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The question is workload, not preference
A Salesforce org needs the same jobs done whoever does them: users and permissions, reports, the request backlog, release testing, and someone watching the platform releases three times a year.
The real question is whether that adds up to a full week, every week. Below a certain volume a full-time hire is idle capacity you still pay for; above it, a subscription becomes the expensive option.
Three ways to cover it,
What each one really covers.
Permanent headcount
A full-time admin
Someone who learns your business and is there every day. The cost is recruitment, salary, holiday and the cover problem when they leave or take leave.
- 01Deep knowledge of your processes
- 02Available all day, every day
- 03Recruitment takes months
- 04Cover gaps during leave and after resignation
- 05One person's skill ceiling is your ceiling
Managed capacity
An admin subscription
Certified admin capacity on a monthly basis, with more than one person behind it. Predictable cost, no recruitment, and the skill mix changes with the work.
- 01No recruitment or notice periods
- 02Cover does not depend on one person
- 03Access to specialists for one-off work
- 04Predictable monthly cost
- 05Scale the hours up or down as the backlog moves
By the hour
A freelancer
Fast to start and flexible, and the right answer for a discrete project. Continuity and hand-over are the risks when the work is ongoing.
- 01Quick to engage
- 02Good for a defined project
- 03Availability competes with other clients
- 04Knowledge leaves with them
- 05Hourly billing rewards time, not outcomes
The honest part
When a subscription is the wrong answer
Hire instead when Salesforce is central to daily operations, the backlog genuinely fills a week, and you want that knowledge to live inside the business permanently. A subscription cannot match a colleague who sits in your planning meetings every day.
Use a freelancer instead when you have one clear project, a fixed end date, and nobody needs to own the platform afterwards.
Use a subscription when the work is real but uneven, when you need cover that does not vanish with one person, or when you would rather not run a recruitment process for a role you are not certain about yet.
Not sure which one you need?
Describe your backlog and we will tell you honestly whether it justifies a hire, a project, or a subscription.