Belay Virtual Assistant Review 2026: Honest Pricing
Belay is a premium, US-based virtual assistant company charging $42-$50/hour — roughly 2x Time Etc and 4-5x offshore alternatives. Founded in 2010, Belay serves executives, entrepreneurs, and church leaders with managed VA, bookkeeping, social media, and web support across nearly 2,000 contractors in 48 states.
Here’s an honest Belay virtual assistant review: what the service gets right, where it falls short, and how it compares to the other virtual assistant companies on the market.
What Belay Offers
Belay is a fully managed virtual staffing company. They handle recruitment, vetting, matching, and ongoing support through a dedicated Client Success Consultant.
Service areas:
- Virtual Assistants — Inbox management, scheduling, travel booking, research, project coordination, social media
- Bookkeeping — Payroll, invoicing, bill payments, account reconciliation, financial reporting
- Social Media Management — Content creation, scheduling, strategy, engagement analytics
- Website Specialists — Site maintenance, updates, plugin management, backups, optimization
All assistants are US-based independent contractors. Belay employs nearly 2,000 contractors across 48 states and claims to accept only the top 2-3% of applicants.
The matching process is human-driven (not algorithmic), with a reported 93% first-match success rate. Each client also gets a Client Success Consultant who provides ongoing support beyond the VA relationship.
Belay Virtual Assistant Pricing
Belay doesn’t publish pricing on their website — you have to go through a sales consultation. Based on customer reviews and comparison sites, here’s what to expect:
| Metric | Range |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate (what you pay) | $42-$50/hour |
| Monthly cost | ~$1,200-$5,500/month |
| Startup fee | Yes (varies) |
| VA pay (what contractors earn) | $20-$25/hour |
| Buyout fee (to hire VA directly) | $10,000-$20,000 |
At the typical rate, 30 hours/month costs approximately $1,380. Full-time equivalent would run $7,500+/month.
Roughly 45-55% of your payment goes to Belay’s management overhead and profit — one of the larger margins in the industry.
What Belay Gets Right
Exclusively US-based talent matters for some use cases. If your VA needs to make phone calls to US businesses, interact with English-speaking clients, or work in the same timezone without coordination overhead, Belay’s US-only model eliminates those concerns. This is particularly valuable for roles that involve sensitive client communication, like following up with prospects or coordinating with vendors who expect native fluency and cultural context.
The breadth of services is a genuine advantage. Most VA companies offer admin support only. Belay covers admin, bookkeeping, social media, and web maintenance under one roof. If you need a bookkeeper and a VA, working with one company simplifies things.
The managed matching process works. A 93% first-match success rate is strong, and the dedicated Client Success Consultant adds an accountability layer. You’re not just assigned a random assistant — Belay invests in getting the pairing right. The matching questionnaire is thorough: they ask about your communication style, work hours, tool preferences, and specific tasks before selecting a VA. If your first match doesn’t work out, they’ll rematch you without additional fees.
Company culture is strong. Belay has been on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list annually since 2014, and their remote-first culture predates the pandemic by a decade. They know how to run a distributed workforce. That stability translates into lower turnover compared to some competitors, which means less disruption for you if your VA sticks around long-term.
Where Belay Falls Short
The pricing is hard to justify. At $42-$50/hour, Belay is roughly 2x the cost of Time Etc ($36-$39/hour for US-based VAs) and 4-5x the cost of offshore managed services like Wing Assistant ($7-$9/hour). When your VA earns $20-$25/hour, it’s worth asking what you’re getting for the difference. Belay’s management layer is real, but competing services offer similar support at lower margins.
Quality is inconsistent. Belay’s own platform shows high ratings, but Trustpilot tells a different story: 3.4/5 with a polarized distribution of reviews. Multiple reviews describe the experience as “hit or miss” depending on which VA you’re matched with. Common complaints in negative reviews include VAs missing deadlines, requiring excessive hand-holding, and a lack of proactive communication. The positive reviews, on the other hand, describe VAs who are organized, responsive, and genuinely invested in the client’s success — which suggests the talent pool varies more than Belay’s “top 2-3%” claim implies.
The buyout fee is steep. Like Athena, Belay charges $10,000-$20,000 if you want to hire your VA directly (decreasing with tenure — $20K under 1 year, $15K at 12-18 months, $10K after 18 months). If you’ve built a great working relationship, you’re effectively paying thousands to keep it — or losing your assistant and starting over.
Support can diminish over time. Some long-term clients report that the Client Success Consultant engagement decreases after the initial honeymoon period, while fees continue (or increase).
What Belay’s Onboarding Looks Like
Belay’s onboarding process takes roughly 1-2 weeks from your initial sales consultation to working with your VA. Here’s the typical flow:
- Discovery call (30-60 min): A Belay rep walks you through services and pricing. Expect some sales pressure, but the call is also genuinely useful for determining whether Belay fits your needs.
- Matching questionnaire: You fill out a detailed form covering your industry, tools you use, tasks you need help with, communication preferences, and working hours. This feeds directly into their matching process.
- VA introduction: Belay introduces you to your matched VA and Client Success Consultant via email or video call. Most clients report being matched within 5-7 business days of signing.
- First two weeks: Your Client Success Consultant checks in regularly to make sure the relationship is on track. This is the highest-touch period — expect weekly check-ins that taper to monthly or quarterly over time.
- Ongoing support: After the initial ramp-up, most communication shifts directly between you and your VA.
One thing to note: Belay doesn’t provide a structured onboarding playbook or task delegation framework the way some competitors do. You’re expected to bring your own workflows and communicate your needs clearly. If you’ve never worked with a VA before, this can feel like a gap — you’re paying premium rates and still doing the heavy lifting of figuring out what to delegate.
Belay Virtual Assistant vs. Competitors
| Feature | Belay | Time Etc | Boldly | Zirtual | Wing Assistant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $42-$50/hr | $36-$39/hr | $65/hr | $34-$46/hr | ~$7-$9/hr |
| VA location | US | US | US/Europe | US | Global |
| Commitment | Flexible | None | Monthly | Monthly | Monthly |
| VA experience | Varies | 12+ years avg | 10-15 years | College-educated | Varies |
| Buyout fee | $10,000-$20,000 | None | None | None | None |
| Services | EA, bookkeeping, social, web | General admin | EA, marketing, bookkeeping, PM, dev | Admin, scheduling, PM | 25+ roles |
| Published pricing | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Belay vs. Time Etc: Time Etc offers US-based VAs with 12+ years average experience at $36-$39/hour — roughly 20% cheaper than Belay. No startup fee, no contract, no buyout fee. For general admin and executive support, Time Etc delivers comparable quality at better value.
Belay vs. Boldly: Boldly is more expensive ($65/hour) but employs VAs as W-2 employees with benefits, resulting in higher retention and more consistent quality. If you’re already paying premium prices through Belay, Boldly’s model may be worth the step up.
Belay vs. Zirtual: Zirtual’s team plans let multiple people share a VA — something Belay doesn’t offer. At the higher tiers, Zirtual’s effective rate ($34/hour) undercuts Belay, and the multi-user model is genuinely useful for small teams.
Belay vs. Wing Assistant: Wing offers full-time managed VAs at $1,099/month — less than what most Belay clients pay for part-time help. The tradeoff is offshore talent, but Wing’s management layer and QA system mitigate most quality concerns.
The big picture: Belay’s main competitive advantage is the combination of US-based talent and multi-service offerings (admin + bookkeeping + social + web). If you need full-time coverage and budget matters, Wing or a similar offshore managed service gives you 5x the hours for the same price. Belay occupies a middle ground that works best for clients who want a single US-based vendor handling multiple service lines.
A Smarter Way to Spend the Budget
What $1,380/month (Belay’s cost for ~30 hours) buys you elsewhere:
- Carly AI for scheduling: $10/month (replaces 5-8 hours/month of VA scheduling work)
- ChatGPT Pro for research and writing: $20/month
- Time Etc for 20 hours of US-based VA support: $760/month
- Total: $790/month — saving $590/month while getting AI-powered scheduling that works 24/7
Or for maximum savings:
- Carly AI: $10/month
- Wing Assistant full-time: $1,099/month
- Total: $1,109/month — getting 160 hours/month instead of 30
FAQ
How much does Belay cost per month?
Belay doesn’t publish pricing, but expect $42-$50/hour based on customer reviews. Monthly costs range from ~$1,200 for light usage to $5,500+ for heavy usage, plus a startup fee.
Is Belay worth the price?
For clients who need US-based support with managed matching across multiple service areas, Belay delivers — but the premium over comparable services is significant.
What’s Belay’s cancellation policy?
Belay’s standard contract is 12 months, with 30 days’ notice required for cancellation.
Can I hire my Belay VA directly?
Technically yes, but Belay charges a significant buyout fee. This is contractually enforced and applies for a period after your engagement ends.
How does Belay compare to Athena?
Belay offers US-based, part-time, flexible engagement. Athena offers Philippines-based, full-time, annual commitment. Belay’s hourly rate is higher, but Athena’s total annual cost is higher ($36,000/year minimum). Choose Belay for US-based flexibility, Athena for full-time dedicated support.
Does Belay offer a free trial?
No. The Belay virtual assistant sales consultation is free, but there’s no trial period or money-back guarantee publicly advertised.
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