DonutJobs gives you two routes to an assistant. With direct hire, you choose from a pool of 50,000+ pre-tested virtual assistants, agree the rate and pay your hire directly, with no per-hire fee, no placement fee and no commission on wages. With managed VA, you buy an 80 hour or 160 hour monthly package and get hours without managing a person. To compare them, work out the effective cost per hour of each route: total monthly cost divided by hours received. Direct hire suits you if you want to select and guide your own assistant, and managed VA suits you if you want the hours covered.
What Each Route Gives You
Direct hire. You post a role and, on Agency or Pro, search the pool, then shortlist from profiles that show results from an internet and hardware audit, an English communication test, a live typing speed test and a recorded voice sample, then agree terms and pay your hire directly. DonutJobs supports the process with an ATS, in-app chat, knockout questions and time tracking on paid plans.
Managed VA. You choose an 80 hour or 160 hour monthly package. The service gives you hours handled without managing a person, and it runs separately from the platform plans.
Both routes lead to the same result, a capable assistant on your work. They differ in how much of the selection, guidance and day to day management you want to handle yourself.
The Formulas, Step by Step
Use these steps with your own figures. The numbers in the example are index units for illustration only, not real rates.
- Direct hire monthly cost. Add your hire's rate x hours, your plan cost, payment and transfer fees, and your management time (hours x the value of your hour).
- Managed VA monthly cost. Take the package cost and add your oversight time (hours x the value of your hour).
- Effective cost per hour. Divide each monthly total by the hours you actually receive. If you do not use every hour in a package, divide by the hours used so the figure reflects real value.
- Compare the two. Subtract the lower figure from the higher one, divide by the lower figure and multiply by 100. This gives the difference as a percentage of the lower route.
Illustration only: if route A comes to 100 index units per hour and route B to 150, the gap is 50 units. 50 divided by 100 is 0.5, so route B costs 50 percent more per hour than route A. Put the other way, route A costs about 33 percent less than route B, because 50 divided by 150 is one third. Say which base you are using whenever you quote a percentage, because the same gap gives a different figure depending on the base.
Costs to Include in Each Route
For a fair comparison, count the same items on both sides:
- Hours you will really use each month
- Your time spent selecting, guiding and checking the work
- Setup and onboarding time
- Replacement cover if your assistant is away or moves on
- Payment and transfer costs
- Tools and seats your assistant needs
Direct hire on DonutJobs adds a plan cost and no commission on wages. Managed VA folds selection, replacement and day to day coordination into the package. The cost per hour is only one input, so weigh it alongside how much of your own time each route needs.
Which Route Fits Which Business
- Choose direct hire if you want to pick a specific person, build a long working relationship, set the rate yourself and run the work in your own tools.
- Choose managed VA if you want a set number of hours handled, have limited time to manage and prefer replacement to be handled for you.
- Use both if you run a growing business: a managed VA for routine hours and a direct hire for a specialist role.
Our guide on the difference between a VA marketplace and a managed VA service goes deeper on how each model works.
Start Either Route on DonutJobs
Here is how to move from the numbers to a first hire.
- Create your free account. The Free plan includes one active post, up to 10 applications and chat with applicants, so you can start without cost.
- Run your figures in the VA cost calculator. Enter your own figures and add lines for taxes and setup costs.
- For direct hire, post your role. On Agency or Pro, search the pool of 50,000+ pre-tested assistants with Magic Search and Swipe and message candidates through unlimited talent-pool outreach (Agency).
- Agree rate, hours and payment method with your hire, then pay them directly. On paid plans, track hours with the built-in time tracking.
- For managed VA, choose the 80 hour or 160 hour package that matches your workload.
Practical Use Cases
A founder with one assistant can use the formulas to see which route leaves more of their own time free. An agency owner hiring several assistants can compare a direct hiring plan across the whole team with managed hours for peak weeks. A business starting from zero can run a managed VA package while building a direct shortlist of candidates.
Plan Your Assistant's First Month
Whichever route you pick, set expectations in writing: tasks, hours, tools and how you will review work. For a direct hire, our guide to onboarding a new virtual assistant in the first 30 days gives you a ready structure. DonutJobs reports an average of about 48 hours from search to signed offer for direct hires, so you can move quickly once your shortlist is ready. This article is general information.
FAQ
How do I compare direct hire and managed VA?
Work out the effective cost per hour of each route: total monthly cost, including your own time, divided by the hours you receive. Then weigh how much management time each route needs.
Is there a commission on wages on DonutJobs?
No. DonutJobs has no per-hire fee, no placement fee and no commission on wages for direct hires. You pay your hire directly.
What does managed VA include?
Monthly packages of 80 hours or 160 hours, with the day-to-day management handled for you.
Can I use both routes?
Yes. You can use managed hours for routine work and hire a direct assistant for a specialist role.
Do I need a paid plan to hire directly?
You can start on the Free plan with one active post and up to 10 applications. Agency or Pro add the ATS, knockout questions, pool search and outreach for larger hiring needs.
You cannot judge a route until you know what it is made of. Put your own figures into the formulas, count your time on both sides and choose the route that gives you the hours and the management load you want.
Compare the two routes with your own numbers. Create your free DonutJobs account, compare plans or browse the talent pool.