Stick or Switch: The Cost of Keeping Windows 10 Alive Past 2025

Hey Geeks!

Microsoft just dropped the details on the cost of clinging to Windows 10 after its sell-by date, and it's a doozy. If you're thinking of sticking with Windows 10 past October 2025, you can, but be ready to open your wallet wide for extra security updates.


Last year, Microsoft announced a plan to let the die-hards among us pay their way into continued updates beyond the official end-of-support curtain call in October 2025. Well, now they've slapped price tags on that lifeline, starting at a manageable $61 per device for the first year but doubling and doubling again each subsequent year for up to three years - al least on the commercial side.

Here's the breakdown: for the privilege of staying patched up on Windows 10, you're looking at forking over $61 for the first year post-October 2025. Decide to stick around for year two? That'll be $122. And if you're hunkering down and refusing to move on by year three, brace yourself for a $244 per device hit. After that...you're done.

This means you've got a choice to make. You can keep your Bitcoin mining fleet of Windows 10 machines in the fight a bit longer for a fee or succumb to Microsoft's not-so-subtle nudge to get us all to march forward to Windows 11, which is still getting all the latest security goodies for free.

This could be a pricey but necessary stopgap for businesses and IT managers not quite ready to leap to Windows 11. Starting October 2024, you can snag a 5-by-5 activation key subscription for each Windows 10 machine you want to keep on life support beyond its expiration date.

Late joiners, beware: if you decide to opt in after the program starts, you'll have to back pay for the security updates you missed. It's clear Microsoft wants us all on Windows 11 sooner rather than later, pushing free updates for it while setting up a paywall for Windows 10 stalwarts.

As for individual users hoping to cling to Windows 10 a little longer? Microsoft's teasing more details to come later this year on that front, saying to monitor the Windows 10 Consumer Page for details.

So, what's it gonna be, Geeks? Take the plunge into Windows 11 waters or pay the price to keep your Windows 10 setup on life support. Or is it time to jump to Linux?