TL;DR: What does managed IT support actually cost? Here’s a realistic guide.
It’s one of the first questions any business asks when exploring managed IT — “what’s it actually going to cost us?” The honest answer is: it depends. It depends on the size of your team, the complexity of your setup, and the services you need. But that doesn’t mean we can’t give you a realistic picture. Below we break down how managed IT support is typically priced, what affects the cost, and what a business with a larger headcount might expect to pay.
The most common pricing model for managed IT support is per user, per month — a fixed monthly fee for every person in your business who needs IT support. This gives you predictable costs, no surprise invoices, and a direct relationship between headcount and what you pay.
Some providers price per device instead, but per-user pricing tends to be fairer for modern businesses where people work across laptops, phones, and multiple locations. You pay for the people, not the kit.
No two businesses are the same, and pricing reflects that. The things that typically influence your monthly cost include:
Managed IT support from Knowall can start from £18 per user per month. Exactly what you’ll pay depends on the size of your team, the complexity of your environment, and the services included — which is why we always recommend speaking to us directly rather than trying to work it out from a price list.
For a business with a substantial headcount, the per-user cost can look very different to the starting rate. To give you a sense of scale:
A business with around 100 users could expect to pay in the region of £18 per user per month for core managed IT support — though actual pricing will depend on the specifics of their environment and the services included.
Please note: the figures in this article are sample prices based on rough 2026 estimates and are intended as a guide only. For an accurate quote tailored to your business, please contact us directly.
To make this more concrete — here’s an illustrative example of what a mid-to-large business might expect to pay, based on indicative 2026 pricing. This is not a fixed tariff; it’s a working example to help you benchmark.
| Service | Indicative per user / month | Estimated monthly total | Estimated annual total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed IT Support | From £18.00 | ~£1,764 | ~£21,168 |
* Sample prices only — based on indicative 2026 estimates for illustrative purposes. Actual pricing depends on your team size, infrastructure, and the services included. Contact us for an accurate quote.
Now here’s where bundling starts to make real commercial sense. Adding managed cyber security and hosted virtual desktop on top of core IT support means you’re getting a complete, fully managed IT and security environment — from a single provider, on a single invoice.
| Service | Indicative per user / month | Estimated monthly total | Estimated annual total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed IT Support | From £18.00 | ~£1,764 | ~£21,168 |
| Managed Cyber Security | From £3.50 | ~£343 | ~£4,116 |
| Hosted Virtual Desktop | POA | POA | POA |
| IT Support + Cyber Security combined | From ~£21.50 | ~£2,107 | ~£25,284 |
* Sample prices only — based on indicative 2026 estimates. These figures are illustrative and will vary depending on your specific requirements. Get in touch for a tailored quote.
For under £22 per user per month — for a team of nearly 100 people — that covers unlimited helpdesk, 24/7 monitoring, managed endpoint security, threat detection, and access to a full team of engineers. Compare that to what even a single in-house IT hire costs in London, and the numbers speak for themselves.
For most SMEs and mid-market businesses, yes — often significantly. A mid-level IT support engineer in London typically costs £35,000–£45,000 per year in salary alone, before employer NI, pension, recruitment fees, and the gaps you get during leave or illness. One person can only handle so much, and they can’t be available around the clock.
With Knowall’s managed IT support, you get an entire team — helpdesk engineers, onsite cover, security specialists, and strategic IT advisory — all under one fixed monthly fee. For businesses with a meaningful number of users, it’s rarely a close comparison.
Pricing really does depend on the specifics — your headcount, your infrastructure, your current IT environment, and the services you need. The figures in this article are indicative only, based on rough 2026 estimates, and are intended to give you a ballpark sense of what’s involved rather than a firm price.
The best way to get an accurate number is to speak directly with the Knowall team. We’ll get under the skin of your setup, understand what you actually need, and put together a clear, fixed-fee proposal — no jargon, no obligation. If you’d like to start by understanding your current security posture first, our free cyber security assessment is a useful first step.
