Expose renewal compounding and the year when buying may become less expensive.
Calculations stay in this browser. No entries are saved.
Subscriptions accumulate and may rise. Purchase cost is front-loaded but can be reduced by resale value at the same exit date.
Use the renewal schedule, required service, cancellation terms, buyout rules and realistic resale value.
Each subscription year begins from the prior year's increased monthly price. Purchase net cost adds upgrades and support, then subtracts expected resale value.
Taxes, required service, cancellation, data migration and product obsolescence are excluded unless entered through upgrade cost.
This calculator supports The Real Cost of Ownership. Subscription vs. Purchase: Compare Access, Ownership and Exit explains which details can change the inputs. The calculation methodology shows how we handle timing, rounding and exclusions.
Use the renewal schedule, required service, cancellation terms, buyout rules and realistic resale value. Inputs remain in the browser and outputs are rounded for display.
Read the complete methodology →The tool compounds the entered annual price increase and adds every monthly renewal across the comparison period.
Purchase becomes cheaper when cumulative subscription spending exceeds purchase price plus upgrades and support minus expected resale value.
Put two imperfect options on an annualized cost basis without counting sunk cost.