A virtual assistant company is simply a firm that provides outsourcing services.
Many are located internationally (India and the Philippines are popular spots), but you’ll find a growing number of virtual assistant companies in the US and Europe.
Why’s that?
Well, the demand for qualified remote workers just continues to increase! Over the next 10 years, hiring managers expect nearly 40% of their workforce to be working remotely.
As more companies get on board with the idea of a virtual team, that means the virtual assistant industry is booming — and that’s great news for you.
Advantages of Working With a Virtual Assistant Company
There are several advantages of hiring through an established VA company vs. making a direct hire, and especially over making a local hire.
Recruiting
First, the company does the bulk of the recruiting and screening legwork for you, which can be a huge time saver.
As the demand for remote work has increased, so has the supply. And I get that. I mean, I’ve been working from home for over 10 years — it’s awesome.
But what that means for virtual assistant companies is that they can afford to be extremely picky with who they bring on board. In fact, on my VA company sites, you’ll find material on their hiring process and how they only accept the top 1-3% of candidates.
If you’ve ever tried to make a traditional job posting and screen candidates, you know that recruiting is incredibly time-consuming.
Backups and Replacements
Next, if and when your VA leaves, gets sick, or gets promoted, you’re not scrambling to replace them.
You’ll still have to train your new worker, but at least you won’t have to go out and source them completely on your own.
A Team of Assistants Under One Virtual Roof
And finally, many virtual assistant companies offer a cool hybrid model where you have a dedicated assistant for most of your tasks, but have access to the company’s broader talent pool for more specialized requests.
This allows you to amplify your productivity and keep all the communication and delegation under one roof.
Simple Accounting
Hiring through a VA company can also make for a simpler relationship come tax time too.
The fees you pay to the firm are a quick line-item deductible expense and you don’t have to stress about whether a freelance contractor you hired is technically an employee in the eyes of the IRS.
Here’s a quick profile of some of the top-rated companies. You can check them out or browse the full directory below.
| Online VA Team | Time Etc | Remote CoWorker | Tasks Expert | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Established | 2014 | 2007 | 2013 | 2017 |
| Location | USA and The Philippines | USA and UK | USA | US and India |
| Customer Rating | ||||
| Hourly Rate | $7+ | $27-29 | $5.99-8.00 | $4.50 |
| Minimum Package | $250 for 20 hours | $390 for 10 hours | $139 for 20 hours | $169 for 20 hours |
| Dedicated Assistant | ||||
| Team Access | ||||
| Rollover Hours | *Per policy | |||
| Free Trial | ||||
| Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More |
Drawbacks to Virtual Assistant Companies
The biggest disadvantage I see to working with virtual assistant companies is you’re paying a premium for:
- Their recruiting and training
- Their company overhead and infrastructure
- A management layer
In each case, those might not be a huge benefit for you. You could potentially go out and find a better skills and cultural fit by hiring directly.
The training an assistant receives through a company will probably be helpful — but it might not be directly applicable to your business.
If your VA is working from a dedicated call-center type of office, the rent, electricity, equipment, and Internet are all baked into your price.
And finally, virtual assistant companies have a management layer you’re also paying for — but unless something goes wrong — you might not need.
How Much do Virtual Assistant Companies Cost?
You’ll find virtual assistant companies with task-based plans starting around $30 a month. For that price, you’ll be able to delegate a handful of small requests.
Dedicated services begin in the $100-300 a month range for part-time support.
Overseas, you can hire a full-time VA through a virtual assistant company for $800-1500 a month. For assistants in the US or Western Europe, you can easily spend double or triple that.
My Experience with Virtual Assistant Companies
I’ve worked with several virtual assistant companies over the last decade, starting with my first dedicated assistant from Pakistan.
These companies, and increasingly specialized virtual agencies, are an important part of my virtual assistant “stack.”
(A specialist agency is a company that does just ONE thing, like graphic design, podcast editing, or bookkeeping.)
What I see as the biggest benefits are the team access and the VA replacement.
Over the last few years, there have been quite a few instances of my assistant getting promoted or taking a new job. And instead of me being stranded and stuck without support, a new qualified VA took their place seamlessly. In one case, I didn’t even know the change had happened for a couple weeks!
And similarly, when a company has lots of different skills under one roof, it’s been really helpful to send over a random request and have that taken care of.
For example, maybe your regular assistant does social media and content marketing for you — but you occasionally need some technical website stuff done. It’s a big time saver to just have one company able to handle it.
Which Virtual Assistant Company is Right For You?
What you should look for in a VA company, aside from positive customer reviews, is:
- professionalism (can you picture this person or company working for you?)
- response time (did they reply promptly to your inquiry?)
- price (will the work justify the expense?)
Related: 13 Questions to Ask a Virtual Assistant Company
Check out the top-rated VA companies below, see what other customers have to say, and narrow down your options.
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iWorker is a virtual assistant company headquartered in New Mexico, U.S. Their virtual assistants work remotely from Venezuela and other South American countries. Their mission is to find and hire workers from impoverished countries, and give them a chance to […]
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Equivity offers virtual assistants who provide administrative, marketing, and paralegal services. Clients work with a dedicated virtual assistant or team of virtual assistants. Each virtual assistant has specialized experience in their area of expertise and holds a bachelor’s degree. In […]
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OkayRelax is a task-based virtual assistant company based in Tampa, Florida. The business was founded in 2015 with a mission to help busy people save some time and sanity. Use code REFTWRYEVTWU6 for 10% off your first month! Book a […]
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Neyox is a virtual assistant company based in New Delhi, India. The company was founded in 2010, and have since matched up thousands of customers across the globe with virtual assistants to help with their businesses. About Neyox The company […]
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Surplus Hands is a virtual assistant company that employs exclusively US-based virtual assistants. Their offices are located in Philadelphia, and their assistants work remotely across the US. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider Surplus Hands if you’re not based in […]
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Peachtree VA is a US-based virtual assistant company supplying highly-skilled, dedicated virtual assistants to support entrepreneurs and small businesses nationwide as well as some international clients. The company is headquartered in Ohio. All of Peachtree VA assistants work remotely across […]
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UDPATE: VirtualPersonalAssistants.org is no longer a VA company. Instead the domain was sold to someone who’s trying to rip-off this site, and they’re not being very shy about it. Just today I found several examples of blatantly copied articles and […]
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Task Venturers is a virtual assistant company based Kolkata, India. The company started operations in November 2017, and they offer a wide range of services to entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized business. About Task Venturers The company was founded by […]
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Bottleneck Distant Assistants sources executive and administrative assistants who work remotely in the Philippines. About Bottleneck Distant Assistants Bottleneck’s target customers are entrepreneurs that are experiencing growth in their existing company and are finding it more and more difficult to […]
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Virtually Yours is an Australian-based virtual assistant network providing training and support for virtual assistants and business owners in Australia. The owner, Rosie Shilo is located in Melbourne, AU. Most of the VAs and businesses joining the membership program are […]
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Webcenture is a virtual assistant company based in Mumbai, India. The company was established in 2010 and started out a website development and customer support agency. They rebranded and changed their focus in 2016 to providing virtual assistant services to […]
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Virtual Eases is a virtual assistant company based out of India. They are an excellent choice for businesses that want to improve efficiency, reduce administrative workload, and increase productivity through reliable virtual assistance. With their comprehensive services, flexible pricing plans, […]
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Delegated (formerly known as Red Butler) is a US-based virtual assistant company. They offer a range of virtual assistant services and pair clients with college-educated assistants based in the U.S. VAA Exclusive: Use our referral link for $100 off your […]
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UPDATE: As of 2019, Tasksbay has pivoted to provide classroom and online training certification for professionals. If you’re looking for virtual assistant support, please see below for Tasksbay alternatives. Tasksbay is an India-based virtual assistant company headed up by four […]
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Ossisto is one of the newer virtual assistant companies operating out of India starting operations in November 2017. They specialise in connecting business owners and entrepreneurs with, “Personal virtual assistants, business services virtual assistants, digital marketing virtual assistants, and IT […]
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eLuminous Technologies is a professional virtual assistant company. The company is a partnership firm co-founded by Sandeep Aher and have been operating since 2002. Being in business for over 18 years makes eLuminous Technologies one of the more established virtual assistant companies […]
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Wishup is a platform created to connect business owners with carefully vetted and proficient virtual assistants. The platform connects businesses with virtual assistants who can help with bookkeeping, customer service, lead generation, administrative tasks, data entry and much more. The […]
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Zirtual is a virtual assistant service that offers virtual assistant and personal concierge services to people around the world. Zirtual was founded in 2010 and after stints in San Francisco and Las Vegas, now calls Columbus OH its home base. Zirtual […]
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AskDataEntry is an India-based company offering a wide range of data entry services. The company’s headquarters is located in Kolkata, India. They have two offices in this location, and all of their staff are based in their offices. About AskDataEntry […]
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123Employee is one of the largest outsourcing firms in the world, with more than 350 virtual assistants working with clients all around the globe. The company started its operations in 2006 with just ten employees, but has seen tremendous growth […]