The NYC IT Support Pricing Landscape
New York City IT service pricing is 20-40% higher than national averages. That’s just reality—higher costs of doing business, competitive talent market, and clients who demand responsiveness.
But that doesn’t mean you should overpay. Here’s what reasonable pricing looks like in 2026.
The Three Pricing Models
1. Per-User Pricing
Most common for 10-100 employee companies
You pay a fixed monthly fee for each user (employee) supported.
| Tier | What’s Included | NYC Price Range |
|——|—————-|—————–|
| Basic | Helpdesk, monitoring, patching | $125-175/user/mo |
| Standard | Basic + security tools, backup | $175-250/user/mo |
| Premium | Standard + advanced security, compliance | $250-350/user/mo |
Example: 25-person law firm on Standard tier
- 25 users × $200/user = $5,000/month
Pros: Predictable, scales with your team, easy to budget
Cons: Doesn’t account for infrastructure complexity
2. Per-Device Pricing
Common for companies with complex infrastructure
You pay based on number of endpoints (workstations, servers, network devices).
| Device Type | NYC Price Range |
|————-|—————–|
| Workstation/Laptop | $50-100/device/mo |
| Server (physical) | $200-500/server/mo |
| Server (virtual) | $75-150/VM/mo |
| Network device | $25-75/device/mo |
Example: Manufacturing company with 30 workstations, 4 servers, 10 network devices
- 30 × $75 + 4 × $350 + 10 × $50 = $4,150/month
Pros: Fair for high device-to-user ratio environments
Cons: Can get expensive as you add devices
3. All-Inclusive Flat Fee
Best for companies wanting complete predictability
One monthly fee covers everything—helpdesk, projects, hardware refresh, the works.
| Company Size | NYC Price Range |
|————–|—————–|
| 10-25 employees | $4,000-8,000/mo |
| 25-50 employees | $7,500-15,000/mo |
| 50-100 employees | $12,000-25,000/mo |
| 100+ employees | Custom pricing |
Pros: Complete predictability, everything’s included
Cons: You pay whether you use it or not
What Should Be Included (At Any Price)
Non-Negotiables
- ✅ 24/7 monitoring and alerting
- ✅ Patch management (OS and critical apps)
- ✅ Antivirus/endpoint protection
- ✅ Basic backup (at least daily)
- ✅ Helpdesk support (reasonable SLAs)
- ✅ Quarterly business reviews
- ✅ Documentation of your environment
Should Be Included at Standard/Premium Tiers
- ✅ Advanced endpoint detection (EDR)
- ✅ Email security and filtering
- ✅ Security awareness training
- ✅ Multi-factor authentication management
- ✅ Cloud backup with tested restores
- ✅ Vendor management
- ✅ After-hours emergency support
Usually Extra (And That’s OK)
- 📋 Major projects (migrations, new office setup)
- 📋 Hardware procurement (though markup should be transparent)
- 📋 Compliance audits and certifications
- 📋 Dedicated vCIO/vCISO services
- 📋 Application development
Red Flags in IT Proposals
🚩 No SLA Documentation
If they can’t tell you response and resolution time commitments in writing, walk away.
🚩 Everything Is “Extra”
If the base price is suspiciously low but every service is an add-on, you’ll pay more in the end.
🚩 Long-Term Contracts Required
3-year contracts with auto-renewal and 90-day cancellation notice? That’s a trap. Look for month-to-month or annual with 30-day out.
🚩 Vague Scope
“Unlimited support” sounds great until you learn it doesn’t include servers, network issues, or anything they deem “out of scope.”
🚩 No Security Included
In 2026, any MSP not including endpoint protection and MFA management is stuck in 2015.
🚩 They Can’t Explain Their Pricing
If the salesperson can’t clearly explain what you’re paying for, their operations are probably just as confused.
What to Ask Before Signing
- What’s your average response time? (Get real data, not SLA promises)
- Who will actually be working on my tickets? (Offshore? Junior techs? Escalation process?)
- What’s NOT included? (Get a clear exclusions list)
- What happens if I cancel? (Data handoff, documentation, transition support)
- Can I see a sample monthly report? (Shows their maturity)
- Who are your other clients in my industry? (References matter)
- What’s your security stack? (Should be able to name specific tools)
- How do you handle after-hours emergencies? (Real 24/7 or voicemail?)
NYC MSP Pricing by Industry
Some industries command premium pricing due to compliance requirements or complexity:
| Industry | Typical Premium | Why |
|———-|—————-|—–|
| Financial Services | +30-50% | SEC/FINRA compliance, security requirements |
| Healthcare | +25-40% | HIPAA, EHR complexity |
| Legal | +20-30% | Confidentiality, e-discovery |
| Manufacturing | +10-20% | OT/IT convergence, uptime requirements |
| Non-Profit | -10-20% | Simplified needs, budget sensitivity |
The True Cost of Cheap IT
That $99/user/month provider looks attractive until:
- Response times are 24+ hours
- “Unlimited” support caps at 30 minutes/user/month
- Security is an $50/user add-on
- Projects are billed at $200/hour
- They disappear when you have a real emergency
The math: A ransomware incident costs the average SMB $150,000-$400,000. The difference between a $150/user provider and a $99/user provider is about $600/year per employee. That’s your insurance.
Making the Decision
Choose the cheap option if:
- You have internal IT and just need overflow support
- Your environment is simple (all cloud, no servers)
- You’re comfortable with longer response times
- Security isn’t a major concern (rare in 2026)
Choose the premium option if:
- IT is critical to your operations
- You handle sensitive data (client, financial, health)
- You need guaranteed fast response
- Compliance matters to your business
- You want a strategic partner, not just break/fix
Kyber Systems provides transparent managed IT services for NYC businesses. Flat-rate pricing, no hidden fees, and an SLA we actually meet.
Free IT assessment: (646) 462-4132 | kybersystems.com
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