The short answer: paying per job, after-hours IT support in Australia typically costs $250–$400 an hour plus a $200–$350 minimum callout. Managed IT runs about $100–$350 per user per month, depending on how much security is included. Our own prices are below in full: after-hours cover from $390 a month, full management from $490 a month.
Prices checked September 2026. Sources are listed at the end.
Most Melbourne IT providers don't publish a price. You fill in a form, someone rings back, and the number depends on how the conversation goes. Support genuinely does vary with what you already have, but it means comparing two providers takes two sales calls. Here are real numbers instead, and what changes them.
How much does break-fix IT support cost after hours?
Break-fix means paying only when something breaks. It's the default for a lot of small businesses, mostly because nobody has priced the alternative.
- $150–$250 an hour during business hours.
- $250–$400 an hour after hours and in emergencies.
- A minimum callout of $200–$350 per visit, even for a five-minute fix.
- Weekends and public holidays can cost more again, when a provider will come out at all.
A typical one-to-two-hour after-hours job therefore lands somewhere between about $450 and $1,150 once the callout is added.
How much does after-hours cover cost?
After-hours cover isn't full management. It covers the hours a nine-to-five provider doesn't work, and sits alongside whoever already looks after your IT during the day.
- Essential cover, up to 10 staff: $390/month. Unlimited after-hours phone and remote triage, one hour of after-hours work each month included, extra work at $180/hr with no callout fee, Saturday cover and a Sunday emergency line.
- Standard cover, 10–30 staff: $690/month. Everything in Essential, three hours included, extra work at $160/hr, a callback within 30 minutes, and on-site after-hours visits with no callout fee.
- Pay as you go: $280/hour. After-hours remote support with a one-hour minimum, an on-site callout of $150 then hourly, and no contract.
That $280 sits at the lower end of the typical after-hours range, and the $150 callout is below the usual $200–$350.
Is after-hours cover cheaper than paying per callout?
Not always, and it's worth being straight about when it is.
Essential cover costs $4,680 over a year. If a one-off after-hours job costs $450–$1,150, cover works out cheaper once you'd otherwise pay for somewhere between four big after-hours jobs and ten small ones a year.
If your business has one after-hours problem a year, paying per job is cheaper on paper. What cover buys you then isn't hours. It's knowing someone answers at 7pm on a Friday instead of you ringing around, and that a one-off job doesn't also carry a callout fee.
How much does full managed IT cost in Melbourne?
Australian pricing guides published in 2026 put managed IT at roughly $100 to $350 per user per month. Basic helpdesk and patching sits at the bottom of that range. Plans that include security monitoring and tested backups sit higher.
The warning worth repeating: some low-cost agreements treat backups and security as paid extras, so the headline price leaves out the two things most likely to save you. Check both are inside the fee before comparing numbers.
Our managed plans all include after-hours and Saturday cover:
- Small team, 1–10 staff: from $490/month. Monitoring and patching for every device, unlimited remote helpdesk, backup monitoring and restore testing.
- Growing business, 10–25 staff: from $790/month. Everything in Small team, plus on-site visits, an Essential Eight security uplift, industry software support including dental, and the Sunday emergency line.
- Multi-site, 25+ staff or multiple locations: from $1,490/month. Everything in Growing business, plus multi-site networking, quarterly IT planning and a named primary technician.
"From" is the honest word. A five-year-old server with years of skipped updates costs more to bring up to standard than a tidy two-year-old setup, and a provider quoting one flat number for both is guessing.
Break-fix vs after-hours cover vs managed IT
| Break-fix (typical) | After-hours cover | Managed IT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | $250–$400/hr after hours, plus $200–$350 callout | $390 or $690 a month, or $280/hr | From $490 a month |
| Your current provider | Not applicable | You keep them | We take over |
| After-hours help | Paid per job, if anyone answers | Phone and remote triage included | Included |
| Suits you if | Problems are rare | Your provider stops at 5pm | You want one provider for everything |
Why do dental and medical practices pay more?
A practice isn't buying "IT support" in the abstract. Practice management software, imaging and claiming terminals all need to keep agreeing with each other, and patient records fall under the Privacy Act no matter how small the practice is. More moving parts and a higher cost of downtime usually put a clinic at the upper end of managed IT pricing.
It's also where general providers can cost more than they quote. The price looks the same on paper, then a practice software problem turns into a ticket nobody has seen before. If that's already happened to you, our guide to practice management software that won't open covers the first checks.
What to ask before you sign anything
- What happens at 7pm on a Tuesday, or 10am on a Saturday? Get the answer in writing.
- Are backups and security inside the monthly fee? Ask for the exclusions list.
- Is there an onboarding fee? Some providers charge one before the first month. We don't at the moment, while we build our Melbourne client base.
- What does after-hours work cost on top? Hourly rate, callout fee and minimum charge.
If you'd like a number for your own setup, the free IT health check covers what you're running, what it should cost to support properly, and which parts you don't need us for.
Something down right now? 03 7057 1878, Monday to Friday 7am–9pm, Saturdays 8am–4pm, and a Sunday emergency line from 9am to 5pm. That's the part most providers don't cover.
Sources
- How Much Does IT Support Cost in Australia in 2026?, AyeTech, March 2026: hourly rates and callout fees.
- IT Support Costs in Australia: What Businesses Should Budget in 2026, Precision IT, March 2026: managed IT per-user tiers.
- Managed IT Services Cost in Australia, Valont, reviewed July 2026: backups and security as paid extras.
Industry figures are Australia-wide guides, not quotes. OnOvo IT's prices are our published rates as of September 2026. Your actual cost depends on headcount, the age of your equipment and the software you run.