How fast do MSPs respond? 1,903 published response times (2026)
Fast, on paper. Of the 1,633 US and UK managed service providers whose website states a first-response time in minutes or hours, the middle one promises 30 minutes. In the US the median is 20 minutes, in the UK it's an hour. The single most common promise is 15 minutes: 432 MSPs say it.
But most MSPs don't publish a response time at all. Only 1,903 of the 12,197 MSPs we've researched in full (15.6%) put a response time on their site.
The short answer
- 1,903 of 12,197 MSPs (15.6%) publish a response time: 1,407 of 8,920 in the US (15.8%) and 496 of 3,277 in the UK (15.1%).
- Median fastest promise: 30 minutes across 1,633 MSPs that give a time in minutes or hours. US: 20 minutes. UK: 60 minutes.
- 15 minutes is the most common promise (432 MSPs), then 2 hours (191), 1 hour (190), 24 hours (162) and 30 minutes (156).
- 48.1% of US and 35.7% of UK MSPs in that group promise 15 minutes or less. 72.9% of US and 59.6% of UK MSPs promise an hour or less.
- Only 232 word it as a guarantee. 437 call it an average or a typical time.
All counts are from MSP Scope's check of each MSP's own website, November 7-9, 2026.
Fastest published response time, US vs UK
Each MSP counts once, at the fastest first-response time it publishes. Shares are of MSPs that give a time in minutes or hours: 1,232 in the US and 401 in the UK.
| Fastest promise | US MSPs | UK MSPs |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 minutes | 3.7% | 2.5% |
| 5 to 15 minutes | 44.3% | 33.2% |
| 16 to 30 minutes | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 31 to 60 minutes | 12.3% | 11.2% |
| Over 1 hour, up to 4 hours | 16.0% | 24.9% |
| Over 4 hours, up to 24 hours | 10.2% | 13.5% |
| Over 24 hours | 0.9% | 2.0% |
The US skews faster. Almost half of US MSPs that publish a time say 15 minutes or less, against about a third in the UK. British MSPs are more likely to quote a 2- or 4-hour response, often as a tiered service level (for example 4 hours for critical faults, 8 for general ones), and the UK median lands on 1 hour.
Seconds, minutes and on-site visits
Some promises aren't about tickets at all. 170 MSPs publish a time in seconds, mostly for how fast a call gets answered: the median is 30 seconds (42 in the US, 15 in the UK). We kept those out of the table above, because "your call is answered in 15 seconds" and "a technician responds in 15 minutes" aren't the same promise.
On-site response is rarely published. Only 69 MSPs give a time for getting an engineer to your office; the median is 1 hour, but that sample is small.
Read the small print
A published response time is marketing copy until it's in your contract. Three things stood out:
- Average isn't a guarantee. 437 of the 1,903 MSPs (23.0%) describe their time as an average or typical figure. Only 232 (12.2%) use the word guarantee.
- Fast often means critical only. 349 (18.3%) tie the time to critical, urgent or emergency issues. A 15-minute critical response and a 15-minute response to every ticket are different services.
- Some of it is stock wording. 68 unrelated MSP sites carry the identical line "We respond within 5 minutes or less", and 78 say "All other methods will receive a response in less than 2 hours". Shared website templates are common in this industry, so ask what the number means for your account.
MSPs that say their support is 24/7 are more likely to publish a response time: 22.6% of US and 20.3% of UK MSPs that claim 24/7 support do, against 12.7% and 13.2% of the rest. Our MSP support report has the full numbers on 24/7 and after-hours cover.
What this means
- If you're choosing an MSP, ask for the response time in the service agreement, by priority level, and ask whether it's a target, an average or a guarantee with a credit if it's missed. Then compare like with like. Our published pricing page shows what MSPs charge per user when they say so.
- If you run an MSP, publishing a specific, honest number puts you in the 15.6% that do. Stating what it covers (all tickets or critical only, business hours or 24/7) is rarer still.
Browse MSPs in the US or the UK, or search by service and location. Last week we counted which remote support tools MSPs use.
Questions people ask
What is a typical MSP response time? The median fastest response time MSPs publish is 30 minutes: 20 minutes in the US and 60 minutes in the UK, based on 1,633 MSPs whose websites state a first-response time in minutes or hours. 15 minutes is the most common single promise (432 MSPs). Counted by MSP Scope in November 2026.
How many MSPs publish a response time or SLA? 15.6%. Of 12,197 US and UK MSPs researched in full, 1,903 state a response time on their website: 15.8% in the US and 15.1% in the UK. MSPs that claim 24/7 support publish one more often (22.6% US, 20.3% UK).
Is a 15-minute response time guaranteed? Usually not on the website. Of 1,903 MSPs publishing a response time, 232 (12.2%) call it a guarantee, 437 (23.0%) call it an average or typical figure, and 349 (18.3%) limit it to critical or urgent issues. Check the service agreement.
How we counted
We read each MSP's home page and linked pages such as services, support and pricing (a median of 13 pages per MSP) on November 7-9, 2026, for all 12,197 MSP Scope profiles researched in full (8,920 US, 3,277 UK). A response time counts when the MSP's own sentence states how fast it responds, answers or gets on-site. We left out replies to sales enquiries and contact forms, resolution times, "24 hours a day" hours claims, and sentences about other providers or advice to buyers. Each MSP counts once, at its fastest first-response time in minutes or hours; times in seconds and on-site times are counted separately. A time not on the website isn't proof the MSP doesn't have one. Full method: how we check.
You're welcome to quote or chart these numbers. Please link to this page as the source.
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