Breakdown
Minimum Viable Setup (Monthly)
Get started with essential features only
| Tool |
Monthly Cost |
Annual Cost |
Purpose |
| n8n Cloud |
$20 |
$240 |
Automation platform |
| Apollo Basic |
$49 |
$588 |
Email finding |
| OpenAI |
$20 |
$240 |
AI analysis |
| PhantomBuster |
$30 |
$360 |
LinkedIn scraping |
| SalesRobot |
$59 |
$468 |
LinkedIn + email |
| outreach |
|
|
|
| HubSpot Free |
$0 |
$0 |
CRM |
| Slack Free |
$0 |
$0 |
Notifications |
| PostgreSQL |
$5 |
$60 |
Database |
Break-even: 1-2 new customers per month
Target ROI: 10x+ with proper implementation
🧠Core Automation Platform
n8n - Workflow Orchestration
- Purpose: Central automation engine that connects all tools
- Cost: Free (self-hosted) or $20/month (cloud)
- Why We Chose It: Open-source, powerful visual workflow builder, extensive integrations
- Key Features: Visual workflow editor, 400+ integrations, custom JavaScript nodes
- Alternative Options:
- Make.com ($9/month) - easier for beginners
- Zapier ($20/month) - largest app ecosystem
- Pipedream (free tier) - developer-focused
📊 Data & Intelligence Layer
Clay - Data Enrichment & Lead Scoring
- Purpose: Profile enrichment, company data, AI-powered lead scoring
- Cost: $149/month (Growth plan)