The Zero-Fee Model is Virtustant's pricing structure: US companies pay no placement fee, no markup, and no recruiter commission — ever. One all-in hourly rate covers your hire's pay, payroll, and compliance, starting at $7/hr. It's the model behind every one of our 2,000+ placements since 2021.
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The Zero-Fee Model means the hourly rate you agree to is the entire cost of your hire. There is no placement fee when you hire, no percentage of first-year salary, no monthly subscription, and no markup added on top. Sourcing, vetting, payroll, compliance, and the lifetime replacement guarantee are all included inside that one rate — which is why we can publish our rates in the open. Traditional recruiters charge 15–35% of salary per hire; subscription VA services run $699–$3,000+ per month; marketplaces take a platform cut on every hour. Under the Zero-Fee Model, the rate is the price, and it starts at $7/hr.
The Zero-Fee Model applies to every role we place — assistants, sales, support, bookkeeping, creative, and more. The work clients most often hand over first:
The honest version, in one sentence: if you pay your agent $10/hr, we give them $9 and keep the dollar in the middle. The margin lives inside the rate — never on top of it — so our incentive is a placement that lasts, not a fee that clears. Published medians below, with the sample size behind each figure:
| Role | Median all-in rate | Placements (n) |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual assistant | $7.00/hr | 33 |
| Administrative assistant | $7.00/hr | 19 |
| Appointment setter | $8.00/hr | 37 |
| Sales development rep (SDR) | $8.00/hr | 28 |
| Executive assistant | $8.50/hr | 25 |
| Social media manager | $8.50/hr | 31 |
| Bookkeeper | $8.50/hr | 9 |
Blended median: $8.00/hr across placements started in 2026. The all-in rate covers the professional's pay, payroll, compliance, and HR — it is the entire cost. A comparable US hire typically runs $20–$35/hr.
Full role-by-role data lives in the 2026 Nearshore Rate Report and on our official facts page; get a personalized range on the pricing page.
| Model | Typical cost | What you take on |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance marketplace | Hourly rate + platform fees | You vet, manage, and handle payments yourself |
| Subscription VA service | $699–$3,000+ per month | Plans often cap hours; assistant may be shared |
| Recruiter-model agency | Placement fee (flat or % of salary) + salary | Fee due up front; payroll often separate |
| Virtustant — managed staffing | One all-in rate from $7/hr, $0 fees | You interview and manage the work; we handle the rest |
See the detailed head-to-heads: Virtustant vs Upwork and Virtustant vs Near.
Step-by-step detail in our guide: how to hire LATAM talent.
LATAM virtual assistants work your business hours in real time — no overnight handoffs — and are screened for professional, conversational English before anything else. Rates run up to 70% below US equivalents because of cost-of-living differences, not lower skill. That mix of time zone, English, and cost is why nearshore hiring keeps replacing both offshore teams and US admin hires; the full picture is in our nearshore staffing guide.
Hiring in a specific country? Start with hire staff in Argentina — without opening an entity, or read our country guides for Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil.
$0 recruitment fees. Lifetime replacement guarantee. A 30-minute discovery call gets you a realistic salary range, a rough timeline, and 2 to 3 example profiles.
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