Calculator · Consumer purchases
The answer
It all depends on how often you use it and what it resells for. If you use it only a few days a year, renting or borrowing almost always costs less. If you use it every month and it resells reasonably, buying becomes cheaper after a certain number of months: the calculator below gives you that month with your figures, counting resale, upkeep and storage.
Updated · Market Switzerland
This analysis is available in French and English.
You need equipment — a machine, a tool, camera or sound gear — and do not know whether to buy it or rent it each time you use it.
The comparison
Ratings from 0 to 4, from the point of view of someone in your situation — higher is better. The reasoning behind each rating is in the analysis.
| Criterion | Borrow | Buy | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total cost over timeWhat really leaves your pocket, resale deducted. | |||
| Money up frontWhat you pay before the first use. | |||
| FlexibilityBeing able to change your mind, model or stop without a loss. | |||
| AvailabilityHaving the equipment at hand when you need it. | |||
| Upkeep and storageThe time, space and money to keep the equipment in shape. | |||
| Obsolescence riskThe risk that the equipment ages or loses value faster than planned. |
Borrow from someone you know, share with other users, or hand the job to someone who already has the equipment.
For
Against
Buy the equipment, maintain it, and sell it when you no longer need it.
For
Against
Rent the equipment by the day, week or month, when you need it.
For
Against
The analysis
Equipment used three days a year is rented; equipment used three days a week is bought. In between, the calculation matters: multiply the rental rate by the days of use per month, and compare it with what buying really costs you — not its price, but its price minus what you will get back.
The calculator’s defaults (CHF 3,000 to buy, CHF 90 a day to rent, three days a month) are editorial assumptions to illustrate the reasoning. Replace them with your equipment’s and rental companies’ real prices.
The calculator estimates resale value with a constant yearly depreciation (20% by default), then removes a discount for the time and cost of selling (15% by default). Both are assumptions: a branded professional tool often resells well; electronic gear loses value quickly.
If you know you will not resell — for lack of time or because the equipment will be worn out — switch resale off: buying then becomes a pure cost, and renting wins far more often.
The costs
The amounts are editorial assumptions for illustration: replace them with your real prices.
Cheapest over 36 months Buy
Buy
Rent
What this calculation shows
What it does not prove
What we do not know
The most uncertain part: the resale value and your actual use in two or three years. Try several assumptions — it is the break-even month that moves, not the logic.
There is no universal number: it depends on the price, the rental rate and resale. The calculator gives the month from which buying becomes cheaper than renting, with your figures.
Yes, if you really resell. Otherwise switch it off: equipment you keep until it wears out has no resale value in the calculation.
The reasoning is the same, but accounting and VAT can change the real cost of a purchase. This calculator does not include them.
No external fact on this page: every amount is an assumption you replace with your own figures.
No vendor mentioned pays to appear here, and no link on this page is an affiliate link. What Bynilson sells is labelled as such and plays no part in the recommendation rules.
Research and writing assisted by AI tools; every fact was read on its source on the date shown, and the decision rules are written and tested by hand.
Useful steps whatever you decide.