Most MSP pricing pages are useless. Here's what BC businesses actually pay for managed IT in 2026, broken down by tier and what should be included at each one.
Per-user, per-device, or per-site
The most common pricing model in 2026 is per-user-per-month, sometimes shortened to PUPM. It usually covers one knowledge worker with one to three devices: a laptop, a phone, and maybe a desktop or shared device. Per-device pricing still exists but it incentivizes the wrong things. The provider has reason to push more devices on you and resist consolidating onto one good laptop.
What 'managed' should actually include
Bare minimum at any price point in 2026: remote helpdesk, OS and third-party patch management, antivirus or EDR, asset inventory, and a monthly report. If a quote excludes any of these, it's not really managed services. It's break-fix with a recurring invoice.
Typical BC pricing in 2026
Real numbers we see from credible local providers: Essentials tier $79 to $99 per user per month, Professional $109 to $149, Enterprise quoted custom. Below $79 the provider is usually cutting corners on security or backup. Above $149 the provider is bundling things you may not need.
What's typically not included
Project work, hardware purchases, third-party licensing, after-hours emergency response unless explicitly priced in, and major cloud migrations. These are usually quoted separately or use a block of project hours. Read the engagement letter so you know.
The hidden cost: bad onboarding
The cheapest contract becomes the most expensive contract if the onboarding is sloppy. Look for documented onboarding milestones in the proposal: discovery period, baseline deployment, security hardening, monitoring deployment, and first full report. If those aren't in writing, the provider hasn't done it before.
How to actually compare quotes
Force everyone to quote the same thing. List your user count, devices, M365 SKUs, on-prem footprint, locations, and security requirements. Hand the same list to each provider. The proposals you get back will tell you who runs a real practice and who's making it up.