One of the most common questions I get from business owners is some version of “what should I be paying for IT?” It’s a fair question — IT pricing can be confusing, and many providers aren’t transparent about costs until you’re deep into a sales conversation.

Here’s an honest breakdown of typical IT support costs for small businesses in 2024.

Break-Fix (Pay As You Go)

This is the traditional model: you call when something breaks, and you pay for the time to fix it.

Typical rates:

Hourly: $75-200/hour depending on complexity and location
Remote support: Often lower rates ($75-125/hour)
On-site visits: Higher rates ($125-200/hour) plus potential travel charges

Best for: Businesses with minimal IT needs, simple setups, or very tight budgets who can tolerate some downtime.

Watch out for: Costs can spike unpredictably when problems occur. No proactive maintenance means small issues become big problems.

Managed IT Services (Monthly Retainer)

The modern approach: pay a predictable monthly fee that covers ongoing support, monitoring, and maintenance.

Typical pricing models:

Per-user pricing: $100-250/user/month

Covers all devices a user touches
More predictable as your team grows
Popular with businesses where employees have multiple devices

Per-device pricing: $50-150/device/month

Covers specific computers and servers
Can be more economical for businesses with shared workstations
Common in manufacturing, retail, or organizations with shift workers

Flat-rate plans: $500-3,000+/month

Fixed monthly fee regardless of users or devices
Best for businesses with stable, predictable IT environments
Pricing varies dramatically based on scope

What’s typically included:

Remote support during business hours
System monitoring and alerting
Patch management and updates
Basic security (antivirus, email filtering)
Regular health checks

What often costs extra:

After-hours support
Major projects (migrations, new deployments)
Hardware and software purchases
Compliance-specific work
On-site visits (sometimes included, sometimes extra)

Project-Based Work

One-time projects with defined scope and deliverables.

Common project costs:

Project Type	Typical Range
Office 365 migration	$1,000-5,000
Server deployment	$2,000-10,000
Network overhaul	$3,000-15,000
Cloud migration	$5,000-25,000+
Security assessment	$1,500-5,000

Project costs vary enormously based on complexity, current state, and business requirements.

Red Flags in IT Pricing

Watch out for these warning signs:

Unusually low monthly rates that don’t seem sustainable — they’ll make it up elsewhere
Long-term contracts (2-3 years) with hefty early termination fees
Vague scope — if they can’t clearly explain what’s included, expect surprise charges
Aggressive upselling — constantly pushing services you didn’t ask about
Hidden minimums — “per user pricing” that requires minimum commitments

Getting Value, Not Just Low Price

The cheapest option rarely provides the best value. Consider:

Total cost of ownership: That $99/user/month plan might not include on-site visits, after-hours support, or security tools you need. The $175/user plan might include everything and cost less overall.

Downtime costs: What does an hour of productivity loss cost your business? If you’re paying $100/hour for reactive support but waiting 24-48 hours for help, the downtime cost dwarfs the hourly rate.

Proactive vs. reactive: Managed services that prevent problems cost more upfront but save money over time. Break-fix is cheaper until something breaks badly.

Questions to Ask Providers

What exactly is included in this monthly fee?
What costs extra?
What are your typical response times?
Is there a minimum contract length?
What happens if we need to cancel?
Who specifically will be supporting us?
How do you handle after-hours emergencies?

My Approach

I believe in transparent, straightforward pricing. For most small businesses I work with, I offer flexible arrangements that match their actual needs — not oversized packages designed for someone else’s business.

Whether that’s project-based work, a light support agreement, or comprehensive managed services depends on your situation. The goal is finding the right fit, not selling the biggest package possible.

Want to discuss what IT support should realistically cost for your Colorado business? I’m happy to give you a straight answer — no sales pitch required.