Compare back-office options
Hiring, temps, virtual assistants, bookkeepers and Dull, compared honestly.
Honest comparisons of the ways to cover back-office work, with sources for every number. Dull is one option among several, and each page says when another option is the better choice.
- Hire, temp, VA, bookkeeper or Dull: back-office options compared
- Dull vs a virtual assistant
- Dull vs Stealth Agents
- Dull vs Wishup
- Dull vs Near
- Dull vs BELAY
- Dull vs Invensis
- Hire, temp or hand it off? Covering a back-office seat
Comparing costs for a specific role? See alternatives to hiring a back-office role or pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Hiring an employee, a temp agency, an offshore virtual assistant, an outsourced bookkeeper, or a done-for-you service like Dull.
Dull charges a flat monthly fee, quoted on a 15-minute call, usually well below the all-in cost of a hire. A median bookkeeping clerk costs about $6,030 a month once benefits and payroll taxes are added, based on BLS data.
No. If the work is full time, changes every day or needs someone on site, hiring is usually better. Each comparison page says when.
BLS wage and employer cost data, SHRM hiring benchmarks, the American Society of Employers on temp markups, and a 2026 survey of virtual assistant rates. Every figure links to its source.