Upgrade cost calculator FAQ

Is this calculator free? Yes. No account, no email, no paywall.

Do you store the numbers I enter? No. The calculation runs in your browser. Nothing is transmitted, and there is no analytics script on the page.

Why does payback say "none"? Because the new laptop is not cheaper per year in that scenario, so there is no annual saving to pay anything back with. The field beside it shows the repair bill that would have to be exceeded for a payback to exist at all: (price - end value - resale) / years.

Why do you charge me for the resale value I did not take? Because that value is consumed either way. Selling today converts it to cash; keeping converts it to use. The calculator makes that trade visible instead of hiding it.

What should I enter for the new machine's end value? What you would realistically get for it when you stop using it. A common range is 25 to 35 percent of the purchase price after five years, but the resale market for your model matters more than any rule of thumb.

Does a longer horizon always help? It lowers cost per year on both sides, so it usually shrinks the difference. It does not automatically favour buying.

Why is my result different from a spreadsheet? It should not be. The formula is four lines and is published in full; a difference means a different input.

What changed in the second version of this page? The first version compared capital cost against repair cost, which is not like for like. Both sides are now charged for the value they consume.

Can I use this for a phone or a car? The arithmetic works for anything with a resale value, a life, and a repair budget. The defaults would be wrong, so replace all of them.

Is a five-year life realistic? For a machine bought new with a replaceable battery and enough memory for your work, yes. For a base model with soldered storage, plan shorter, because it will feel slow before it breaks.