When it comes to selecting the right tool for your MSP, cost-effectiveness is just as important as capability. Most MSP software solutions offer a per-technician pricing model, which looks simple upfront but can scale in unexpected ways as your team or service portfolio expands. Actual costs depend largely on how features are packaged, what capabilities are restricted to higher tiers, and which add-ons are billed separately.
Atera is an MSP software that offers per-technician pricing. On the surface, it promises predictable costs and unlimited endpoints under each technician. Yet, actual costs differ once you consider how add-ons like AI Copilot, Network Discovery, and security tools are billed separately.
In this article, we help you understand how Atera pricing works and whether Atera costs are really worth it in 2025 when stronger MSP software alternatives offering simpler pricing and more features exist.
How Atera pricing works
Atera uses a per-technician pricing model with unlimited endpoints under each technician. Instead of charging per device, billing is tied to the number of technicians using the platform.
Atera’s pricing is divided into two product families: one for IT departments and another for MSPs. Both include the same core RMM and PSA capabilities but differ in how plans and features are structured.
IT department plans
Professional: $149/month per technician (billed annually) or $169/month (billed monthly)
Expert: $189/month per technician (billed annually) or $229/month (billed monthly)
Master: $219/month per technician (billed annually) or $269/month (billed monthly)
Enterprise: Custom pricing (contact sales)
MSP plans
Pro: $129/month per technician (billed annually) or $139/month (billed monthly)
Growth: $179/month per technician (billed annually) or $189/month (billed monthly)
Power: $209/month per technician (billed annually) or $249/month (billed monthly)
Superpower (Enterprise): Custom pricing (contact sales)
Annual billing comes at a lower rate than monthly subscriptions, but both follow the same feature structure. Every plan includes the platform’s core elements such as ticketing, automation, patch management, and 24/7 chat support.
However, several functions are not included in these base plans. Add-ons and access to a marketplace of third-party integrations are charged separately.
Plan-by-plan breakdown
Every Atera plan includes the same basic elements like ticketing, automation, patch management, and 24/7 chat support. The differences between the tiers are in the reporting depth, audit log retention, asset management, and compliance tools. Across all tiers, add-ons like AI Copilot and Network Discovery, as well as marketplace integrations, remain separate purchases that affect the overall cost.
Since the IT Department and MSP plan families mirror each other closely, we’ve grouped them together here for clarity.
1. Professional / Pro
The entry-level Professional (IT Dept) and Pro (MSP) plans form the baseline offering. They are priced at $149/month per technician (IT) and $129/month (MSP) when billed annually, with slightly higher monthly rates.
These plans are intended for smaller IT teams or MSPs managing core monitoring and ticketing functions without advanced analytics or compliance tools.
Key features
Remote monitoring and alerts for all devices
Patch and software management automation
Splashtop access (two concurrent sessions)
Service portal and knowledge base access
Helpdesk with SLA tracking and invoicing tools
Azure AD integration for contact syncing
One-month audit log retention
Mobile app for iOS and Android
Support for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Up to five custom support addresses
What’s missing
This tier lacks advanced analytics, compliance reporting, and extended audit retention. There are no AnyDesk or unlimited Splashtop sessions, and reporting remains limited to basic templates. Network Discovery and AI Copilot are available only as add-ons, which leaves most automation and insight features gated behind higher plans.
2. Expert / Growth
The Expert (IT) and Growth (MSP) plans raise pricing to $189/month and $179/month per technician (annual billing). They’re positioned for growing teams that require broader OS coverage and more flexible automation.
Key features
Support for Windows, Mac, and Linux environments
Unlimited Splashtop sessions and AnyDesk access
Eleven preset system and performance reports
Ticket auto-tagging for workflow automation
Up to ten custom support addresses
File transfers up to 15-50 GB per month
Six-month audit log retention
Integration with QuickBooks and Xero
Five custom asset types
API access and CSV export options
What’s missing
While this tier introduces cross-platform coverage, reporting remains fixed to preset templates, which limits deeper insights. Data recovery, custom analytics, and longer retention logs are unavailable.
3. Master / Power
At $219/month per technician (IT) and $209/month (MSP) billed annually, the Master / Power tier targets established teams seeking compliance and reporting control.
Key features
Ten custom analytics and performance reports
Up to twenty custom asset types
Twelve-month audit log retention
Unlimited custom support addresses
File transfers up to 50-80 GB monthly
Access to data recovery tools
Advanced automation scripting and scheduling
Expanded asset visibility and management
SLA tracking and contract management
Centralized ticket escalation and assignment
What’s missing
Even in this tier, certain capabilities remain inaccessible. Full compliance tools, such as SSO and continuous directory sync, are absent. Reporting flexibility is still limited. While custom reports are allowed, there are caps and fewer dynamic filters. Some complex automation or escalation path logic remains limited in scope.
4. Enterprise
The Enterprise / Superpower plan removes most of the earlier limitations but moves to custom pricing, with costs disclosed only through direct sales. It is targeted at large MSPs or IT departments operating under strict compliance or data retention policies.
Key features
Single sign-on (SSO) and Azure AD continuous sync
Private software repository and custom SSL domain
Unlimited custom analytics and reporting
Script-based custom fields and unlimited asset types
Network Discovery included (bundled for this tier only)
Audit logs retained for up to seven years
HIPAA BAA support and compliance readiness
Tailored onboarding for three or more technicians
File transfers up to 100 GB monthly
99.9% uptime SLA and session management tools
What’s missing
Despite including most platform capabilities, this plan’s lack of transparent pricing makes cost evaluation difficult. It also keeps marketplace integrations and third-party licensing outside the base subscription, meaning additional device-based expenses still apply.
Add-ons, usage-based costs, and third-party services
Atera’s advertised pricing only covers its core platform. The actual spend increases once you factor in the add-ons and third-party integrations that most MSPs and IT teams rely on for daily operations. These features are billed separately, which changes the total cost of ownership despite the per-technician pricing model.
1. AI Copilot: $95/month per technician
AI Copilot is priced per technician and not included in any base plan. It adds automation and diagnostic functions such as alert analysis, script generation, and ticket summarization. While promoted as an optional upgrade, it has become central to Atera’s recent positioning, effectively adding nearly $1,100 per technician each year to the subscription cost.
Additional read: The AI future is here - make the right choices for your MSP business
2. Network Discovery: $29/month per technician
Network Discovery is another add-on that identifies connected or unauthorized devices and assists with asset onboarding. It is available only as a paid service for all plans except the Enterprise plan. If your team relies on this feature, you’re looking at an additional $348 per technician annually.
3. Marketplace and Usage-Based Integrations
Beyond platform add-ons, Atera’s marketplace introduces further costs through per-device or per-user billing. These are separate from technician licenses and typically include endpoint protection, data backup, and email security.
Here’s how some of these integrations are priced:
Service | Type | Starting Price |
Cynet Security | Endpoint Protection | $5.99 per device |
Bitdefender / Webroot / ThreatDown | Security | ~$1.2 per endpoint |
Acronis | Backup | $0.07 per GB |
ESET | MDM & Security | $1.25 per device |
Keeper | Password Security | $3.4 per user |
Axcient | Backup | $1.56 per endpoint |
Ironscales | Email Security | $2 per mailbox |
Domotz | Network Monitoring | $1.5 per device |
Each of these tools is billed separately and scales with usage, meaning MSPs that manage hundreds or thousands of endpoints see costs increase proportionally.
Even though Atera promotes predictable per-technician pricing, the combined effect of these add-ons and integrations results in total monthly expenses that are often considerably higher than the headline rates suggest.
Is Atera worth it in 2025?
Atera’s per-technician pricing model might look predictable, especially if you manage multiple endpoints under a small team. The platform brings RMM and PSA into one interface and can get you started with monitoring, ticketing, and patch management without a long setup cycle. That said, once your operations become more data-driven or client-facing, you may notice how limited that simplicity really is.
Where costs add up
Many of Atera’s capabilities are tiered or separated behind additional licensing. Features like advanced analytics, detailed reporting, and compliance tracking are accessible only in higher plans, while essential utilities such as AI Copilot and Network Discovery are billed separately. Even read-only users often require full licenses, which inflates costs when multiple team members need access to dashboards or reports.
In 2025, Atera feels better suited to small MSPs than to growing IT operations seeking long-term scalability and transparency, especially when alternatives like SuperOps offer unified PSA-RMM capabilities, built-in automation, and AI tools without the layered add-on costs.
Additional read: How to choose the right PSA tool for your SMB needs
Common problems MSPs face with Atera
We will pick a few common issues mentioned below and highlight them in this section.
1. Agent problems
The Atera agent frequently loses connection or fails to report device status consistently. Many users mention endpoints going offline without reason or requiring manual restarts to re-establish communication. Such instability breaks automation workflows and delays patch deployments, especially in large environments where proactive monitoring is key.
2. Performance and reliability
Atera’s platform performance tends to fluctuate, particularly during peak business hours. Users have observed delays in executing scripts, loading dashboards, or syncing data between modules. These slowdowns can interrupt routine operations and affect SLA commitments. The cloud interface, while simple, does not always maintain stable responsiveness when handling larger datasets or multiple concurrent sessions.
3. Integration issues
Integration depth remains limited for many teams. Certain security and backup tools work only within Atera’s defined scope, and features promoted in documentation sometimes appear unavailable in active environments. Users have also reported mismatches between documentation and what is actually supported on their accounts, creating friction during deployment.
4. Support and communication
Support delays remain one of the more frequent frustrations. Many users report slow response times or generic troubleshooting that often requires escalation before resolution. In some cases, the support team’s lack of technical depth prolongs issue resolution.
5. Splashtop integration
While Splashtop provides remote access, reliability issues are common. Some users found the integration lacking advanced controls, such as full registry or task manager access, while others reported depending on Splashtop mainly for basic remote connectivity despite paying for higher tiers.
6. Patching and scripting
Although Atera automates patch management effectively for core systems, users note limitations with third-party updates, granular control, and scripting. Scripts sometimes fail to execute as expected, and patch scheduling lacks flexibility for testing or controlled rollout environments. For larger teams, these restrictions can create manual overhead in what should be an automated workflow.
7. AI features
Atera’s growing focus on AI has drawn mixed reactions. While automation support is appreciated, some users find the diagnostic outputs inconsistent and prefer manual verification before applying fixes. Others mention that the transition of AI Copilot from an included feature to a paid add-on has increased operational costs without corresponding value improvements.
The Atera alternative you need: SuperOps
SuperOps is an all-in-one PSA-RMM platform built natively for modern MSPs. It merges automation, project management, and service delivery in a single interface, without the layered feature gates that make platforms like Atera costlier to scale. Every plan includes full PSA, RMM, IT documentation, and project management modules. AI-powered assistance through Monica helps automate ticket replies, summaries, and resolutions across endpoints.
Pricing tiers
Starter: $79 per technician/month (billed annually)
Growth: $99 per technician/month (billed annually)
Premium: $129 per technician/month (billed annually)
Super: $159 per technician/month (billed annually)
Unlike Atera, these plans do not fragment key tools behind higher tiers. All users get access to automation, AI assistance, and reporting without needing extra add-ons or per-endpoint fees.
SuperOps also provides built-in security and network monitoring, hierarchical policies, and patch compliance tracking at no additional cost. Its transparent pricing and public roadmap reduce surprises, while the SOC 2-compliant cloud infrastructure strengthens reliability. Visit our pricing page for more information.
How to choose the best alternative
You need a system that scales with your growth, adapts to client needs, and eliminates hidden dependencies. Here are a few pointers to help you find the right tool:
1. Define your core IT and business outcomes
Start by identifying what you want to improve, like faster ticket resolution, SLA compliance, or proactive monitoring. A platform like SuperOps helps you automate these outcomes by linking RMM data directly with PSA workflows. You can set SLA-based triggers, automate escalations, and gain full visibility into response and resolution times across all clients.
2. Prioritize UX and time-to-value
Your technicians should be able to get productive quickly. Look for platforms with intuitive UI, contextual navigation, and minimal setup time. SuperOps offers clean, modular dashboards where every module, including tickets, projects, alerts, or invoices, works seamlessly together.
3. Validate scale and flexibility
As your client base expands, scalability becomes a deciding factor. The platform should handle multiple client environments without breaking your workflows. SuperOps offers a multi-tenant setup that lets you define policies, monitoring thresholds, and patch rules globally while still customizing them for individual clients.
4. Map integrations you cannot operate without
Integrations decide how well your PSA-RMM platform fits into your existing toolstack. Check for compatibility with identity providers (IDP), antivirus tools, backup solutions, and accounting systems. SuperOps integrates natively with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Azure AD, Bitdefender, Acronis, and ESET, giving you a unified view of assets, tickets, and financials without needing third-party connectors.
5. Compare pricing mechanics carefully
Always evaluate what is included versus what is billed separately. Atera, for example, charges per technician but adds costs for AI and network discovery. In contrast, SuperOps includes advanced automation, Monica AI assistance, patching, and documentation tools by default.
6. Evaluate support, roadmap transparency, and community
Support response time and roadmap visibility reflect how customer-centric a platform is. Choose vendors like SuperOps with open roadmaps, community forums, and direct access to product managers.
To wrap up
Atera’s per-technician pricing may seem appealing on paper, but it rarely stays that way once you start using it at scale. For every added functionality your team needs, it gets locked behind another paid tier or add-on. AI Copilot, Network Discovery, and even advanced reporting add up to the cost, and in the end, you are left with a higher bill than expected.
SuperOps, on the other hand, is the cleaner, modern alternative built with MSP realities in mind. It gives you a unified PSA-RMM platform where automation, monitoring, and service delivery are built in and are not gated by tiers.
Every plan includes essential tools like intelligent ticketing, project management, patch automation, and AI-led assistance without surprise add-ons. This way, the pricing always stays predictable and scales fairly as your team grows, instead of punishing you for using more features.
Book a demo with SuperOps to explore a smarter, simpler way to scale your MSP operations.