Running a business looks glamorous from the outside, but only owners know the blood, sweat and tears it truly takes.
Especially for solopreneurs and small business owners, everything from booking conference rooms to attending investor meetings falls on their to-do list. The result is constant long hours, no time for rest and eventual burnout.
Employees and senior management are no exception either! According to a Deloitte study, 63% of employees and 73% of C-level executives are overworked.
Virtual assistants (VA) are a simple solution to this problem.
These remote professionals take over time-consuming tasks like booking appointments, replying to emails and researching prospects—freeing busy leaders and core teams for bigger priorities.
Many VAs also bring niche skills and specialized experience in areas like marketing, finance, IT, and e-commerce, becoming valuable contributors to any business that hires them.
The best part? Since virtual assistants are fully remote, businesses can tap into the global talent pool, reduce overhead costs and enjoy scalable support.
If you’re looking for a virtual assistant for your business, here are some top companies to consider.
Zenius is an up-and-coming virtual staffing company connecting global businesses with skilled remote talent.
They offer specialized virtual assistants across 10+ industries, including marketing, e-commerce, sales, architecture, real estate, hospitality and IT.
Zenius virtual assistants go through a strict screening process with practical skill-based assessments, soft skills analysis and technical aptitude tests. Clients can also interview candidates themselves or request custom assessments.
For smooth communication and seamless workflows, Zenius offers up to 100% overlap with your time zone for daily real-time collaboration.
In addition, the company takes care of everyday HR hassles like payroll, time tracking, attendance and leave approvals.
Services offered:
Digital marketing
Social media management
Content creation
E-commerce store management
UI/UX design
Lead generation
Customer service
Bookkeeping
HR & recruitment
Admin
Pricing: $490–$790 per month ($5–$15 per hour)
Best feature: Zenius offers easy re-matches if you feel the virtual assistant is not a good fit, with no hiring or replacement costs.
Drawback: Since it’s not a fully managed service, clients are responsible for overseeing the VA’s workload, performance and productivity.
Ideal for: Startups, small businesses and enterprises.
Zirtual provides dedicated virtual assistants, virtual paralegals and outbound calling agents. All professionals are U.S.-based, college-educated and highly trained in their specific areas.
Besides vetting, interviewing and hiring virtual assistants, Zirtual also manages their workload to ensure consistent, timely results.
Since smooth communication is a must for successful remote collaboration, Zirtual promises a 2-hour response time.
Services offered:
Admin tasks
Paralegal services
Outbound calling
Marketing
Bookkeeping
Pricing: $599–$1699 per month ($38–$50 per hour)
Best feature: Zirtual VAs are experts in their own field. If a task falls outside their scope, they seek support from a relevant specialist to get it right for you.
Drawback: Limited range of services compared to other companies.
Ideal for: Lawyers, executives and small businesses.
Founded in 2009, Prialto offers admin, sales and operations support for busy individuals and teams. You can choose between part-time or full-time virtual assistants.
The company emphasizes productivity and matches every client with an Engagement Manager who guides them on how to delegate tasks for maximum efficiency.
As a fully managed service, Prialto also handles day-to-day supervision of VAs and offers ongoing internal training to improve their performance.
Services offered:
General admin tasks
Sales support
Marketing admin
Personal support
Networking assistance
Pricing: $1500–$3600 per month ($22–$27 per hour)
Best feature: Prialto provides two backup VAs to ensure continuity if your VA is unavailable due to illness or vacation.
Drawback: There’s a setup fee for hiring fractional assistants.
Ideal for: Busy individuals, teams and enterprises.
Belay houses a bench of 2000+ U.S.-based virtual assistants offering admin, financial and marketing support.
Their comprehensive financial services include bookkeepers, controllers, CFOs, inventory consultants, full-service payroll and more.
Belay provides completely customized solutions to each business. As such, there are no standard pricing packages and rates vary depending on the scope of work and level of support needed.
The company also believes in AI as an amplifier of human productivity. All virtual assistants are trained in AI tools to streamline workflows and drive efficiency.
Services offered:
Admin tasks
Accounting support
Marketing support
Pricing: Custom
Best feature: If you enjoy working with a Belay VA, you can hire them as a full-time W-2 employee.
Drawback: Clients cannot interview candidates directly to check compatibility.
Ideal for: Marketing teams, executives and small businesses
Boldly is a premium staffing company that matches executives, small businesses, non-profits and enterprises with skilled remote professionals.
Each Boldly VA has 10 to 15 years of industry experience, ensuring specialized expertise and the ability to handle complex projects.
They also provide multilingual virtual assistants fluent in French, German, Spanish and other languages to help businesses expand into new markets and strengthen international partnerships.
Clients can avail flexible monthly plans for full-time, part-time or even quarter-time support.
Services offered:
Executive admin tasks
Personal support
Marketing
Social media
Photo/video editing
Graphic design
Content writing
Web development
Project management
Customer service
Bookkeeping
Pricing: $2520–$5040 per month ($63 per hour)
Best feature: You get senior virtual assistants with decades of industry experience.
Drawback: Boldly’s premium services make it significantly costlier than other staffing agencies.
Ideal for: C-level executives and businesses of all sizes.
Time Etc helps businesses save time by providing virtual assistants for tasks like managing inboxes, booking hotels or posting on social media.
The company offers tailored services across real estate, finance, e-commerce and healthcare industries.
They also have custom solutions for teams, such as 2 dedicated VAs for a team of 15 or 3 VAs for a team of 75.
Time Etc Virtual assistants come with an average of 12 years’ experience and a professional history with big names like Google, Facebook and HubSpot.
Services offered:
General admin
Sales support
Customer service
Marketing admin
Social media
Shopify store management
HR support
Project management
Executive assistance
Pricing: $380–$1440 per month ($36–$38 per hour)
Best feature: You can add additional assistants for free.
Drawback: Time Etc only provides VAs for ongoing support and not one-time projects.
Ideal for: Busy entrepreneurs and overburdened teams.
Established in 2008, MyOutDesk has been providing virtual assistant services for almost two decades.
The company powers 50+ industries, including real estate, healthcare, IT, e-commerce, finance and others. Their clients range from SMBs to Fortune 500 companies.
MOD virtual assistants are college-educated professionals with industry expertise in areas like medical scribing, bookkeeping and loan processing. They’re also trained to enhance their workflows using AI tools.
To ensure transparency, MyOutDesk monitors VAs with their in-house productivity tracking software, MyTimeIn.
Services offered:
Admin
Customer service
Sales
Marketing
HR
Help desk
Personal assistance
Pricing: Starts from $1988 per month
Best feature: MyOutDesk has over 15 years of experience in the market.
Drawback: Higher pricing may make it less suitable for startups and small businesses.
Ideal for: Established businesses looking for specialized industry services.
AssistWorld is a remote staffing company based in the US. They offer specialized services across e-commerce, real estate, healthcare, IT, hospitality, manufacturing, telecommunications and more.
With a database of 5000+ virtual assistants from various regions, AssistWorld enables businesses to take advantage of different time zones for round-the-clock coverage.
Once a VA is hired, they handle all HR processes and conduct regular performance reviews to ensure client satisfaction.
Meta, Aritzia and OpenAI are some of the top names in their client roster.
Services offered:
Admin
Accounting
Social media
Web design
Content creation
Marketing
Customer service
Lead generation
Medical billing
Paralegal services
Call center services
Software development
Pricing: Custom
Best feature: Vast array of specialized services across multiple industries.
Drawback: While the company promises rigorous screening, there are no educational qualification requirements.
Ideal for: CEOs, startups and SMEs.
Virtalent focuses on connecting UK-based businesses with virtual assistants who also live and work in the UK. By prioritizing onshoring hiring, they help clients avoid time zone clashes and cultural mismatches.
Most Virtalent VAs are ex-marketing managers and executive assistants, with an average of 15 years’ experience working at top firms like KPMG, BBC or IBM.
As a fully managed service, they assign a Client Success Manager for ongoing guidance on delegation, productivity and everything in between.
Virtalent also embraces sustainability, making it a good choice for climate-conscious businesses.
Services offered:
Personal assistance
General admin
Marketing
Content writing
Social media management
Graphic design
Sales
Customer service
Project management
HR & recruitment
Pricing: $290–$1560 per month ($26–$29 per hour)
Best feature: Virtalent has a small-business-friendly mode, with 90% of their clients being growing businesses.
Drawback: No dedicated virtual assistants. All VAs work with multiple clients.
Ideal for: Entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses in the UK.
Backed by 10 years of industry experience, Outsourcing Angel pairs companies with remote staff based in the Philippines.
All VAs are fluent in English and trained to understand the nitty-gritty of Western businesses.
Clients can choose between two models: a recruitment-only service or a fully managed solution where Outsourcing Angel oversees HR tasks and performance management. For existing clients, they also offer an Angel Training Program designed to upskill and motivate virtual assistants.
Additionally, the company promises ethical outsourcing by ensuring fair pay, healthcare support and continuous professional development of their VAs.
Services offered:
Admin
Sales
Lead generation
SEO
Customer service
Paid advertising
Social media management
Digital marketing
Graphic design
Content writing
Project management
E-commerce support
Front-end development
Accounting
Pricing: Custom
Best feature: If you’re unhappy with your VA, Outsourcing Angel offers a replacement at no additional cost, plus one week of free service.
Drawback: Charges a deposit fee and doesn’t allow rollover hours.
Ideal for: Companies based in Australia, the USA, Canada and the UK.
Before reaching out to a staffing agency, you need to figure out your needs.
Unless you’re clear about your expectations, agencies won’t know how to match you with the right VA. The more specific you are, the smoother the hiring process will be.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you out.
The first step is deciding what you actually need help with. Which tasks take up too much of your time? Is there anything you hate doing? What could someone easily take over?
If you’re looking for a lead generation assistant, don’t just say, “I need someone to find prospects.” A clearer description would be, “I need someone to research B2B companies, find decision-maker contact details and compile 50 qualified leads weekly.”
Once you’ve finalized the tasks, think about budget and time commitment.
Do you need part-time support or full-time? Long-term help or just a one-off project? All these points should help guide your budget.
Once you’ve defined your needs, narrow down the specific skills and expertise your VA should have.
Ask yourself these questions:
Can a beginner handle your project or is industry experience crucial?
When do you need your VA to be online?
Should your VA be proficient in any languages besides English?
Is there a specific tool or software your VA must know?
How important are skills like teamwork, critical thinking or creativity?
Clarifying these details will help you find the best fit for your needs.
Now that you have a clear picture of your ideal VA, it’s time to connect with staffing agencies.
Communicate your needs clearly and ask agencies about their exact process—minimum qualifications they look for, how they screen candidates, what training they provide and how soon they match you with a VA.
This is also a good time to ask about details like deposit fees (if any), notice periods for cancellations and replacement policies if a VA isn’t the right fit.
You can also check client reviews, testimonials and case studies to get a better sense of how reliable the company is.
After your consultation call, most staffing companies will provide a list of candidates to choose from.
Besides looking at the skills and work experience of VAs, consider the agency’s services as well.
Even if a candidate seems well-suited, an agency with rigid contracts or inflexible policies may create trouble for you down the line.
To make the best decision for your business, weigh both the candidate’s qualifications and the agency’s offerings together.
Take your time considering the pros and cons of each candidate and agency.
Once you’ve made your choice, sign the contract with your selected company. Confirm start dates, payment schedule and onboarding details and kick off your new partnership!
| Company | Hourly Rates | VA Location | Fully Managed |
| Zenius | $5 to $15 | India & Philippines | No |
| Zirtual | $38 to $50 | USA | Yes |
| Prialto | $22 to $27 | Asia, Central America & Africa | Yes |
| Belay | Custom | USA | Yes |
| Boldly | $63 | USA | Yes |
| Time Etc | $36 to $38 | USA | No |
| MyOutDesk | - | Phillipines | Yes |
| AssistWorld | Custom | Worldwide | Yes |
| Virtalent | $26 to $29 | UK | Yes |
| Outsourcing Angel | Custom | Philippines, Indonesia & East Asia | Both options available |
When looking for staffing agencies, it’s natural to want the best. But there’s no single “best” virtual assistant company—it all comes down to your goals and priorities.
A bootstrapped startup might prioritize cost-efficient support, while an established law firm may want paralegals with years of experience.
Here’s a quick guide to help you decide which company suits your needs best.
For cost-efficiency: Zenius (offers plans starting as low as $5/hour for full-time support.)
For industry experience: Time Etc, MyOutDesk and Prialto (Established leaders with hundreds of clients and years of proven experience.)
For multiple services: Zenius, AssistWorld, Outsourcing Angel and Boldly (Comprehensive solutions across various industries.)
For quick hiring: Zenius, Zirtual, Time Etc and Prialto (Provides VAs in 3–5 business days.)
For senior professionals: Boldly, Time Etc and Virtalent (VAs with 10+ years of experience).
For time zone alignment: Zenius (for multiple time zone options), Virtalent (for UK businesses) and Belay, Zirtual, Boldly and Time Etc (for U.S. businesses).
For AI-driven productivity: Belay, Zenius and MyOutDesk (VAs are trained to use the latest AI tools.)
Every company has its strengths. At the end of the day, the right VA company is the one that eases your stress and helps your business thrive.
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