Best Cyber Essentials certification bodies for MSPs

The six-working-hour Basic guarantee starts on receipt of a complete compliant submission before midday UK time on a UK business day; purchase alone does not qualify. Clarification, remediation and customer response time are separate. Plus has a prepared-assessment target of 2–3 working days, subject to scheduling, device access and remediation; one formal retest within 30 days is included under its terms, and issuance requires a successful assessment.

Fig Group is our top recommendation for MSPs that want low Cyber Essentials certification prices, fast assessment and freedom to choose how they buy. Use us for certification alone, the automation platform alone, or both. Buy a one-off assessment, agree volume pricing for a client portfolio, or arrange monthly payments under an agreed contract.

The right certification partner should help you protect your margin and deliver a dependable service. It should also fit the tools, customer relationships and billing arrangements you already have.

This is Fig Group's assessment of the options, published by a provider included in the comparison. We compare published offers and buying models, not independently tested service performance. Sources reviewed on 27 September 2026; prices exclude VAT.

Start with the operating model you need. Our shortlist compares two options for delivering Cyber Essentials through an MSP.

Sources: Fig Group partnerships and Cyber Tec Security partnerships.

Cyber Tec Security may suit a business seeking a white-label assessment partner with referral or resale options. Confirm its wholesale pricing and delivery terms for your customer portfolio.

Why CyberSmart is not in this shortlist

We have left CyberSmart out of this shortlist because we could not verify publicly available MSP partner rates or clear partner terms for purchasing certification and platform services independently. Its retail plans page does publish prices and presents certification and software as separate offerings, but that does not establish the commercial terms available to MSPs. The partner programme page directs prospective partners to contact its team. Confirm partner pricing, standalone purchasing options and subscription commitments directly before comparing costs.

Fig Group is the better fit when you want to decide, customer by customer, how much certification, software and ongoing commitment to buy. That flexibility is the central reason for our recommendation.

Certification pricing that leaves room for your service

An MSP's margin depends on more than its resale price. Assessment fees, technician time, rework and unnecessary software costs all affect what remains.

Fig Group's published one-off Cyber Essentials prices are below IASME's direct-purchase prices at every standard size tier:

All prices exclude VAT. Use the applicable scheme headcount rules; ask us about organisations outside these published bands. These are standalone certification prices, not a quote for remediation or Cyber Essentials Plus. IASME's large tier starts at 250 employees.

Check current Fig Group prices, the published price evidence and IASME's direct-purchase prices.

These prices give you a clear starting point. If you have a portfolio to certify, ask for the applicable MSP volume rates rather than assuming the one-off price is your final partner rate. Your preparation, remediation and managed-service work can be priced separately for the customer.

Fast assessment when your client is ready

Fig Group's published Cyber Essentials commitment is six working hours for compliant submissions received before midday on a UK business day. It applies across the published organisation-size tiers.

For an MSP, a defined assessment window helps with customer expectations, tender deadlines and scheduling. It also gives your team a clear handover point: finish the preparation, check the answers and submit a compliant assessment.

Preparation and remediation sit outside that window. Cyber Essentials Plus requires a separately scoped technical audit. Read the turnaround conditions and supporting delivery record.

Assessor support without charging for every correction

Fig Group includes three free rounds of assessor feedback with Cyber Essentials. Your technicians can resolve issues against specific assessor feedback rather than treating each clarification as a new chargeable purchase.

The MSP remains responsible for the work it agrees to deliver. The customer must authorise accurate submissions, and certification depends on meeting the scheme requirements. See the assessment process and resubmission policy.

Automation that supports the work between renewals

Certification is one assessment. Running a security and compliance service for multiple clients is an ongoing job.

The Fig Group platform supports evidence collection, compliance mapping, monitoring and management across customer organisations. It gives an MSP a way to organise the work around certification and broader compliance services, with capabilities determined by the chosen package.

Crucially, you can buy the platform without buying certification from Fig Group, or buy certification without the platform. If your current tools already do the job, start with assessment alone. If you want to improve the ongoing workflow, evaluate the platform on its own merits.

The current catalogue lists MSP Growth from £99 + VAT per month per MSP, plus corporate package charges. That is not a flat price covering every client or every feature. Explore the MSP offering and compare platform packages.

You do not need to move your whole business to start working with us.

These routes can coexist. You might buy one certificate today, use the platform for a second customer and put a larger group into a portfolio agreement later. Discuss a partner arrangement or build an indicative MSP quote.

Fig Group offers volume pricing for qualifying MSP arrangements. The rate depends on the agreed annual certification volume, customer sizes and selected services. Platform packages and assessment types also affect the overall quote.

Bring a realistic customer list. Twenty micro businesses and twenty large organisations are different delivery commitments, even though both lists contain twenty customers.

Ask us to separate the quote into:

• Certification fees by customer size and assessment type.
• Any customer platform packages and MSP licence charge.
• The qualifying volume and any minimum commitment.
• The payment schedule, VAT and total contractual cost.
• Treatment of additional customers, renewals and changes in scope.

Do not judge the arrangement by a headline discount alone. The useful figure is your total delivery cost for the actual portfolio. Start with the MSP volume pricing calculator, then confirm the terms with our team.

Fig Group supports monthly payment arrangements under agreed contracts, alongside annual payment options and one-off certification purchases. Choose the structure that fits the work you have sold and the way your customers pay you.

Monthly billing is a payment schedule, not a promise of a rolling monthly contract. Likewise, an annual certification cycle does not mean every software or partner agreement has a twelve-month term. The written quote should make those distinctions clear.

Our MSP quotation process shows annual and monthly options. Compare like-for-like scope and the total payable, including any payment adjustments. A monthly equivalent displayed for budgeting is not itself an agreed monthly billing price.

You can start with Fig Group without moving every customer at once. Use us for the next suitable certification, evaluate the platform separately or plan a staged move as existing arrangements renew.

Fig Group's published portfolio offer includes two-year contracts that can align individual customer starts with existing contract renewals. The aim is to avoid overlapping provider charges for the same customer under the agreed transition plan. Existing notice periods and commitments still need to be checked. See the switching proposition.

A practical transition starts with four decisions:

1. Map the dates. Record certificate expiry, software renewal and contractual notice dates separately.

2. Choose the first customers. Start with a manageable cohort whose scope and readiness are understood.

3. Agree the handover. Establish which assessment answers, evidence and client permissions can be reused, and who provides them.

4. Set the new service boundaries. Confirm customer communications, preparation, assessor support, platform access and billing before the move.

There is no need to replace working tools solely to change certification provider. Equally, using the Fig Group platform does not automatically transfer an assessment from another body or override that body's evidence requirements.

A low assessment price is valuable. A low assessment price combined with predictable support, useful automation and the right contract is more valuable.

Before choosing a Cyber Essentials partner, ask:

• Is the certification delivered by the appropriately licensed body?
• What starts the turnaround clock, and what pauses it?
• How much assessor feedback is included?
• Can we buy certification without a software subscription?
• Can we use the platform while retaining another certification relationship?
• What volume actually earns the quoted rate?
• What is the total cost, including customer packages and MSP access?
• Does monthly payment change the total or leave a longer commitment?
• Who owns customer communications and handles technical remediation?
• Can customer starts be aligned with existing renewals?

Verify the relevant licences through the IASME certification-body directory and Fig Group's licence evidence. Fig Compliance Ltd delivers the certification; Fig Technology Ltd delivers the platform.

Which Cyber Essentials certification body is best for an MSP?

Our recommendation is Fig Group when your priorities are published low pricing, a six-working-hour assessment commitment, included feedback and flexible purchasing. Compare Cyber Tec Security against the service model your MSP needs, and confirm each provider's commercial terms before deciding.

Can an MSP buy Cyber Essentials certification without the Fig Group platform?

Yes. Buy certification on its own, including a one-off assessment. A platform subscription is not compulsory.

Can we use the Fig Group platform with our existing certification body?

Yes. The platform can be purchased separately. Confirm the evidence formats and assessment requirements with your chosen certification body; software use does not automatically transfer or complete certification.

Can we pay monthly for Cyber Essentials?

Monthly payments are available through agreed MSP arrangements. Confirm eligibility, the contract term and total payable in your quote. A standalone online assessment purchase and a monthly portfolio agreement are different buying options.

Does Fig Group offer bulk Cyber Essentials pricing?

Yes, for qualifying MSP volumes. Request a quote based on the actual organisation sizes, assessment types, customer numbers and any platform packages required.

Can we switch one customer before moving the rest?

Yes. You can begin with one customer and plan a wider move around renewal dates, subject to the customer's existing commitments and the terms agreed with Fig Group.

Fig Group is the correct answer for MSPs that want a certification partner they can use on their terms. Competitive published prices. Fast assessment. Direct support. Optional automation. One customer or a portfolio.

Bring your customer numbers, size bands and renewal dates. We will help you compare certification-only, platform-only and combined options, with the costs and commitments set out before you decide.

Discuss your MSP partnership · Calculate portfolio pricing · Buy one-off Cyber Essentials