Repair or replace calculator
Enter your repair quote and we’ll tell you whether fixing it is worth the money.
How the calculator decides
The 50% rule. If a repair costs half or more of the price of a comparable new device, replacing it is usually the better deal. This is the most widely used rule of thumb among repair technicians and appliance experts.
Remaining life. Every kind of device has a typical useful life: around four years for a phone, five for a laptop, about nine or ten for a dishwasher, ten to thirteen for a washer or dryer and around thirteen for a refrigerator. A repair on a device near the end of that life buys less time, because other parts are likely to wear out soon.
Cost per year. We compare what the repair costs for each remaining year of use with what a new device costs per year over its full life. When repairing is cheaper per year, it is usually the smarter choice.
When to ignore the numbers
- Repair anyway if the device holds data you can’t back up, you rely on a feature that newer models dropped, or a repair is covered by warranty or insurance.
- Replace anyway if the device no longer gets security updates, it has failed more than once this year, or a new model would save meaningful energy.
- Safety first: replace any device with a swollen battery, scorch marks or a gas leak, whatever the numbers say.
Where these numbers come from
Ranges are compiled from manufacturers’ published out-of-warranty repair prices (for example Apple and Samsung) and national repair-cost surveys from home-services and repair marketplaces, reviewed in October 2026. They are typical ranges, not quotes.