If you have asked three IT providers for a price, you probably received three answers that cannot be compared: one per user, one per device, one "it depends". This guide explains how managed IT is priced, what the numbers usually look like for a small or mid-sized business, and what actually moves the price up or down.
The three pricing models you will meet
1. Per user, per month
The most common model. You pay a fixed amount for each person who uses IT, and that amount covers their devices, accounts, and support. It is simple to budget and grows in step with headcount. Most quotes for businesses of 5–100 people are built this way.
2. Per device, per month
You pay for each workstation, laptop, server, and sometimes each network device. It suits organizations with shared computers (a clinic, a workshop, a shop floor) where devices outnumber people or vice versa. It can become expensive when everyone has a laptop, a phone, and a desktop.
3. Flat monthly fee for an agreed scope
A single number for the whole environment, defined by a written scope: which systems, which users, which services, which response times. This is the model Magonit uses. It is the easiest to budget and the hardest to inflate, because anything outside the scope has to be quoted in advance.
What the numbers usually look like
Prices vary by country, by what is included, and by how mature the provider is, so treat any figure as a starting point rather than a benchmark. That said, per-user managed IT plans for small businesses are commonly quoted somewhere in the range of roughly $75 to $200 per user per month (or the local equivalent). The low end typically covers monitoring, patching, and remote helpdesk; the high end adds security tooling, backup, on-site visits, and strategic reviews.
For a 20-person company that translates to a monthly budget somewhere between a part-time salary and a full-time junior hire — with the difference that you are buying a team, tooling, and 24/7 monitoring rather than one person's availability.
Rule of thumb: if a quote is dramatically cheaper than the others, look for what has been left out — usually backup, security, on-site time, or projects. Those costs do not disappear; they come back as hourly invoices.
What drives the price up or down
| Factor | Pushes the price up | Keeps it down |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | On-premises servers, legacy software, mixed operating systems | Cloud-first (Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace), standardized devices |
| Security requirements | Compliance obligations, regulated data, audits | A sensible baseline: MFA, patching, backup, endpoint protection |
| Support hours | 24/7 human support, guaranteed on-site response | Business-hours support with monitoring around the clock |
| Documentation | Nothing documented, "the previous guy knew" | A documented, tidy environment (cheaper to support and to switch provider) |
| Projects | Frequent migrations, office moves, new software | Stable operations; projects quoted separately at fixed price |
What should be included — and what usually is not
A serious managed IT agreement should include, at minimum:
- Proactive monitoring and maintenance of servers, workstations, and network equipment
- Patch management and software updates on a schedule
- Helpdesk support for your team, with defined response times
- An endpoint security baseline (antivirus/EDR, updates, access hygiene)
- Backup monitoring and periodic restore tests
- Vendor coordination (internet provider, software suppliers, hardware warranty)
- Documentation of your environment — owned by you
- Regular reporting in plain language
Things that are usually priced separately, and should be quoted in advance rather than billed by surprise: migrations, new office setups, software builds, hardware, and licenses (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, backup storage).
How to compare two quotes that look nothing alike
- Normalize the unit. Convert every quote to a monthly total for your actual headcount and device count.
- List the exclusions. Ask each provider, in writing, what is not covered. The gaps are where the real price difference lives.
- Check response times. "Same business day" and "within 4 hours for critical incidents" are commitments; "we respond quickly" is not.
- Ask who owns the documentation and accounts. If the answer is the provider, the low price is a lock-in.
- Ask for the onboarding plan. A provider who audits your environment before quoting is pricing your reality; one who quotes from a headcount is guessing.
Why an assessment before the quote matters
A price given before anyone has looked at your environment is a guess, and guesses get corrected later — in your invoice. Magonit starts every engagement with a complimentary assessment: a written report on your current systems, risks, gaps, and recurring costs, followed by a fixed monthly fee for a defined scope. You know what you are paying for before you sign, and anything beyond the scope is quoted before it is done.