Freelance virtual assistants are an alternative to going through one of the virtual assistant companies.
You can find freelance VAs in a number of locations, including Upwork, FreeeUp, and even Fiverr. These sites allow you to specify your exact requirements in advance, and are great for project-based tasks.
Advantages of Hiring Freelance Virtual Assistants
Hiring a freelance VA comes with a host of benefits that can help improve different areas of your business.
Cost Efficiency
One of the benefits of hiring a freelance virtual assistant that easily stands out is the comparatively lower cost of hiring either an in-house employee or a virtual assistant company.
Unlike a full-time employee, you don’t need to pay for government-mandated benefits because they work on a per-project basis.
There’s also no need to pay for Internet, rent, or utilities because they use their own computers and Internet connection as part of their virtual assistance business.
Since most work as sole proprietors or traders, there’s no company overhead to pay for.
Increased Productivity
Productivity is also one of the major benefits freelance virtual assistants bring–which is essential for businesses that are looking to scale up.
For one, they are often experienced professionals who no longer require much training. (Though they still may need time to get comfortable with your specific systems and responsibilities.)
Delegating tasks to freelance virtual assistants allow you to focus on the more high-value tasks that require your authority and expertise.
Not only does this keep things organized, but it also helps the business get more things done instead of overwhelming yourself with tasks you can otherwise delegate to someone else.
Specialized Skills
Virtual assistants today are no longer just virtual secretaries who help you organize your schedule and reply to your emails.
The range of skills and expertise you can choose from has become much wider, with freelancers specializing in specific areas like marketing, accounting, and e-commerce.
This is a huge advantage if your business belongs to any one of these industries because you’ll be getting assistance from someone who actually has the skills, knowledge, and experience to help your business dominate in their area of expertise.
Plus, hiring virtually allows you to reach a nationwide or even global talent pool, instead of just hiring locally.
More Control Over Hiring
When you’re making a freelance hire, you can pore over applicants until you find the perfect fit. This can be very time-consuming, but if it’s for an ongoing role in your company, probably makes sense to do.
In contrast, if you hire through a virtual assistant company or agency, they’ll do their best to match you with a great fitting VA, but you won’t see as many options as you would doing it yourself.
Non-Office Hours Support
Some freelance virtual assistants reside halfway around the world, which means they belong to a different time zone.
While most business owners would typically look at this as a disadvantage, some would view this as a benefit because your businesses continue to operate even while you sleep.
Depending on your business requirements, this time difference can present several opportunities you can take advantage of, especially if your business caters to an international audience.
| FreeeUp | Upwork | Fiverr | OnlineJobs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Established | 2015 | 1999 | 2010 | 2008 |
| Location | Worldwide, w/ concentration in USA and Philippines | Worldwide | Worldwide | Philippines |
| Customer Rating | ||||
| Size of Talent Pool | Thousands | 12 million | 830,000 | 250,000 |
| Hourly Rate | $5-75+ | $3-100+ | $3-100+ | $3-20+ |
| Platform Fee | 15% | 5-20% | 20% + processing fee | $69 a month |
| Worker Tracking | (optional) |
|||
| Pre-Screened Freelancers | (w/ Fiverr Pro) |
|||
| Best For | Quick hires, e-commerce | One-off projects | Smaller jobs | Affordable full-time help |
| Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More |
Drawbacks to Hiring Freelance Virtual Assistants
While there are obviously lots of benefits to gain from hiring a freelance virtual assistant, it also has its share of disadvantages.
Potential Language Barrier
One of the biggest concerns to hiring freelance VAs is the potential language barrier. Of course you can avoid that by hiring a local freelancer.
The difference lies in the cultural and social nuances which have the potential to create differences in perception.
Once such example is when it comes to the way they communicate.
As we know, Americans are pretty straightforward and direct to the point, which is the exact opposite for Filipinos who were raised to be more formal and conservative with their approach.
Calamities/Catastrophic Events
Another possible drawback to hiring freelance virtual assistants is the possible work interruption brought about by typhoons and catastrophic events especially in the Philippines, a country sitting in what others refer to as the typhoon belt.
During such situations, certain areas may experience power failures and internet outages which can affect business continuity.
Internet speed may also present some issues but with current advances in local infrastructure, this may no longer be a pressing concern.
Commitment and Dedication
Virtual assistants usually do what they do because it is their main source of income. Working on a single project, however, won’t be enough to put food on their tables or pay the bills.
To continue to keep the lights on, they usually take on three to four more projects or clients since they are also usually paid by the hour.
With that being said, you can’t expect them to be fully dedicated to your project. Most of the time, they will allot a couple of hours for each project they handle so they can accommodate everyone.
If you need someone dedicated, you need to make this clear right from the very beginning so the freelancer can organize his schedule.
Backups and Replacements
One of the biggest advantages of hiring through a third-party VA service is the backup and replacement. Should your freelance assistant move on to another opportunity, it will be your responsibility to replace them from scratch.
How Much do Freelance Virtual Assistants Cost?
You can usually hire a freelance virtual assistant for as little as $400 and as high as $1500 per month if you’re hiring from the Philippines or India.
Due to differences in standard of living, virtual assistants located in the US or in the UK will cost more. You’ll find hourly rates starting around $15 and going up to as high as $150 for highly-skilled, expert-level professionals.
Fees being charged by outsourcing services are usually already included in a virtual assistant’s hourly rate. Considering how easy they make things for you, you’re still getting a great deal for your money.
My Experience with Freelance Virtual Assistants
Some of my best virtual hires have been freelancers! I’ve worked with dozens over the years, on everything including:
- Social media
- Graphics
- Content writing and editing
- Customer service
- Advertising management
- Data entry and normalization
- Accounting
- Web development
- and more
My go-to services for connecting with freelancers, outside my own network and community, are:
- Fiverr – great a la carte platform for one-off tasks and projects.
- Upwork – great to find specialized skills and longer-term hires.
- FreeeUp – great to quickly connect with pre-vetted professionals.
- OnlineJobs – best for filling ongoing part-time or full-time roles.
Which Freelance Virtual Assistant Service Should You Choose?
Freelance virtual assistant services usually provide the same kind of services from the hiring down to management.
While most of them will simply send you a bunch of names to choose from, there are others that do all the dirty work for you by providing you, pre-vetted candidates.
In the end, it all depends on how much time you can spare and how involved you want to be in the hiring process.
The Best Freelance Hiring Platforms
Check out the reviews we provided for you below to help you decide which service works best for you.
Those will help you navigate the various options for finding a freelance virtual assistant, and include advice on what to look for, what questions to ask, and warning signs.
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XPlace is a large freelance marketplace. The company is based in Los Angeles, US, and they have development offices in the Ukraine and Israel. Their freelancers are based all over the world. Their focus is to provide a marketplace for […]
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Truelancer is an online marketplace connecting clients with freelancer workers all over the globe. Their platform is quick, safe, and you have the flexibility to submit single jobs or build up an ongoing working relationship with a freelancer. If you […]
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Guru.com is a marketplace to find freelance talent in whatever specialty you’re looking for. The Pittsburgh-based company is one of the original freelance sites, having been founded way back in 1997. They claim to be the world’s largest online marketplace […]
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UPDATE: vWorker has been acquired by Freelancer.com. See our full review of Freelancer.com here. vWorker.com is a company designed to bring employers and virtual workers together so that everyone can find the work and workers they need. Based in Tampa, […]
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UPDATE: It appears Crew.co has changed to Dribbble.com. Please consider one of these alternatives. Crew.co is a marketplace that provides a platform for freelancers, or “members” as they refer to them, to connect with business owners and entrepreneurs. They specialize […]
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ProtopVA is a virtual assistant company from Latin America. They pride themselves on having over 100 professionals working remotely to support your business. Focusing on your needs, they’ll connect you to experienced Latino Virtual Assistants to deliver excellence. They understand […]
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Toptal is a US-based company specializing in connecting clients with the services of remote engineers and developers. The company was founded in 2010 and is headed up by CEO Taso Du Val. Toptal has been expanding their network of talented […]
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Workana is an online marketplace connecting freelancers with customers all over the globe looking for skilled help with anything from writing website content, to developing custom apps and everything in-between. The company has been in business since 2012. They now […]
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Twago is one of the largest platforms in Europe helping businesses all over the world find freelancers to help them with tasks and projects. The company has been in operation since 2009 and has grown a large marketplace for clients […]
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UPDATE: Remote.com has changed their business structure and no longer offers the below services. Please take a look here for alternative virtual assistant companies. Thank you. Remote.com (formerly Outsource.com, a platform that generated less-than-positive feedback from freelancers) is a virtual […]
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PeoplePerHour.com is a website that helps connect individuals who need work done with those willing to do it. There are quite a range of jobs available, from accounting support to legal services to web design to copywriting to data entry […]
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TaskArmy is a task-oriented outsourcing marketplace that got its start in 2010. The company was founded by Aymeric Gaurat-Apelli and is based out of Sydney, Australia. Frustrated with the crowds and race-to-the-bottom price wars on Upwork, and the inherent […]
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Freelancer.com is the world’s largest freelance marketplace, with over 7 million users. Since 2004, the Australia-based company has grown into an impressive global outsourcing hub, with members from more than 200 countries around the world. In terms of dollar volume, […]
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Kamel BPO is a Canadian-owned and operated Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company based in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines. Since its establishment in 2017, Kamel BPO has built a reputation for providing high-quality, flexible outsourcing solutions. Their focus on recruiting highly educated […]
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1840 & Company is a US-based outsourcing company that helps businesses of all sizes hire global remote freelancers to fill a variety of positions, including virtual assistants. The company is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, United States with hubs in […]
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Crackerjack is one of the leading platforms that connect local businesses and serious freelancers with diligent visionaries throughout the United States. They strive to develop a marketplace that offers a bespoke and exclusive approach to freelancing by bridging the gap […]
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Dynamite Jobs is an online platform aggregating and sharing the best remote jobs from hundreds of sources, posting over 300 new remote jobs each week. If you’re looking for a position where you can work remotely or if you’re a […]
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Just Remote is an online remote job board platform. Just Remote populate their listings by collating remote job listings from all over the internet and taking job listings directly through their site. The company is headquartered in London, England. About […]
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Toogit, which stands for Top Online Gurus for Instant Technology and Other Work (I can see why they use an acronym!) is an online freelance community platform. The company is headquartered in India. Toogit helps connect freelancers with clients all […]
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Extend Your Team is a virtual assistant company specializing in providing experienced virtual assistants to small and medium-sized companies all over the world. The company is headquartered in the US, and all of their assistants are based in the Philippines. […]