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Pricing Analysis

The True Cost of Ownership

SaaS subscriptions cost more than you think today, and get more expensive every single year. Here is what the real numbers look like across all three options.

$7,900 avg. SaaS spend per employee per year (2025)
8.7% annual SaaS price inflation, nearly 5x the rate of CPI
$0 software license fees with our open source stack
What Viridian Guard actually offers

Lower monthly costs starting now. Compounding value every year after.

Most cost comparisons in this industry show a managed service that costs slightly more today and saves money eventually. That is not the story here. Our commitment is that your monthly operational cost after setup will be less than what you are paying in SaaS subscriptions right now. Then, while your old SaaS bills would have kept climbing at nearly 9 percent per year, your cost with us stays flat. The gap widens in your favour every single year.

01

Lower monthly cost, immediately

After setup, your ongoing monthly engagement will be less than your current SaaS spend. Not eventually. From month one. The exact figure comes out of your audit because it depends on your specific environment and support needs.

02

Upfront investment, not ongoing rent

There is an upfront cost to configure and build your infrastructure. Think of it as roughly five to eight months of your current SaaS spend. A one-time investment in infrastructure you own. After that, your monthly cost drops and stays there.

03

The value compounds over time

SaaS prices rise every year. Yours do not. Add a new team member and your cost does not move. Most clients see the infrastructure pay for itself within the first twelve months. After that, every year you stay is pure compounding value.

Why our pricing works differently
We are not a traditional MSP.
Our cost to deliver is structurally lower.

Traditional managed service providers price at $100 to $150 per user per month because they rely on human labour, break-fix billing, and vendor reseller margins. We are built differently.

We have invested heavily in automation, self-service tools, and AI-assisted support infrastructure. That means we operate lean, pass the savings on, and still deliver a higher standard of service. We also do not price per user, because charging more every time you hire someone is exactly the kind of trap we help businesses escape.

Your engagement cost is based on the complexity of your environment and how much of our time it genuinely requires, not on a headcount that penalises your growth.

No per-seat pricing
Hire ten new people and your monthly cost does not change. Growth is free.
No token tax or compute surprises
No cloud usage spikes, no AI inference charges, no bill that moves when you use more.
Open source software stack
The software is free. You pay for expertise and management, not licenses.
Self-service support tools
Training videos, documentation, and AI assistants tuned to your setup reduce the support time you need from us, keeping your cost down.

SaaS alone. Traditional MSP. Viridian Guard.

Most businesses think their only options are keep paying SaaS subscriptions, or hire a managed service provider on top of them. Here is what all three options actually look like side by side.

Viridian Guard costs less per month than SaaS alone, and a fraction of what a traditional MSP engagement costs on top of SaaS.
$1,241
SaaS monthly today
$2,491+
Typical MSP + SaaS
<$1,000
Viridian Guard /mo
☁️
SaaS Subscriptions
10 users · pay forever, own nothing
Microsoft 365$14.50/user$145
Slack Pro$8.75/user$88
Zoom Business$18.33/user$183
HubSpot CRMflat rate$90
Endpoint Security$6/user$60
Dropbox Business$20/user$200
1Password Teams$4/user$40
Cloud Backupest.$75
Helpdesk / Ticketing$15/agent$60
Break-fix IT supportavg.$300
Annual price increases+8.7%/yr
Monthly Total
You own nothing. Prices keep rising.
$1,241
+8.7%/yr
🔧
Traditional MSP
10 users · management fee only, not a replacement
MSP management fee$125/user, industry avg.$1,250
Emergency calloutsbilled separatelyextra
Your SaaS subscriptionsstill running, unchanged+$941
Data stays on vendor serversyes
You own the infrastructureno
Per-user pricing penalises growthyes
SaaS price increases still apply+8.7%/yr
Monthly Total
MSP fee + SaaS. Still own nothing.
$2,191+
+8.7%/yr on SaaS
Note: Some MSPs bundle certain software licenses (typically M365 or Google Workspace) into their fee. Even then, you are still paying per seat, subject to vendor pricing, and you own nothing. The core problem does not change.
🛡
Viridian Guard
10 users · replaces SaaS, you own everything
Email, calendar, office suiteMailcow + Nextcloudincl.
File storage + sharingNextcloudincl.
CRM + business mgmtOdoo Communityincl.
Video conferencingJitsi / Nextcloud Talkincl.
Password manager + SSOVaultwardenincl.
Security, monitoring + backupsincl.
IT strategy + roadmappingincl.
Infrastructure costVPS / hardware amort.~$120
No per-seat fees. No inflation.
You own everything, always.
Monthly Total
Replaces your SaaS stack. Price-stable forever.
<$1,000
price-stable
5-Year Total Cost · 10 Users
SaaS assumes 8.7% annual increase. MSP includes management fee plus SaaS at same inflation rate. Viridian Guard is flat.
$88,600
SaaS alone
$163,100
MSP + SaaS
$60,000
Viridian Guard
32%
saved vs SaaS alone
About Viridian Guard pricing

Our monthly engagement cost is based on your environment's complexity and the support your team needs, not a per-user headcount. The under $1,000/month figure shown here reflects a standard 10-user deployment with typical use cases. The upfront setup investment is typically five to eight months of your current monthly SaaS spend, and most clients see it pay for itself within the first twelve months. Your exact figure is confirmed through your free audit.

At 25 users, Viridian Guard costs less than SaaS alone and roughly a third of what a traditional MSP engagement would run.
$2,985
SaaS monthly today
$6,110+
Typical MSP + SaaS
<$1,800
Viridian Guard /mo
☁️
SaaS Subscriptions
25 users · pay forever, own nothing
Microsoft 365$14.50/user$363
Slack Pro$8.75/user$219
Zoom Business$18.33/user$458
HubSpot Starter Growthflat rate$250
Endpoint Security$6/user$150
Dropbox Business$20/user$500
1Password Teams$4/user$100
Cloud Backupest.$150
Helpdesk / Ticketing$15/agent x3$45
Break-fix IT supportavg.$750
Annual price increases+8.7%/yr
Monthly Total
You own nothing. Prices keep rising.
$2,985
+8.7%/yr
🔧
Traditional MSP
25 users · management fee only, not a replacement
MSP management fee$125/user, industry avg.$3,125
Emergency calloutsbilled separatelyextra
Your SaaS subscriptionsstill running, unchanged+$2,235
Data stays on vendor serversyes
You own the infrastructureno
Per-user pricing penalises growthyes
SaaS price increases still apply+8.7%/yr
Monthly Total
MSP fee + SaaS. Still own nothing.
$5,360+
+8.7%/yr on SaaS
Note: Some MSPs bundle certain software licenses into their fee. Even then, you are still paying per seat, subject to vendor pricing, and you own nothing.
🛡
Viridian Guard
25 users · replaces SaaS, you own everything
Full productivity + comms stackopen sourceincl.
File storage + backupincl.
CRM + business mgmtOdoo Communityincl.
Security, monitoring, endpoint mgmtincl.
Password manager + SSOincl.
IT strategy + roadmappingincl.
Infrastructure costVPS / hardware amort.~$250
No per-seat fees. No inflation.
You own everything, always.
Monthly Total
Replaces your SaaS stack. Price-stable forever.
<$1,800
price-stable
5-Year Total Cost · 25 Users
SaaS assumes 8.7% annual increase. MSP includes management fee plus SaaS at same inflation rate. Viridian Guard is flat.
$213,000
SaaS alone
$391,900
MSP + SaaS
$108,000
Viridian Guard
49%
saved vs SaaS alone
About Viridian Guard pricing

Our monthly engagement cost is based on your environment's complexity and the support your team needs, not a per-user headcount. The under $1,800/month figure shown here reflects a standard 25-user deployment with typical use cases. The upfront setup investment is typically five to eight months of your current monthly SaaS spend, and most clients see it pay for itself within the first twelve months. Your exact figure is confirmed through your free audit.

At 100 users, a traditional MSP adds over $11,500 per month on top of an already expensive SaaS stack. Viridian Guard costs less than SaaS alone.
$13,792
SaaS monthly today
$25,000+
Typical MSP + SaaS
<$4,500
Viridian Guard /mo
☁️
SaaS Subscriptions
100 users · pay forever, own nothing
Microsoft 365$14.50/user$1,450
Slack Business+$18/user$1,800
Zoom Business$18.33/user$1,833
Salesforce Starter Suite$25/user$2,500
Endpoint Security$8/user$800
Cloud File Storage$15/user$1,500
1Password Business$7.99/user$799
Cloud Backupest.$500
Jira Service Management$22/agent x5$110
Partial MSP / break-fixavg.$2,500
Annual price increases+8.7%/yr
Monthly Total
You own nothing. Prices keep rising.
$13,792
+8.7%/yr
🔧
Traditional MSP
100 users · management fee only, not a replacement
MSP management fee$115/user, volume pricing$11,500
Emergency calloutsbilled separatelyextra
Your SaaS subscriptionsstill running, unchanged+$11,292
Data stays on vendor serversyes
You own the infrastructureno
Per-user pricing penalises growthyes
SaaS price increases still apply+8.7%/yr
Monthly Total
MSP fee + SaaS. Still own nothing.
$22,792+
+8.7%/yr on SaaS
Note: Some MSPs bundle certain software licenses into their fee. Even then, you are still paying per seat, subject to vendor pricing, and you own nothing.
🛡
Viridian Guard
100 users · replaces SaaS, you own everything
Full productivity + commsNextcloud, Elementincl.
File storage + backupon-prem + offsiteincl.
CRM + business mgmtOdoo Communityincl.
Security, monitoring, endpoint mgmtincl.
Identity, SSO + password mgmtincl.
Self-hosted ITSMZammad / Freescoutincl.
IT strategy, vCIO + roadmappingincl.
Infrastructure costVPS / hardware amort.~$750
No per-seat fees. No inflation.
You own everything, always.
Monthly Total
Replaces your SaaS stack. Price-stable forever.
<$4,500
price-stable
5-Year Total Cost · 100 Users
SaaS assumes 8.7% annual increase. MSP includes management fee plus SaaS at same inflation rate. Viridian Guard is flat.
$980,000
SaaS alone
$1,765,000
MSP + SaaS
$270,000
Viridian Guard
72%
saved vs SaaS alone
About Viridian Guard pricing

Our monthly engagement cost is based on your environment's complexity and the support your team needs, not a per-user headcount. The under $4,500/month figure shown here reflects a standard 100-user deployment with typical use cases. The upfront setup investment is typically five to eight months of your current monthly SaaS spend, and most clients see it pay for itself within the first twelve months. Your exact figure is confirmed through your free audit.

The cost of staying on SaaS grows every year.

SaaS pricing does not stay flat. At 8.7 percent annual inflation, what looks manageable today becomes a serious cost problem within a few renewal cycles. The bars below show the cumulative five-year cost for each option.

10-User Business - 5-Year Total
SaaS alone
$88,600
$88,600
MSP + SaaS
$163,100
$163,100
Viridian Guard
$60,000
$60,000
25-User Business - 5-Year Total
SaaS alone
$213,000
$213,000
MSP + SaaS
$391,900
$391,900
Viridian Guard
$108,000
$108,000
100-User Business - 5-Year Total
SaaS alone
$980,000
$980,000
MSP + SaaS
$1,765,000
$1,765,000
Viridian Guard
$270,000
$270,000

SaaS 5-year totals assume 8.7% annual price increase from published 2025 vendor pricing. Traditional MSP 5-year totals use the industry midpoint of $125/user/month plus the SaaS stack, with 8.7% annual increase on the SaaS portion. Viridian Guard 5-year totals are based on the ceiling monthly figures shown above, held flat for five years. Actual costs are confirmed through your free audit.

The SaaS stack most businesses have never fully added up

Most businesses have never totalled all of their per-seat subscriptions in one place. The table below reflects a conservative real-world stack. Actual totals are frequently higher once shadow IT and departmental tools are counted.

Tool / CategoryPer User / Mo10 Users / Mo25 Users / Mo100 Users / Mo
Productivity Suite M365 Business Standard$14.50$145$363$1,450
Team Messaging Slack Pro/Business+$8.75-$18$88$219$1,800
Video Conferencing Zoom Business$18.33$183$458$1,833
CRM HubSpot / Salesforcevaries$90$250$2,500
Endpoint Security Defender / CrowdStrike$6-$8$60$150$800
Cloud File Storage Dropbox / SharePoint$15-$20$200$500$1,500
Password Manager 1Password$4-$7.99$40$100$799
Cloud Backup Acronis / Backblazeest.$75$150$500
Helpdesk / ITSM Freshdesk / Jira$15-$22/agent$60$45$110
IT Support / Break-fix hourly avg.est.$300$750$2,500
Monthly Total$1,241$2,985$13,792
8.7%
Annual SaaS price inflation
SaaS prices are rising at 8.7% year over year. A tool costing $100 per user today costs $152 per user in five years. That compounding happens whether you notice it or not.
$7,900
Average SaaS spend per employee
The average business spends $7,900 per employee annually on SaaS. Most leaders underestimate this by 30 to 40 percent because the costs are spread across separate invoices.
275
Average SaaS apps per company
The average organisation manages 275 SaaS applications. Shadow IT and departmental tools are typically untracked, unmanaged, and a growing security liability.
$0
Software license fees with Viridian Guard
Every tool we deploy is open source. Nextcloud, Mailcow, Odoo Community, Jitsi, Vaultwarden. The software is free. You pay for expertise and management, not the right to use someone else's platform.

Stop estimating. Find out exactly what you are spending and what you could save.

We will audit your current IT stack, map every subscription, and build a tailored cost comparison showing your actual monthly cost with Viridian Guard versus what you pay today.

Pricing Notes: SaaS per-seat costs sourced from published vendor pricing as of 2025-2026. SaaS inflation rate of 8.7% drawn from 2025 industry benchmarks. Traditional MSP rate of $125/user/month reflects the industry midpoint cited by CompTIA, Datto, and Kaseya MSP industry surveys (2024-2025). Traditional MSPs typically charge a management fee on top of existing SaaS subscriptions rather than replacing them; some MSPs bundle certain software licenses, but in all cases pricing remains per-seat and clients own no infrastructure. Viridian Guard monthly figures shown are ceiling estimates for standard deployments with typical use cases. Actual engagement pricing varies by environment complexity and support requirements and is confirmed through your free audit. Upfront setup investment is typically five to eight months of current monthly SaaS spend.