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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UPDATE: It appears Ziptask is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives. Ziptask.com is an innovative way to send your computer tasks out for specialized completion without the trouble of finding a freelancer yourself. There is only one […]
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UPDATE: It appears DoNanza is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives. DoNanza is an online job board aggregator and freelance database. The company launched in 2009 and is based in Israel. At the time of this writing […]
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UPDATE: It appears SuperTasker was acquired by PeoplePerHour. Please see their listing here or consider one of these alternatives or see below. If you own this company or this information is incorrect, contact me here. SuperTasker was created by the founder and […]
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Craigslist is not on of the most reliable sources for outsourcing. Please consider one of these alternatives to ensure the success of your project. Several entrepreneurs have discovered an opportunity using Craiglist to find virtual assistants. They simply go to […]
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Gigster is a US-based company that has built a network of more than 600 freelance engineers and app developers. One of their taglines is, “We build and manage distributed teams like no one else.” If you have a large project […]
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Zeerk is an online platform where freelancers can post what Zeerk calls “micro freelance jobs.” These are basically gigs and services offered by freelancers ranging between $3-$200. The company has been operating since 2010 and their headquarters are based in […]
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Twine.fm is a UK-based company specializing in connecting clients with the creative services of audio, video, and graphic design freelancers. The company was founded in 2014 and their headquarters is based in Manchester, UK. The freelancers they accept into their […]
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Paro.io is a US-based company specializing in matching businesses with highly-vetted financial experts. From finding part-time cover for day-to-day bookkeeping tasks to hiring a CFO, Paro can find you the perfect financial expert for the role. The company has been […]
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Giggrabbers is an online platform that connects freelancers and virtual assistants with customers all over the world. The company is based in New York, US. The freelancers using their platform are based all over the globe, with most of them […]
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CyberCoders is an online recruitment service helping job seekers all over the US find the perfect job, and vice versa. The company was founded in 1999 and their headquarters is in Irvine, CA. They use a combination of their own […]
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SpareHire is an online platform that uses technology to connect the world’s best top business talent with clients at a fraction of what you’d pay a traditional staffing or recruiting firm. The company has been in business since 2013, their […]
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Pangara is a Swedish company specializing in connecting clients with freelancers, primarily developers, designers, and testers. The company was founded in 2016. Their current pool of freelancers are based in Vietnam, and they are planning on expanding in the future. […]
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HomeJobs is an online platform that connects clients with home-based freelancers in the Philippines. The company started operations in mid-2018, and they say they already have almost 1 million workers in their database. About HomeJobs.ph HomeJobs is a team of […]
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Outsource.com is a platform that connects clients with freelancers or members of their in-house team best suited to handle their tasks. They have a team of 10 operational staff in their head office in Dallas, Texas. Their 2,000+ freelancers and […]
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Shiftgig is the leading mobile platform that connects businesses with reliable, high-quality workers on demand. People use Shiftgig to discover short-term work opportunities when, where and for the businesses they prefer. Shiftgig was founded in 2012. Their headquarters is located […]
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ADAZA is a marketplace that helps connect independent sales professionals with new companies looking to utilize freelance sales reps to accelerate their growth and reach new markets. The company was formed by four software veterans in 2015 and is backed […]
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Gun.io is a platform connecting freelance software developers with business owners and entrepreneurs in need of professional software development services. (Think “hired gun.”) The company is privately held and was founded in 2011, and their headquarters is located in Nashville, […]
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HourlyNerd is now Catalant. HourlyNerd aims to revolutionize consulting by matching qualified professional and top MBA students to your business. The Boston-based company was founded in 2013, and describes itself as “the future of consulting.” Founded by 3 Harvard MBA students, […]
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AssistU (AssistU.com) is a virtual assistant training and certification service, that also allows prospective would-be employers to tap into their database of pre-qualified VAs. The company was founded way back in 1997 by Anastacia Brice, back when the term “virtual […]
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UPDATE: Microlancer is now the Envato Studio. Please consider one of these alternatives or see below. If this information is incorrect, please email me. Microlancer.com is a service from the Envato network of sites (known for ThemeForest, VideoHive, AudioJungle, and more — […]