Managed IT Pricing: Per User vs Per Device (2026)

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How do per-user and per-device managed IT pricing models differ?

If you’re comparing quotes from managed IT providers, you’ll usually see two ways of charging. Some charge per user on an all-inclusive basis. Others charge per user and per device. Both can cover the same service. The difference is what drives your monthly bill.

For most UK businesses of 100 to 1,000 staff, per user (all-inclusive) pricing is the better fit. It moves with headcount, which you already plan and budget for, and your bill doesn’t change every time someone is issued another laptop.

Per user and per device pricing makes more sense when you have more devices than people needing support, or many staff who rarely use IT. That’s typically shift-based or frontline teams sharing terminals, or an estate with a lot of unattended kit.

We created this page to help you weigh the two managed IT pricing models up. On day one, a fairly priced quote should come out at a similar total either way, because the provider is pricing the support of the same environment. Where the two models differ is over the life of the contract, as your business grows, restructures or changes how people work.

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For more info on what the service covers. Visit our managed IT support page

For what it should cost overall. Visit how much managed IT support costs page

How does each managed IT pricing model work?

Comparison	Per user (all-inclusive)	Per user and per device
What you pay for	Each supported person	Each person, plus each managed endpoint
What moves the bill	Joiners and leavers	Joiners and leavers, plus devices added, retired or brought under management
Who already holds the number	HR and finance	HR and finance for users, IT for devices
Usual point of dispute	Who counts as a user	Who counts as a user and what counts as a device
Natural fit	Knowledge workers with one or more devices each	Shared devices, frontline staff, kit-heavy estates

Does all-inclusive pricing include Microsoft 365 licences?

Not necessarily. All-inclusive normally describes the support, covering every device a person uses. Whether Microsoft 365 licences also sit inside the rate varies by provider, and it is a common reason two per-user quotes don’t match.

Microsoft 365 is also licensed per user, so the two are easy to confuse. The support fee pays the provider for the service: service desk, monitoring, patching and security management. The licence pays Microsoft for the software. They are separate costs, even when they arrive on the same invoice.

How does Microsoft 365 licensing affect managed IT support costs?

Some providers bundle licences into the per-user rate. Others list them as a separate line, or leave you to buy them direct. A bundled quote will look more expensive per user than a support-only quote, even when its support element is cheaper. Before comparing, ask every provider to split the support fee from licensing.

There is one real link between them. If you already license Microsoft 365 per user, an all-inclusive per-user rate moves in step with it. A joiner adds a licence and a support seat, and a leaver removes both. That keeps forecasting simple, and it is one reason the all-inclusive model suits Microsoft 365 businesses.

What does a 200-person Microsoft 365 business pay under each model?

Take a 200-person business where everyone has a laptop, 50 people have a managed mobile, and there are 10 shared meeting-room and reception devices. That is 260 devices. For the all-inclusive model we have used £65 per user per month. For the per user and per device model we have used £39 per user plus £20 per device, set so both models cost exactly the same on day one. The point of the table is what happens next.

Scenario	Users	Devices	All-inclusive at £65 per user	£39 per user + £20 per device	Cheaper model
Day one	200	260	£156,000	£156,000	Neither
Hire 20 office staff	220	280	£171,600	£170,160	Per user and per device, by £1,440
Bring every mobile under management	200	410	£156,000	£192,000	All-inclusive, by £36,000
Add 40 shift workers sharing 10 terminals	240	270	£187,200	£177,120	Per user and per device, by £10,080
30 leavers, devices returned	170	230	£132,600	£134,760	All-inclusive, by £2,160

Annual figures are illustrative only. £65 per user per month sits within the £50 to £85 proactive managed range on our cost guide. The £39 per user and £20 per device split is derived from it so the two models are equal at the start. It is a worked example, not a market rate. All figures exclude licences, projects and infrastructure charges. A minimum commitment may stop the bill falling in the final row.

Ordinary hiring barely separates the models, because in an office business each new person brings roughly one device. The large swings come from two places. Bringing every mobile under management adds £36,000 a year, or 23%, to the per user and per device bill, while the all-inclusive bill does not move, so a security decision turns into a commercial one. Shared devices go the other way. Forty shift workers on ten terminals add only ten devices, and each extra person carries the lower £39 rate rather than £65, which is where the split model earns its place.

Which managed IT pricing model is more predictable?

Per user (all-inclusive), in most cases. Headcount is planned, approved and reported every month, so you can see changes to the bill coming from the hiring plan.

Device count tends to drift. Spares, loan machines, replacements that were never retired and laptops leavers did not return all stay in the count unless someone audits it. Under per user and per device, you either run that audit regularly or pay for kit nobody uses.

What about shared devices, how are they managed?

Shared devices are where all-inclusive pricing breaks. Forty warehouse staff sharing ten terminals are 40 users but 10 devices. If each holds a Microsoft 365 account, an all-inclusive model charges all 40 at the full rate, even though the support work follows the terminals rather than the people.

If you have a frontline population, ask for a lower rate for light users, or for that part of the estate to be priced per user and per device. Either is a reasonable request, and a provider should be able to explain why it will not offer one.

What if our people use several devices each?

This is where per user (all-inclusive) is strongest. A laptop, a phone, a tablet and a home desktop all sit under one rate, so tightening device security does not reopen the contract.

It is worth checking the small print. Some all-inclusive rates cover every device a person uses, others include a set number and charge beyond it. If there is a cap, find out what it is and what each additional device costs before you sign.

How is a per user and per device quote built?

The quote carries two rates. A per-user rate covers work tied to a person: the service desk, their accounts and Microsoft 365 administration. A per-device rate covers each managed endpoint: monitoring, patching and endpoint protection for every laptop, desktop and mobile. Servers, network and sites are often priced as further lines on top.

This works when each charge maps to a distinct thing. It becomes a problem when the same work is billed twice, for example a per-user rate that already includes endpoint management alongside a per-device charge for the same laptops. Ask the provider to map every line of the quote to the assets and people it covers. The full split of what should sit inside the core rate is on what should be included in managed IT support.

Which managed IT pricing model should we choose?

Your situation	Choose	Why
Office-based, Microsoft 365, one to three devices each	Per user (all-inclusive)	Tracks headcount and absorbs device growth
Planning to bring mobiles or tablets under management	Per user (all-inclusive)	Security changes do not move the bill
Office staff plus shift or frontline staff sharing devices	Per user and per device	Light users carry a lower per-user rate, and shared kit is priced per terminal
More devices than people, such as labs, production lines or kiosks	Per user and per device	Cost follows the estate that generates the work
Internal team runs the service desk, provider manages the estate	Per user and per device	Most of the provider’s work attaches to devices, so the device rate carries the bill
Significant servers, network or multiple sites	Either model, with infrastructure itemised	Keeps people and platform costs visible separately
Seasonal or high-churn workforce	Per user and per device, with a monthly true-up	The device count is steadier than peak headcount

For a 200-person Microsoft 365 business, choose per user (all-inclusive), with a written definition of who counts as a user and clarity on which infrastructure the rate covers. If the internal team keeps the service desk, the per user and per device row applies, and co-managed IT support covers how that split usually works.

What should a managed IT contract define?

Contract definitions decide what you actually pay, whichever model you choose.

Before you sign, these questions to ask a managed IT provider cover the rest of the contract.

Term	What to ask	Why it matters
User	Do shared mailboxes, service accounts, contractors and leavers count?	Unused accounts can sit on the bill indefinitely
Device	Do servers, virtual machines, mobiles and printers count, and at what rate?	Decides whether per user and per device stays cheaper
Count date and source	When is the count taken, and from which system?	Prevents disputes over the number
True-up	Is the bill adjusted monthly, quarterly or annually?	Determines how quickly reductions reach you
Minimum commitment	Is there a floor the bill cannot fall below?	Can cancel out the flexibility of either model
Change of model	Can we move between models at renewal?	Your workforce may change faster than the contract

If you are comparing several quotes built on different models, how to choose a managed service provider shows how to normalise them before you compare price.

How Opus prices managed IT

Opus prices managed IT per user, on an all-inclusive basis. One monthly rate covers each person and every device they use, with no limit on the number of devices, so bringing phones or tablets under management does not change the bill. Microsoft 365 licences are not included in the rate. They are billed separately, so you can compare our support price directly with other quotes. Every contract is scoped and priced after discovery, because the environments we support vary too much for a single tariff to be accurate, and the scope is agreed and explained before you sign.

The rate includes services that often sit in the extra-charge column elsewhere: a 24/7 UK-based service desk providing 1st, 2nd and 3rd line support, management of Microsoft 365, Azure, Teams, Entra ID and Intune, and proactive monitoring and patching of servers and networks. For the market ranges behind this, see how much managed IT support costs in the UK.

Get a managed IT cost benchmark

Send us your current headcount, device count and latest invoice, and we will model your bill against our all-inclusive per-user rate.

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Common questions about managed IT pricing

Is per user (all-inclusive) or per user and per device IT support cheaper?

Neither, by default. A provider prices either model to recover the cost of supporting the same environment, so at quote stage the totals should be comparable. Per user and per device becomes cheaper when you have shared devices or many light users. Per user (all-inclusive) becomes cheaper when people use several managed devices each.

Which pricing model is best for a 200-person Microsoft 365 business?

Per user (all-inclusive), in most cases. It tracks a headcount you already plan, covers each person’s laptop and phone under one rate, and lets you tighten device security without changing the bill. Confirm which servers, network and other infrastructure the rate covers, and get a written definition of a user.

Do shared mailboxes and service accounts count as users?

It depends on the contract, which is why you should ask before signing. They do not represent people needing support, so there is a reasonable case for excluding them. Check how leavers are removed from the count as well.

What happens to the bill when we roll out mobile device management?

Under a per user and per device model, it rises with every phone and tablet brought under management. In our 200-person example, managing all 200 mobiles takes the annual per user and per device bill from £156,000 to £192,000, while the all-inclusive bill stays the same. Price this in before you choose the model.

What is a true-up in managed IT pricing?

The point at which the provider adjusts your bill to the actual user or device count. Monthly true-ups pass reductions back quickly. Annual true-ups can leave you paying for leavers or retired devices for up to a year.

Can we change pricing model during the contract?

Assume not, unless the contract says otherwise. Agree at the outset that the model can be reviewed at renewal, and make sure the contract renewal review includes it.

Does Opus charge per user or per device?

Per user, on an all-inclusive basis. One monthly rate covers each person and every device they use, with no device limit. Microsoft 365 licences are billed separately, and every contract is scoped and priced after discovery.

How much does managed IT support cost per user in the UK?

Proactive managed support typically runs at £50 to £85 per user per month, before licences and projects. Reactive support is lower and comprehensive support higher. The full ranges are in our guide to managed IT support costs in the UK.

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How do I compare a per-user quote with a per user and per device quote?

Convert both to an annual total at your current user and device counts. Then rerun both for the change you expect next, such as hiring or bringing mobiles under management. Remove Microsoft 365 licences from both before comparing, so you are comparing support with support.

Do per-user rates fall as we add more users?

Not automatically. Support demand tends to rise roughly in line with headcount, so volume rates are negotiated rather than published. If a provider offers one, ask what scope is being reduced to fund it. A lower rate usually means less cover, not efficiency.

Do contractors and part-time staff count as users?

It depends on the contract definition. Many providers count anyone with an account, so part-timers and contractors pay the full rate. If a large share of your staff are light users, ask for a lower rate for them or for that group to be priced per user and per device.

What happens to our bill if headcount falls?

Under either model the bill should fall, but two clauses decide how quickly. The true-up sets when the count is adjusted, and a minimum commitment sets a floor the bill cannot go below. Check both before you sign.

Are servers counted as devices?

Usually not at the laptop rate. Servers, virtual machines and network kit are often tiered at a higher rate or priced as separate infrastructure lines. Ask each provider to list how every server is charged, so you can compare quotes.