Repair vs Replace Calculator

Every repair quote eventually asks the same question: is this device, fixed, worth more than the fix costs? This calculator answers it with one transparent ratio — no black box, no sales agenda — and shows its math so you can argue with it.

The rule

Divide the quoted repair cost by what the device would be worth in working condition — its current resale value if it were fixed. We call that the repair ratio. At a ratio of 0.35 or below, repair is usually worth it: you are restoring full value for about a third of it. Between 0.35 and 0.55, the call is borderline: repair makes sense if the device otherwise meets your needs and the repair carries a real warranty. Above 0.55, the repair costs more than half what the device is worth, and replacement usually wins — the money is better spent on a newer device with its own lifespan ahead of it. One modifier: on a device aged six years or more, even a favorable ratio gets a caution, because software support ending and parts disappearing can strand a freshly repaired machine.

Worked example

Take a laptop worth $800 in working condition, quoted $200 for a screen replacement — a figure consistent with Angi's published laptop screen range of $125–$200. The ratio is 200 ÷ 800 = 0.25, or 25%. That is at or under the 0.35 line, so the verdict is Repair — usually worth it: you restore an $800 machine for a quarter of its value. Now change one number: the same $200 quote on a laptop worth only $300 gives a ratio of 0.67 — Replace territory, because the repair costs two-thirds of what the machine is worth. Same repair, same price, opposite answer. That is why honest advice needs your device's value, not just the quote.

What the ratio does not capture

Three honest exceptions. First, data: if irreplaceable files live only on the device, their value belongs in the calculation — see the data recovery hub. Second, setup: a replacement device costs migration time and possibly new software, which a repair avoids. Third, the environment and your budget timing — spreading cost by repairing now and replacing later is a legitimate plan, provided the repair itself is sound. Use the verdict as the starting point of the decision, then apply these filters. If your real question is whether the quote itself is inflated rather than whether to repair at all, head to Is My Quote Fair? and compare the quote against the published range for your repair first.