Athena alternatives for executive assistants
Athena costs $3,000 a month for one dedicated, full-time executive assistant, billed monthly after an initial 90-day commitment. You get a selected, trained and managed EA. If that's more help or more budget than you need, the options below start much lower.
Updated 29 Oct 2026. Browsing and the AI shortlist are free.
Athena's fees for clients, as of Oct 2026
- Executive assistant
- $3,000 a month
Athena pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
- Commitment
- An initial 90 days, then monthly
Athena pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
- Sign-up to kickoff
- About one to two weeks
Athena pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
How the options compare
Fees as each company publishes them, as of Oct 2026. Prices change, so check the linked page before you sign up.
Athena pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
Fancy Hands pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
When Athena is the better choice
- You want one full-time assistant who has been selected, trained and managed for you.
- Security matters: Athena says it's SOC 2 Type II certified and manages every EA's device.
- You'd rather pay one fixed price than hire, pay and manage someone yourself.
How Athena works
You fill in a matching survey, get a match package for your EA, then book a kickoff call. Athena says the whole process takes one to two weeks.
- Athena says it receives 30,000 to 60,000 applications a month and accepts 1%
- Candidates take personality, cognitive and English tests and train on calendar, travel and inbox work
- Each client also gets a Partnership Manager, who handles performance and a new match if needed
- EAs are equipped and employed by Athena, and their devices are managed by Athena
Athena pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
Athena alternatives compared
Athena is the full-service, full-time option. These cost less, in return for fewer hours or more of the hiring and managing done by you.
| Option | Monthly cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Athena | $3,000 | One full-time EA, selected, trained and managed for you |
| Wing | $999 for 160 hours | A managed assistant, pay included |
| Time Etc | $2,160 for 60 hours | A part-time assistant, pay included |
| Hire an expert VA in the Philippines | $1,200–2,000 salary, plus $69 a month on OnlineJobs.ph while you recruit | Full-time; you find, test and manage them |
| StaffPick (ours) | Free to browse; Hire Direct $79 a month plus the person's own rate | Tested profiles to choose from; or Done For You, their pay plus $399 a month |
BELAY and Hire With Near don't publish prices. Salaries are what Philippine workers report on OnlineJobs.ph (April 2026).
Athena pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
Wing pricing (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026
Time Etc pricing (opens in a new tab), as of Oct 2026
OnlineJobs.ph salary guide (opens in a new tab), updated April 2026
OnlineJobs.ph pricing (opens in a new tab), checked 29 Oct 2026
How StaffPick is different
StaffPick covers ten roles, from virtual assistants to developers, for ongoing remote work.
- Tested before you see them
- English (a CEFR band), a 60-second typing test, a quiz for the role and an ID check. The scores are on every profile.
- Free to browse
- Look at every profile and get an AI shortlist from one sentence, without paying.
- Hire Direct, a flat fee
- $79 a month to request intros. You pay the person directly, in the way you agree.
- Done For You, if you'd rather not
- Their pay plus $399 a month. StaffPick pays them and replaces them free if it doesn't work out.
Questions about Athena
Still unsure? Contact us. A person reads every message.
Company names on this page are trademarks of their owners. StaffPick isn't affiliated with any of them. Every fee above comes from the company's own page, linked beside it, as of Oct 2026.
Keep reading
- Fancy Hands alternatives for busy ownersFancy Hands's published fees, and when it's the better choice.
- Virtual assistant companies compared (2026)Where to hire a virtual assistant: marketplaces from a 5% fee, full-time agencies from $999 a month, or direct with no markup. 2026 prices, side by side.
- How much does a virtual assistant cost in 2026?A full-time virtual assistant costs about $480 to $2,000 a month hired direct in the Philippines, or $999 and up through an agency. Rates by country and role.
- Virtual assistant cost calculatorMonthly cost by role, country, hours and how you hire, from published rates.
- All role guidesTen roles, each with cited rates and the tests every person passes.