Break-Fix vs Monthly vs In-House IT Support

Published 16 June 2026 · Monthly Support · by the 365 Techies team — Microsoft Partners & Dell specialists, looking after Dorset since 1995

There are really only three ways to get IT support: call someone when things break (break-fix), pay a fixed monthly fee for ongoing cover (managed/monthly support), or employ your own IT person (in-house). Each has its place — the trick is matching the model to your situation.

Break-fix (pay per problem)

You only pay when something goes wrong. It feels cheap, but it is reactive: help is slower, costs are unpredictable, and nothing is being done to prevent the next problem. It can suit a single home computer you rarely rely on — but for anything important, one bad week can cost more than a year of cover.

Monthly IT support (managed)

A fixed monthly fee covers unlimited support plus the proactive work that stops problems happening — maintenance, updates, security and backups. Costs are predictable, help is prioritised, and someone is genuinely looking after your technology. For most homes and small businesses this is the sweet spot on cost and peace of mind.

In-house IT

Hiring your own IT staff gives you someone on-site full time, but it is expensive (salary, holiday, training, cover) and one person can rarely cover every skill. It only starts to make sense for larger organisations — and even then, many pair an in-house person with an outside team like us.

So which should you choose?

If you rely on your tech at all, monthly support almost always wins on value and stress. Break-fix suits the occasional, non-critical fix; in-house suits larger teams with constant, complex needs. Still unsure? Our Plan Finder and free IT Health Check will point you the right way.

Key points

Break-fix is cheapest upfront but reactive and unpredictable
Monthly support adds prevention, priority and a fixed cost
In-house only pays off for larger teams
For most homes and small businesses, monthly support is best value

Prefer to let us handle it? Our monthly IT support plans include this and much more, from £18.25/month per computer — with a friendly techie on hand whenever you need one. Call 01202 775566 or view our plans.

Frequently asked

Is monthly IT support more expensive than break-fix?

On paper the monthly fee looks like more, but it includes prevention and unlimited help. Break-fix often costs more overall once you add up emergency call-outs, downtime and lost data.

When does in-house IT make sense?

Usually once you have enough users and complexity to keep someone busy full time — often 30+ staff. Below that, monthly support gives you a whole team for less than one salary.

Can I start with break-fix and switch later?

Absolutely. Many customers call us for a one-off fix, then move onto a plan to avoid the next emergency. Switching is easy and there are no long contracts.