The three ways IT support is priced
Per-user pricing charges a set monthly amount for each staff member, whatever devices they use. Per-device pricing charges for each computer, server and sometimes each network device being looked after. Hourly or block-hour pricing charges for time spent, usually in fifteen or thirty minute increments, with nothing paid in a quiet month. Some providers mix these, for example a per-user fee for the help desk plus a separate charge for each server or firewall they monitor.
None of these is automatically cheaper. A five-person firm that rarely calls for help may spend less on hourly support for years. A twenty-person office with a server, a few shared printers and a steady flow of new starters will usually find a monthly plan easier to budget and less likely to produce a surprise bill after a bad week.
Typical ranges and why they vary so much
As a rough guide, NZ managed IT plans tend to sit somewhere between about $60 and $200 per user per month plus GST, and hourly rates for a qualified technician commonly fall between about $100 and $200 plus GST. Treat those as broad markers, not quotes. Two plans with the same headline price can cover very different things, and the gap between a basic monitoring plan and a fully managed one is often larger than the gap between providers.
Price moves with scope. Whether security software, email filtering and Microsoft 365 backup are bundled in or billed separately makes a real difference. So does onsite attendance: a plan that includes visits to your office costs more to deliver than one that is remote only. Response times, after-hours cover and whether projects like onboarding a new laptop are included all push the figure up or down.
What sits outside the monthly fee
Almost every plan leaves some costs outside. Hardware is always extra: laptops, firewalls, switches and Wi-Fi access points are bought or leased separately. Software licences such as Microsoft 365 are normally billed on top, because the price is set by the vendor and changes from time to time, so check current pricing rather than relying on an old figure.
Projects are the other big exclusion. Moving office, replacing a server, migrating email or rolling out a new phone system are usually quoted as a fixed job. A good provider tells you before the work starts what it will cost and why it falls outside the plan. If a quote is vague about where the monthly fee stops and project work begins, ask for that line to be written down.
Working out your real annual cost
To compare options fairly, build a simple year-long estimate. Multiply the monthly fee by your headcount and by twelve, then add expected hardware replacement, licences, any separately priced security tools and an allowance for one or two projects. For hourly support, look back over the last year of invoices and include the hours staff lost waiting for help, which never appear on a bill but still cost wages.
Many owners find the true comparison is closer than the sticker prices suggest. Hourly support looks cheap until a ransomware incident or a failed server lands in the same month as end-of-year accounts. A monthly plan looks expensive until you count the patching, monitoring and backup checks that would otherwise be done by a staff member squeezing IT into their real job.
Reading a quote without getting caught out
Ask each provider to list exactly what the monthly fee covers, what response time applies to an urgent problem, whether onsite visits are included and how after-hours work is charged. Ask how they count users: do shared mailboxes, part-timers and contractors each cost a full seat? Ask about minimum terms, notice periods and price review clauses, because a low first-year price can climb once you are settled.
For reference, Office IT publishes its prices: plans at $69, $119 and $169 per user per month plus GST, and pay-as-you-go time at $109 an hour remote or $159 an hour onsite plus GST, with projects quoted in writing first. Whichever provider you choose, insist on figures in writing so you can compare like with like.
When paying more is worth it
Cheaper is not better if it leaves gaps. If your business holds client financial records, health information or anything covered by the Privacy Act 2020, the cost of a breach or a long outage will dwarf the difference between a mid-range and a premium plan. Security tools, tested backups and someone who actually reviews alerts are the parts most often cut to hit a lower price.
On the other hand, a very small office with simple needs does not need to pay for an enterprise-style service. The sensible approach is to match the plan to the risk. Decide what an hour of downtime costs you, what data you could not afford to lose, and then choose the level of cover that protects those things without paying for features you will never use.
In short
- IT support is priced per user, per device or by the hour, and none is automatically cheaper.
- Headline prices hide big differences in scope, so compare what is included, not just the number.
- Hardware, licences and projects usually sit outside the monthly fee.
- Build a full-year estimate, including staff time lost waiting for help.