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What does a small business IT stack cost per month?
A realistic monthly budget for the core IT tools a small business needs: device management, help desk, password manager and video meetings, with worked examples for 10, 25 and 100 people.
Most small businesses end up paying for four kinds of IT software: something to manage and patch the computers, a help desk, a password manager, and video meetings. Bought separately, each is priced differently, and the total is easy to underestimate.
Typical list prices for separate tools
| Tool | Typical pricing | Who it's charged for |
|---|---|---|
| Device management (RMM) | About $2 to $4 per device per month, or $129+ per technician | Every computer, or every technician |
| Help desk | About $10 to $20 per agent per month for entry plans | Each technician who works tickets |
| Password manager | About $2 to $6 per user per month, billed annually | Usually every user, even read-only |
| Video meetings | About $12 to $15 per host per month | Each person who hosts |
Worked examples with separate tools
These use typical list prices of $3 per device, $19 per help desk technician, $4 per password manager user and $12 per meeting host.
| Business | Devices | Technicians | Password users | Meeting hosts | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-person office | 10 | 1 | 10 | 3 | $30 + $19 + $40 + $36 = $125 |
| 25-person company | 25 | 2 | 25 | 5 | $75 + $38 + $100 + $60 = $273 |
| 100-person company | 100 | 4 | 100 | 15 | $300 + $76 + $400 + $180 = $956 |
Where small businesses overspend
- Paying for read-only users. Most staff only look up a shared password; per-user pricing charges for them anyway.
- Paying per technician when the team grows. Per-technician RMM gets more expensive with every hire.
- Duplicate remote access. A separate remote desktop subscription on top of an RMM that already has one.
- Annual commitments for tools you're still testing.
The same examples on Optanik
Optanik prices are $2 per endpoint, $10 per help desk technician, $1.50 per Keymaster (read-only is free), and $5 per meeting host. With at least one paid endpoint, the account owner's help desk, Keymaster and meeting seats are free. Assume the owner is one of the technicians, edits passwords and hosts meetings, and that two to eight people edit passwords.
| Business | Calculation | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| 10-person office | 10 × $2 + 0 extra technicians + 1 extra Keymaster × $1.50 + 2 extra hosts × $5 | $31.50 |
| 25-person company | 25 × $2 + 1 × $10 + 3 × $1.50 + 4 × $5 | $84.50 |
| 100-person company | 100 × $2 + 3 × $10 + 7 × $1.50 + 14 × $5 | $310.50 |
Your numbers will differ. The pricing calculator lets you enter your own counts and compare.
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