The paper presents analysis of available data on resistance risk and cost of chemical protection for selected plant protection products containing old and new active substances. Based on the results covering 38 products registered in Poland for protection against different groups of pests it was found that: use of products containing new active substances is subjected to the lower risk of resistance than use of products containing old active substances and in most of cases the cost of chemical protection using new active substances are higher and often significantly higher than for old active substances.