Time etc Alternatives in 2026: 8 Virtual Assistant Options by Price and Hours
October 28, 2026
The main Time etc alternatives are other US-based assistant services (e.g., BELAY, quoted after a consultation from about 45 hours a month, or Boldly, from $2,600 a month for 40 hours), managed dedicated assistants (e.g., Prialto, $1,600 a month per 55-hour unit; Wing Assistant, $699 a month for 80 hours; Wishup, from $1,299 a month for 4 hours a day; MyOutDesk, from $1,988 a month full time), marketplaces (e.g., Upwork, the freelancer's rate plus a fee of up to 7.99%) 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, checked on October 28, 2026.
Time etc sells monthly blocks of hours from a dedicated U.S. assistant: $390 for 10 hours ($39 an hour) up to $2,160 for 60 hours ($36 an hour), with no setup fee and unused hours rolling over (see Time etc pricing explained). This guide sorts eight virtual assistant alternatives by model, lists what each publishes, and gives you a breakeven test for the point where an hour package stops being the cheaper way to buy help. 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 Time etc.
| Alternative | Model | Published price (checked Oct 28, 2026) | Minimum / commitment | Where assistants are based | Best fit when… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time etc (baseline) | US hour package | $390/mo for 10 hours ($39/hr) to $2,160/mo for 60 hours ($36/hr) | 10-hour plan; switch plans or cancel any time | United States | You need a US-based assistant for up to 60 hours a month |
| BELAY | US fractional 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 need a US-based assistant for 45+ hours a month and want to be matched |
| Boldly | US hour package | $2,600/mo for 40 hours ($65/hr) to $6,500/mo for 100 hours | 40 hours a month per assistant | North America or Europe | You want a senior assistant (10 to 15 years of experience) and to meet them first |
| Prialto | Managed dedicated assistant | $1,600 per 55-hour unit a month (its FAQ says from $1,500); full time from $3,600/mo | 90-day minimum per unit; $250 setup fee | Philippines, Kenya and Guatemala | You want a team-backed assistant at about 55 hours a month |
| 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 | You want an assigned assistant at the lowest published hourly price here |
| Wishup | Managed dedicated assistant | $1,299/mo for 4 hours a day; $1,999/mo for 8 | 4 hours a day; "cancel anytime" | India; US-based tier from $3,000/mo | You want a fixed daily block of hours |
| MyOutDesk | Managed dedicated assistant, full time only | From $1,988/mo | Full time only; term not published | Philippines, Latin America and Africa | You already have 40 hours a week of work |
| Upwork | Marketplace | Freelancer's rate plus a fee of up to 7.99% (3% for eligible US bank accounts) | None; per contract | Wherever your freelancer is | You will find, vet and manage the person yourself |
| Virtustant | Remote staffing agency | Virtustant: from $7/hr all-in (virtual assistants), $8.50/hr (executive assistants), $0 placement fees | Month to month; minimum 10 hours a week | Latin America first (the Philippines and South Africa for some roles), on US business hours | You want to choose your hire from a shortlist at one hourly rate |
BELAY places U.S.-based assistants on a flat monthly fee quoted after a consultation. Its FAQ says support typically begins at 45 hours a month and runs month to month, and its cost guide puts US virtual assistants at $30 to $75 an hour.
Choose it if you need a US-based assistant above Time etc's 60-hour plan and want to be matched (see BELAY alternatives).
Boldly sells 40 to 100-hour plans at $65 an hour, with specialist tasks billed at $79 an hour. Its US staff are employed by Boldly rather than engaged as contractors, a trained backup covers vacations, and you meet your assistant before paying.
Choose it if you want an assistant with 10 to 15 years of experience and can use at least 40 hours a month.
Prialto bills 55-hour units at $1,600 a month on its plan card (its FAQ says pricing starts at $1,500, about $27 an hour), each with an engagement manager and 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.
Choose it if you want a structured, team-backed assistant at roughly Time etc's 60-hour level.
Wing publishes $699 a month for 80 hours and $999 a month for 160 hours, with no long-term contract. Its general plans do not name a country; US-based assistants cost $2,499 a month for 80 hours or $4,999 for 160.
Choose it if monthly price decides it and you are comfortable with an assistant Wing assigns (see Wing Assistant alternatives).
Wishup's Prime plan is $1,299 a month for 4 hours a day and $1,999 for 8. Its India-based assistants work a night shift to cover 9am to 6pm US time; a US-based tier costs $3,000 or $5,400.
Choose it if you want a fixed daily block instead of a monthly bank of hours (see Wishup alternatives).
MyOutDesk places full-time assistants only, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, from $1,988 a month, or $2,500 for specialized roles. It says recruiting, payroll, benefits and an account manager are in one monthly rate, with talent in the Philippines, Latin America and Africa.
Choose it if you have outgrown hour packages and have a full 40-hour week of work.
Freelancers set their own rates and, on the Basic plan, you pay up to 7.99% on top (3% for eligible US clients paying by bank account). There is no minimum, but finding, vetting, managing and replacing the person is your job.
Choose it if you have time to screen candidates and want full control over rate and scope.
Virtustant places vetted, bilingual professionals from Latin America who work US business hours and are directed by you. Virtustant prices start at $7/hr all-in for virtual assistants, $8/hr for SDRs and appointment setters and $8.50/hr for executive assistants and bookkeepers, with $0 placement fees, month-to-month terms, a minimum of 10 hours a week and a lifetime replacement guarantee.
Choose it if you have at least 10 hours a week of work and want to pick the person from a shortlist at a published hourly rate.
Time etc's largest published plan is 60 hours a month. Above that you are pricing a different product: a part-time or full-time seat. We priced 80 hours a month, the median schedule of the 14 part-time seats among 25 virtual assistant positions Virtustant filled from August 24 to September 30, 2026, on what each provider publishes.
| Provider | About 80 hours a month |
|---|---|
| Time etc | Not published above 60 hours ($2,160) |
| BELAY | Not published; its $30 to $75 US market range gives $2,400 to $6,000 (illustration, not a quote) |
| Boldly | $5,200 (80-hour plan) |
| Prialto | $3,200 for two 55-hour units |
| Wing Assistant | $699 (80-hour plan) |
| Wishup | $1,299 (4 hours a day) |
| MyOutDesk | No part-time plan; full time from $1,988 |
| Upwork | Freelancer's rate × 80, plus up to 7.99% |
| Virtustant | Virtustant: $560 at the $7/hr starting rate; $808 at the $10.10/hr median |
The $10.10/hr figure is the median client-side rate for a virtual assistant (n=24) in Virtustant's 2026 Nearshore Rate Report (441 placement starts, January to June 2026). A lower price does not buy the same thing: Time etc publishes an average of 12 years of experience for its US assistants, Wing and Wishup assign the person, and Upwork leaves vetting to you. Only Time etc, BELAY, Boldly's staff and the US-based tiers of Wing and Wishup put a US or European resident in the seat.
Virtustant is built around Latin America: it places bilingual professionals from the region who work your US business hours. MyOutDesk also lists Latin American talent, on full-time seats only, and Prialto has an office in Guatemala.
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%: 100% apply, 22% clear the recruiter screen, 9% pass cognitive (IQ), skills and English testing, 3% reach a live interview, 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.
The Package-or-Seat Breakeven answers one question: at how many hours a month does buying a dedicated seat by the hour cost less than buying a prepaid bank of hours? Work through it in order:
| Hours used per month | Time etc plan | Virtustant seat at $7/hr | Virtustant seat at the $10.10/hr median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $390 | Virtustant: $303 (43.3-hour minimum) | Virtustant: $438 (43.3-hour minimum) |
| 20 | $760 | Virtustant: $303 (43.3-hour minimum) | Virtustant: $438 (43.3-hour minimum) |
| 40 | $1,480 | Virtustant: $303 (43.3-hour minimum) | Virtustant: $438 (43.3-hour minimum) |
| 60 | $2,160 | Virtustant: $420 (60 × $7) | Virtustant: $606 (60 × $10.10) |
| 80 | Not published | Virtustant: $560 (80 × $7) | Virtustant: $808 (80 × $10.10) |
Read the first row honestly: if you use about 10 hours a month, Time etc's $390 plan costs less than a Virtustant seat at the $10.10 median ($438), and you would be paying for 33 hours you do not use. From the 20-hour plan up, the seat costs less in published dollars, but it buys a different thing: a Latin American professional you choose and direct, instead of a US-based assistant Time etc matches to you.
The rule. Under 10 hours a month, buy a package. From about 10 hours a week, price a seat. If the assistant must be a US resident, skip the arithmetic and compare US providers only.
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.
Provider pages read October 28, 2026; the Upwork fee article and the BELAY cost guide were read October 27, 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. Promotional discounts are excluded. 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 Time etc alternatives are US-based assistant services such as BELAY (quoted, typically from 45 hours a month) and Boldly (from $2,600 for 40 hours), managed dedicated assistants such as Prialto, Wing Assistant, Wishup and MyOutDesk, and marketplaces such as Upwork. For Latin American assistants on US hours, the remote staffing agency Virtustant starts at $7/hr all-in with $0 placement fees.
It depends on your hours. For about 10 hours a month, Time etc's $390 plan is hard to beat because other providers set higher minimums. From about 20 hours a month, published prices are lower elsewhere: Wing Assistant lists $699 for 80 hours, and Virtustant starts at $7/hr all-in, or $560 for 80 hours, with a Latin American professional instead of a US-based one.
Time etc publishes plans up to 60 hours a month ($2,160). Above that, Boldly publishes 80 and 100-hour plans, BELAY quotes from about 45 hours a month, and part-time or full-time seats are available from Prialto, Wing Assistant, Wishup, MyOutDesk and Virtustant.
BELAY uses US-based assistants only, and Boldly offers North America or Europe-based staff. Wing Assistant and Wishup sell separate US-based tiers, from $2,499 and $3,000 a month, as of October 28, 2026.
Virtustant places bilingual professionals from Latin America who work US business hours, starting at $7/hr all-in for virtual assistants and $8.50/hr 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.
BELAY runs month to month, Wing Assistant states no long-term contract, Wishup says cancel anytime, and Virtustant is month to month with zero placement fees. Prialto has a 90-day minimum per unit.
Use the Package-or-Seat Breakeven: count the hours you will really use each month, price the smallest package and a seat at an hourly rate on that number, then decide whether the person must live in the US. Under 10 hours a month a package usually wins; from about 10 hours a week a seat usually costs less.
Time etc matches an assistant to you. Boldly lets you meet the assistant before paying, Upwork leaves the choice entirely to you, and Virtustant gives you 3 to 5 vetted candidates to interview and choose from.
