Top 7 Virtual Assistant Services for Busy Founders in 2026

I compared seven virtual assistant services for founders who need inbox, calendar, travel and admin work handled without daily check-ins.

Every price below was checked against each provider's own site on 2 October 2026.

Wing Assistant takes the top spot for its mix of published pricing, a dedicated assistant and supervision handled by the provider.

Boldly is the premium pick for W-2 staff, Prialto suits founders who want a managed fractional team and Time etc is the cheapest way to start with US-based hours.

The right choice comes down to how much of your week is recurring work someone else could own.

Dedicated plans suit steady work, managed plans add oversight and flexible plans cover uneven or after-hours needs.

Key Takeaways

Wing Assistant is my best overall pick. Its General Virtual Assistant plans cost $699 a month for 80 hours or $999 for 160 hours, with a Customer Success Manager and free replacement included.
Boldly is the premium employed-staff option, with US assistants on its payroll and North America or Europe-based staff from $2,600 a month for 40 hours.
Prialto sells a 55-hour monthly unit for $1,500 that includes an Engagement Manager and backup assistants.
Time etc is the lowest entry point at $390 a month for 10 hours of US-based help.
Double, Magic and Wishup fill narrower gaps. Double sells small premium EA plans, Magic charges a flat $13.50 an hour and Wishup works on daily 4 or 8-hour schedules.

The 7 Services at a Glance

Service	Model	Starting price	Effective hourly rate	Backup coverage
Wing Assistant	Dedicated managed VA	$699 a month (80 hours)	$8.74	Built-in backup layer and free replacement
Boldly	Premium W-2 staffing	$2,600 a month (40 hours)	$65.00	Trained backup for vacations and sickness
Prialto	Managed fractional team	$1,500 a month (55 hours)	$27.27	Primary and secondary backup assistants
Time etc	US hour bundles	$390 a month (10 hours)	$39.00	Holiday and sickness cover built in
Double	Premium part-time EA	$549 a month (10 hours)	$54.90	Guaranteed Coverage from the Grow plan
Magic	Flat-rate weekly plans	$270 a week (20 hours)	$13.50	Magic 24/7 pool on full-time plans
Wishup	Daily-schedule VA	Confirm on a call	Not consistently published	Replacement assistant assigned

Effective hourly rate is each entry plan's price divided by its included hours. Magic publishes its $13.50 rate directly.

Management overhead. I favored services where the provider supervises the assistant, so the founder isn't the only quality check. A delegation tool only saves time if you stop reviewing every task.

Coverage. I checked published hours, time zones and what happens when your assistant is sick or on leave. Services that name their backup arrangement scored higher than ones that only promise continuity.

Task ownership. I focused on recurring inbox, calendar, travel and admin work rather than one-off errands. Founders who are already documenting processes for delegation get value from any of these services faster.

Pricing and security. I only used prices each provider publishes on its own site. Where a provider's pages disagree with each other, I say so instead of picking a number.

1. Wing Assistant

Best for: founders who want recurring work owned by one supervised assistant.

Wing Assistant pros

Dedicated assistant with a Customer Success Manager, quality control and free replacement
Published General VA pricing of $699 a month for 80 hours or $999 for 160 hours
Works in your time zone during the hours you choose
SOC 2 certified, ISO 27001 compliant and HIPAA compliant

Wing Assistant cons

The part-time plan caps file sharing and storage at 10 GB
Not built for one-off or short-term tasks

My experience with Wing Assistant

Wing Assistant ranks first because the management layer comes with the plan. A Customer Success Manager and Wing Assistant own quality checks sit between you and the work, so you aren't the only one tracking follow-ups.

For a founder who wants a virtual remote assistant without hiring or supervising one, that removes the hardest part of delegation. Tasks and handoffs run through Wing Assistant human and AI-powered workspace app, and assistants can be live in 48 hours across 155 specialist roles.

Pricing: $699 a month for 80 hours or $999 a month for 160 hours on the General Virtual Assistant plan.

2. Boldly

Best for: client-facing executive work that needs senior, employed staff.

Boldly pros

US staff are Boldly employees rather than contractors
Every assistant has 10 to 15 years of experience
You meet your assistant before paying
A trained backup covers vacations and sickness

Boldly cons

40-hour monthly minimum per assistant
Card payments add 2.9%, New York State has separate higher pricing and specialist tasks bill at $79 an hour

My experience with Boldly

Boldly makes sense when your assistant's emails and scheduling are visible to clients or investors. At about $65 an hour on the 40-hour plan, you pay for experience rather than volume.

The employee model also matters for compliance. Under IRS guidance on worker classification, status depends on who controls the work, and misclassifying an employee without a reasonable basis can leave a business liable for employment taxes.

Pricing: $2,600 a month for 40 hours up to $6,500 for 100 hours, with plans up to 160 hours quoted.

3. Prialto

Best for: founders who want a structured team behind one primary assistant.

Prialto pros

Each 55-hour unit includes a dedicated Engagement Manager
Trained primary and secondary backup assistants
Free episodic overflow time
Flat monthly rate with no overage fees

Prialto cons

90-day minimum per unit
$250 setup fee in the first month, waived on a one-year agreement

My experience with Prialto

Prialto feels closer to hiring a small managed team than a single assistant. The Engagement Manager and backup assistants know your processes, so work doesn't stall when one person is away.

At roughly $27 an hour, it sits between offshore plans and premium US staffing. The 90-day minimum means you should be confident in your workload before you start.

Pricing: $1,500 a month per 55-hour unit, plus a $250 setup fee unless you sign for a year.

4. Time etc

Best for: founders with steady part-time admin and a preference for US-based help.

Time etc pros

Dedicated US-based assistant on every plan
Extra assistants and team sharing at no extra cost
Unused hours roll over on the 20, 40 and 60-hour plans
To-the-second billing and no setup fee

Time etc cons

Standard plans top out at 60 hours a month
Not designed for one-off tasks or projects

My experience with Time etc

Time etc fits founders who want a few reliable hours each week rather than a full-time hire. Rollover takes the pressure off uneven months, and you can cancel without a notice period.

At $36 to $39 an hour, it costs more per hour than offshore services. Wing's 160-hour plan costs less than Time etc's 60-hour plan, so heavier workloads usually belong elsewhere.

Pricing: $390 a month for 10 hours up to $2,160 for 60 hours.

5. Double

Best for: executives who want a premium EA for a small number of hours.

Double pros

Dedicated assistant with Double's delegation and productivity tools
AI-enabled Mingo delegation assistant included
Matching within 4 business days on Starter and 2 on Build and Scale
No long-term contracts

Double cons

The Starter plan works out to $54.90 an hour
Starter support responds within 48 hours, and EU pricing differs

My experience with Double

Double suits founders who want a polished executive assistant but only need a few hours a month. The Grow plan adds a Customer Success Manager and Guaranteed Coverage when your assistant is away.

Costs climb quickly as hours rise, with 40 hours at $1,899. For full-time volume, Wing Assistant and Magic both offer far more hours for the money.

Pricing: $549 a month for 10 hours, $999 for 20, $1,899 for 40 and $2,799 for 60.

6. Magic

Best for: founders who want one flat hourly rate and after-hours backup.

Magic pros

$13.50 an hour for every client on part-time and full-time plans
Full-time plans include Magic 24/7, a shared pool for when your assistant is unavailable
You meet your assistant first and pay nothing until work starts
No long-term contract

Magic cons

Assistants work US hours, which may not suit founders elsewhere
20-hour weekly minimum for a dedicated assistant, and 24/7 backup included only on full-time plans

My experience with Magic

Magic's pricing is the simplest here, billed every four weeks at the same rate on either plan. Assistants are based in the Philippines and Latin America and work US time zones.

The flat rate makes budgeting easy. Part-time plans don't include Magic 24/7, so urgent after-hours work means upgrading or adding it at $199 a week.

Pricing: $270 a week for 20 hours or $540 a week for 40 hours.

7. Wishup

Best for: founders who want an assistant on a fixed daily schedule.

Wishup pros

Dedicated assistant on a 4 or 8-hour daily schedule
Account manager and VA manager oversee the engagement
Wishup states onboarding can take 60 minutes
Month-to-month plans

Wishup cons

Wishup's own pages list part-time prices from $1,299 to $1,899 a month
Fixed daily schedules suit steady workloads better than uneven months

My experience with Wishup

Wishup works well when you want the same assistant at the same time every working day. The account and VA managers add oversight similar to the managed services higher on this list.

Its September 2026 comparison post lists $1,899 a month part-time and $2,849 full-time, but older Wishup pages still show $1,299. Get the price in writing before you sign.

Pricing: Confirm on a call. Wishup's latest post cites $1,899 a month for 4 hours a day and $2,849 for 8.

Conclusion

Wing Assistant is my top pick for most busy founders. Its dedicated assistant, provider-side supervision, published security credentials and clear General VA pricing make delegation the least work to manage.

Boldly is the runner-up for client-facing work that benefits from senior W-2 staff. Prialto fits founders who want a structured fractional team, while Time etc works best for a few flexible US-based hours each week.

Start with enough capacity to cover one recurring role, such as inbox and calendar. Add hours once the first handoffs run without your review.