"What does fixed IT support cost?" is the most common question before a small business signs a maintenance contract. There is no single figure, but there are pricing models, market ranges and criteria with which you can classify offers.
The three usual pricing models
- By effort: you call when something is wrong and pay the hours. No base fee, but also no prevention. Problems are usually only dealt with when something is already down.
- Flat rate per workstation: a fixed amount per workstation and month for updates, monitoring and data backup, often with a quota of help. This is usual with managed services.
- Flat rate per business or device: base fee for the business plus surcharges for servers or mobile devices.
What providers on the market quote
We have not found independent market studies on the prices of small IT service providers. The available figures come from providers themselves and vary widely. An IT service provider in Hamburg quotes for 2026 about 50 to 150 euros per workstation and month for support in medium-sized companies (source: Hagel IT). That is a provider's view from a large city and meant for medium-sized companies, not for very small rural businesses. Take such figures as a rough orientation, not as a benchmark.
What the price depends on
- Number of workstations, servers and mobile devices.
- Response time: a reply on the next working day is cheaper than priority treatment.
- Included support: how many minutes of help are in the price, what does an hour cost afterwards?
- Data backup: only setup or also a regular restore test?
- Setup: an inventory is almost always needed at the start.
- Special solutions: industry software, servers, networks with several locations.
Our guide values
We work with a fixed-price model: base fee per business, price per workstation depending on the package, surcharges for servers and company phones. All figures are guide values (approx.), final prices: as a small business owner under § 19 UStG we do not show VAT:
- Base fee: approx. €59 per business and month, servers from approx. €79, company phone or tablet approx. €5 per device
- Per workstation and month: Basic approx. €15, Plus approx. €35 (20 minutes of help included), Complete approx. €55 (45 minutes of help included)
- Minimum turnover approx. €99 per month, help beyond that approx. €70 per hour
- Setup one-off approx. €199 plus approx. €15 per workstation
A worked example: a business with five workstations, no server, comes to approx. €240 a month in the Plus package, approx. €140 in the Basic package. Setup costs a one-off approx. €280. With your own figures the IT maintenance price calculator works it out. You get the exact price in the free conversation.
What to watch for in offers
- What is in the price, what is not? A cheap base price without support is not comparable with a package with help included.
- How quickly is the reply? Demand the commitment in writing, including restrictions.
- Is the data backup tested? A backup without a restore test is an unproven promise, see 3-2-1 rule.
- Term and cancellation: a long commitment for unclear service is a warning sign.
- Who is the contact? With small providers often one person, this must also be clarified for holidays or illness.
What distinguishes maintenance and support at all is explained in the article IT maintenance and IT support. For businesses in the Westerwald we combine both under IT support & maintenance.
Is fixed support worthwhile?
That depends on how dependent your business is on IT and who takes care of it today. If that is "the nephew" or "whoever has time", a fixed contact is usually worthwhile, at the latest when the failure of one computer costs a working day. Those with just two computers and rare problems often do better with help by effort. Both are legitimate, we advise you honestly on this.