Managed DevOps vs. Hiring In-House: The Real 2026 Cost Comparison

Short answer: Hiring one in-house DevOps engineer costs roughly $150,000–$200,000/year fully loaded — and a single person cannot provide 24/7 coverage, take vacation, or cover every domain (Kubernetes, networking, security, cost, databases). Managed DevOps typically runs $500–$2,500/month for equivalent or broader coverage, with no recruiting cycle and no key-person risk. The right choice depends on how much ongoing, original infrastructure engineering you actually have — not on day-to-day operations.