Most laptop repairs run $99 to $299. The real question isn't "what does the repair cost?" but "what is the laptop worth today?" — that ratio determines whether any repair is worth doing, regardless of platform.
- Screen replacement: $159–$399
- Battery replacement: $129–$249
- Keyboard repair: $89–$199
- Charging port repair: $129–$179
- Data recovery: $149–$249+
- Liquid damage: $199–$399
- Diagnostic: Free
The quick answer
If you just need a number: budget $150 to $300 for the typical laptop repair in 2026. Screen replacements and battery swaps are the most common and cluster around this range. Data recovery, liquid damage, and Mac-specific repairs run higher.
The harder question with laptops is always whether to repair at all. Unlike desktops, where a $150 repair on a $1,500 PC is almost always worth it, laptops span a much wider price spectrum — a $300 Chromebook and a $2,800 MacBook Pro need very different math.
This guide breaks pricing down by both issue and platform, because the repair-vs-replace decision changes based on which world you're in.
Why platform matters more than you'd think
A cracked screen on a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon costs about the same as a cracked screen on an HP ProBook. But a cracked screen on a MacBook Pro is more expensive — not because the shop is charging you extra, but because the panel itself is harder to source and the replacement process is more involved. And a cracked screen on a $299 Chromebook sometimes costs more than the Chromebook itself.
The price of the laptop the day you bring it in is the price you're actually deciding against.
Three tiers of laptop, three different repair economies:
- Windows business laptops and gaming laptops: Most serviceable. Parts are standardized and widely available. Repair almost always makes sense if the laptop is under 6 years old.
- MacBooks: Serviceable for most common issues, but some repairs — logic board, soldered SSD, Face ID / Touch ID pairing — push you toward Apple Authorized Service. We'll be honest about which path makes sense.
- Chromebooks: Frequently cheaper to replace than repair. Premium Chromebooks are the exception, and school-issued Chromebooks have a different math entirely because students can't easily swap units.
The pricing matrix: every issue, every platform
Here's how the numbers break down across the three main platforms. These are 2026 rates at our shop; individual pricing varies slightly by specific model and part availability.
Screen replacement by size
Screens are the #1 laptop repair we see. Cracked displays, dead pixels, flickering, backlight failures, and hinge-related tears. The pricing depends heavily on panel size and technology.
| Screen Type & Size | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| 11–13" standard LCD (most Chromebooks, older ultrabooks) | $139–$199 |
| 13–14" standard LCD (ThinkPad, MacBook Air, XPS 13) | $159–$249 |
| 15–16" standard LCD (most Windows laptops) | $179–$279 |
| 17" gaming laptop panels | $229–$349 |
| 13–16" touchscreen / 2-in-1 | $249–$379 |
| OLED / 4K / high-refresh panels | $299–$399 |
| MacBook Retina / Liquid Retina | $279–$399 |
If your laptop has a full-assembly display (hinges and bezel included with the panel), the replacement is usually cheaper and faster than panel-only swaps. We'll quote both options when available.
Battery replacement
Laptop batteries wear out. After 500-1000 charge cycles (2-4 years of normal use), capacity drops to 60-80% of original. At that point you're getting 2-3 hours of runtime from a laptop that used to do 8.
| Battery Type | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Windows laptop, accessible battery | $129–$179 |
| Windows laptop, internal battery | $149–$199 |
| MacBook Air (M1/M2/M3) | $179–$229 |
| MacBook Pro (13–16 inch) | $199–$249 |
| Chromebook battery | $129–$159 |
| Battery diagnostic & report | Free with repair |
MacBook batteries cost more because they're glued in place with heavy adhesive. Apple's official replacement involves replacing the entire top case (keyboard + battery assembly) for simplicity. Third-party repair shops can do battery-only replacement, which takes longer and requires careful adhesive removal but saves significantly over Apple's top-case method.
Keyboard & trackpad repair
Individual keys break, liquid gets spilled, entire keyboards stop responding. The fix depends on the severity and what's actually wrong.
| Keyboard Issue | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Single key replacement (key cap / mechanism) | $49–$89 |
| Multiple stuck or missing keys | $89–$129 |
| Full keyboard replacement (Windows) | $149–$199 |
| MacBook keyboard (top case) | $199–$249 |
| Trackpad replacement | $129–$199 |
| Backlight repair (Windows) | $119–$149 |
Charging port & power issues
Loose or broken charging ports are a classic laptop issue — cables get yanked, ports wear out, kids trip on cords. The symptom: your laptop only charges at certain angles, or has stopped charging entirely.
| Power Repair | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| DC charging jack replacement (barrel connector) | $129–$179 |
| USB-C port replacement | $149–$229 |
| MagSafe port repair | $179–$249 |
| Charging circuit diagnostic | $99 |
| Power adapter replacement | $79–$129 |
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Data recovery pricing
Dead laptop with important files on it? Most data is recoverable if the drive hasn't been physically destroyed and the OS hasn't overwritten the sectors.
| Data Recovery Type | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Logical (deleted files, corrupted filesystem) | $149 |
| Failed boot, drive still reads | $199 |
| Physical drive imaging (specialized) | $249+ |
| MacBook T2 / Apple Silicon recovery | $199–$399 |
| Clean-room hardware recovery (referred) | $500+ |
| Transfer recovered data to new drive | Included |
Important note: stop using the laptop as soon as you notice data loss. Every time the OS writes to a failing drive, recovery gets harder and more expensive. Power it off and bring it in.
Liquid damage repair
Spilled coffee, water, soda, or (once, memorably) a full glass of red wine. Liquid damage is one of the most time-sensitive laptop issues — the faster we see it, the better the outcome.
| Liquid Damage | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Mild (caught quickly, no power-on after spill) | $199–$249 |
| Moderate (some corrosion, needs ultrasonic clean) | $249–$349 |
| Severe (corrosion spread, board-level repair) | $349–$499+ |
| Keyboard replacement after liquid (common) | +$149–$199 |
| Diagnostic after liquid damage | Free |
Rule of thumb: if liquid hit it, unplug, don't power on, and get it to a shop in 24 hours.
MacBook repair: what we can and can't fix
We handle most MacBook issues, but it's worth being honest about Apple Silicon limitations. Unlike Intel-era Macs (2018 and earlier), newer MacBooks have deeply integrated components that third-party shops can't fully service.
What we can do on any MacBook:
- Screen replacement (including Retina and Liquid Retina panels)
- Battery replacement (top-case or battery-only)
- Keyboard repair and top-case swap
- Speaker and microphone repair
- USB-C / MagSafe port repair
- Fan and thermal service
- Data recovery from most drive failures
What gets complicated on Apple Silicon (M1+):
- SSD replacement — soldered to the logic board on most M1+ models
- RAM upgrade — unified memory, soldered, not replaceable
- Touch ID / Face ID repair — requires Apple's secure pairing system
- Full logic board replacement — pricing often approaches Apple's flat-rate repair
- Physical drive recovery — T2 chip encryption adds complexity
If your MacBook needs a soldered-component repair (SSD, RAM, logic board) and it's under AppleCare+, use AppleCare+. For out-of-warranty work on Apple Silicon, we'll compare what we can do versus what Apple Authorized Service costs and tell you which path makes more sense. Sometimes it's us, sometimes it's them.
Chromebook economics: when repair doesn't math out
Chromebooks have a unique problem in the repair world. They're mostly cheap ($200-$500 new), which means even moderate repairs can exceed the cost of replacement.
The math: if your $299 Chromebook needs a $179 screen + $129 keyboard, that's $308 in repairs on a device that costs $299 to replace. The repair doesn't make sense unless there's a specific reason to keep this exact unit (school-issued, student-owned work on it, warranty about to kick in).
| Chromebook Scenario | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Entry-level ($200-$400) with single repair under $150 | Usually repair |
| Entry-level with multiple repairs totaling $200+ | Usually replace |
| Premium Chromebook ($700+) | Usually repair |
| School-issued Chromebook | Always repair (student needs this unit) |
| Chromebook past Auto Update Expiration (AUE) | Usually replace |
The upside of Chromebooks: data loss isn't a concern. Because Chrome OS stores everything in the cloud, a broken Chromebook doesn't mean lost data — you just sign into a new device and everything comes back. That lowers the emotional cost of replacement compared to Windows or Mac.
Is your laptop worth fixing? The decision framework.
The question every laptop repair visit starts with. Here are the four rules we actually use at the bench to tell customers honestly whether to repair or replace.
Every laptop that comes through the shop gets this analysis free during the diagnostic. If it's not worth fixing, we say so — even if that means you leave without paying us. Better for everyone long-term.
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Free diagnostic, 90-day warranty, honest pricing. Drop off, ship in, or call the shop.