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.
By Anyro, founder of StaffPickPublished 6 min read
Contents
- Three ways to hire, and who each suits
- Marketplaces: Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph, Toptal
- Agencies: Time Etc, Wing, MyOutDesk, BELAY, Virtual Staff Finder
- Direct hire and employers of record
- What 160 hours a month costs on each route
- How to judge any provider
- Where StaffPick fits
- Questions people ask
- Sources
There are hundreds of virtual assistant companies, but they come in three shapes: marketplaces where you hire freelancers, agencies that supply and manage a VA for you, and routes where you hire the person directly. This guide compares the published prices for each, as of October 2026, so you can see where your money goes.
StaffPick is one of the options compared here, so we've kept to what each company publishes on its own pages and said where another route is the better fit.
Three ways to hire, and who each suits
| Route | What you pay | What you do yourself | Suits you if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketplace | The freelancer's rate plus a platform fee | Find, test and manage | You want choice and will run your own tests |
| Agency | A monthly price per VA, or a block of hours | Brief and manage the work | You want the hiring handled and will pay for it |
| Direct hire | The salary, plus a job board, placement or employer-of-record fee | Find, test, pay and stay compliant | You're hiring long-term and want the lowest running cost |
Marketplaces: Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph, Toptal
Upwork is a general freelance marketplace: you hire freelancers worldwide by the hour or by project, and Upwork handles payment. Upwork says virtual assistants on its platform typically charge $10 to $20 an hour, with a $13 median. On the client side it charges a 5% marketplace fee on the Basic plan (its help pages say up to 7.99%), 10% on Business Plus, and a contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99. See our Upwork alternatives page for how those fees compare.
Fiverr sells fixed-price packages, called gigs. Its help centre lists a 5.5% service fee on each purchase, plus $3.50 on orders under $200. Gigs suit one-off jobs, such as a batch of data entry or a slide deck, more than an ongoing assistant. More in Fiverr alternatives.
OnlineJobs.ph is a job board for Filipino remote workers rather than a marketplace: you post a job, then hire and pay the person yourself. The free plan can post jobs and view applications but can't see contact details or message anyone; Pro is $69 a month and Premium $99. It says it charges up front so it doesn't mark up salaries. Its April 2026 salary guide puts full-time general VAs at $480 to $2,000 a month, from beginner to expert. Our OnlineJobs.ph comparison covers the plans.
Toptal vets experts in design, technology and business: developers, designers, marketers, project and product managers, consultants and sales experts. It doesn't publish rates. It charges a flat $79 monthly subscription if you go ahead with matching, and each engagement starts with a trial of up to two weeks. Its categories don't include general admin assistants. See Toptal alternatives.
Agencies: Time Etc, Wing, MyOutDesk, BELAY, Virtual Staff Finder
Time Etc sells hours rather than people. Its US plans run from $390 for 10 hours a month ($39 an hour) to $2,160 for 60 hours ($36 an hour); unused hours roll over on the 20-hour plans and up, and you can cancel any time with no notice period. Larger plans are by consultation.
Wing gives you a dedicated VA for a flat monthly price: $999 for full-time (160 hours) or $699 for part-time (80 hours), both with free replacement.
MyOutDesk starts at $1,988 a month for one full-time person, eight hours a day, five days a week. The price includes recruiting, payroll and HR admin, and an account manager, and it replaces a poor fit at no extra cost. Its pricing page doesn't state a minimum term, so ask.
BELAY and Hire With Near don't publish prices.
Virtual Staff Finder is a placement service: it charges $695 once per placement to find the person, then you pay them directly.
Direct hire and employers of record
Hiring directly is the cheapest way to run a long-term hire and the most work up front. You find the person through a job board, a referral or a pre-tested marketplace, agree the pay, and pay them yourself, as a contractor or through an employer of record. Our VA cost guide has the salary ranges by country and role.
An employer of record (EOR) is a company that employs the worker for you in their own country and runs payroll, taxes and benefits under local law. Published prices per employee per month, as of October 2026:
| Employer of record | From, per employee per month |
|---|---|
| Multiplier | $459 billed yearly, $499 billed monthly |
| Deel | $599 |
| Remote | $599 on annual contracts |
| Oyster | $699 |
An EOR makes sense when you want a true employee with local benefits, or when the role is so closely directed that a contractor arrangement doesn't fit. For contractors, Remote and Deel also offer contractor plans from $29 and $49 a month.
What 160 hours a month costs on each route
One full-time general VA, at the published prices above, before your own time:
| Route | Example | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace, by the hour | Upwork at $10–20 an hour, plus 5% | $1,680–3,360 |
| Job board, then direct | OnlineJobs.ph salary range, plus Pro while you search | $480–2,000, plus $69 |
| Placement, then direct | Virtual Staff Finder | The salary, plus $695 once |
| Agency, dedicated VA | Wing | $999 |
| Agency, managed | MyOutDesk | From $1,988 |
| Agency, by the hour | Time Etc | Not sold at 160 hours; 60 hours is $2,160 |
| Employer of record | Multiplier to Oyster | The salary, plus $459–699 |
| StaffPick Hire Direct | Request intros, pay the person directly | Their rate, plus $79 |
| StaffPick Done For You | We pay them and handle the paperwork | Their pay, plus $399 |
The cheapest lines leave the most work with you. The dearest include recruiting, payroll and replacement. Much of the price difference between routes is work someone else does for you.
For a part-time VA
At 80 hours a month the numbers move. Upwork's typical range comes to $840–1,680 with the 5% fee, Wing's part-time plan is $699, and Time Etc's 40-hour plan is $1,480. StaffPick's fees don't change with hours: Hire Direct stays $79 a month on top of the person's rate, and Done For You stays $399 on top of their pay, so a flat fee weighs more on a part-time hire. For a handful of hours a week, an hourly route is usually the better deal.
How to judge any provider
Whichever virtual assistant company you look at, ask the same six questions:
- How do you test people, and can I see the results before I pay? Ask for the scores, not a promise of "the top 1%".
- What happens if the person leaves or doesn't work out? Free replacement, and how fast, is worth more than a lower monthly price.
- What's the notice period and minimum term? Monthly with no notice is the most flexible; annual terms should cost less.
- Who pays the worker, and how much reaches them? With a flat agency fee, ask what the VA earns.
- Can they cover my hours? Get the working hours in your time zone in writing.
- How do they handle passwords and client data? Look for password managers and named access, never shared logins.
A provider that publishes its prices and answers these in writing is easier to compare, and to trust.
Where StaffPick fits
StaffPick is a marketplace of pre-tested people. Every listed person has passed English, typing and role tests plus an ID check, and the scores and the person's own rate are on the profile before you talk to anyone. Browsing and the AI shortlist are free.
- Hire Direct, $79 a month: request intros, then hire and pay people directly at the rate you agree.
- Done For You, the worker's pay plus $399 a month: we pay them for you and handle the paperwork, and replacement is free.
When another route is the better choice:
- A few hours a week of help: an hourly agency such as Time Etc, or a marketplace, costs less than any full-time plan.
- A long-term employee with local benefits: an employer of record.
- Hiring in the Philippines and testing people yourself: OnlineJobs.ph's Pro plan is $69 a month.
- Senior developers, designers or consultants: Toptal vets for those roles.
Questions people ask
What are the best virtual assistant companies?
It depends on what you want handled. Compare how each one tests people, whether replacement is free, the notice period, and whether prices are published. As of October 2026: Wing charges $999 a month for a full-time VA, MyOutDesk starts at $1,988, Time Etc sells 10 hours for $390, and Virtual Staff Finder charges $695 per placement. BELAY and Hire With Near don't publish prices.
Is Upwork or an agency cheaper for a full-time virtual assistant?
For full-time work, a flat-price agency can be cheaper: 160 hours at Upwork's typical $10 to $20 rate plus its 5% fee is $1,680 to $3,360 a month, against $999 at Wing. Hiring direct is cheaper again: OnlineJobs.ph reports $480 to $2,000 a month for full-time Filipino VAs. For a few hours a week, a marketplace or an hourly agency costs less.
What does an employer of record do?
It employs the worker for you in their own country and runs payroll, taxes and benefits under local law, for a monthly fee per employee: from $459 (Multiplier, billed yearly) to $699 (Oyster) as of October 2026, with Deel and Remote from $599. It suits long-term hires who should be employees.
Where can I find a virtual assistant for a small business?
Four places: freelance marketplaces such as Upwork, job boards such as OnlineJobs.ph for the Philippines, agencies such as Wing, MyOutDesk or Time Etc, and pre-tested marketplaces such as StaffPick. Choose by how much finding, testing and managing you want to do yourself.
Sources
Each figure in this guide comes from one of these pages, checked on 27 Oct 2026. Prices and rules change, so open the source before you rely on a number.
- 1Upwork: client pricing and feesupwork.com
- 2Upwork: hire virtual assistants in the Philippines (typical VA rates and median)upwork.com
- 3Fiverr Help Center: paying for orders (service fee)help.fiverr.com
- 4OnlineJobs.ph: employer pricingonlinejobs.ph
- 5OnlineJobs.ph: virtual assistant salaries in the Philippines (salary guide, last updated April 2026)blog.onlinejobs.ph
- 6Toptal: frequently asked questions (subscription and trial)toptal.com
- 7Time Etc: plans and pricing (US)timeetc.com
- 8Wing Assistant: pricingwingassistant.com
- 9MyOutDesk: pricingmyoutdesk.com
- 10Virtual Staff Finder: checkoutvirtualstafffinder.com
- 11Deel: pricingdeel.com
- 12Remote: pricingremote.com
- 13Multiplier: pricingusemultiplier.com
- 14Oyster: pricingoysterhr.com