Feb 23, 2026

Virtual Assistant Pricing in 2026 (Real Numbers)

Virtual assistant pricing ranges from $5/hour for offshore help to $65/hour for premium US-based services — or $35 to $3,600/month depending on hours and service level. Below is every major VA company’s real pricing, plus rates by specialization, location, and experience level.

Virtual Assistant Pricing at a Glance

VA Type	Hourly Rate	Monthly Cost (Full-Time)
Offshore (Philippines, India)	$5-$20/hr	$800-$3,000
Latin America	$8-$25/hr	$1,300-$4,000
US-based (through agency)	$25-$65/hr	$4,000-$10,000
US-based (freelance)	$20-$50/hr	$3,200-$8,000
AI virtual assistant	—	$10-$200

The biggest factor is geography. A US-based VA through a managed service like Belay costs $42-$50/hour. A comparable assistant in the Philippines through Wing Assistant costs $7-$9/hour. The skill levels overlap more than most people expect.

Pricing from Every Major VA Company

Here’s what you’ll actually pay at each of the major virtual assistant services in 2026:

US-Based VA Companies

Time Etc — The most transparent US-based pricing:

Hours	Monthly Cost	Per Hour
10	$390	$39
20	$760	$38
40	$1,480	$37
60	$2,160	$36

No contract. Unused hours roll over (20+ hour plans). Cancel anytime.

Zirtual — Team-friendly tiered plans:

Plan	Hours	Users	Monthly Cost	Per Hour
Entrepreneur	12	1	$549	$46
Startup	24	2	$849	$35
Small Business	36	3	$1,249	$35
Team	50	5	$1,699	$34

Belay — Premium pricing, not publicly listed:

Typical rate: $42-$50/hour
Monthly: ~$2,000-$5,500+ depending on hours
Includes startup fee
Full Belay review

Boldly — The luxury tier:

Plan	Hours	Monthly Cost	Per Hour
Standard	40	$2,600	$65
Standard	60	$3,900	$65
Standard	80	$5,200	$65
Specialist tasks	—	—	$79/hr

VAs are W-2 employees with 10-15 years experience.

Fancy Hands — Per-task pricing:

Plan	Requests	Monthly Cost
Small	3	$35
Medium	5	$55
Large	15	$125

Each request covers ~20 minutes of work.

Offshore & Global VA Companies

Wing Assistant:

Plan	Hours	Monthly Cost	Per Hour
Part-time	~80	$699	~$9
Full-time	~160	$1,099	~$7
US-based	~160	$1,599+	~$10

MyOutDesk (Philippines-based):

Contract	Monthly Cost	Per Hour
Month-to-month	$1,988	~$12
6-month	$1,848	~$12
Annual	$1,788	~$11

Wishup (India/US-based):

Tier	Half-Time (4 hrs/day)	Full-Time (8 hrs/day)
Basic (India)	$1,099/mo	$1,999/mo
Elite (India)	$1,799/mo	$2,999/mo
US-based	$2,999/mo	$5,399/mo

Athena (Philippines-based, full-time):

Annual commitment: $3,000/month ($36,000/year)
Month-to-month: $3,600/month
Full Athena review

Prialto (managed, global):

Individual: ~$1,500/month (55 hours)
Includes dedicated VA + backup VA + engagement manager
90-day minimum commitment

Hourly Rates by Specialization

Specialization	US-Based Rate	Offshore Rate
General admin (email, calendar, data entry)	$20-$35/hr	$5-$15/hr
Executive assistant	$35-$65/hr	$10-$25/hr
Bookkeeping / finance	$35-$65/hr	$10-$20/hr
Social media management	$35-$70/hr	$10-$25/hr
Digital marketing (SEO, PPC, email)	$40-$75/hr	$10-$25/hr
Real estate VA	$25-$50/hr	$5-$15/hr
Legal / medical VA	$40-$75/hr	$15-$30/hr
Customer service	$20-$35/hr	$5-$12/hr
Content writing	$30-$60/hr	$8-$20/hr
Web development / technical	$50-$100/hr	$15-$35/hr

Real estate VAs from the Philippines specifically: Entry-level starts at $292-$430/month full-time, mid-level at $548-$714/month, and senior at $868-$1,204/month — making this one of the most cost-effective VA specializations.

What Drives Virtual Assistant Pricing

1. Location — The single biggest factor. US-based VAs cost 2-5x more than Philippines-based VAs. Latin American VAs fall in between, with the added benefit of timezone overlap with US clients.

2. Experience level:

Level	Offshore Rate	US-Based Rate
Entry-level	$3-$15/hr	$20-$30/hr
Mid-level (2-5 years)	$10-$20/hr	$30-$50/hr
Senior (5+ years)	$15-$30/hr	$50-$75/hr

3. Agency vs. freelance — VA companies charge a 40-60% markup over what they pay the assistant. This covers recruiting, vetting, matching, management, and backup coverage. Hiring a freelance VA directly through Upwork or OnlineJobs.ph eliminates this markup but requires you to handle management yourself.

4. Hours committed — Nearly every VA service offers volume discounts. Time Etc drops from $39/hour (10 hours) to $36/hour (60 hours). Zirtual drops from $46/hour (12 hours) to $34/hour (50 hours).

5. Specialization — A general admin VA is the cheapest. Legal, medical, and technical VAs cost 2-3x more due to specialized knowledge requirements.

6. Engagement type:

Freelance/independent: Cheapest, but no backup or management layer
Managed service (Wing, Prialto): Mid-range; includes oversight and quality assurance
Premium staffing (Boldly, Belay): Most expensive; experienced talent with full support infrastructure

Hidden Costs and Fees to Watch For

Before signing with any VA company, ask about these common add-ons:

Setup and onboarding fees. Several agencies charge a one-time fee to match you with a VA, build your workflows, and get things running. Belay charges a startup fee that can run several hundred dollars. Athena includes onboarding in their pricing, but many smaller agencies tack on $200-$500 for initial setup. Always ask upfront — some companies will waive this fee if you commit to a longer contract.

Overtime and after-hours charges. If your VA works beyond their contracted hours, most agencies bill the overage at a premium rate — typically 1.25x to 1.5x the standard hourly rate. This is especially common with US-based services where labor laws require overtime pay. With offshore VAs hired directly, overtime rates are negotiable, but don’t assume extra hours come at the same rate.

Holiday and weekend surcharges. Managed services that employ W-2 workers (like Boldly) build holiday pay into their rates. But agencies using contractors may charge extra for holiday or weekend coverage. If your business needs consistent support through holidays — common in e-commerce, real estate, and customer service — clarify this before you sign.

Minimum commitments and buyout fees. Some companies lock you into multi-month contracts. Athena requires an annual commitment at their best rate. MyOutDesk offers discounts for 6-month and annual contracts. If you need to exit early, buyout fees can range from one to three months of service. Month-to-month plans cost more per hour but give you flexibility.

Software and tool costs. Your VA needs access to your tools — project management software, CRM, email platforms, communication tools. These per-seat licenses add up. A VA who needs access to your Salesforce ($25-$300/seat/month), Slack ($8.75/seat/month), and Asana ($11-$25/seat/month) adds $45-$335/month in tool costs alone. Factor this into your budget, especially with managed services where the VA uses your accounts.

Currency fluctuation (direct hires). If you hire a VA directly in the Philippines, India, or Latin America and pay in their local currency, exchange rates can shift your effective cost. Most freelancers on OnlineJobs.ph prefer payment in USD, which puts the currency risk on them — but it’s worth understanding if you’re wiring money internationally. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median US secretary/admin assistant earns about $22-$23/hour, which provides useful context for evaluating offshore VA savings against domestic alternatives.

How to Get the Best Rate on VA Services

You don’t have to accept sticker prices. Here are practical ways to reduce your virtual assistant pricing without sacrificing quality:

Start with a trial period. Most VA companies offer a trial or money-back guarantee. Time Etc gives you a satisfaction guarantee. Wing Assistant has no long-term contract. Use these trial periods to test fit before committing to larger hour packages where the real savings kick in.

Commit to more hours upfront. Volume discounts are standard across the industry. If you know you’ll need consistent support, buy the bigger package from day one.

Hire directly for long-term roles. If you’ve worked with VAs before and are comfortable managing someone remotely, skip the agency entirely. The markup pays for convenience — vetting, backup coverage, management — but experienced VA users often don’t need it.

Combine AI tools with human hours. This is the single most effective cost-reduction strategy available right now. Offload scheduling, email triage, basic research, and data entry to AI tools ($10-$50/month total), and use your human VA hours exclusively for work that requires judgment, communication, or creative thinking. Businesses using this hybrid approach can see significant reductions in total VA spend.

Negotiate annual contracts. If a company offers month-to-month pricing, ask what they’ll do for an annual commitment. Even if it’s not listed on their pricing page, many agencies will offer 10-20% off for the guaranteed revenue. Athena’s pricing drops from $3,600 to $3,000/month when you commit to a year — a savings of $7,200 annually.

Be specific about what you need. The more clearly you define the role, the better your match — and the less time (and money) you waste on ramp-up. Write a detailed task list before your first conversation with any VA company. This also helps you avoid overpaying for specialization you don’t need. If your tasks are primarily general admin, don’t let an agency upsell you on an executive assistant.

How AI Changes the Pricing Math

Here’s what AI tools cost compared to human VAs for common tasks:

Task	Human VA Cost	AI Tool Cost	AI Tool
Scheduling meetings	$20-$50/hr	$10/mo	Carly AI
Email drafting	$20-$50/hr	$20/mo	ChatGPT, Claude
Research	$20-$50/hr	$20/mo	ChatGPT, Perplexity
Phone answering	$20-$35/hr	$29-$300/mo	Dialzara, Smith.ai AI
Data entry	$15-$35/hr	$0-$49/mo	Zapier, Make
Social media scheduling	$35-$70/hr	$30-$100/mo	Buffer, Hootsuite AI

A professional who spends $1,500/month on VA help for scheduling, email, and research could potentially cover 60-70% of those tasks with $50/month in AI tools.

The hybrid model is emerging as the best value: use AI for repetitive, high-frequency tasks, and reserve human VA hours for judgment calls, relationship management, and complex multi-step work.

FAQ

How much does a virtual assistant cost per month?

Offshore VAs run $700-$2,000/month full-time through agencies. US-based VAs run $390-$6,500/month depending on hours and service level.

Is it cheaper to hire a VA directly or through a company?

Hiring directly is significantly cheaper — a Philippines-based VA costs $800-$1,500/month direct vs. $1,800-$3,000/month through an agency. Whether the agency markup is worth it depends on your comfort managing someone remotely.

What’s the cheapest virtual assistant option?

Fancy Hands at $35/month for 3 task requests is the cheapest managed option. Hiring directly from the Philippines starts at $400-$800/month for full-time help.

Are AI virtual assistants replacing human VAs?

Not entirely, but AI is handling more tasks that used to require a human — particularly scheduling, email drafting, research, and data entry. The trend is toward hybrid setups where AI covers the repetitive work and human VAs handle judgment and relationships.

How many hours of VA support do I need?

Track your time for a week and note every task you wish someone else could handle. Most professionals start with 10-20 hours/month for light admin and scale up from there.