Repair prices feel like a mystery because two things vary a great deal: the price of the part for your particular model, and how hard that model is to open. A battery that takes ten minutes to change in one laptop is glued beneath the keyboard in another. Even so, most repairs fall within predictable ranges, and knowing them makes it much easier to judge a quote.
The figures below are typical US ranges for independent repair shops, parts and labor included. Large cities, premium brands and manufacturer service centers tend to be higher. Use them to judge whether a quote is reasonable, not as a price list.
Diagnosis
About $40 to $100. Most shops charge to find the fault, and many take that fee off the bill if you go ahead with the repair. Some diagnose for free. Ask before you hand the laptop over. Be cautious of anyone who quotes a firm price for an unclear problem without having looked at the machine.
Screen replacement
About $120 to $300 for an ordinary laptop. Touchscreens, high-resolution displays and very thin models, where the whole lid is replaced as a single unit, run from $300 to $600 or more. Screens on premium laptops replaced by the manufacturer can cost more again.
One thing to check first: if the laptop works normally on an external monitor or a television, the fault is in the screen or its cable, and the rest of the machine is fine. That usually makes the repair worthwhile.
Battery replacement
About $70 to $180. Batteries that unclip or sit under a simple cover are at the low end. Batteries glued inside thin laptops cost more in labor. A battery that lasts under two hours, or a laptop that only runs when plugged in, is normal wear after three to five years.
A battery that is swelling, which shows as a bulging case or a trackpad that is lifting, is a safety problem and not something to put off. Stop charging it and have it replaced promptly.
Keyboard
About $80 to $250. On many current laptops the keyboard is riveted into the top half of the case, so the whole section is replaced, and that accounts for the higher figure. If only one or two keys have failed, an external keyboard is a very cheap workaround.
Charging port
About $80 to $200. If the port is on its own small board, it is an inexpensive fix. If it is soldered to the main board, it calls for skilled soldering. Try another charger first. Chargers fail far more often than ports, and a replacement costs about $25 to $70. Buy the manufacturer's own charger or a reputable brand. Very cheap chargers are a fire risk.
Replacing a hard drive with an SSD
About $100 to $250, including the drive and moving your system across to it. For a laptop that came with a spinning hard drive, this is the repair that gives the most for the money. A laptop that took three minutes to start will take twenty seconds. A memory upgrade, where the design allows one, usually adds $40 to $120.
Software problems and virus removal
About $80 to $200. This covers removing malware, repairing or reinstalling Windows, and clearing out whatever has accumulated. If the quote includes a reinstall, ask whether your files will be backed up and put back, because that is often the largest part of the work.
Data recovery
About $100 to $300 when the drive still works and the files can be copied off, for example from a laptop that will not start. When the drive itself has failed physically, specialist recovery laboratories charge from $500 to $2,000 or more, and cannot promise success. A backup costs far less than this.
Liquid damage
From about $100 for a clean-up to $600 or more, and it is the hardest repair to price in advance. The outcome depends on what was spilled, how much, and how quickly the power was cut. If it happens to you: turn the laptop off at once, unplug it, and do not switch it on to see whether it still works. Do not rely on a bag of rice. Get it to a shop quickly, because the corrosion continues for as long as it sits.
Main board failure
About $250 to $700 or more. On most laptops that are more than three or four years old, this is where repair stops making sense. The usual exception is an expensive or fairly new machine.
When a repair is not worth it
A workable rule: if the repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new laptop, replace it. Lean further toward replacing it if the laptop is over six or seven years old, if it cannot run a version of Windows or macOS that still receives security updates, or if more than one thing is wrong with it.
Your files can nearly always be recovered from a laptop that is not worth repairing, so do not let your data decide the question.
Questions to ask before you agree
- Is there a diagnostic fee, and is it taken off the repair price?
- Is the quote a fixed price or an estimate? Will you call me before you go over it?
- Are the parts new, original or aftermarket?
- What warranty do you give on the part and on the work? Ninety days is common.
- Will my files be touched? Should I back up first? The answer to the second part is always yes, if the laptop still runs.
- How long will it take?
Check the warranty first
Before you pay anyone, check whether the laptop is still covered. Manufacturer warranties usually run for one year, and sometimes longer. Some credit cards extend the warranty on things bought with them, and retailers' protection plans often cover accidental damage. A quick check with the serial number on the manufacturer's support website can save you the whole bill.