"How much will this cost?" is the first question most business owners ask about IT support, and it's a fair one. The problem is that quotes are hard to compare. One provider charges by the hour, another per user, another a flat monthly fee, and each one includes different things.
This guide explains how IT support is usually priced in Ireland, what's normally included, where the hidden costs tend to sit, and how to compare quotes so you're comparing like with like.
The three ways IT support is priced
Almost every IT provider in Ireland uses one of three models, or a mix of them.
| Pricing model | How it works | Typical range (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Break-fix (pay as you go) | You call when something breaks and pay by the hour | €75–150 per hour in business hours, €150–250 out of hours |
| Per user or per device | A monthly fee for each person or computer you support | €50–150 per user per month |
| Flat monthly fee | One fixed price for the whole business | €500–800 a month for 5–10 staff, €1,500–3,000 for 10–30 staff |
These are indicative ranges we see in the Irish market as of October 2026. Your quote will depend on how many people and computers you have, how complex your setup is, and what's included.
Break-fix: cheap until it isn't
Break-fix looks cheapest on paper because you only pay when something goes wrong. For a very small business with simple needs, it can work.
The catch is that the provider only earns money when you have problems. There's no reason for them to prevent issues, monitor your systems or keep your computers updated. And when something serious happens, such as a failed server, a ransomware attack or a hacked mailbox, the hours add up quickly, usually at the worst possible time.
Per user or per device: predictable and fair
With per-user or per-device pricing, you pay a set monthly amount for each person or computer. It's easy to understand and scales with your business: add a new starter and the bill goes up by one unit, and if someone leaves, it goes down.
The thing to check is what "per user" actually covers. Some providers charge per user and then add extra fees for each device, mailbox or server.
Flat monthly fee: simple, but check the scope
A single monthly fee is easy to budget for. The risk is that it's often built on assumptions about your business that aren't written down. If you grow, change systems or need more help than expected, you may find yourself renegotiating, or paying for "out of scope" work.
What should be included in managed IT support?
Whatever the pricing model, a proper managed IT service should cover the basics without extra charges:
- Helpdesk support by phone, email and remote session, with clear response times
- Monitoring of your computers so problems are spotted before staff notice them
- Security updates for Windows and key software, applied on a schedule
- Antivirus and endpoint protection managed for you, not just installed
- Microsoft 365 administration: new users, leavers, mailboxes, licences and permissions
- Backup checks so you know your data can actually be restored
- Onboarding and offboarding of staff, including removing access when someone leaves
- Regular reviews of what's working, what's ageing and what to plan for
If any of these appear as extras on a quote, ask why.
The hidden costs to look for
The monthly price is only part of the story. Before you sign, read the small print for these:
- Setup or onboarding fees. Some providers charge a one-off fee to take you on. Ask what it covers.
- On-site visits. Is an engineer coming to your office included, or billed per visit or per hour?
- Out-of-hours rates. If your team works evenings or weekends, check what support costs then.
- Project work. Moving to a new system, setting up a new office or replacing a server is usually quoted separately. That's normal, but you should know the day rate in advance.
- Licence mark-ups. If the provider resells Microsoft 365 or security software, ask whether they add a margin and how much.
- Minimum terms and exit fees. Long contracts are common in this industry. What matters is whether there's a break clause and what happens if the service isn't good enough.
- Handover when you leave. Will you get your passwords, documentation and admin access back without a fee? You should.
How to compare IT support quotes
When you have two or three quotes on the table, ask each provider the same questions:
- What exactly is included in the monthly price, and what isn't?
- Who will actually look after us? A named engineer, or whoever picks up the ticket?
- How quickly will someone respond, and how quickly will they fix things?
- Is security included, or sold separately?
- What does the contract length look like, and is there a break clause?
- What happens to our data and passwords if we leave?
Write the answers in a simple table. The cheapest quote often stops being the cheapest once you add the extras.
Why the cheapest option rarely saves money
The real cost of IT isn't the monthly fee. It's the time your team loses when things go wrong.
Here's a simple way to work it out for your own business. Take the number of people affected, multiply by their hourly cost to the business, and multiply again by the hours lost. As an example, if 10 people who each cost the business €30 an hour lose half a working day to an email outage, that's €1,200 in wages alone, before you count missed calls, delayed invoices or unhappy clients.
A provider who prevents even one outage like that a year often pays for the difference between a cheap quote and a good one.
What CastCom charges
We keep our pricing simple and publish it on our website.
CastCom Essentials is €59 per computer per month. That includes 24/7 monitoring, automatic security patching, managed antivirus with ransomware detection, Microsoft 365 backup, spam and malicious-link filtering, AI-powered anti-phishing, Microsoft 365 licence management and unlimited remote support from a dedicated engineer who knows your systems.
There are no tiers to choose between. If you need more, you add only what you need, for example:
- Secure remote-access VPN: €16 per user per month
- Server management and backup: €100 per server per month
- Network and firewall monitoring: €50, €75 or €100 per month depending on the size of your network
- Vulnerability and penetration testing: from €250 to €2,000 depending on scope
All prices exclude VAT. Remote support is unlimited; on-site visits are billed per visit, by the hour, plus travel, at the rate set in your agreement. Onboarding is usually free. If your setup needs clean-up or project work before we can take it over, we quote that as a fixed price before you sign.
Our agreements run for three years with an annual break clause, so you have the security of a long-term partner without being locked in if we don't deliver.
When you call, a real person answers. If we can't pick up, we'll call you back within 30 minutes.
The bottom line
There's no single "right" price for IT support. A good provider should be able to tell you exactly what you're paying for, what's not included, and who will be looking after you. If a quote can't answer those questions clearly, keep looking.
Want a quick estimate for your business? Use our price calculator to see what CastCom would cost for your team in under a minute, or book a Security Health Check and we'll show you where your IT stands today.