Remote work is here to stay. Gartner’s 2025 Remote Talent Index shows postings for virtual executive assistants jumping 25 percent year over year, giving founders a way to reclaim time without adding office overhead.
If you’re drowning in email or shuffling meetings instead of shaping strategy, you’re in the right place. This guide highlights the agencies that turn chaos into calm so you can operate at full throttle.
Why remote executive assistants are surging
A perfect storm of tech, talent, and new work rhythms has turned the remote EA from luxury to leadership staple.
First, cloud tools erased geography. When your calendar, inbox, and project board already live in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, the person steering them can log in from Ohio, Manila, or Madrid with the same click.
Second, founders embraced asynchronous collaboration. Instead of chasing every ping in real time, they hand full workflows to a trusted partner who keeps projects moving while they focus on product, customers, and investors.
Third, the talent pool widened. According to an Executive Assistant Institute report, remote EA openings jumped 25 percent in 2025. Agencies scooped up this experience, added rigorous vetting, training, and management, and now present ten-year veterans on subscription.
Finally, cost math changed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for in-house executive secretaries was $74,260 in May 2024. Remote agencies deliver comparable output for 30 to 50 percent less, so every delegated hour protects runway instead of payroll.
In short, remote EAs rose because they match how modern work runs: cloud-first, flexible, and value-obsessed. They keep you in flow, stretch your budget, and give you back the one resource you cannot replenish—time.
How we compared the agencies
Choosing an assistant service is part matchmaking, part risk management. To keep the playing field fair, we weighed every provider against the same eight yardsticks.
We started with vetting and talent quality. A service that accepts only three percent of applicants, like BELAY, sets a different bar from one that hires on résumé alone, especially when that talent commands about forty-two dollars an hour, according to Wishup research.
Next came location. A U.S.-based EA in your time zone feels seamless, yet an overseas partner can stretch the budget without shrinking output. We noted where each firm sources assistants and how they bridge time-zone gaps.
Engagement model mattered too. Some firms loan you an EA on subscription, while others recruit a permanent hire for your payroll. We favored options that let you scale hours up or down as workload flexes.
Price transparency was non-negotiable. Clear packages beat vague “contact us” pricing every time, so we logged hourly equivalents to compare apples to apples.
The one-time contingency fee—about 25 percent of first-year salary—kicks in only after you green-light a hire, and a 90-day replacement guarantee protects the investment if the match misfires early.
Specialization earned points. An EA who speaks SaaS or real estate fluently hits stride faster than a generalist.
Support structure followed. Backup assistants, account managers, and ongoing training protect you from sick days and skill plateaus.
Technology rounded out the picture. Dashboards, mobile apps, and light AI shave minutes off every task and keep communication friction-free.
Finally, we listened to the crowd. Verified reviews, client logos, and longevity separate hype from proven performance.
Those eight lenses—quality, location, engagement, pricing, specialization, support, tech, and reputation—shape every agency deep dive that follows.
Your cheat-sheet comparison
| Agency | Talent location | Engagement model | Starting price* | Best for | Standout feature |
| Wing | Philippines, South Asia | Subscription, dedicated | $999 per month full time (about $6 per hour) | Budget-minded startups | Flat-rate plans, task dashboard |
| MyOutDesk | Philippines | Subscription, dedicated | $1,700 per month full time (about $11 per hour) | Real-estate and operations teams | Robust training, security protocols |
| Time Etc | United States, United Kingdom | Hour bundle, fractional | $390 for 10 hours (about $39 per hour) | Solo founders testing an EA | Unused hours roll over |
| Prialto | Latin America, Philippines | Managed team, fractional | $1,550 for 55 hours (about $28 per hour) | Execs needing backup coverage | Primary plus secondary EA with playbooks |
| Athena | Global (PH, SA, KE) | Full-time dedicated | $3,000 per month on an annual plan (about $18 per hour) | Leaders wanting deep partnership | Elite academy training program |
| Persona | Global | Full-time dedicated | $3,000 per month (about $19 per hour) | Quality-obsessed founders | 0.1 percent acceptance rate |
| Double | United States | Hour bundle, fractional | $750 for 15 hours (about $50 per hour) | Tech execs on the go | Mobile app with AI scheduling assists |
| C-Suite Assistants | United States | Direct-hire recruiting | 20–30 percent of salary (one-time) | CEOs seeking a permanent EA | Boutique matchmaking by former execs |
| BELAY | United States | Subscription, fractional | $3,800 for 90 hours (about $42 per hour) | Teams craving U.S. overlap | Three-percent acceptance rate, client success coach |
| Boldly | United States, European Union | Subscription, fractional | $2,520 for 60 hours (about $42 per hour) | Leaders wanting premium part-time | Fortune 500-level talent pool |
*Pricing reflects the lowest publicly reported or client-verified plan as of January 2026. Hourly equivalents are rounded to the nearest whole dollar for clarity.
Keep in mind that prices scale with hours and specialization, but this snapshot shows the entry door each agency opens.
Wing – affordable dedicated support for lean teams
Wing remote executive assistant service homepage screenshot.
Wing offers founders a full-time assistant for less than a monthly coffee habit.
Most Wing EAs work from the Philippines or South Asia, which keeps prices low without sacrificing English fluency. A flat $999 per month buys about 160 hours of support—roughly six dollars per hour.
You get one dedicated assistant, not a rotating pool, plus an account manager who checks quality and steps in if you need extra help. Tasks flow through Wing’s web and mobile dashboard, so you can fire off a request between meetings and watch progress in real time.
Because your EA is offshore, you decide whether they mirror your business day or work while you sleep. Many teams choose a hybrid schedule: real-time overlap for morning calendar triage, then asynchronous research or data entry overnight.
Wing shines when budgets are tight and workloads balloon. Founders use their assistant to clear inbox clutter, chase invoices, prep investor digests, and draft social posts. Most clients report meaningful time savings within the first week.
If you need premium polish or U.S. cultural context, you will pay more elsewhere. For straightforward execution at a price that barely dents runway, Wing is hard to beat.
MyOutDesk – full-time horsepower at offshore rates
MyOutDesk virtual assistant company homepage screenshot.
MyOutDesk supplies a forty-hour-a-week right hand without the cost of a domestic salary.
Assistants are college-educated professionals in the Philippines who log in on your schedule. They manage calendars, chase leads, update CRMs, and handle light customer calls. Real-estate teams were early adopters, but tech, healthcare, and e-commerce leaders now rely on the model because it scales smoothly.
You interview pre-vetted candidates, pick your favorite, and treat that EA as a true team member. Behind the scenes, an account manager coaches performance, monitors data security, and steps in if you need a replacement. Training on industry tools is included, so you skip the basics and dive straight into delegation.
The math is compelling: about $2,000 per month buys a dedicated professional who works your full business week, according to VA Insider estimates. If you crave consistent, on-the-clock support yet need to watch burn, MyOutDesk threads that needle.
Time Etc – flexible experience for first-time delegators
Picture a seasoned office pro who moonlights for you a few hours a week. That’s Time Etc.
Every assistant brings about 10 years of admin experience, and you can start with 10 hours for $390—about $39 per hour. Unused minutes roll over, so you never feel rushed to invent tasks just to hit a quota. Need extra help before a launch? Increase your plan, then reduce hours once the rush fades.
Because Time Etc’s talent lives in the United States and United Kingdom, you enjoy real-time Slack chats without the coastal salary premium. Clients report quick wins: inbox zero by Wednesday, expense reports filed automatically, and travel booked before you ask.
For leaders testing delegation or consultants with unpredictable workloads, Time Etc offers an easy on-ramp to remote support with no long-term commitment.
Prialto – a managed team that never takes a sick day
Prialto treats executive support like a relay race, not a solo sprint.
You work with one primary EA who learns your playbook, while a trained backup shadows every task. If your main assistant is offline, the understudy steps in seamlessly. An engagement manager hovers above it all, refining processes and suggesting fresh ways to reclaim hours.
Assistants sit in Guatemala and the Philippines and align to U.S. business hours. They log into your CRM, build follow-up cadences, and keep sales or investor pipelines humming. Because Prialto documents every workflow, new hires or extra team members can plug in without starting over.
Pricing starts near $1,550 for 55 hours—about $28 per hour. Though costlier than a basic offshore VA, you pay for redundancy, oversight, and constant optimization. For founders who dread downtime or want delegation as reliable as their cloud apps, Prialto delivers industrial-grade continuity.
Athena – full-time partners groomed in a productivity academy
Athena recruits globally and trains centrally, putting every hire through months of coursework on tools, communication, and proactive problem solving. Graduates emerge as “executive partners,” not task takers.
One dedicated assistant costs about $3,000 per month on an annual plan, buying 160 hours of focus plus a relationship manager who coaches both sides of the partnership.
Athena assistants anticipate needs, reschedule flights before weather hits, draft board decks while you sleep, and even coordinate personal goals like language lessons. They blend business savvy with life logistics, letting you operate in a friction-free bubble.
If you want someone glued to your hip all day without paying a U.S. salary, Athena delivers a high-caliber, full-time solution that thinks several steps ahead.
Persona – ultra-selective talent when only the best will do
If you want a remote EA who can spar with your chief of staff, Persona belongs on your shortlist.
The company’s eight-step hiring funnel is brutal; it hires one candidate out of every 1,000. Clients notice the difference. You hand your assistant a knotty project and receive organized research, next-step recommendations, and polished slides before lunch ends.
Persona assigns one full-time EA to your account for about $3,000 per month. Because the talent pool is global, you can request coverage that mirrors your day or offsets it for overnight progress. Either way, you are their only client, so context never leaks.
Founders rave about the strategic lift: inbox triage evolves into KPI dashboards, calendar wrangling morphs into investor follow-up sequences. If you measure return on investment in deep-work hours regained, Persona’s rate card adds up quickly.
Double – tech-savvy assistance for entrepreneurs in motion
Double blends human skill with software polish. You delegate tasks through a sleek mobile app, watch timelines update automatically, and get nudged when something needs approval.
Assistants are U.S.-based pros comfortable inside Slack, Notion, and the shifting tool stacks of high-growth startups. Plans start at $750 for 15 hours a month—about $50 per hour. The hourly rate drops as you add time.
Double’s secret weapon is its scheduling engine. Your EA plugs into your calendar, then the app’s AI suggests meeting slots, drafts confirmation emails, and flags conflicts before they derail your day. The human reviews every recommendation, so nothing goes out half-baked.
Founders love the speed. You can meet your assistant and send the first task within two days—perfect when you realize midnight triage no longer scales. If you live on your phone and want an assistant who does too, Double fits like a favorite hoodie.
C-Suite Assistants – boutique recruiters for permanent right hands
Some leaders want an assistant on payroll, in the org chart, and in the trenches for years. That is C-Suite Assistants’ wheelhouse.
C-Suite Assistants executive assistant recruiting agency website screenshot.
Think head-hunter, not subscription.
C-Suite Assistants’ blog post Why founders need an EA reminds founders that waiting until admin chaos erupts exacts a hidden tax on momentum and argues for hiring earlier.
Former executives run the search, interview dozens of candidates, and present only the few who can handle board decks, investor relations, and sensitive personal tasks with equal poise. Many placements close within two weeks, sparing you the six-month slog of DIY hiring.
Fees land around 25 percent of first-year salary, payable once. After that, the EA is your employee, collecting stock options, joining all-hands, and growing with the company. A replacement guarantee cushions the commitment if the match misfires early.
Because the firm focuses solely on executive assistants, they know the difference between a calendar jockey and a true partner. If you are a CEO ready to invest in a long-term lieutenant rather than rent hours, C-Suite Assistants delivers white-glove matchmaking that sticks.
BELAY – premium U.S. assistants with concierge-level support
BELAY premium U.S.-based executive assistant services page screenshot.
BELAY built its reputation on saying “no” to 97 percent of applicants, so the three percent who make the cut arrive battle-tested and executive-ready.
All assistants are U.S.-based, which means phone-perfect English, cultural alignment, and real-time collaboration across time zones. When you sign up, a client success consultant joins the team, guiding onboarding, troubleshooting hurdles, and nudging you toward smarter delegation.
Plans cost about $3,800 for 90 hours a month—near $42 per hour. Yes, that sits at the Bentley end of the market, but you feel the difference in polish: proactive calendar wizardry, board-level slide prep, and the kind of judgment that lets you hand off investor emails without a second read.
Leaders who equate quality with peace of mind view BELAY’s rate as time insurance—and brand assurance.
Boldly – fractional Fortune 500 talent for leaders seeking premium part-time help
Boldly built a roster of executive assistants who have wrangled CEOs, coordinated global summits, and soothed board members—then made those pros available in neat monthly slices.
You start at 30 hours per month and can scale to full time while working with the same dedicated EA. Because assistants are W-2 employees of Boldly, they receive benefits and ongoing training, which keeps turnover low and institutional knowledge high.
Clients praise the polish. Need a partner hotel for your European off-site? Your EA provides three vetted options and draft contracts by morning. Launching a webinar series? They spin up the project plan, outreach list, and rehearsal schedule before you finish your espresso.
Plans begin near $2,520 for 60 hours—about $42 per hour. Boldly’s European time-zone coverage and deep enterprise backgrounds give it a distinct flavor. If you want veteran talent in a flexible wrapper, Boldly is the premium sweet spot.
Wrapping up and moving forward
A remote executive assistant is more than admin support. It is a compound-interest machine on your time, letting you trade thirty-minute calendar puzzles for thirty-thousand-foot strategy.
We just toured options from six-dollar-an-hour offshore horsepower to white-glove, fractional partners who have briefed Fortune 500 boards. The right fit hinges on the eight lenses we covered: quality, location, engagement, price, specialization, support, technology, and reputation.
Start by ranking those factors for your world. If live collaboration and stateside polish top the list, lean toward BELAY or Boldly. If runway is precious and you need full-time coverage yesterday, Wing or MyOutDesk delivers unbeatable value. Crave bulletproof continuity? Prialto’s team model shines. Want a permanent lieutenant? Call C-Suite Assistants.
Once you pick a provider, invest in onboarding like you would a senior hire. Share objectives, pet peeves, and decision boundaries. Record a Loom walkthrough of your inbox rules. Schedule a daily stand-up for the first two weeks, then taper to a weekly pulse. The faster your EA absorbs context, the faster you reclaim headspace.
Assistant relationships evolve. Review the partnership each quarter. Add hours, shift focus, or bring in a specialist as your needs change. The best agencies make scaling seamless.
Remote work untethered talent from ZIP codes. Now it can untether you from busywork. Choose your agency, delegate with intent, and watch your calendar—plus your company—open wide.
