As a business owner, especially a startup, you’d find that there are so many time-consuming tasks to handle daily. Something as seemingly simple as correspondence and recruiting may so occupy you that you barely have enough time to work on the bigger picture: your core business goals.
Virtual assistants help business owners save time and become more productive.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who works remotely to assist a business with administrative tasks, calendar management, HR management, data entry, social media, digital marketing, or other tasks. Your virtual assistant may answer phone calls, schedule meetings, or publish content on social and marketing platforms.
Most of these business activities are everyday repetitive tasks. Virtual assistants usually handle recurring tasks to act independently with little or no supervision, thereby allowing their clients (business owners) enough time to focus on more strategic business goals.
There are many benefits of hiring a virtual assistant apart from time savings. Because those assistants complete tasks usually handled by multiple employees, they offer business owners incredible cost savings. They also don’t demand benefits as an in-house team would. As a result, virtual assistant services are an excellent solution for startup entrepreneurs looking to save money while getting more done.
If you’ve decided to hire a virtual assistant, the next question is where to get one.
There are many companies where you can find virtual personal assistants for hire. While some are staff of the companies, some are registered as freelancers.
We’ve looked at many virtual assistant companies and services and handpicked the best based on several factors, including cost, ease of use, and lots more.
Let’s begin!
Best Virtual Personal Assistant Services
In no particular order, here are some of the best virtual assistant companies and services:
- Time etc
- Task Bullet
- Fiverr
- OkayRelax
- Prialto
- Upwork
- Fancy Hands
- Belay
- GetFriday
- MyTasker
- Woodbows
Time etc![]()
With a broad offering of virtual assistant skills at competitive prices, Time etc, arguably deserves its place at the top of this list as the best virtual assistant company based in the US.
Time etc gives you access to elite virtual personal assistants based in the US, with a broad scope of services and languages, making it a universal platform for business owners. All assistants on the platform have an average of 12 years of experience. They’re so reputable that Google and Meta (Facebook) use their services.
So if you’re looking for highly qualified assistants, you can’t go wrong with Time, etc.
Time etc, typically hires virtual personal assistants based on high standards to ensure clients (you) get nothing less than a satisfactory service every time. They’re all college graduates, US-based, and native English speakers, although you’d find many that are bilingual/multilingual.
Time etc’s virtual personal assistant services include administration, calendar management, marketing, data input, writing, social media management, and research.
The platform offers a customer manager who will suggest what tasks to hand off to your VA to make things easy for you. It also gives you a list of assistants to interview so that you’re in control of the selection.
Although the standard is to work long-term with one virtual assistant, you can switch to get a taste of something different.
Since Time etc gives you access to a dedicated virtual assistant who works with you long-term, you get to have someone who understands your business inside out. That makes them more productive to your business goals.
Features
- Guides you step-by-step to help you decide on what tasks to assign to your chosen VA
- A mobile app that allows you to request services
- Monthly-package pricing model, of which unused hours roll over to the next month
- The first service is free (free trial)
- US-based virtual personal assistant
- A customer manager that offers you a list of VAs to interview.
Pros
- An average of 12 years of experience, Time etc will likely satisfy your needs
- Free trial available
- It has a mobile app
- 100% money-back guarantee
- Urgent task requests at no extra cost
- Option to cancel services anytime
- You can invite friends to use hours on your account.
Cons
- Favors long-term working relationships (at least a month) rather than one-off tasks
- 10-hour minimum.
Pricing
- 10 hours for $290/month ($29/hour)
- 20 hours for $560/month ($28/hour)
- 40 hours for $1080/month ($27/hour)
- 60 hours for $1560/month ($26/hour)
Best for anyone searching for a US-based dedicated virtual personal assistant for a long-term relationship.
TaskBullet
TaskBullet is a great platform for small/medium-scale business owners to find talented VAs. They offer great service at budget-friendly rates. Although the company is based in the US, the VAs are based in the Philippines, making it possible to get quality virtual assistants at lower costs. This helps you save more money.
Features
- Once you purchase your hours, you get the Basecamp mobile app to keep your tasks and communications organized in one place.
- Delegate tasks to your account manager or dedicated virtual assistant.
- VA pulls from the hours in your bucket to perform your delegated tasks.
- If there’s any real estate task in which your VA isn’t skilled, you can take from your hours and delegate the task to another team member.
- You have 90 days to use the hours in your bucket.
Pros
- No monthly billing or long-term commitments.
- Provide US-based assistants and Philippines-based virtual assistants.
- You can use as many or as few hours as you want.
- 60-day money-back guarantee.
Cons
- Some users prefer a subscription model rather than buying a bucket of hours.
Pricing
No monthly billing or long-term commitments
- Mini Bucket = Free trial available.
- Starter Bucket = $11/hr billed at $220 for 20 hours.
- Light Bucket = $9/hr billed at $540 for 60 hours.
- Expert Bucket = $6.5/hr billed at $1560 for 240 hours.
Best for small, medium, and large businesses that are searching for non-subscription services.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a well-known freelancing platform featuring all kinds of independent professionals, including virtual assistants.
On Fiverr, you would find assistants not associated with any company. Since they are independent, you can filter by price and skills. In addition, Fiverr gives you control in your VA hiring process because you get to deal directly with individuals rather than a company.
Features
- Pricing is by project or hourly, depending on your agreement with your hired assistant.
- Virtual assistants from all over the globe and in all countries
- Before purchasing a gig, you can contact any service provider to ensure he/she is the right person for the job.
Pros
- Compare virtual assistants by ratings and pricing.
- You can get virtual assistants on Fiverr with affordable pricing.
- The entire process is in your hand.
- Highly skilled professionals in web design, animation, copywriting, etc.
- You can negotiate the price with the freelancer according to the project.
Cons
- Compared to most providers, Fiverr doesn’t offer a manager to oversee the quality and timeliness of your hired virtual assistant. It is between you and the assistant.
Pricing
Pricing is based on the freelancer and project scope.
Best for: small business owners on a budget with short-term needs.
OkayRelax![]()
As the name suggests, OkayRelax is a virtual assistant company built to enable business owners to relax while getting tasks ticked off their to-do lists. This is something that feels almost impossible for startup entrepreneurs because there’s always so much on their desks. But with OkayRelax’s virtual personal assistant services, the impossible becomes possible.
OkayRelax gives access to virtual assistants to help you in any walk of life. This company isn’t only for entrepreneurs and business owners. It’s for anyone who’s in dire need of a breather, to get some time to relax, re-energize and get back to work, cranking ever so productively.
That includes busy mothers, bloggers, and even freelancers. So whatever you’re into, if you’ve gotten to that point where your head feels like it’s going to explode if it handles one more mental task, OkayRelax is the way to go.
With this OkayRelax, you’ll get a personal assistant to handle your immediate and long-term tasks. In addition, their plans are affordable and straightforward enough to cover as many tasks you need to delegate, whatever those tasks are, and how long they will take.
You’ll find virtual services, including virtual administrative assistants, schedule management, job searching, as well as travel bookings and reservations. Whatever is draining your day, OkayRelax has what it takes to help you relax while they do it.
Features
- Extra credits
- Task credits allocation, as little as 30 minutes.
Pros
- Easy signup
- Made for anyone who needs a breather, not restricted to business owners
- Screened and trained assistants
- Contract-free
Cons
- No free trial
- No money-back guarantee
- You don’t have control over the hiring process
- The rates are considered expensive for such everyday tasks.
Pricing
- Relief – 5 tasks per month, $29.95 monthly
- Comfort – 25 tasks per month, $99.95 monthly
- Relaxed – 100 tasks per month, $399.95
Best for Anyone who gets very busy and desires to have some tasks taken off of their shoulders, whether they own a business or not.
Prialto![]()
Prialto notably serves the small business solopreneur who wants to grow their business rather than burying their noses deep in mundane clerical tasks.
Any sole proprietor who’s yet to have employees can leverage Prialto company to get those tedious administrative duties off their chest. It covers sales, operations, administration, marketing, and customer management. Indeed, Prialto is one of the best virtual assistant services for small businesses.
One notable thing about Prialto is that they train their VAs on any software you use that their VA isn’t familiar with. The training comes at no extra cost to you.
Features
- Pricing plans are member-driven, so you pay according to the number of users.
- Assistants are trained in the most popular business software, including, Asana, Mailchimp, Salesforce, etc.
Pros
- Virtual assistants from all over the globe give you access to a broader talent pool.
- Known for its expertise in assisting small and growing businesses.
- Provides sales, operations, and administrative services
- Virtual assistants are trained on your behalf at no extra cost to you.
Cons
- Expensive, with membership starting at $1350/month
- VAs do not work on federally recognized holidays.
Pricing
- Yourself – $1350/user/month
- Your Team – $4050/3 users/month
- Your Organization – if your team comprises over 8 members, talk to Prialto for custom pricing.
Best for Prialto is best for small business solopreneurs who wish to focus their energy on growing their business.
Upwork![]()
Upwork is a global freelancing platform featuring all kinds of independent professionals, including virtual assistants.
On Upwork, you would find assistants not associated with any company. Since they are independent, you can filter by price and skills. In addition, Upwork gives you control in your VA hiring process because you get to deal directly with individuals rather than a company.
The freelancing company has over 12 million registered professionals with years of experience, so you’d likely find a personal assistant that’s right for your needs.
Features
- You post your job description and select your assistant based on their applications.
- Pricing is by project or hourly, depending on your agreement with your hired assistant.
- Virtual assistants from all over the globe and in all countries
- The company holds payment in escrow until you approve the job execution after completion.
Pros
- Compare virtual assistants by ratings and pricing.
- Very cost-effective, you can get a virtual assistant on Upwork for below $100
- The entire process is in your hand.
- Highly skilled professionals in web design, animation, copywriting, etc.
- You can negotiate the price with the freelancer according to the project
- If the first project goes perfectly well, you can use as many virtual assistants as you want or make one your dedicated assistant.
Cons
- Compared to most providers, Upwork doesn’t offer a manager to oversee the quality and timeliness of your hired virtual assistant. It is between you and the assistant.
- Quality may be an issue if the assistant is unverified.
Pricing
Pricing is based on the freelancer and project scope.
Best for: small business owners on a budget with short-term needs.
Fancy Hands![]()
Fancy Hands offers a US-based virtual assistant company that offers services to clients globally. It is one of the best companies for short-term tasks because it allows you to request dedicated virtual assistants at budget-friendly prices.
You can also request recurring tasks that repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or even on weekdays. You’ll also get a notification before the day, allowing you to skip the repetition for that day.
Features
- Fancy Hands offers two types of requests: a standard request for a maximum of 20 minutes of work and live requests in which users and virtual assistants connect through live chat for up to 10 minutes.
- Live chats are charged by the minute. An 11-minute chat will count as two requests, leaving the user with 9 minutes of rollover.
- Offers monthly pricing
- Recurring requests
- Third-party integrations
- VIP customer service
- Usage stats.
Pros
- Unused requests are rolled over to the next month.
- You get free months when you refer friends to Fancy Hands
- They respond to requests very quickly.
Cons
- Longer projects are expensive as they use up several of your task credits.
- Users do not automatically get the same assistant twice, so getting a dedicated assistant knows your business is difficult.
Pricing
- Small – 3 requests a month (totaling 1-hour max), $17.99
- Medium – 5 requests a month, $29.99
- Large – 15 requests a month, $74.99
- XL – 30 requests a month, $149.99
Best for users with quick tasks involving many back-and-forths, such as research.
URL: https://www.fancyhands.com/
Belay![]()
Belay offers bookkeeping, social media strategy, and general assistant services as one of the best virtual assistant services. All VAs on Belay are US-based, with a bachelor’s degree in assistant services. So while you’ll find professionals offering general tasks, you’d also find those offering specialized services such as bookkeeping, web design, and social media marketing.
Although Belay is a US-based company, the company offers services in diverse languages to create an inclusive environment.
Pricing is on a quote basis, according to the assistant’s experience. It begins at 10 hours per week and then increases by 5 hours as you go up.
Features
- A client success consultant who schedules interviews with candidates on your behalf
- Your assistant is trained for free on your behalf if they’re not familiar with your software.
Pros
- Finds you a seasoned assistant that suits your needs
- Long-term relationship with the same assistant.
Cons
- Pricing isn’t published on the website, so you must fill out a web form to get a quote. However, prices tend to start at around $34 per hour.
Pricing
- Pricing is on a quote basis.
Best for: business owners looking for dedicated virtual personal assistants.
URL: https://belaysolutions.com/
GetFriday![]()
The origin of the name “GetFriday” is interesting. It’s derived from the novel and movie Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe had a right-hand man, an assistant, who became critical to his survival in the novel.
GetFriday houses over 200 experienced assistants rendering a helping hand to business owners all over the globe.
Typical services you’d find on GetFriday include scheduling, travel arrangements, and website maintenance and management.
Unlike most providers, Get Friday is known for helping clients with unconventional less-business tasks like finding a lost dog and wedding planning at incredibly low prices.
In short, whether you’re just a busy mom or a small business owner, you can hop on GetFriday and have someone else conquer those little challenges that tend to take up your valuable time.
Features
- Offers one-time assistant services as well as subscription plans
- Weekend and overtime hours are charged at 1.5 times your hourly rate.
Pros
- Unused hours rolled over (only for plans having over 40 hours)
- No long-term contracts
- Cancel, upgrade, or downgrade your plan at anytime
- 7-day free trial
- Budget-friendly.
Cons
- Signup is challenging, involving phone verification, printing, signing, and faxing or emailing the signup form.
- Get Friday service is only available five days a week.
- Not great for highly specialized or technical tasks.
Pricing
It starts at a pay-as-you-go rate of $15 per hour up to Full Time (160 hours) at a rate of $1120 per month, which amounts to $7 per hour.
Best for anyone who wants to get mundane tasks off to focus on more important things.
URL: https://www.getfriday.com/
MyTasker![]()
MyTasker is a virtual assistant company based in India, offering 24/7 assistance services globally. So whether you’re in the US, UK, Africa, or Asia, MyTasker enables you to find an available assistant to respond to your request at 2 am (in your time zone).
MyTasker is one of the top providers on our list for its flexible pricing, account manager, free trial, and the fact that it offers quality assistants in a supervised environment.
The workers do not work remotely but in an office with 24/7 CCTV, ensuring accountability and professionalism. As a result, you can rest assured that any assistant you select will be a vetted expert in the field rather than a random freelancer posing as a virtual assistant.
From digital marketing and writing services to website design and IT support, find assistants highly skilled for your business needs.
Features
- An outsourced business process model in that your Virtual team works in-house at a third-party organization.
- A dedicated client success manager to help you find a personal assistant with multiple skills
- Unlike other companies that offer candidates for you to choose from, MyTasker selects the best based on your needs (requests).
- Varied pricing.
Pros
- Assigns requests to the best-fit VA available
- Get the option of choosing a one-off or dedicated virtual assistant
- Get an assistant who will work long-term and get an in-depth understanding of your business
- Budget-friendly prices compared to some of its competitors, such as Time etc
- Free trial available.
Cons
- The in-house structure does not give assistants the freedom and flexibility they need to thrive and act independently 1-to-1 with clients.
- Ambiguous free trial offer.
Pricing
Monthly Plans:
- 10 hours – $140 per month
- 20 hours – $250 per month
- 40 hours – $450 per month
- 60 hours – $600 per month
- 100 hours – $900 per month
Full-Time:
- $1,200 per month
- Available five days a week for any business hours
Pay As You Go:
- $18 per hour
Best for startup business owners on a budget.
WoodBows![]()
Each dedicated virtual assistant at Woodbows has been tested to ensure clients get satisfactory services every time. So, signing up for this company wouldn’t be a bad idea if you desire to become a more productive entrepreneur while maintaining a work-life balance.
You can get round-the-clock services because Woodbows provide virtual assistant services in India and the Philippines. They also have offices in America. Quality is hardly ever a concern because each assistant is handpicked and vetted.
From phone call answering, data entry, social media management, mobile app development, web design, web maintenance, and content writing to customer support and other administrative tasks, Woodbows offers a virtual assistant that provides you with an extra pair of hands regardless of your industry.
Features
- A wide variety of specialized assistants
- Assistants work and are monitored in an office
- Video chat with your assistant
- Dedicated account manager
- No contract; cancel anytime
- Staff tracking system
- Work in any time zone.
Pros
- Notable for their top-quality service
- 98% client retention
- If you are unsatisfied with your virtual assistant, Wood Bows gives you double the hours.
Cons
- To be eligible for the monthly plan, you must have stayed committed for two months.
- Rates vary with the virtual assistant’s location.
Pricing
- 4 Hours Weekly Plan: $49 per week ($12.48 per hour) Additional hours: $13.99 per hour.
- 10 Hours Weekly Plan: $99 per week ($9.99 per hour) Additional hours: $12.99 per hour, 10 hours of task work.
- Full-Time Weekly Plan: $359.20 per week ($8.99 per hour) Additional hours: $8.99 per hour, 40 hours of task work.
- 20 Hours Weekly Plan: $189 per week ($9.45 per hour) Additional hours: $10.99 per hour, 20 hours of task work.
Best for: business owners looking for full-time dedicated assistants.
Virtual Assistant FAQs
What Do Virtual Assistants Do?
A virtual assistant provides many services, including administrative tasks, scheduling appointments, calendar management, making phone calls, arranging travel, social media management, data entry, email management, blog writing, project management, bookkeeping, software development, graphic design, and photo and video editing.
They can also manage more specialized IT support and website maintenance tasks. But they don’t only serve business owners.
However, it’s worth noting that VAs handle personal and professional tasks. For example, some VAs remotely assist busy mothers and regular people with things like wedding and event planning. What a virtual assistant can do varies incredibly, but the aim is to take on those time-consuming tasks to free up time for you to focus on the bigger picture.
What are the Most Demand Virtual Assistant Services?
- Marketing
- Sales
- Admin Services (Administrative Tasks)
- Website Development and Website Design
- Bookkeeping
- Customer Support and Phone Answering
How Do You Choose the Right Virtual Assistant Service?
Hiring virtual assistants based on pricing alone is hardly ever a great idea. The best way to choose is to see if the company focuses on the tasks you need to be handled and check their reviews. It may be an excellent choice if the number of hours and pricing work for your needs and budget.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual assistant companies typically offer their services at different prices. Some base your fee on the type of task, with marketing costing more than simple correspondence services. Others charge a flat rate on the number of hours.
However, depending on the company and subscription package, you can get virtual personal assistants for as low as $18/hour up to $30/hour.
Final Words
Virtual personal assistants are the way to go if you can free up time by delegating minor tasks to focus on more important things. This is essential if you’re a business owner with little or no in-house staff.
Organizations that provide virtual assistants help you save time and cost by serving as a business process outsourcing company. By outsourcing those time-consuming everyday processes to a virtual team, you can get more productive with your time and grow your business. Plus, you don’t have to provide office space or any office equipment.
You can choose any of the above service providers depending on your needs. For someone searching for a virtual assistant in the US, Time etc, and Belay is a great choices.
Upwork and Fancy Hands would make more sense for short-term projects and administrative tasks at budget-friendly prices. And if you desire a long-term relationship with a dedicated assistant such as an account manager, Time etc, Woodbows offers reliable services at flexible pricing.
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