Best Place to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Busy Executives

When email, scheduling, and travel start eating into your week, hiring a virtual assistant is usually the first fix you consider. The harder part is deciding where to find one.

You can hire through a freelance marketplace, an offshore job board, a VA company, or a fractional executive assistant service. Each gives you a different type of assistant at a different price.

So the best place to hire a virtual assistant depends on the work you want to hand off. Below, you’ll see how eight options compare, what each one actually costs, and when you need more than a VA.

TL;DR: The Best Places to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Here’s the short version of where to hire, based on what you need:

• ProAssisting fits executives who want an experienced, US-based executive assistant on a flat monthly retainer.
• Upwork and Fiverr work best for one-off projects with a clear deliverable.
• OnlineJobs.ph lets you hire offshore assistants directly for a small monthly subscription.
• Managed VA services like Wing recruit and supervise an assistant for steady, routine tasks.
• US-based VA companies like Belay, Boldly, and Time Etc sell monthly blocks of hours with a dedicated assistant.
• Fancy Hands covers quick, one-off requests through a pool of assistants.
• LinkedIn, job boards, and referrals suit a direct hire that you’ll manage yourself.

The 8 Best Places to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Each place below runs on a different hiring model. This table shows how they compare on who you get, how you pay, and who manages the assistant:

Here’s how each option works in practice, what it costs, and who it suits best:

1. ProAssisting, for Executive-Level Support

ProAssisting partners you with a fractional executive assistant, called a ProAssistant. You get a set share of one experienced assistant’s resources, such as one-third or one-half, for a flat monthly fee.

In practice, one ProAssistant can prep you for a board meeting, keep vendors off your phone, and plan your family’s vacation in the same week.

Here’s what you get:

• Experience: Every ProAssistant is US-based. Each one has at least five years of experience as an executive assistant, project manager, or equivalent at globally recognized brands.
• Cost: Plans start at $3,300 per month for one-third of a ProAssistant’s resources. More than 75% of that retainer goes directly to your ProAssistant, according to the same pricing page.
• Response time: You’ll get replies within an hour or less during business hours. You’ll also get after-hours help when you travel or something unexpected comes up.
• Focus: Each ProAssistant supports no more than three clients. That 3:1 client-to-assistant ratio gives them room to learn your preferences, your people, and your priorities.
• Scope: Your ProAssistant can act as your business partner, chief of staff, project manager, assistant/scheduler, and personal assistant. We call these the five performance multipliers.
• Best for: It suits C-suite executives, founders, board directors, and business owners who need someone to represent them without a full-time hire.

2. Upwork and Fiverr, for One-Off Projects

Upwork and Fiverr are freelance marketplaces. You find, hire, and manage the freelancer yourself.

In practice, hiring through either platform works like this:

• How you hire: On Upwork, you post a job or invite freelancers, compare their profiles and client reviews, then interview your shortlist. On Fiverr, you buy a fixed-price package, called a gig, for a defined result.
• What it costs: Upwork’s own cost guide lists a median rate of $10 to $20 an hour for virtual assistants. The same guide puts the average at $18 to $35 an hour, depending on skills and experience.
• What you handle: You screen every candidate, write the instructions, and check the work. A freelancer who serves other clients may not be free when you need them.
• Best for: Use it for defined projects you can judge quickly, like cleaning up a contact list or formatting a slide deck.

3. OnlineJobs.ph, for Hiring Offshore Directly

OnlineJobs.ph is a job board for hiring remote workers in the Philippines. You pay the site to contact candidates, then hire and pay your assistant directly.

If you go this route, expect the following:

• What it costs: According to OnlineJobs.ph’s pricing page, paid plans cost $69 or $99 a month. The site says it adds no markup to the salary you negotiate. And you can cancel once you’ve made your hire.
• What you handle: You run the interviews, set the pay, train your assistant, and track their hours. You’ll also need to plan around the time-zone difference.
• Best for: It works well for founders who want low-cost offshore help and have time to train and manage an assistant.

4. Managed VA Services Like Wing, for Routine Tasks

Managed VA services recruit, train, and supervise an assistant for you. Wing is one of the better-known examples.

Here’s how the setup works day to day:

• How it works: According to Wing’s site, its plans assign you a dedicated assistant for 20 or 40 hours a week. You submit tasks to a queue. Your assistant works through them one by one.
• Who oversees the work: Team captains, supervisors, and a quality assurance team check your assistant’s output.
• Best for: It’s a good match for small teams with steady routine work, like data entry, inbox sorting, and basic research.

5. US-Based VA Companies Like Belay, Boldly, and Time Etc

These companies match you with a dedicated, US-based assistant. Boldly and Time Etc sell support in monthly blocks of hours, so compare the hourly math before you sign.

Here’s how three well-known options price their plans:

• Boldly: Boldly’s pricing page lists $2,600 a month for 40 hours. Boldly employs its US staff directly and requires at least 40 hours a month per assistant.
• Time Etc: Time Etc’s published plans start at $390 a month for 10 hours. Unused hours roll over on its larger plans.
• Belay: Belay doesn’t publish its prices. It offers custom pricing based on your needs and matches you with a US-based assistant.

These services suit professionals who need steady part-time help and are comfortable buying a set number of hours.

Our breakdown of the top virtual assistant companies covers more of these providers in detail.

6. On-Demand Task Services Like Fancy Hands

Fancy Hands’ standard plans run on individual requests. You submit a task. Then whichever assistant is available picks it up and completes it.

That model has clear upsides and clear limits:

• Where it helps: It’s quick for small errands, like booking an appointment or making a phone call.
• Where it falls short: You’ll rarely work with the same assistant more than a few times. So nobody builds up knowledge of your preferences.
• Best for: It’s handy when you need occasional help with small, one-off errands.

Our guide to Fancy Hands alternatives explains this trade-off in more detail.

7. LinkedIn and Job Boards, for a Direct Hire

Posting on LinkedIn, Indeed, or a similar job board gets you an employee. You set the pay, the hours, and the expectations.

A direct hire involves more than the salary:

• What it costs: The median annual wage for executive assistants was $76,590 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Benefits, payroll taxes, and equipment come on top of salary.
• What you handle: You run the screening, interviews, and onboarding yourself. If the hire doesn’t work out, you start the search again.
• Best for: It makes sense for companies that need a full-time assistant and have the budget and HR support for a new employee.

8. Referrals From Your Network

Asking peers, board members, or your current team for names can surface an assistant who has already supported someone like you.

Referrals tend to play out like this:

• The upside: You hear about the person’s work from someone you trust before you ever interview them.
• The downside: A great fit for a colleague may not match your pace, your industry, or your personal needs. You’ll still handle the contract, pay, and management yourself.
• Best for: It works best for executives with a strong network who want a warm introduction before they start interviewing.

How Much a Virtual Assistant Costs at Each Place

Prices depend more on the hiring model than on the assistant’s title. Here’s what each option costs, based on published pricing:

Hourly plans look cheaper at first glance. But a low rate only saves money if the work comes back right the first time.

ProAssisting prices by resources rather than hours. You get a share of one assistant’s capacity each month, so you never need to track a meter or ration your requests.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign With Any Provider

Many executives compare providers on price alone. That’s usually where a bad hire starts.

The questions below show what you’ll actually get for your money.

Our co-founder, Ethan Bull, puts the first one plainly.

“The most important question you can ask is how much is the assistant who’s partnered with you actually getting paid?” he said in a 2026 podcast interview.

Ask every provider about these five things before you sign:

• What the assistant earns: Ask what share of your fee goes to the person doing the work. Low pay often means less experience and a higher chance they’ll leave for a better offer.
• How many clients they support: An assistant split across many clients has less time to answer you and learn your business. That’s the reason we cap each ProAssistant at three clients.
• What happens to unused hours: If you buy a block of hours and don’t use them all, ask what happens to the rest. Some plans roll them over to the next month, while others let them expire.
• Whether you get one dedicated assistant: Some services give each request to whoever is free. A dedicated assistant builds knowledge of your contacts, preferences, and priorities over time.
• How long clients stay: Ask about the average client tenure. Long relationships suggest the provider keeps its assistants happy and in place.

Pay attention to how the plan is billed, too.

In the same interview, Ethan explained that hourly billing works against you. An assistant who gets faster ends up earning less under that model.

When a Virtual Assistant Is Enough and When You Need More

A VA and an executive assistant can both take work off your plate. The difference is how much judgment you can hand over along with that work.

A Virtual Assistant Fits When

A VA is usually the right choice in these situations:

• The tasks are repeatable: Data entry, basic scheduling, and inbox sorting follow clear rules. A VA can handle them with a short set of instructions.
• You can review the work: You have time to check the output and give feedback until it’s right.
• You’re testing delegation: You’ve never had an assistant and want to try handing off work before you commit to more.
• The need is project-based: You need help with a defined project, like a database cleanup, rather than an ongoing partnership.

You Need an Executive Assistant When

Look for executive-level support when your needs look more like this:

• Someone has to speak for you: Clients, investors, and board members expect a polished and discreet point of contact. An executive assistant can represent you in those conversations.
• Your calendar needs judgment: Moving a meeting means weighing who matters most and why. An experienced EA learns to make those calls the way you would.
• Your work and personal life overlap: A family event can clash with a board meeting. An EA who manages both calendars catches the conflict before it reaches you.
• You want one point of contact: In our model, an EA can act as your chief of staff. That means being the single point of contact for clients, direct reports, vendors, and family.
• You want the relationship to last: An assistant who stays for years builds context that makes every request faster to handle.

Still not sure which level fits your workload? Our free executive support quiz maps your current needs to the right level of support in a few minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are quick answers to common questions about where to hire a virtual assistant:

What Is the Best Website to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

It depends on the work you need done. Upwork suits one-off projects.

OnlineJobs.ph suits low-cost offshore hires, while US-based VA companies suit steady part-time help. For executive-level support, a fractional EA service like ProAssisting is the better fit.

How Much Should You Pay a Virtual Assistant?

Pay for the level of judgment the role needs. Task-based freelance work costs far less than a US-based assistant who represents you. Very low rates can bring more turnover, so budget for real experience.

Is Hiring a Virtual Assistant Worth It?

Yes, if the tasks you hand off free up your time for higher-value work. It’s worth less if you spend that time checking and redoing the output. Match the assistant’s level to the judgment the work requires.

Is It Better to Hire Through an Agency or Directly?

An agency costs more, but it handles vetting, matching, and replacements for you. A direct hire costs less, but it makes you the recruiter and the manager.

If your schedule is already full, an agency is usually the better trade.

Should You Hire a US-Based or Offshore Virtual Assistant?

Offshore assistants cost less and work well for tasks that don’t need real-time replies. US-based assistants share your business hours and cultural context. That matters when your assistant speaks to clients, investors, or family on your behalf.

Get Executive-Level Support With ProAssisting

The right place to hire comes down to how much judgment the work needs. Once your assistant has to speak for you, a task marketplace won’t be enough.

That’s where ProAssisting comes in. We match you with a US-based ProAssistant who has at least five years of high-level experience.

Your ProAssistant supports no more than three clients, so they have room to learn how you work and what matters to you.

Plans start at $3,300 a month for one-third of a ProAssistant’s resources. You can add more support as your needs grow.