Buying Vs Leasing IT Equipment? Which Makes More Sense For Your Business

Buying vs leasing IT equipment is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make for your business.

But how do you know what's the best option for you?

If you’re planning to lease equipment for your company, here's what you should know: leasing just 20 laptops would cost you around $168,000 over a period of 5 years.

And buying them, on the other hand, would cost you somewhere $75,000 for the same period.

Buying instantly sounds like a great decision, right?

But what if you don’t have the capital yet and need a predictable cash flow, or your workforce needs fresh equipment every 2-3 years? Suddenly, leasing doesn't look so unreasonable.

If you’re stuck in this dilemma, this guide can help.

We’ll compare real costs, explain trade-offs, and give you practical frameworks to decide when buying, leasing, or a hybrid approach makes the most sense, based on your team, growth stage, and operational constraints.

TL;DR

• Leasing lowers upfront costs but raises long-term spend. For 20 employees, leasing costs about $100,800 over 3 years and $168,000 over 5 years.
• You are paying for flexibility, not the lowest total cost. Leasing makes sense when you need predictable monthly payments, faster refresh cycles, and less operational burden.
• Buying is usually more cost-effective for stable teams. Buying costs about $63,000 over 3 years and $75,000 over 5 years, with possible resale or redeployment value lowering the real cost further.
• If employees keep devices for 4–5 years, buying gives you more control, more customization, and a lower total cost over time.
• If you want to buy, lease, rent, or combine all three, Workwize helps you manage the full device lifecycle globally from procurement to retrieval and disposal.