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.
| Overall Rating |  |
| Quality of Work | |
| Communication | |
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Sigrid is a subscription-based, professionally managed virtual assistant service that is available across different time zones and tailored to your preferences. The company is headquartered in Singapore, with additional offices in Denmark and the Philippines. The Virtual Assistants (VAs) and […]
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Virtual Assistant Israel provides virtual assistant services to small business owners and start-up entrepreneurs based in the US. The company was established in 2008 and employs American VAs based out of their home offices in Israel. At the helm are Director Alyssa […]
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UPDATE November 2020: They are currently offering 3 Days free trial (12 hours of services) without paying or sign up. Tasks Assistant is a virtual assistant company based in Mumbai, India. The company has been operating since 2014, and all […]
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IdeasUnlimited is a unique virtual assistant company headquartered in Texas (USA), with multiple call center locations in the Philippines and remote workers all around the world. The business was founded in 2010 and has grown to more than 350 active workers. […]
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SEOLIX is a digital marketing company offering a wide range of virtual assistant services. Although they supply part and full-time virtual assistants to help with day-to-day business tasks, as their name suggests, they specialize in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The […]
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Task Papa is a virtual assistant company based in Mumbai, India. The company was founded in 2012, but have been flying under my radar until recently. Their company philosophy is to provide virtual assistants, or ‘task officers’ as they call […]
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Hire Your Virtual Assistant – H.Y.V.A. for short – is a virtual assistant company founded in 2009 by Owen McGab Enaohwo. Enaohwo is a Washington DC-based entrepreneur who went into the business of helping others save time. If you watch […]
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Baltic Assist is a virtual assistant company based in Lithuania. They are a relatively new company, starting operations in the beginning of 2015. They currently supply services to Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, but are open to serving clients throughout […]
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UPDATE: It appears Task Firm is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives. Task Firm is a London-based virtual assistant company that provides an on-demand assistance service to micro-businesses and entrepreneurs. The company was founded by Natasha Guerra […]
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Priority VA is a Remote Executive Assistant company based in Georgia. Since 2013, the company has provided US-based Executive Assistants to businesses and entrepreneurs all over the world. About Priority VA Priority VA was founded by Trivinia Barber, a CEO, […]
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Work Better Now is a US-based virtual assistant company specializing in providing full-time virtual assistants to entrepreneurs and small business owners across the US and Canada. The company is headquartered in the US, and they recruit assistants located in Central […]
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24Task is a virtual assistant company specializing in providing dedicated virtual assistants to small and medium-sized businesses all over the world. The company is based in the Philippines, with its headquarters located in Daet, Bicol Region. When working with 24Task’s […]
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Byron is a US-based virtual assistant company that started operations in 2016 under a closed beta and went live to the public in January 2017. Their headquarters are located in New York City, and their assistants are home-based throughout the […]
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Perssist is a virtual assistant service that’s part human and part technology. Over time, Perssist learns user preferences and becomes more integrated into users’ daily routines via personalization technology. Various existing and upcoming third-party app integrations help Perssist work directly […]
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UPDATE: It appears A to Z Tasks is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives. A to Z Tasks is US-based virtual assistant company with an offshore office located in Bangladesh. Their 300-person facility is in Dhaka, a […]
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MyOutDesk is a pioneer in the remote workforce industry. Founded in 2008, the company has evolved from a specialized niche provider into a strategic growth partner for more than 6,000 organizations, earning hundreds of 5-star reviews along the way. Originally […]
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Elite Virtual is a US-based virtual assistant company. They have been in operation for around two years, with a head office is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and virtual assistants working remotely all across the US. About Elite Virtual The company […]
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Outsourced.ph is an Australian based virtual assistant company with employees in both Australia and the Philippines. The company was founded by Mike Larcher, who has over 15 years’ experience in the digital space and also runs an award winning digital […]
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TimeSvr.com is a virtual assistant company that was founded in 2008. The company is based in Pakistan, and was actually the service I used to hire my first full-time assistant. As a customer, you can opt for dedicated assistance or […]
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UPDATE: It appears Rent A Smile is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives. Rent A Smile is a virtual personal assistant and small business outsourcing company based in New York and with offshore facilities in India. The […]