Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 in October 2025. Businesses that weren't ready could buy Extended Security Updates (ESU), a paid programme that keeps security patches coming for up to three more years. The first of those years ends on 13 October 2026.
If some of your PCs are still on Windows 10, now is a good moment to look at what they are costing you and what the alternatives are.
How ESU pricing works for businesses
For commercial customers, the price per device doubles every year:
- Year one: USD 61 per device
- Year two: USD 122 per device
- Year three: USD 244 per device
The years are cumulative. You can't buy year two on its own: a company that skipped year one and enrols now pays for both. Over the full three years, that adds up to more than USD 400 per PC, which for many business laptops is a large share of the price of a new one.
What happens if you do nothing
Windows 10 PCs keep working, but they stop receiving security fixes once their coverage ends. New vulnerabilities stay open. Over time, newer versions of business software and security tools also stop supporting Windows 10. For any PC that handles email, customer data or payments, running without patches is a real risk.
Your three options
1. Upgrade to Windows 11
PCs that meet Windows 11's hardware requirements (TPM 2.0, a supported processor and Secure Boot) can usually be upgraded in place. It is the cheapest route when the hardware is recent enough. Test your line-of-business applications first, and plan the upgrade in batches so no team is left without working machines.
2. Replace older machines
Hardware that can't run Windows 11 is usually five years old or more. Batteries, disks and performance are often already a problem. Replacing these PCs with current business models gives you Windows 11, a fresh warranty and better security features in one step.
3. Pay for ESU while you transition
ESU makes sense for a small number of machines that can't move yet, such as a PC running specialist software that hasn't been certified for Windows 11. Treat it as a bridge with an end date, not a plan.
A practical way to decide
- List every Windows 10 device, with its age, model and who uses it.
- Check which ones meet the Windows 11 requirements.
- Upgrade the eligible ones, starting with a pilot group.
- Price replacements for the rest and compare with the cost of ESU over the time you would actually keep them.
- Keep ESU only for the exceptions, and set a date to retire them.
We can run the inventory, handle the upgrades out of hours, and supply replacement PCs from HP, Dell and Lenovo with the setup done before they reach your desks.
Sources
TechRadar: how much it will cost to keep using Windows 10
PCWorld: Windows 10 ESU pricing
Prices are Microsoft's published commercial list prices in US dollars at the time of writing and may vary by licensing programme.