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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SG Solutions is a virtual assistant company that connects you with a growing global network of VAs. This modern, cloud-based set up utilizes primarily home-based virtual assistants in the Philippines and India, but also some North American staff in the […]
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UPDATE: It appears Task Molly is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives or see below. If you own this listing or this information is incorrect, contact me here. Task Molly is a US-based virtual assistant and administrative support company […]
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Staffry is a Pakistan-based virtual assistant company and have been in operation since March 2016. They provide dedicated virtual administrative support to business owners and entrepreneurs and aim to allow them to “focus on growing their business and not running […]
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SupportNinja is a company that finds, recruits and onboard the perfect candidates for you and your business so you don’t have to The company is based in the Philippines and all the staff they recruit are based in their offices. […]
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Automation Agency is a virtual assistant company that specializes in design, website, and marketing tasks. This means you can get tasks done quickly by choosing a virtual assistant specializing in your desired skillset from their large pool of assistants. They […]
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UPDATE: It appears Myaa is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives. Myaa is a global virtual assistant talent pool, based out of their Las Vegas headquarters. The company has been in existence in one form or another […]
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DailyPA is a task-based virtual assistant company serving the UK and European markets. The business was founded in London in 2012, and utilizes an all-UK staff of professionally trained virtual assistants. When you lead a busy life as most people […]
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Weratoon is a virtual assistant company based in Chennai, India. The company was formed in November 2016 by a group of individuals working as freelancers across various industries. The company currently work primarily with clients in the US, however they […]
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Rocket Station provides staffing solutions for small to medium-sized companies. They describe their services as a “leading business process outsourcing provider for innovative companies.” The company’s headquarters is located in Texas, U.S. Most of their virtual assistants are based in […]
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Vasumo is home to a team of professionally trained virtual assistants who want to help you regain “Focus on Your Business.” The company was founded in 2014 and maintains sales offices in New York and Toronto, though all assistants are home-based workers. […]
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UPDATE: DesignPac is now Xpertspool. Please see their review here. DesignPac is an outsourcing agency specializing in graphic and web design, development, and digital marketing. They offer affordable monthly plans in these areas and have been in business since 2016. […]
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UPDATE: It appears Everfront Virtual Assistant is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives or see below. If you own this listing or this information is incorrect, contact me here. Everfront Virtual Assistant is a professional virtual assistant provider based […]
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Virtuworx is a virtual assistant and outsourcing company in Bangladesh, with a sales office in Southern California. The company has been in business since 2007, and has served clients of all shapes and sizes from all around the world. The […]
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Tasks Everyday is a virtual assistant company based in Mumbai, India and Cebu, Philippines. The company was founded in 2003, and now employs more than 250 virtual assistants who help clients all around the world. As an early mover in […]
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Wing Assistant is a virtual assistant company specializing in connecting businesses, startups, and execs with experienced, dedicated virtual assistants. The company is headquartered in Berkeley, CA. Their virtual assistants are distributed across the Philippines, India, Hong Kong, and North America. […]
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There Is Talent is a US company that offers virtual assistant services and specialized remote talent to entrepreneurs and business owners primarily located in the US. About The company is managed by Claudia Real (CEO) and Paul Urwin (CFO). 6 […]
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UPDATE: It appears Vortex 360 is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives or see below. If you own this listing or this information is incorrect, contact me here. Vortex 360 is an international virtual assistant company with offices in […]
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UPDATE: MMF InfoTech has become unresponsive and the below information may be outdated. MMF InfoTech is a virtual assistant company based in Indore, India. They also have a sales office in New York, but all their virtual assistants work out […]
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VPA Labs is a virtual assistant company based in Kyiv, Ukraine. They provide virtual assistants to small and medium-sized businesses, affiliate marketers, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to outsource some of their workload. At the time of writing this, they are […]
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Pixels-VA is a well-established virtual assistant company that provides virtual support to companies, business professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone who requires additional help that can be performed virtually. The company was founded in 2014, and operates its primary location in Ghana, […]