Let’s be honest: pricing your MSP services shouldn’t feel like a game of Twister played blindfolded. Yet here we are—everyone wants to stand out, attract the right clients, and still pay the team without selling a kidney. The good news? Tiered pricing with usage-based add-ons can bring sanity and structure to the chaos. The trick is doing it right.
Why MSPs Struggle With Pricing (It's Not Just You)
If you’ve ever wondered whether your clients are confused by your pricing, the answer is probably yes. If you’re wondering whether you’re confused by your pricing, that’s a harder yes. One-size-fits-all pricing tends to fit no one, and if your service tiers are vague or overly complex, you risk turning decision-makers into indecisive ghosts.
What MSP owners need is a pricing strategy that:
- Makes it easy for prospects to choose
- Encourages upgrades without pressure
- Covers costs and builds margin
- Leaves room for client-specific flexibility
No pressure, right?
The Tiered Model: Basic, Better, and “You Really Like Us”
Tiered pricing remains popular for a reason: it works. Think of it like menu options at a restaurant. Not everyone wants the filet, but no one wants to eat off the kid’s menu forever either. Offering 3–4 clearly defined service tiers allows clients to self-select based on value, risk tolerance, and budget.
Your tiers might look something like:
- Essentials: Basic monitoring, antivirus, patching
- Professional: Essentials + backup, endpoint protection, reporting
- Premium: Everything + compliance, vCIO, quarterly reviews, and maybe a singing telegram
The goal? Let clients move up over time without feeling like they’re being nickel-and-dimed. Enter: usage-based add-ons.
Usage-Based Add-ons: The Secret Sauce
Here’s where things get deliciously customizable. Usage-based add-ons let you:
- Upsell clients without forcing them into a higher tier they don’t need
- Scale services based on actual usage (email archiving, backup storage, advanced EDR seats)
- Avoid bundling things no one uses into your base tier just to justify the price
Clients feel like they’re getting exactly what they need. You maintain profitability without bloating your core packages. Everyone wins.
Avoiding the "Franken-Tier"
There’s a danger here, though: if you bolt on too many “options”, your pricing page can start to look like the menu at a fusion tapas bar. Resist the urge to overcomplicate. Clients don’t want a customizable firewall if they don’t know what a firewall does. Keep it simple:
- Clear base tiers
- A menu of well-defined add-ons
- Transparent per-user or per-device pricing for anything metered
Make your offers easy to compare, but don’t make your prospects feel like they need a PhD to make a choice.
But Will It Convert?
Good question. The way you present your pricing matters just as much as what you’re charging. Here are a few things that improve conversions:
- Clean, comparison-style pricing pages
- Explainers or mini case studies for each tier
- Reassuring support for whichever option they choose
- A guided sales process to help clients choose what makes sense for them
Your goal is to remove friction. Help clients choose with confidence, not confusion. Pricing transparency doesn’t cheapen your value—it reinforces it.
One Last Thing Before You Go Tier Crazy
Just because a client picks your lowest tier today doesn’t mean they’re stuck there forever. As they grow, needs change, and their trust in you deepens, your tiered model with flexible add-ons becomes a roadmap, not a wall.
It’s not about limiting access. It’s about structuring growth.
Why Partner With Tactics Marketing
At Tactics Marketing, we know what MSPs are up against. You’re trying to do right by your clients, scale your business, and not lose your mind writing proposals that read like sci-fi novels. We help you build pricing strategies and go-to-market messaging that convert, without the buzzwords or BS.
Need help refining your tiered offers? Let’s talk. Click here to schedule a quick call with the Tactics team, and let’s get your pricing working for you, not against you.
