Boldly Alternatives in 2026: 7 Options by Model, Price and Seniority
October 28, 2026
The main Boldly alternatives are US hour packages (e.g., Time etc, from $390 a month for 10 hours, or Zirtual, from $599 a month for 12 hours), US matched assistants on a quoted monthly fee (e.g., BELAY, typically from 45 hours a month), managed dedicated assistants (e.g., Prialto, $1,600 a month per 55-hour unit; Wing Assistant, $699 a month for 80 hours), dedicated full-time executive assistants (e.g., Athena, $3,000 a month on an annual plan) and remote staffing agencies that place Latin American assistants on US hours (e.g., Virtustant, starting at $7/hr all-in with $0 placement fees). Prices are as published on each provider's own pages on October 28, 2026.
Boldly sells plans of 40 to 100 hours a month at $65 an hour, from $2,600 to $6,500, with assistants who have 10 to 15 years of experience, are based in North America or Europe and come with a trained backup. This guide sorts seven alternatives by model, lists what each publishes, and gives you a test for how many of your hours actually need senior judgment. Virtustant is one of the options, so we use published facts only; sources are at the end. For the head-to-head, see Virtustant vs Boldly.
| Alternative | Model | Published price (checked Oct 28, 2026) | Minimum / commitment | Where assistants are based | Best fit when… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boldly (baseline) | US hour package, senior staff | $2,600/mo for 40 hours ($65/hr) to $6,500/mo for 100 hours; specialist tasks $79/hr | 40 hours a month per assistant; cancel any time | North America or Europe | You want 10 to 15 years of experience, a trained backup, and to meet the assistant first |
| Time etc | US hour package | $390/mo for 10 hours ($39/hr) to $2,160/mo for 60 hours ($36/hr) | 10-hour plan; unused hours roll over; cancel any time | United States | You need fewer than 40 hours a month from a US-based assistant |
| Zirtual | US hour package | $599/mo for 12 hours ($49.92/hr) to $1,699/mo for 45 hours ($37.76/hr) | 12-hour plan; month to month; unused hours do not roll over | United States | You want a small US-based block shared by up to four users |
| BELAY | US matched assistant, flat monthly fee | Not published; quoted after a consultation. Its cost guide puts US virtual assistants at $30 to $75 an hour | Typically 45 hours a month; month to month | United States | You want a US-based assistant matched by a consultant |
| Prialto | Managed dedicated assistant, billed in 55-hour units | $1,600/mo per 55-hour unit ($29.09/hr if fully used); full time from $3,600/mo | 90-day minimum per unit; $250 setup fee, waived on a 1-year agreement | Philippines, Kenya and Guatemala | You want an engagement manager and two backup assistants |
| Wing Assistant | Managed dedicated assistant | $699/mo for 80 hours; $999/mo for 160 hours ($6.24/hr) | No long-term contract | Not named on general plans; US-based plans from $2,499/mo | Monthly price decides it |
| Athena | Dedicated full-time executive assistant | $3,000/mo on an annual plan; $3,600/mo monthly after an initial 90-day commitment | Full time only | Not published on its pricing page; works in your time zone | You have a full-time load for one executive assistant |
| Virtustant | Remote staffing agency | Virtustant: from $8.50/hr all-in (executive assistants), $7/hr (virtual assistants), $0 placement fees | Month to month; part-time or full-time | Latin America, on US business hours | You want to choose your hire from a shortlist at one hourly rate |
Time etc sells monthly blocks of hours from a dedicated US-based assistant: $390 for 10 hours, $760 for 20, $1,480 for 40 and $2,160 for 60. Unused hours roll over, you can switch plans or cancel any time, and bigger plans are quoted after a consultation. See Time etc pricing explained.
Choose it if you need a US-based assistant for fewer hours than Boldly's 40-hour minimum.
Zirtual sells monthly task-work plans from US-based, college-educated assistants: $599 for 12 hours, $899 for 20, $1,199 for 30 and $1,699 for 45, with one to four users included. Plans are month to month, unused hours do not roll over, and it states a response within 2 hours during your business hours.
Choose it if you need a small US-based block and want several people on your team to send it work.
BELAY matches US-based assistants on a flat monthly fee quoted after a consultation, and support typically begins at 45 hours a month. Its own cost guide puts US virtual assistants at $30 to $75 an hour. See BELAY pricing explained.
Choose it if you want a US-based assistant at about the volume of Boldly's 40-hour plan and are fine with a quoted fee.
Prialto bills 55-hour units at $1,600 a month on its plan card (its FAQ says pricing starts at $1,500), each with an engagement manager and two trained backup assistants. There is a 90-day minimum per unit and a $250 setup fee, waived on a one-year agreement; assistants work from Prialto's offices in the Philippines, Kenya and Guatemala. See Prialto alternatives.
Choose it if you want backup coverage built into the service at a lower published hourly price than Boldly's.
Wing publishes $699 a month for 80 hours and $999 a month for 160 hours. Its general plans do not name a country; US-based assistants cost $2,499 or $4,999 a month. See Wing Assistant pricing explained.
Choose it if monthly price decides it and you are comfortable with an assistant Wing assigns.
Athena places one dedicated, full-time executive assistant who is vetted, trained, device-equipped and employed by Athena, with a partnership manager alongside. It publishes $3,000 a month on an annual plan and $3,600 a month on a monthly plan after an initial 90-day commitment.
Choose it if your delegable work fills a full-time week and you want the provider to employ and manage the assistant.
Virtustant places vetted, bilingual professionals from Latin America who work US business hours and are directed by you. Virtustant prices start at $8.50/hr all-in for executive assistants and bookkeepers, $7/hr for virtual assistants and $8/hr for SDRs and appointment setters, with $0 placement fees, month-to-month terms and a lifetime replacement guarantee with no time cap.
Choose it if you want to interview and pick the person, and pay one hourly rate for part-time or full-time hours.
Yes, on published prices, if the assistant does not need to be in North America or Europe. We priced Boldly's own 80-hour plan against what each provider publishes for about 80 hours a month.
| Provider | About 80 hours a month |
|---|---|
| Boldly | $5,200 (80-hour plan) |
| Time etc | Not published above 60 hours ($2,160) |
| Zirtual | Not published above 45 hours ($1,699) |
| BELAY | Not published; its $30 to $75 US range gives $2,400 to $6,000 (illustration, not a quote) |
| Prialto | $3,200 for two 55-hour units |
| Wing Assistant | $699 (80-hour plan) |
| Athena | Full time only: $3,000 on an annual plan; $3,600 monthly |
| Virtustant | Virtustant: $680 at the $8.50/hr executive assistant starting rate; $960 at the $12.00/hr median |
The $12.00/hr figure is the median client-side rate for an executive assistant (n=24) in Virtustant's 2026 Nearshore Rate Report (441 placement starts, January to June 2026). On published prices, Wing Assistant's $699 for 80 hours is the lowest figure in this guide, below Virtustant's executive assistant rates. A lower price does not buy the same thing: Boldly's $65 an hour buys 10 to 15 years of experience and a trained backup, Prialto includes an engagement manager and two backup assistants, Wing assigns the person, and only Boldly, Time etc, Zirtual, BELAY and Wing's US-based tier put an assistant in North America or Europe in the seat. For what a US in-house executive assistant costs by comparison, see executive assistant cost in 2026.
Virtustant is built around Latin America: it places bilingual professionals from the region who work your US business hours. Among the other options here, Prialto has an office in Guatemala; the rest place assistants in the US, in Europe, or in locations they do not publish on their pricing pages.
With Virtustant you get a shortlist of 3 to 5 vetted candidates after a discovery call. Shortlist in 48 hours. Start in 72 hours. Candidates are the top 1%: of everyone who applies, 22% clear the recruiter screen, 9% pass cognitive (IQ), skills and English testing, 3% reach a live interview and 1% are hired. Virtustant handles contracts, payroll and the paperwork; you direct the work. It has made 2,000+ placements for 1,000+ US companies since 2021 under co-CEOs Erik Reid and Kevin Wright, and is rated 4.9/5 on G2 (83 reviews), 4.5/5 on Trustpilot (163 reviews) and 5.0/5 on Clutch (6 reviews). Starting rates by role are on Virtustant pricing, and the role page is hire an executive assistant.
The Senior-Hours Split Test starts from your task list instead of the brand. Boldly prices every hour at its senior rate, so the question is how many of your hours need that seniority. Answer in order:
A worked example at 80 hours a month, 20 of them senior: all 80 hours at Boldly cost $5,200. Time etc's 20-hour plan ($760) plus 60 routine hours with a Virtustant executive assistant at $8.50/hr ($510) is $1,270, or $1,480 at Virtustant's $12.00/hr median. The split costs less but adds a second relationship to manage and puts two people on your accounts. If most of your work needs senior judgment, or one person must hold every thread, Boldly's single plan can be the right purchase.
The rule. Price senior hours at senior rates and routine hours at routine rates. A buyer with 20 hours of senior work and 60 hours of scheduling is not shopping for an 80-hour senior plan.
Ready to price a seat? Book a discovery call with Virtustant: bring your task list and weekly hours, and leave with a quoted all-in rate and a shortlist within 48 hours. To compare 22 providers on one page, see compare agencies, or read BELAY alternatives for the US-based side of the market.
All pages read October 28, 2026. Hourly figures are the monthly price divided by plan hours. The BELAY 80-hour range is $30 to $75 × 80, not a BELAY quote. Virtustant figures come from its pricing page and Virtustant's 2026 Nearshore Rate Report (441 placement starts, January to June 2026). Confirm any figure on a written quote.
The main Boldly alternatives are US hour packages such as Time etc (from $390 a month for 10 hours) and Zirtual (from $599 for 12 hours), US matched assistants such as BELAY, managed assistants such as Prialto and Wing Assistant, full-time executive assistants such as Athena ($3,000 a month on an annual plan), and the remote staffing agency Virtustant, which starts at $8.50/hr all-in for executive assistants with $0 placement fees.
Boldly charges $65 an hour on plans of 40 to 100 hours a month: $2,600 for 40 hours, $3,900 for 60, $5,200 for 80 and $6,500 for 100, with larger plans up to 160 hours quoted. Specialist tasks such as project management, web development, writing and design are $79 an hour, and credit card payments add a 2.9% processing fee, as of October 28, 2026.
On published prices, yes. Wing Assistant lists $699 a month for 80 hours, Prialto bills two 55-hour units for $3,200, and 80 hours with a Virtustant executive assistant costs $680 at Virtustant's $8.50/hr starting rate. None of those is a 10 to 15-year senior assistant based in North America or Europe, so compare seniority and location as well as price.
Yes. Time etc starts at $390 a month for 10 hours and Zirtual at $599 for 12 hours, both with US-based assistants. Virtustant also places part-time professionals, month to month and with zero placement fees.
Time etc, Zirtual and BELAY use US-based assistants, and Wing Assistant sells a separate US-based tier from $2,499 a month, as of October 28, 2026.
Virtustant places bilingual professionals from Latin America who work US business hours, starting at $8.50/hr all-in for executive assistants at Virtustant. You get a shortlist of 3 to 5 vetted candidates within 48 hours of your first call, and your hire can start in 72 hours.
Boldly lets you meet your staff before paying. Prialto and Athena match you with an assistant, and Virtustant gives you 3 to 5 vetted candidates to interview and choose from.
Use the Senior-Hours Split Test: sort a month of work into senior and routine hours, keep the senior hours with a senior provider, and price the routine hours at a lower-rate seat. If 40 or more hours a month need senior judgment, Boldly's 40-hour minimum is fully used.
