Time Etc Reviews: Is the Service Worth the Cost?

If you’re reading Time Etc reviews before you hand over your calendar to an assistant, you want to know 3 things: what it costs, what assistants can actually take off your plate, and whether it suits your needs.

Time Etc has been matching businesses with virtual assistants since 2007, and it sells that support in monthly blocks of hours. The smallest block is 10 hours a month; the largest is 60.

That structure fits some businesses better than others. So let’s walk through the pricing, what clients and assistants say about the service, and who the model actually suits.

Time Etc Reviews at a Glance

Before the details, a quick look at the company and what it sells.

Time Etc says it has worked with more than 22,000 entrepreneurs. Assistants average 12 years of experience, and the selection process was built by Penni Pike, who spent years as Richard Branson’s assistant.

That’s a real track record. Whether it fits you depends on what you’re trying to hand off.

What Can a Time Etc Assistant Help With?

Time Etc assistants cover general business admin work, including:

• Inbox and email management
• Calendar and scheduling
• Travel booking, expenses, and invoices
• Research and data entry
• Bookkeeping support
• Social media and blog content
• Customer service
• Sales support, CRM updates, lead research
• Personal tasks and household admin

What they don’t take on matters just as much:

• One-off projects: Their service is built for ongoing help.
• Specialized technical work: Software development and advanced design sit outside the scope.
• Full-time coverage: Standard plans cap at 60 hours per month, roughly 14 hours per week.

How the Time Etc Service Model Works

The setup is simple, which is a good part of the appeal.

1. You book a call and talk through what you need.
2. Time Etc shortlists an assistant for you to meet before anything starts.
3. Your first task is free, with no credit card required.
4. All work runs through their dashboard, where your assistant tracks time to the second.

You work with the same dedicated assistant each month. Adding more assistants or sharing yours with your team doesn’t cost extra. Holiday and sick cover comes as standard, and switching assistants is free at any point. If you want to cancel, you can just send an email (there’s no notice period). 

For scope, the work sits in general admin territory, a step below the fuller range of executive assistant tasks and responsibilities.

One thing worth sorting out before you compare prices: Time Etc only sells hourly virtual assistant support. If you’re looking for a fractional executive assistant on a retainer or want to hire in-house, the platform doesn’t offer those services.

Time Etc Virtual Assistant Pricing Breakdown

Time Etc publishes its rates on its website, so you can see the full plan structure before you book a call.

Note: These numbers are as of the time of writing. Depending on when you’re reading this, check out the official Time Etc plans and pricing page for updated information.

There’s no setup fee, and your effective rate drops as you buy more hours. Larger plans are available on a call.

The rollover rule on the entry plan is the detail we’d flag. On 10 hours a month, anything you don’t use disappears at month-end.

Every plan from 20 hours upward carries unused time into the next month. If your workload swings month to month, the 20+ hour plans are the safer floor.

Time Etc Reviews Across Customer and Employee Platforms

Time Etc reviews come from 2 very different groups. Clients post on Trustpilot and G2. Assistants and former assistants post on Glassdoor, Indeed, and Reddit.

Let’s take them one at a time:

Time Etc Reviews From Clients

Trustpilot has the largest pool of client feedback, with a rating of 4.7 out of 5 across 270+ reviews as of the time of writing.

What Clients Like About Time Etc

The praise clusters around 4 things:

• Getting the right match: A therapist running her own practice wrote that both assistants she’d been matched with made a real difference to her business admin.
• Starting small: A first-time delegator wrote that she valued “the ability to start with a lower number of hours” and scale up from there.
• Billing by the minute: Another client wrote that the assistants bill by the minute and work fast. He called them a world apart from the cheaper VA firms he’d tried.
• Fixing it when the first match fails: One client didn’t have a good start with an assistant. But then he raised it with management, who fixed it right away. That’s why he still recommended the company.

Common Concerns Buyers Should Consider

Far fewer people left critical reviews for Time Etc. The ones who do keep circling the same 3 problems, so read these before you buy:

• Assistants going quiet: A client saw his first assistant slow down in January 2025. Then she stopped answering his emails. He complained, and the company promised it wouldn’t happen again. But then his second assistant did the same thing.
• You still have to feed the work: Another one mentioned that her assistant was competent but waited to be told what to do. That meant handing over instructions every month to use up the hours she’d paid for. She didn’t have the time, so she hired in-house instead. Then the platform wouldn’t let her cancel.
• Paying to train your own assistant: Some clients reported that their assistant didn’t know the software they’d been told would be covered. Bringing that assistant up to speed fell to the client, and those training hours came out of the plan they were paying for.

Time Etc Reviews From Assistants on Employee Platforms

Assistants rate Time Etc well as a place to work.

On Glassdoor, virtual assistants give the company 4.9 out of 5 across 50+ reviews, and 99% say they’d recommend it to a friend.

However, most people who’re leaving negative reviews are mainly dissatisfied with the pay structure.

• One remote assistant wrote on Indeed that the pay is “less than half what they charge their clients”, calling it solid for casual work from home and thin as a career.
• Another assistant reported earning $170 for a client on a 10-hour monthly plan, while saying those clients often expected $75-an-hour work.

Replying to reviews on Indeed, founder Barnaby Lashbrooke said fees paid to assistants have risen at least 55% in 4 years, and described the platform as a flexible second income built around family life. Full-time employment was never the design.

None of that makes Time Etc a bad company. Assistants clearly like working there.

The arrangement does set a ceiling, though. Time Etc describes the work as a flexible second income built around family life. Support sized for a part-time commitment is what you should expect to receive.

Which brings up the 2 questions we’d put to any assistant company before you sign. How much does the assistant take home, and are they employees or independent contractors?

Who Gets the Most Value From Time Etc?

The service works well if you’re:

• Solo founders and small business owners delegating admin for the first time.
• Anyone whose handoff list runs 10-60 hours per month.
• Buyers who want US- or UK-based support without offshore pricing.
• People testing delegation but don’t want a contract.
• Small teams sharing one assistant for scheduling and inbox work.

If your list is mostly calendar, inbox, travel, and research, Time Etc assistants handle it very well. 

The strain shows up when you start handing over work that looks like what a C-suite assistant handles. At that point, you need someone making judgment calls, which is a different kind of hire.

When Time Etc May Not Be the Right Fit

A few situations where we’d point you somewhere else:

• You need more than 60 hours a month: Standard plans cap there.
• You need availability: A founder we spoke with tried hourly support and gave up after 6 months. His assistant was experienced and tracked time carefully, but she carried 8 other clients, so she was never free when he needed her.
• You need after-hours help: A $10M prospect might email at 9 pm, or a board deck might need fixing before a Monday morning meeting. Time Etc’s hourly plans are built around business hours, so those moments land back on your desk.
• Your assistant needs to represent you: If they’re speaking to your clients, board, or family, they need to understand your preferences and know how to handle things without constant guidance. Task-based virtual assistants might not be able to do that for you.
• You need specialized technical work: The roster is built for admin.

Time Etc vs. ProAssisting

ProAssisting is a US-based remote executive assistant service founded by Ethan and Stephanie Bull.

We’re both career EAs who supported C-suite leaders before starting the company. We place a fractional executive assistant with you on a monthly retainer.

The table below shows how the 2 services compare.

Those 5 roles in the scope row come from the framework in our book. Chief of staff there means acting as the single point of contact for your clients, team, investors, and family.

In most companies, this title describes a strategy role, so it’s worth mentioning here that we mean something more hands-on.

If you’re figuring out what to delegate first, our book, ‘The 29-Hour Work Day’, is an instruction manual for executives who want to get the most out of an assistant. 

Get the free PDF and audio version.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are a few questions that come up almost every time someone is evaluating Time Etc:

Is Time Etc Legit?

Yes. Time Etc has operated since 2007, publishes its pricing openly, and holds a 4.7 rating across 270+ Trustpilot reviews. Complaints do exist, and they cluster around assistant consistency, proactivity, and billing. 

However, nothing in the public record points to a scam.

How Quickly Is a Time Etc Assistant Assigned?

Usually within days of your first call. You’ll get to talk with your assistant before any work starts. 

Some third-party reviews report a slower turnaround of up to 3 weeks. That’s from first inquiry to first finished task, so leave yourself a buffer.

Where Are Time Etc Assistants Based?

US-based assistants come through the US site, while UK-based assistants come through the UK site. 

That matters for time zone overlap and for any work where your assistant speaks to your clients directly.

Is There a Minimum Contract with Time Etc?

No. Plans run month to month with no notice period and no setup fee. 

The smallest plan is 10 hours a month, and you can grow or shrink at any time.

Can You Request a Different Time Etc Assistant?

Yes, free of charge, at any point. 

Time Etc says it will keep matching until the fit works.

Conclusion

So is Time Etc worth the cost? For the right buyer, yes. If you need 10 to 60 hours a month of general admin and no contract, Time Etc is a sensible place to start.

The problems start as the work moves toward the center of your business. Handing over your inbox, your board communication, and your family calendar means someone is making calls on your behalf every day.

That takes an assistant who knows your business and priorities well enough to act without asking.

That’s the bar at ProAssisting. We only employ highly skilled executive assistants who have supported executives and board members at companies like J.Crew, Fidelity, NBC Sports, and the US Congress for 5+ years. 

That’s why fewer than 5% of applicants make it through our recruitment system.

All of that premium support costs 50 to 80% less than hiring the same person in-house.

You’re one 30-minute conversation away from getting hours back every week. Get started here.