Hourly rate
CHF100–250
per hour
Provider guides quote CHF 100–140 for standard support and CHF 180–250 for specialists (security, cloud). Good for one-off projects — hard to budget for ongoing operations.
COST GUIDE · 2026
What does IT support cost for your SME?
Swiss market prices. Clearly explained.
Hourly rates, managed models and hidden costs — so you can make sense of your IT offer.
THE SHORT ANSWER
What does IT support cost in Switzerland?
Swiss provider guides quote CHF 50–120 per user and month for managed IT, CHF 100–250 per hour for support and CHF 500–3,000 per month for retainers. For 10 users, the managed range works out to CHF 500–1,200 per month. The services included determine whether two offers are comparable.
Market orientation from commercial provider guides, not a Theia tariff or a complete IT budget. Licence, infrastructure and setup costs may be additional; confirm the VAT basis in the offer. Reviewed 8 October 2026. View sources
THE THREE PRICING MODELS
Three approaches. Different costs.
Managed, per user
CHF50–120
per user / month
Depending on the offer, a bundle of endpoint management, security tooling, M365 support and helpdesk. Scales with head-count. Check the included services and response commitments.
Retainer
CHF500–3,000
per month
A fixed monthly block of support regardless of team size. Fits uneven demand — check carefully what is and isn't included.
Market benchmarks, not a Theia offer. Sources: KPX AG, April 2026 · it-provider.ch
For any hourly rate, check the minimum billing unit, provider experience, service hours and surcharges. A low price alone says little about the service quality.
CALCULATE YOUR TEAM'S RANGE
What does managed IT cost for 5, 10 or 25 users?
A simple calculation using the market range of CHF 50–120 per user and month. The same assumptions apply to every team size.
- Per month
- CHF 500–1'200
- Per year (12 months)
- CHF 6'000–14'400
| Users | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | CHF 250–600 | CHF 3'000–7'200 |
| 10 | CHF 500–1'200 | CHF 6'000–14'400 |
| 25 | CHF 1'250–3'000 | CHF 15'000–36'000 |
Calculation: users × CHF 50–120 × months. This models a per-user managed package, not all IT expenditure. Confirm whether licences, backup, servers and network support are included. Setup, migrations and projects may be charged separately. The sources do not consistently specify VAT; these ranges have not been adjusted for VAT.
READ THE FINE PRINT
The price alone doesn't tell the whole story.
Four hidden costs to check in every offer.
Onboarding
CHF 500–5,000 — often missing from the first offer
Travel
Travel time billed at the full hourly rate
Emergencies & weekends
Surcharges of 50–100%
Contract terms
12–24 months minimum, with 3–6 months notice
SIX QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU SIGN
How do you compare two IT offers fairly?
Ask both providers to answer these points in writing. Then compare the same scope of services.
Included services
Which users, devices and systems are covered? Are licences, backup, servers and networks included or separate?
Support hours
When is support available, and how are on-site visits, travel and emergencies billed?
Response commitments
What response time is promised for each priority? A response time is not a guaranteed resolution time.
Setup and projects
What does onboarding cost? Which migrations, changes and projects are outside the monthly scope?
Contract and exit
What are the minimum term and notice period? Who owns admin access, documentation and data when you leave?
Comparable prices
Are prices per user, device, hour or month? Are VAT, minimum quantities and surcharges stated explicitly?
AND AT THEIA?
Your needs determine the model.
Our Managed Service combines Microsoft 365 operations, the included Support Agent and human escalation from Zurich. We calculate it after scoping because responsibilities, service windows, access and response commitments vary. Projects and individual tasks remain a separate time-and-materials lane.
Managed IT-Support
Individually calculated after scoping
Ongoing Microsoft 365 operations with the Support Agent and human escalation included. After scoping, you receive a binding monthly offer for the agreed scope.
Discover Managed SupportProjects / time & material
By effort · individually scoped
For migrations, automation and one-off changes — billed by effort, without a monthly package, SLA, reserved capacity or proactive operations.
Discuss a project / T&M scopeCOMMON QUESTIONS
Common questions about IT costs
The CHF 50–120 per-user range from Swiss provider guides works out to CHF 500–1,200 per month or CHF 6,000–14,400 for 12 months for 10 users. This is a model calculation for a managed package, not a complete IT budget or a Theia tariff. Check included services, licences, backup, infrastructure, setup and VAT separately. The calculator shows the same calculation for 5 and 25 users.
Per-user pricing (typically CHF 50–120 per user per month) scales predictably with head-count and usually bundles endpoint management, security tooling and helpdesk. Retainers (CHF 500–3,000 per month) suit companies with uneven demand. For small teams, a per-user model can cost more than the actual support consumed — ask providers to show both calculations.
The cited Swiss provider guides quote CHF 100–140 per hour for standard support and CHF 180–250 for specialists, such as security or cloud architecture. These figures are market orientation, not an independent price survey. Compare experience, scope, billing units, service hours and surcharges; a low price alone does not prove poor quality.
Compare the actual workload, expertise needed, holiday and sickness cover, and operational responsibilities. An internal role is more likely to make sense with sustained full-time demand. For smaller workloads, external support combined with project specialists may fit. A per-user package and an annual salary cannot be compared directly without matching service scopes.
The most common ones in Swiss offers: onboarding fees (CHF 500–5,000), travel time billed at full hourly rates, emergency and weekend surcharges of 50–100%, and 12–24-month minimum terms with 3–6 months notice. Ask for all four explicitly before signing — serious providers answer in writing.
Licenses come on top of support and are billed per user per month — Business Basic, Business Standard or Business Premium. We usually recommend Business Premium: it is the only Business plan that includes device management (Microsoft Intune) and advanced security. Our guide "What does Microsoft 365 cost?" shows the current per-user prices transparently; we procure the licenses through the Microsoft CSP programme, cancellable monthly.
In the free 30-minute intro call we clarify scope, access and response commitments. You then receive a written offer: a binding monthly quote for the agreed Managed Service scope; projects and individual tasks are billed separately by effort — changes are quoted before we build.
Market figures sourced from: KPX AG, IT-Kosten KMU Schweiz (as of April 2026) · it-provider.ch, IT-Dienstleister-Kosten. Commercial provider guides, not an independent price survey. Reviewed 8 October 2026. Service scopes vary and VAT is not consistently specified. The calculator multiplies the published per-user range; it is not an additional market observation. Theia's Managed Service is quoted individually after scoping; projects are billed by effort.
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