Key facts
- dijitul Essential is £25 a month + VAT: updates, daily backups, uptime and security monitoring
- dijitul Business is £50 a month + VAT: Essential plus 1 hour of fixes or changes and priority support
- dijitul Complete is £99 a month + VAT: Business but with 3 hours a month plus IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk
- Ad-hoc support is £45 an hour + VAT, minimum 30 minutes, then 15-minute blocks
- Pay as you go has no ongoing cost but nobody is checking updates, backups or uptime between jobs
- Bigger projects such as migrations and network installs are quoted either way
The short answer
If something only goes wrong once or twice a year and you are happy to keep your own website, software and backups up to date, pay as you go is usually cheaper. If you need help most months, or you would rather someone else checked that updates installed and backups actually work, a monthly plan is usually better value and lower risk.
The real difference is not just price. A plan includes work that happens when nothing is broken: updates applied and checked, daily backups, uptime monitoring and security monitoring. Pay as you go only starts when you notice a problem, which is often after customers have noticed it too.
Side-by-side comparison
| Factor | Monthly support plan | Pay as you go |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at dijitul | £25, £50 or £99 a month + VAT | £45 an hour + VAT, 30-minute minimum |
| Updates and patching | Applied and checked for you | Your responsibility |
| Daily backups | Included | Not included unless you arrange them |
| Uptime and security monitoring | Included | None, you find out when something breaks |
| Fix and change time | 1 hour (Business) or 3 hours (Complete) each month | Billed per job |
| Priority | Priority support on Business and Complete | Booked in as capacity allows |
| Staff IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk | Included on Complete | Billed per call |
| Budgeting | Fixed monthly cost | Varies month to month |
| Best for | Businesses relying on their website or IT every day | Occasional, one-off problems |
Working out the break-even point
Use our own prices as a guide. The Business plan at £50 a month + VAT includes one hour of fixes or changes, which would cost £45 + VAT on its own as ad-hoc work. So if you use that hour, the updates, daily backups, monitoring and priority support cost very little extra.
The Complete plan at £99 a month + VAT includes three hours a month. Bought ad hoc, three hours would be three times £45 + VAT, before you count the helpdesk for your team, monitoring and backups. If your office regularly needs help with Outlook, new starters, printers or Microsoft 365, Complete usually works out cheaper than paying per job.
Essential at £25 a month + VAT has no fix time included. It is for keeping a website or system updated, backed up and monitored, with any fixes billed at the ad-hoc rate.
What pay as you go does not cover
The hidden cost of pay as you go is the work nobody does between jobs. WordPress core, plugins and themes release updates every week, and an update that is never applied is an open door. A backup that was never set up cannot be restored. A site that goes down on Friday night may not be noticed until Monday.
On pay as you go, all of that is still your job. If you have the time and the habit, that is fine. If not, the first fix after months without updates often takes longer, because several updates have to be applied at once and conflicts are more likely. That is when a one-off job turns into several hours at the ad-hoc rate.
When pay as you go is the better choice
Be honest about how you use IT. Pay as you go is the sensible option when:
- You have a simple brochure website that rarely changes and you already keep it updated and backed up.
- You are a sole trader with one laptop and Microsoft 365, and problems are rare.
- You need a single job done, such as moving email to a new provider or fixing a broken form.
- You already have a plan elsewhere and need occasional extra help.
In those cases, our website fixes and remote IT support services at £45 an hour + VAT do the job without a monthly commitment.
When a plan pays for itself
A plan makes more sense when downtime costs you money or reputation. An online shop, a booking website or an office of people depending on email cannot afford to find out about a failed update a week later. Plans also make sense when you keep putting off updates, because outdated plugins and unpatched software are among the most common causes of hacked websites.
The value of a plan is easiest to see after something goes wrong: a backup from last night, a record of what changed and someone who already knows your set-up. See our website maintenance and IT helpdesk pages, or compare plans on our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is a monthly IT support plan worth it for a small business?
It is worth it if you need help most months or rely on your website or email every day. dijitul's Business plan at £50 a month + VAT includes an hour of fixes plus updates, backups and monitoring. If you rarely need help, ad-hoc support at £45 an hour + VAT may cost less.
How does dijitul charge for pay-as-you-go support?
Ad-hoc support is £45 an hour + VAT. The first 30 minutes are the minimum charge, then time is billed in 15-minute blocks. Bigger projects such as migrations or network installs are quoted upfront.
What does the Essential plan include?
dijitul's Essential plan is £25 a month + VAT and includes software or CMS updates applied and checked, daily backups, uptime monitoring and security monitoring. It does not include fix time, which is billed at £45 an hour + VAT if needed.
Can I start on pay as you go and move to a plan later?
Yes. Many dijitul customers start with a one-off fix at £45 an hour + VAT, then move to a plan once they see how often they need help. There is no need to commit to a plan before we have solved your first problem.
Which plan includes help for my staff's IT problems?
The Complete plan at £99 a month + VAT includes IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk support for your team, plus 3 hours of fixes or changes each month, updates, daily backups and monitoring.
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