Skip to main content
Based in New Jersey · Nationwide and international
GBTech.ai
Book

Resources

How much does managed IT cost? (2026 pricing guide)

Managed IT pricing per user in 2026: what each level includes, published prices, fees to ask about, contract terms and how to compare quotes.

By GBTech.ai · Published · Last reviewed

The short answer

There's no single national price for managed IT, but survey data gives a clear picture. In Kaseya's 2024 survey of 984 executives and technicians at IT service providers, the most common price was $50 to $100 per user per month (21% of respondents), followed by $101 to $150 and under $50 (15% each). Only 6% said they charge more than $200 per user. Help-desk-only plans cost less. Plans built around compliance, such as HIPAA, the FTC Safeguards Rule or SEC Regulation S-P, cost more, because they need extra controls and documentation.

Prices that providers publish in 2026 can start higher than that. For example, Dataprise, a national provider, lists starting prices of $102 to $210 per user per month across its three plans. GBTech's own managed IT starts at $95 per user per month.

We found no independent survey of what U.S. businesses pay for managed IT. The survey figures in this guide come from Kaseya's 2024 MSP Benchmark Survey Report. Kaseya ran the survey in November 2023 and asked for prices in U.S. dollars. Respondents came from more than 35 countries, and 70% were in the Americas. Published provider prices were checked in November 2026.

What each price level usually includes

Level What's usually included
Help desk and monitoring Remote help desk during business hours, monitoring, patching and antivirus. On-site visits and after-hours work often cost extra.
Fully managed Adds endpoint detection and response (EDR), email security, backup, multi-factor authentication (MFA), on-site support, vendor management and regular planning reviews.
Security and compliance Adds compliance support, a security operations center (SOC) or log monitoring, data loss prevention, penetration tests, disaster recovery tests and a virtual CISO.

The levels overlap because every provider bundles differently. When you compare quotes, compare what's included, not the plan names.

Published plans show how the price climbs with each level. Dataprise's three plans start at $102, $158 and $210 per user per month:

  • IT Foundation ($102) covers monitoring and support, managed backups, managed endpoint protection, security operations center (SOC) services, security awareness training and a quarterly virtual CISO review.
  • IT Fortify ($158) adds an enhanced help desk, log monitoring (SIEM), threat hunting, vulnerability scans, an annual penetration test and a monthly virtual CISO review.
  • IT Comply ($210) adds compliance testing and reporting, a compliance gap assessment and an annual disaster recovery test.

Dataprise says its prices scale with larger teams and with added services such as disaster recovery.

For a wider view, here's what respondents in Kaseya's 2024 survey said they charge per user, per month:

  • Under $50: 15%
  • $50 to $100: 21%
  • $101 to $150: 15%
  • $151 to $200: 9%
  • More than $200: 6%
  • No per-user pricing: 34%

For per-device pricing, 46% of respondents said they charge less than $100 per device per month, and 34% don't offer per-device pricing at all.

How managed IT is priced

  • Per user. One monthly price per person, covering the laptop, phone and accounts they use. This is common for offices where each person has more than one device.
  • Per device. A price for each computer or server. This suits shared workstations and front desks.
  • Tiered. Two or three bundles at fixed per-user prices, from basic to fully managed.
  • A la carte. You pick individual services. It's flexible, but gaps are easy to miss.
  • Co-managed. For companies that already have an IT person. The provider adds tools, security and after-hours coverage around them.

In Kaseya's 2024 survey, the most common main billing model was a mix of per-user and per-device pricing (26% of respondents), followed by tiered bundles (15%), per-user (13%), per-device (13%), a la carte (11%) and fixed-fee subscription (11%).

What changes your price

  • Headcount. Smaller offices usually pay more per user, because some work costs the same whether you have 8 people or 30.

  • Microsoft 365 licensing. Some quotes include your Microsoft 365 licenses and some only manage licenses you buy separately, so ask. Microsoft raised U.S. list prices on July 1, 2026 (per user per month, annual commitment):

    • Business Basic: $6.00 to $7.00
    • Business Standard: $12.50 to $14.00
    • Business Premium: unchanged at $22.00

    Existing subscriptions move to the new prices at their first renewal after July 1, 2026. Paying monthly for an annual subscription costs 5% more. Month-to-month plans cost more again: $8.40 for Basic, $16.80 for Standard and $26.40 for Premium.

  • Security tools. EDR, email security and backup add cost, and they are also what cyber insurers ask about. See our cyber insurance checklist.

  • Coverage hours. Business-hours support costs less than 24/7 coverage.

  • On-site versus remote. Plans with on-site visits included cost more than remote-only plans.

  • Compliance. Regulated firms need extra controls and documentation. For example, the FTC Safeguards Rule, which covers businesses such as tax preparation firms, requires MFA and encryption of customer information. Amendments to SEC Regulation S-P apply to SEC-registered investment advisers and broker-dealers, with a compliance date of June 3, 2026 for smaller firms.

  • Sites. Each extra office adds network equipment to manage, and some providers charge a per-site fee.

  • The state of your setup. Cleaning up a neglected environment is usually scoped as a separate project.

  • Contract length. Some providers discount longer terms. Dataprise, for example, offers discounts for multi-year commitments.

Fees to ask about

  • Onboarding or setup. Some providers charge a one-time fee to set you up. Ask what it covers and whether it's in the quote.
  • Work outside the plan. In Kaseya's 2024 survey, the most common hourly rate for break-fix work was $101 to $200 (63% of respondents). Ask what your provider charges and whether after-hours work costs more.
  • Projects. Office moves, Microsoft 365 migrations and server replacements are usually quoted separately.
  • Hardware, software and phones. Laptops, firewalls, software licenses and phone systems are usually extra, even when the provider buys them for you.
  • Leaving early. Ask how any early termination fee is worked out, for example whether it's based on the months left on the contract.

Contract terms

Kaseya's 2024 survey gives a rough picture of contract lengths. About a quarter of respondents (24%) said more than half of their clients were on month-to-month contracts, and 26% said more than half were on one-year contracts. Only 7% said more than half of their clients had contracts longer than three years. Before you sign, ask:

  • How long is the term, and does it renew automatically?
  • How much notice do I need to give to end it?
  • What does it cost to leave early?
  • How long will onboarding take, and what happens during it?
  • If we leave, how do we get our admin accounts, passwords and documentation back?

Managed IT versus hiring in-house

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 data, released in 2026), across the United States:

  • Computer user support specialists earn a mean of $67,330 a year.
  • Network and computer systems administrators earn a mean of $103,680 a year.

Pay varies by location. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the same figures for each state and metro area, so you can check yours.

Benefits make up about 30% of private-industry employer compensation costs, so a $67,330 salary is roughly $96,200 in total compensation. That's before tools, training and cover for vacations and sick days. For comparison, a 20-person office paying $150 per user per month spends $36,000 a year on managed IT.

One person also can't cover every skill or every hour. If you already have an IT person you trust, co-managed IT can add security tools and after-hours coverage around them without replacing them.

How to compare quotes

  1. Ask for one per-user price and a written list of what it includes. That means security tools, backup, Microsoft 365 licenses (or not), on-site visits and after-hours support.
  2. Ask what's billed separately. Projects, hardware, licenses, hourly work.
  3. Check the security baseline. MFA everywhere, EDR on every device, and backups with tested restores.
  4. Ask for response times in writing, including after hours.
  5. Read the exit terms before you sign, not after.
  6. Make sure your company owns the admin accounts and gets a copy of the documentation.

How GBTech can help

GBTech's managed IT starts at $95 per user per month. It covers endpoint security, backup, Microsoft 365, patching and a help desk. Your price depends on the number of users, your Microsoft 365 licensing and the coverage you need, so every quote is custom. A one-time setup fee covers onboarding, and it's included in your quote.

GBTech works with businesses in every industry, across the U.S. and internationally. If you already have an IT person, we also offer co-managed IT. See managed IT pricing or talk to an advisor.

Frequently asked questions

How much does managed IT cost for a 20-person office?

Multiply your headcount by the per-user price. At $100 per user per month, a 20-person office pays $2,000 a month, or $24,000 a year. At $150, it pays $3,000 a month, or $36,000 a year. In Kaseya's 2024 survey, $100 is the top of the most common band ($50 to $100) and $150 is the top of the next band up ($101 to $150). Add any setup fee and any licenses the quote leaves out.

Why do two quotes for the same office differ so much?

They rarely cover the same things. One may include EDR, backup, Microsoft 365 licenses, on-site visits and after-hours support, while the other leaves them out or bills them by the hour.

Is Microsoft 365 included in the price?

It depends on the provider, so ask. Since July 1, 2026, Microsoft's U.S. list prices are $7 for Business Basic, $14 for Business Standard and $22 for Business Premium, per user per month with an annual commitment.

Should we pay per user or per device?

Per user is usually simpler when each person has a laptop, a phone and cloud accounts. Per device can work out cheaper when several people share computers.

What isn't covered by the monthly fee?

Usually projects, hardware, software licenses, phone systems and work outside the plan's scope or hours. Ask for that list in writing.

Do HIPAA, the FTC Safeguards Rule or SEC Regulation S-P raise the price?

Often, yes. These rules call for specific controls and documentation, such as MFA, encryption and written policies, and that takes more tools and time.

Sources

Survey and official data:

Prices and plans published by providers (checked November 2026):

Questions about your setup? Talk to an advisor.

Talk to an advisorSee managed IT pricing →