Hourly rate
CHF100–250
per hour
Standard support CHF 100–140, specialists (security, cloud) CHF 180–250. Swiss average around CHF 130. 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 THREE PRICING MODELS
Three approaches. Different costs.
Managed, per user
CHF50–120
per user / month
Endpoint management, security tooling, M365 support and helpdesk bundled per workstation. Predictable, scales with head-count — the most common SME model.
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
Market rule of thumb: hourly rates below CHF 80 are a warning sign — offshore delivery or hidden costs.
BUDGET IN CONTEXT
What typical setups cost
- IT budget benchmark
- 1–3%of annual revenue
- Internal IT employee (fully loaded)
- CHF 90,000–130,000per year
- 10-person SME, full SLA package
- ≈ CHF 8,000per year
- 15 people, 20 devices, managed
- CHF 2,000–4,500per month
Benchmarks from the cited market sources. The scope of services makes the difference.
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
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
Market surveys put Swiss SMEs at 1–3% of annual revenue for IT — for a CHF 2 million company that's CHF 20,000–60,000 per year. Half of surveyed SMEs report CHF 500–2,000 per employee per year. Treat these as orientation, not targets: what matters is which risks you cover for the money.
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.
Standard support sits at CHF 100–140 per hour, specialists (security, cloud architecture) at CHF 180–250; the national average is around CHF 130. Rates below CHF 80 per hour are considered a warning sign in the Swiss market — they usually mean offshore delivery or hidden costs elsewhere.
A fully loaded internal IT position costs CHF 90,000–130,000 per year. As a rule of thumb, that only pays off once there is genuinely a full-time load — before that, a mix of managed services for operations plus project-based specialists covers more ground for less money.
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. Theia's Managed Service is quoted individually after scoping; projects are billed by effort.
FREE SECOND OPINION
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