One of the things that frustrates business owners most about IT support is the complete lack of pricing transparency. Most providers won't publish prices, insist on discovery calls before quoting, and present proposals that are difficult to compare against each other.
I think that's wrong. So this article gives you a genuine, realistic picture of what managed IT support costs in the UK in 2026 - including where CloudHost sits in the market.
The Two Main Pricing Models
Per user per month
The most common model. You pay a fixed amount for each person in your business who needs IT support. The price per user typically includes helpdesk access, device monitoring, patch management and security software.
Per device per month
Less common, but used by some providers. You pay per server, workstation or device managed. This can be cost-effective for businesses with few devices per user, but often works out more expensive overall.
Most reputable managed IT providers in the UK now use per-user pricing. It's simpler to understand and easier to budget for.
What Does Managed IT Support Cost Per User?
UK managed IT support pricing in 2026 typically falls in this range:
| Service tier | Typical price range | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (remote helpdesk only) | £20–£35/user/month | Remote support, basic monitoring, M365 help |
| Standard (fully managed) | £40–£65/user/month | Helpdesk, monitoring, patching, security, backup management |
| Premium (fully managed + security) | £65–£100/user/month | Standard + advanced EDR, MDM/Intune, Cyber Essentials support |
For most small businesses in the East Midlands, a fully managed service runs between £45–£70 per user per month depending on scope, complexity and location.
What Drives the Price Up or Down?
The factors that most affect your managed IT pricing:
Number of users
Almost all providers offer volume discounting. The per-user price for a 5-person business will be meaningfully higher than for a 50-person business. Economies of scale in monitoring, tooling and onboarding mean providers can price more competitively at higher user counts.
On-premises servers
If you have physical servers on-site, expect to add £50–£150/server/month for monitoring, patching and maintenance. Server support requires specialist expertise and carries higher risk - it's priced accordingly.
Security requirements
Businesses with higher security requirements - financial services, healthcare, legal, or those seeking Cyber Essentials - will need advanced security tooling. Microsoft 365 Business Premium (£16.60/user/month) plus a managed EDR solution can add £15–£25/user/month to the base contract.
Onsite vs remote-only
Remote-only support is cheaper than contracts that include regular onsite visits. Most fully managed contracts include ad-hoc onsite support for issues that can't be resolved remotely - but some providers charge call-out fees for visits. Ask specifically about this.
Location
London-based providers typically price 20–40% higher than providers in the East Midlands, North of England or Scotland - partly due to overhead costs and partly due to market rates. If you're a Nottingham, Derby or Leicester business, there's no reason to be paying London rates.
Real-World Monthly Cost Examples
| Business size | Estimated monthly cost | Assumptions |
|---|---|---|
| 5 users, cloud-only | £225–£350/month | No servers, M365 Business Standard |
| 15 users, cloud-only | £600–£975/month | No servers, M365 Business Premium |
| 15 users + 1 server | £700–£1,125/month | One physical server, full security stack |
| 30 users + 2 servers | £1,200–£2,100/month | Two servers, advanced security, Cyber Essentials |
| 50 users, cloud-first | £1,750–£3,250/month | No servers, M365 Business Premium, full MDM |
Note on Microsoft 365 licensing: These figures typically exclude Microsoft 365 licensing costs, which are passed through at Microsoft's published rates. For Business Premium at £16.60/user/month, add that on top for a true total cost view.
What Should NOT Be Charged Extra
Watch out for providers who advertise a low per-user rate and then charge separately for things that should be standard. In a properly scoped managed IT contract, the following should be included:
- Unlimited helpdesk calls within scope
- Password resets
- New user setup and offboarding
- Software installations on managed devices
- Routine patching and maintenance
- Backup monitoring (not just backup running - monitoring that it's actually working)
Items that are legitimately out of scope - and would attract a separate project fee - include new server installations, major migrations, network infrastructure upgrades, and bespoke software development.
The Real Cost of Not Having IT Support
The most important number isn't the cost of managed IT - it's the cost of not having it.
- Average cost of a ransomware attack on a UK SME: £10,000–£50,000 (recovery, downtime, data loss)
- Average cost of unplanned downtime: £4,000–£8,000/hour for a 20-person business
- ICO fine for a notifiable data breach: Up to 4% of global annual turnover under UK GDPR
- Average cost of an IT contractor for emergency work: £75–£150/hour
A managed IT contract at £800/month that prevents a single major incident pays for itself many times over.
What CloudHost Charges
We price our service clearly: a fully managed IT contract starts at £45/user/month for cloud-first businesses with Microsoft 365. This includes unlimited remote helpdesk, proactive monitoring, patch management, endpoint security, backup management, and Microsoft 365 administration.
We don't hide our pricing behind discovery calls. If you want a specific quote for your business, get in touch and we'll turn one around within 24 hours.