What is a fair IT budget for a freelancer in year 1
Starting up runs from a few hundred euros one-off plus tens per month. Starting smartly costs slightly more and saves a lot later.
Try this first
- 1One-off: laptop (refurbished business or new mid-tier), monitor, dock, keyboard, mouse, headset. Total ranges 1000 to 2000 euros depending on demands.
- 2Monthly: domain (few euros), business mail (M365 Business Basic or Workspace Starter), backup (M365 or third party), password manager (Bitwarden Business or 1Password), MFA (free app).
- 3Do not forget: bookkeeping package (Moneybird, e-Boekhouden, MoneyMonk, Yuki) depending on VAT workload and bank connection.
- 4Do not: take an "all-in" hosting package with mail. Mail separately at M365 or Workspace, hosting separately, domain separately. Looks pricier, much better long term.
- 5Do not: start without backup. An external disk plus a cloud backup together cost a few tens per month. Losing two years of work costs more.
When to bring us in
For a complete year-1 IT setup as a freelancer, /contact. We do it right in half a day instead of cleaning up later.
See also
- What does Managed IT actually cost for a 10-person SMBNo fixed number, but an honest breakdown. A full package for ten people is not 50 euros a month and not 5000 either.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard versus Premium, what is extraThe price jump is real but Premium does not add Word features. It adds security and device management.
- Microsoft announces another price hike, what do I doSince NCE Microsoft adjusts pricing structurally. Without action you renew at the new price for a full year.
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