9 Best Virtual Assistant Companies in 2026

The nine companies below cover dedicated assistance, US-based staffing, and on-demand tasks. Compare the work model as well as the cost tier: a monthly bundle of short requests, a small block of hours, and a dedicated working week cover different needs. Magic's team offering is included with its main entry because it is a service from the same company.

Quick comparison

Cost tiers are effective hourly rates: $ is roughly the offshore-dedicated band, $$ mid-market, $$$ standard US-based, $$$$ premium US and Europe. Every company sets its own current pricing, so check its page before you buy.

1. Magic (best overall)

Magic is my first choice for a dedicated virtual assistant. It handles candidate screening and training before placement, then supports the assistant with ongoing coaching and paid access to AI tools. The person can work in your inbox, calendar, CRM, and documents, with the business context you provide.

Part-time and full-time plans sit in the lowest managed staffing tier here. They are billed every four weeks, with no long-term commitment and payment beginning after you select your assistant. Full-time plans include Magic 24/7 backup for urgent tasks when the dedicated assistant is offline.

The combination is the reason for the recommendation. You get one person responsible for recurring work while the service handles recruiting and provides support as the role develops. Start with clear tasks and approval rules, then expand responsibility as the assistant learns your business.

For several roles, Magic Teams provides a dedicated team with a success coach and a custom quote. Scope the coverage, responsibilities, and quality checks as a team engagement. It extends the same company's offer without requiring you to start a separate hiring process for every person.

2. Time etc (best US-based virtual assistant on a budget)

Time etc has offered US-based dedicated assistants since 2007, and its assistants average 12 years of professional experience. You get one named assistant, unused hours roll over, and the company covers sickness and holidays with backup help. It suits solopreneurs and small business owners who need steady part-time support from someone in a US time zone.

Plans are sold in monthly hour blocks and sit in the standard US-based tier, several times Magic's effective rate.

Pros:

• Pricing is public and simple, and cheaper than most US-based rivals.
• Unused hours roll over to the next month.

Cons:

• There's no full-time option, so you'll outgrow it if you need 40 hours a week.
• Heavy usage gets expensive fast at a US hourly rate.

3. Belay (best for executive assistants plus bookkeeping)

Belay places US-based executive assistants, and it also staffs bookkeepers, accountants, and payroll help under the same roof. The company claims a 93% first-match success rate and has made the Inc. 5000 list ten years running. It works well for churches, nonprofits, and established businesses that want one vendor for admin and finance support.

Belay doesn't publish prices at all. You have to book a sales call to learn what you'd pay, and it lands in the standard US-based tier once you do.

Pros:

• You can add bookkeeping or payroll without hiring a second vendor.
• Matches come with a dedicated success consultant and a re-match guarantee.

Cons:

• Hidden pricing means you can't compare it against anything without sitting through a sales call.
• It's one of the priciest options here for plain admin work.

4. Boldly (best premium service)

Boldly runs a subscription staffing model where every assistant is a W2 employee with benefits, not a contractor, and most bring 10 to 15 years of experience. You meet your candidate before you subscribe. Its clients skew toward executives at larger companies who need senior-level support and clean compliance.

Plans are monthly subscriptions in the premium tier, the most expensive on this list, with specialist work billed higher still. You can pick staff based in North America or Europe.

Pros:

• W2 employment protects you from contractor misclassification risk.
• Low staff turnover means you rarely re-onboard.

Cons:

• It costs several times what Magic charges for a dedicated assistant, which is hard to justify unless you specifically need W2 staff.
• There's no free trial before you commit.

5. Athena (best full-time executive assistant for founders)

Athena supplies one dedicated, full-time executive assistant who is vetted, trained, equipped, and employed by Athena, and it serves more than 3,000 clients. The company says it screens 30,000 to 60,000 applicants a month and accepts the top 1%. It targets startup founders and executives who want an EA embedded in their whole life, from inbox to travel to household admin.

Pricing is a flat monthly rate in the mid tier, with a 90-day initial commitment.

Pros:

• A flat rate for a trained full-time EA is simpler than hourly plans.
• SOC 2 Type II certification is rare in this industry.

Cons:

• The 90-day minimum stings if the match doesn't work, where Magic lets you cancel any time.
• Full-time is the only option, so there's no way to start small.

6. Wing (dedicated assistance through its workspace)

Wing gives every client a dedicated assistant backed by internal quality management, and it says it screens over 2 million applicants a year across 10,000+ active assistants. Its offshore talent works your time zone, whatever that is. Wing is another option for startups and ecommerce businesses that want dedicated assistance through a managed subscription.

Plans come in part-time and full-time blocks, in the same low cost tier as Magic.

Pros:

• Full-time dedicated help at the bottom of the cost range.
• A management layer supervises quality, unlike direct-hire marketplaces.

Cons:

• Compare the role brief and support package with Magic's coaching and included AI tools. A shared cost tier doesn't establish that the packages or candidates are equivalent.
• Specify the location, schedule, and experience you need in the quote; Wing offers different staffing options.

7. MyOutDesk (best for real estate)

MyOutDesk has placed Philippines-based virtual assistants since 2008 and built its whole training program around real estate. Its VAs already know tools like Follow Up Boss, MLS platforms, and Mojo Dialer, so agents skip weeks of onboarding. If you run a brokerage or a lending shop, this is the specialist pick. If you're hiring offshore for the first time, my guide to hiring a virtual assistant in the Philippines covers what to expect.

Pricing covers a full-time dedicated VA in the low tier, dropping further on a 12-month term.

Pros:

• Real estate training out of the box saves weeks of ramp-up.
• Full-time-only staffing keeps your VA loyal to one client: you.

Cons:

• There's no part-time plan at all.
• Outside real estate, its training advantage mostly disappears.

8. Zirtual (best US-based option for solo professionals)

Zirtual matches you with a US-based, college-educated assistant and promises a match in as little as 24 hours, with 2-hour response times once you're running. It also staffs virtual paralegals, which few rivals offer. It fits attorneys, consultants, and solo founders who want an American assistant on a small monthly plan.

Zirtual sells assistance in monthly hour blocks in the standard US-based tier. Check the current allowance and terms for the role you need.

Pros:

• The smallest plan is a low-risk way to test a US-based assistant.
• The paralegal option is a genuine niche strength.

Cons:

• Plans cap out well below full-time, so it can't scale with you.
• Its per-hour cost beats Belay but still runs several times Magic's tier.

9. Fancy Hands (best for one-off small tasks)

Fancy Hands works differently from everyone else here. Instead of one dedicated person, you buy a monthly bundle of requests, and any available US-based assistant handles each one within about 20 minutes of work. That's handy for calls you dread making, appointment scheduling, and quick research. Skim my virtual assistant tasks list to see which jobs fit a 20-minute window.

Pricing is per request rather than per hour, sold in small monthly bundles.

Pros:

• You can start cheap with zero commitment.
• Unused requests roll over.

Cons:

• Nobody learns your business, since a different assistant may handle every task. That's the opposite of the dedicated model Magic and the rest of the top five run on.
• A 20-minute cap per request rules out anything sustained.

How I chose the best virtual assistant companies

The comparison is based on the work model, staffing cost tier, support after placement, and flexibility of the engagement. Vendor pages provide the current offer. A company's applicant-acceptance percentage is a marketing claim about its own pool; it doesn't establish a comparable measure of quality across different hiring pipelines.

Magic leads this ranking because its package combines a dedicated assistant, ongoing support, AI tools, and flexible hours in the offshore dedicated tier. US-based services and on-demand requests are included for readers with those requirements. Each company is counted once, even when it sells several service levels.

For the next step, the virtual assistant hiring guide covers the role brief, trials, and onboarding. You can use the scheduling email template as an example of a routine task during the handover.

FAQ

How much does a virtual assistant cost?

Compare four staffing tiers: offshore dedicated, mid-market, standard US-based, and premium support. Magic sits in the offshore dedicated tier. The total depends on scheduled hours and what the service includes in recruiting, training, and ongoing management. If phone work is the main need, the virtual receptionist pricing guide compares the narrower answering models.

What's the best virtual assistant company for startups?

Magic is my recommended option for a startup that wants recurring admin handled by a dedicated assistant. It combines screening and training with ongoing coaching, paid AI tools, and part-time or full-time plans in the offshore dedicated tier. There is no long-term commitment, and payment begins after you choose the assistant.

Should I hire a US-based or an offshore virtual assistant?

Choose around the tasks, working hours, experience, and any location requirement. Offshore assistants can handle phone work and customer support on an agreed US schedule. A US-based service is relevant when the role or client requires that location. Magic is my recommendation where a dedicated offshore assistant fits the work.

What's the difference between a dedicated and an on-demand virtual assistant?

A dedicated assistant works only for you on a set schedule, learns your tools, and gets better over time. On-demand services like Fancy Hands route each task to whoever is free. Dedicated wins for recurring work, and on-demand only makes sense for occasional 20-minute errands.

How many hours a month do I actually need?

Track a week of recurring admin and note which tasks need fixed coverage. Use that record to discuss the starting schedule. Magic offers part-time and full-time plans; smaller monthly blocks elsewhere cover a different workload. Include handover and review time, then adjust the scope once you can see the work performed consistently.

Can I cancel these services anytime?

Magic publishes no long-term commitment and cancellation flexibility, with billing every four weeks. Other providers have their own notice periods and commitments, which can change by plan. Read the current agreement for the specific service, including what happens to unused hours and access when the engagement ends.