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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Task Network is a Canadian based virtual assistant company with their head office in Toronto, Canada, and their fulfillment office in Metro Manila, Philippines. The company was founded in 2014 by founder and president Eric Opinion. About Task Network The […]
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Cloudstaff have been in business since 2005 and provides virtual assistants to businesses and entrepreneurs across Australia, UK, USA, China, and are soon expanding to cover the Middle East. They have several offices in the Philippines and manage their assistants […]
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Hello Rache is a live virtual assistant and transcription service for medical professionals. They have a team of HIPAA-certified assistants trained and experienced in the medical field waiting take some of your workload off your hands. The company started operations […]
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$98 Buck Social provides daily custom prepared content and syndicates it across all the main social media platforms; such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and LinkedIn. The company has been in business since 2014, and they are located in Florida, […]
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Virtual Emily is a US-based virtual assistant company that has been in business for 10 years. Their head office is based in Miami, Florida, and their assistants work remotely all over the world. About Virtual Emily The company is owned […]
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Contemporary VA is a (primarily) American virtual assistant company, based in Pittsburgh, PA. The company was founded in 2002 and has grown to provide remote administrative support for clients across the US, Canada, and now the UK as well. ContemporaryVA […]
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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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VaVa Virtual Assistants is a virtual assistant company offering a wide range of virtual assistant services, along with some pre-made custom websites and other bespoke packages. The company has been in business since 2011. Their headquarters is based in Los […]
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Magic (GetMagic.com) is an on-demand concierge and virtual assistant company that connects individuals and businesses with skilled remote workers around the world. It’s one of the quickest and most convenient ways to outsource tasks. You can simply send a message […]
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Brickwork India is probably the most famous of all virtual assistant companies. Brickwork India was featured prominently and favorably in two bestselling books: Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat, and Timothy Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Work Week. Started as a 5 […]
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The Virtual Hub provides a scalable, cost-effective support layer that enables your talent to focus on high value work. They hire, onboard, train and manage staff who embed into your business and take ownership of recurring tasks that create operational […]
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VA4REI (Virtual Assistants for Real Estate Investors), is a company specializing in providing virtual assistant services to real estate investors. The company has been operating since 2010. They have a team of assistants trained and experienced in the US real […]
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Assistant Match is a staffing agency that matches business owners with pre-screened US-based virtual assistants to help them manage details of their company in a flexible, cost-effective way. The company was founded in 2007 by Katie Gutierrez Miller and has a management […]
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Taskbarge is a virtual assistant company in Bangalore, India. They were founded in 2011 by CEO Chaitanya Krishna, who assembled a small team to start serving clients on their own. Taskbarge has grown slowly over the last couple years, investing […]
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Atticus is a virtual assistant company based in the Philippines. They specialize in recruiting and supplying virtual assistants to entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses all over the world. The company started operations in early 2016. All of their VAs […]
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UPDATE: It appears Indian 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. Indian Virtual Assistant is a virtual assistant company based in […]
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Mint Lifestyle Partners is a virtual concierge service aimed at high-powered high-lifestyle individuals. The UK-based company was founded in 2010, and also maintains an office in Dubai. Mint specializes in lifestyle assistance, originally created to serve the needs of the […]
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Smart To Finish is a US-based virtual assistant company based in Gilbert, Arizona. They have a team of 14 “Delegation Divas” and provide a range of virtual assistant services. The company started operations in 2004 and they work with individuals […]
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UPDATE: It appears Virtually Here 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. Virtually Here (VH) is an American virtual assistant company that bills […]
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Get Virtual Services is a complete virtual assistant service provider in Mumbai, India. The company began in 2009, and has grown to serve a variety of clients around the world. The company works with industry-trained virtual assistants who specialize in […]