Tech for MSPs: The PSA/RMM/Documentation Stack, Honestly Priced

The short version, peer to peer: the MSP stack is PSA + RMM + documentation + backup + security — and everyone in this industry has opinions because everyone has scars. This guide prices the real tiers (not the website teaser), calls out the lock-in mechanics honestly, and treats the build-vs-buy question the way operators actually face it: as a bench-capacity problem, not a philosophy debate. Also see IT Providers, AI for MSPs, and Payments for IT Providers.

The stack, in the order that matters

1. PSA — tickets, projects, billing, agreements. ConnectWise PSA, Autotask, Syncro, SuperOps, HaloPSA. The operating system; switching it is the most expensive project you will undertake. 2. RMM — endpoint management, patching, monitoring, scripting. Often bundled with the PSA (ConnectWise RMM, Syncro) or standalone (NinjaOne, Kaseya). 3. Documentation — IT Glue, Hudu. The bus-factor insurance. 4. Backup & DR — Datto, Axcient, Veeam; the thing clients assume works until it does not. 5. Security stack — EDR, MDR/SOC, email security, DNS filtering; the fastest-growing cost line in the stack.

Buy in that order, and price the security stack honestly — it is where the per-seat cost has moved most in three years.

The PSA/RMM platforms, honestly compared

• ConnectWise (PSA + RMM) — PSA from about $45/user/month; the full platform (including security and backup via the ecosystem) scales steeply. Best for: MSPs that want the deepest ecosystem and will invest in the administration it demands. Watch out for: the platform is powerful and famously complex — under-administered ConnectWise is the industry's most expensive shelfware.
• Autotask (Datto/Kaseya) — quote-based, typically in the ConnectWise band. Best for: shops already in the Datto/Kaseya orbit. Watch out for: the Kaseya acquisition changed the pricing conversation industry-wide; negotiate accordingly and read the contract term.
• Syncro — from about $129/user/month all-in (PSA + RMM + remote access). Best for: small MSPs that want one invoice and sane defaults. Watch out for: depth lags ConnectWise on complex project and procurement workflows.
• SuperOps — from about $79–$99/user/month. Best for: modern UX with the AI layer (Monica) built in from the start. Watch out for: newer platform — verify the specific PSA depth (procurement, project accounting) you need.
• HaloPSA — from about $110/user/month. Best for: MSPs that want deep customization without the ConnectWise weight. Watch out for: the customization is the trap without an admin owner — same disease, different vendor.
• NinjaOne (RMM) — from about $4/endpoint/month (quote-based). Best for: best-in-class RMM paired with any PSA. Watch out for: it is RMM, not a stack — you still need the PSA.

On documentation: IT Glue (from about $29/user/month) is the standard; Hudu (from about $7/user/month self-hosted options) is the value play with a loyal following. Both beat the shared drive; pick by budget and verify the PSA integration.

Buy vs. build: the bench-capacity framing

Here is the operator's version, not the philosopher's: you build when the bench is thin and the project is real — a client portal, a custom integration between the PSA and the client's line-of-business app, an internal automation (Rewst-style runbooks are the buy option; custom is the build option) that your techs keep rebuilding by hand.

The honest economics: a senior engineer at $150k loaded costs you ~$12,500/month whether they are billable or not. A Nova 2–3 person senior-engineer team, engaged through a first consultation for a scoped project, costs less than carrying that engineer through a bench quarter — and you get the project done instead of staffing up for it. This is staff augmentation for operators, not outsourcing theater: the team works your backlog, in your tools, against your definition of done. Use it for the project surge, the integration backlog, and the portal the client keeps asking for — then decide with data whether the headcount is justified.

What not to build: another PSA, another RMM, another documentation platform. The graveyard of MSP-built internal tools is large and well documented. Build at the edges; buy the core.

What the whole stack costs: the 5-tech annual math

Five techs, 500 endpoints, realistic 2026 pricing, annual:

• ConnectWise route: PSA ~$45 × 5 × 12 = ~$2,700 + RMM/security/backup ecosystem — budget $15,000–$30,000/year all-in depending on the security stack.
• Syncro route: ~$129 × 5 × 12 = ~$7,740/year all-in (PSA+RMM).
• SuperOps route: ~$99 × 5 × 12 = ~$5,940/year.
• Add IT Glue: ~$29 × 5 × 12 = ~$1,740/year. Or Hudu: ~$7 × 5 × 12 = ~$420/year.
• Add NinjaOne (instead of bundled RMM): ~$4 × 500 × 12 = ~$24,000/year — the premium RMM decision, priced per endpoint.
• Security stack (EDR+MDR+email security): $5–$15/endpoint/month is the current band — $30,000–$90,000/year at 500 endpoints. This is the line item to watch.

The stack is $15,000–$120,000 a year depending on the security posture. Price the security stack per client, per seat, in the MSA — it is the cost line most MSPs under-recover.

Where MSPs waste money

ConnectWise without an admin. The $30,000 platform run like a $7,000 platform. If no one owns the administration, buy Syncro and be honest about it.

Security stack the MSA does not price. Every EDR/MDR seat you absorb is margin donated. Price the security stack per seat, per client, in writing.

Tool overlap. The RMM's remote access plus a standalone remote tool plus the PSA's remote tool: three invoices for one function. Audit the overlap annually.

Switching PSA for the AI demo. Said in the AI guide; worth repeating with feeling. The migration costs more than any feature gap.

Backup and DR: Datto vs. Axcient vs. Veeam, honestly

The product clients assume works until the day it does not. The three serious answers: Datto (Kaseya) — the MSP-standard BCDR with screenshot verification and cloud virtualization; the "it just works" choice with the ecosystem to match, priced per device/agent. Axcient — the value BCDR with chain-free architecture; strong for MSPs that want Datto-class recovery without Datto-class invoices. Veeam — the enterprise-grade backup platform, best for MSPs with virtualized clients and in-house depth to run it.

The buying criterion is not the feature matrix — it is the recovery test. Whichever you pick, the discipline is the product: monthly screenshot/boot verification, quarterly full restore tests, documented RTOs per client in the MSA. The MSPs that test recoveries sell BCDR with confidence; the MSPs that do not discover the gap during the client's ransomware event, which is the worst possible sales call. Price the BCDR per device, test it on schedule, and never let "the backups are running" substitute for "the restore was verified."

FAQ

ConnectWise vs Syncro vs SuperOps — which one? ConnectWise for ecosystem depth (with the admin to run it); Syncro for sane all-in-one at small scale; SuperOps for modern UX with AI native. HaloPSA for the customizers. Demo with your actual workflows.

IT Glue vs Hudu? IT Glue is the standard with the deepest PSA integrations; Hudu is the value play. Both beat the shared drive by orders of magnitude.

How much should the stack cost per endpoint? All-in (PSA/RMM/doc/backup/security): roughly $8–$25/endpoint/month depending on the security posture. Price it into the per-seat MSA rate.

When should an MSP build custom software? At the edges — client portals, PSA-to-LoB integrations, internal automation the techs keep rebuilding by hand. Never the core: PSA, RMM, documentation.

Datto vs Axcient — which one? Datto for the deepest ecosystem and the "just works" reputation; Axcient for comparable recovery at a better price. Both beat Veeam for the typical SMB MSP on simplicity.

How often should we test restores? Screenshot verification monthly, full restore tests quarterly, documented per client. The test is the product; the backup is just the prerequisite.

The move: 1) pick the PSA for five years and staff the admin role — the platform is only as good as its owner. 2) Price the security stack per seat in every MSA. 3) Build at the edges with a scoped team; buy the core. The MSP with a well-run stack, priced security, and honest build-vs-buy discipline is the one that scales past the founder doing tickets at midnight. For the triage layer, read AI for MSPs; for the money layer, Payments for IT Providers.