Decision guides
Compare your finance options — honestly
Fractional or full-time? Accountant or bookkeeper? Outsourced or in-house? These guides lay out the real trade-offs side by side — including, plainly, when the option that isn't us is the right call. Written by Stuart Wilson, ACMA CGMA.
United States
Fractional CFO vs Full-Time CFO
For most US companies under roughly $10M in revenue, a fractional CFO is the correct choice: you get senior financial judgement for $48,000–$108,000 a year inst…
Read the comparison →Outsourced Controller vs Fractional CFO
These are different roles, not a tier of the same job. An outsourced controller delivers accuracy — a reliable monthly close, GAAP-correct reporting, and oversi…
Read the comparison →BlackpeakCFO vs Pilot
BlackpeakCFO and Pilot solve the same problem in very different ways. Pilot is a VC-backed, software-enabled finance firm with subscription tiers and team-based…
Read the comparison →BlackpeakCFO vs QuickBooks Live
BlackpeakCFO is an independent chartered accounting practice; QuickBooks Live is Intuit's own assisted-bookkeeping service built inside QuickBooks Online. Quick…
Read the comparison →BlackpeakCFO vs 1-800Accountant
BlackpeakCFO and 1-800Accountant operate at opposite ends of the same market. 1-800Accountant is a large, high-volume online accounting firm with subscription p…
Read the comparison →United Kingdom
Fractional FD vs Full-Time Finance Director
For most UK businesses under roughly £10M in turnover, a fractional FD is the correct choice: you get senior financial leadership for £24,000–£60,000 a year ins…
Read the comparison →Online Accountant vs High-Street Accountant
For most UK small businesses, an online accountant is the better choice: lower fixed fees, faster responses, cloud software included, and work that does not dep…
Read the comparison →BlackpeakCFO vs Traditional Accountant
A traditional UK accountant runs on an annual rhythm: year-end focused, reactive, with the work often done by juniors under a partner's name. BlackpeakCFO runs …
Read the comparison →Both markets
Bookkeeper vs Accountant
A bookkeeper records and organises your day-to-day finances — reconciling the bank, categorising transactions, keeping the ledger accurate month by month. An ac…
Read the comparison →Outsourced Bookkeeping vs In-House Bookkeeper
For most small and mid-sized businesses, outsourced bookkeeping is the better choice: it costs less, never goes on holiday or off sick, and removes the burden o…
Read the comparison →Hiring a Bookkeeper vs DIY Bookkeeping
DIY bookkeeping genuinely works for very small, very simple businesses — a sole trader with a handful of transactions, no VAT and no payroll can reasonably do t…
Read the comparison →Fractional CFO vs Bookkeeper or Controller
You need a fractional CFO when your problems are forward-looking and strategic — cash runway, forecasting, fundraising, board reporting, pricing and major decis…
Read the comparison →Still not sure?
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