Managed IT services pricing in the U.S. runs from about $75 to $300 per user per month, with most small and mid-size businesses landing between $125 and $200. The spread comes down to one question: how much security is included. A plan with monitoring and help desk is at the low end. A plan with 24/7 threat detection, tested backups, compliance support, and a security strategist is at the high end, and it’s the one insurers and clients increasingly expect you to have.
In this guide
- Pricing models explained
- What each tier includes
- Cost examples by company size
- Fees that aren’t in the monthly rate
- What drives the price up or down
- Managed IT cost vs. in-house IT
- How Sixwatch prices managed IT
- FAQ
Managed IT services pricing models
MSPs use four pricing models. Most businesses under 250 employees see the first one.
| Pricing model | How it works | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per user | One monthly rate for each employee, covering all their devices | $75 – $300 / user / mo | Most businesses; simple to budget as you hire |
| Per device | A rate for each device type: workstation, server, network device | $50 – $150 / workstation, $200 – $500 / server | Companies with shared workstations or few users and many devices |
| Flat fee | One monthly rate for the whole company | $2,000 – $20,000+ / mo | Stable headcount; predictable budgets |
| Tiered packages | Bronze/silver/gold service packages with defined inclusions | Varies | Businesses that want to pick a security level |
Per-user pricing has become the standard because it maps cleanly to headcount. Per-device pricing can be cheaper for a warehouse with 40 employees sharing 8 computers, and more expensive for a consultant with a laptop, a desktop, and two phones.
What each pricing tier includes
The tier names change from one MSP to the next. The contents follow a predictable pattern.
| Basic ($75 – $125 / user) | Standard ($125 – $200 / user) | Security-first ($200 – $300+ / user) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24/7 monitoring and patching | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Help desk | Business hours | Extended hours | 24/7 |
| Antivirus | Yes | Replaced by EDR | Replaced by EDR + MDR |
| Endpoint detection and response (EDR) | No | Yes | Yes, with 24/7 human monitoring (MDR) |
| Multi-factor authentication management | No | Yes | Yes |
| Email security and phishing protection | Basic | Yes | Yes, with BEC detection |
| Backup and disaster recovery | Sometimes | Yes | Yes, immutable, tested quarterly |
| Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace management | No | Yes | Yes |
| Security awareness training | No | Sometimes | Yes, with phishing simulations |
| Compliance support (HIPAA, FTC, CMMC) | No | No | Yes |
| vCISO / security strategy | No | No | Yes |
| Onsite support | Billed hourly | Limited included | Included |
| Quarterly business reviews | No | Yes | Yes |
The gap between basic and standard is where most of the risk lives. Basic plans that stop at antivirus leave you without the controls cyber insurers require and without any real defense against a phished password.
Managed IT services cost examples by company size
| Company | Plan | Monthly cost | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-person accounting firm | Standard, $165 / user | $1,650 | $19,800 |
| 25-person law firm | Security-first, $225 / user | $5,625 | $67,500 |
| 50-person medical practice | Security-first with HIPAA support, $240 / user | $12,000 | $144,000 |
| 100-person manufacturer | Standard, $140 / user | $14,000 | $168,000 |
| 200-person professional services firm | Co-managed with internal IT, $95 / user | $19,000 | $228,000 |
Rates per user generally fall as headcount rises, because fixed costs like onboarding and account management are spread across more people.
Fees that aren’t in the monthly rate
Almost every managed IT services agreement has costs beyond the per-user number. Ask about each before signing.
- Onboarding fee: usually equal to one to three months of service, covering documentation, agent deployment, and security cleanup. Some MSPs waive it on longer contracts.
- Project work: office moves, server migrations, new phone systems, and cloud migrations are quoted separately, often at $150 to $250 per hour or as a fixed project price.
- Hardware and software: laptops, servers, firewalls, and licenses are passed through, sometimes with a markup.
- After-hours support: on basic and some standard plans, evening and weekend work bills at 1.5x to 2x.
- Onsite visits: if not included, $125 to $200 per hour plus travel.
- Add-on security services: MDR, dark web monitoring, and penetration testing are sold separately on lower tiers.
- Early termination: many one- to three-year contracts charge the remaining months if you leave early.
A plan advertised at $99 per user can cost $160 once you add what you actually need. Compare total cost of ownership, not the headline rate.
What drives managed IT services pricing up or down
Pushes the price up:
- Compliance requirements (HIPAA, FTC Safeguards, CMMC, SOC 2)
- 24/7 help desk instead of business hours
- Multiple locations or heavy onsite needs
- Old infrastructure that generates more tickets
- Servers on premises rather than in the cloud
- Industry risk: financial, healthcare, and legal firms are targeted more and need more controls
Pushes the price down:
- Larger headcount (volume pricing)
- Cloud-only environments with no servers to manage
- Modern, standardized hardware
- Longer contract terms
- Co-managed arrangements where internal staff handle first-line support
Managed IT cost vs. hiring in-house
| One in-house IT hire | Managed IT services (30 users, standard) | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary or fee | $70,000 – $95,000 | $50,000 – $70,000 / year |
| Benefits, taxes, training, tools | $20,000 – $30,000 | Included |
| Coverage | 40 hours / week, minus PTO and sick days | 24/7 monitoring, team of specialists |
| Security expertise | Depends on the individual | Dedicated security staff and tooling |
| Backup when they leave | None | Continuous |
| Total | $90,000 – $125,000 / year | $50,000 – $70,000 / year |
The comparison changes above roughly 150 to 200 employees, where an internal IT manager backed by a co-managed MSP is often the most efficient structure.
How Sixwatch prices managed IT services
Sixwatch prices per user with security included on every plan, because we don’t believe a business should have to pay extra to be protected from ransomware. Every plan comes with managed detection and response, MFA management, email security, tested backups, a 30-minute emergency remote response, and same-day onsite support across Tampa Bay and Cincinnati.
Founder John Owens has 25+ years in IT and security, and our 5.0 Google rating reflects clients who’ve found the monthly fee to be the cheapest part of the relationship compared to the cost of the outage that didn’t happen.
For an exact number, request a proposal and tell us your headcount, industry, and whether you have servers on site. We’ll quote a flat per-user rate with no surprises. Tampa businesses can also start at our Tampa managed IT services page.
Frequently asked questions
How much do managed IT services cost per user? $75 to $300 per user per month in the U.S. Most businesses that want security included pay $125 to $200. Plans under $100 usually exclude the controls insurers require.
What is a typical managed IT services flat fee? For a 20- to 50-person company, flat fees typically run $3,000 to $10,000 per month depending on security level, server count, and compliance needs.
Is managed IT cheaper than hiring an IT person? For businesses under about 150 employees, yes. One fully loaded IT employee costs $90,000 to $125,000 a year and provides business-hours coverage from one person. Managed IT for 30 users costs $50,000 to $70,000 and provides a 24/7 team.
What is typically included in managed IT services pricing? Monitoring, patching, help desk, endpoint security, backup, and cloud management on a standard plan. Compliance support, 24/7 threat response, and strategy consulting are usually in higher tiers.
Are there hidden fees in MSP pricing? Common extras include onboarding, project work, hardware, after-hours support, and onsite visits. Ask for every exclusion in writing before signing.
Why do MSP prices vary so much? Security depth is the biggest factor. An MSP offering antivirus and help desk has far lower costs than one running 24/7 detection and response with security engineers on staff.
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