Every time we talk to a potential client who’s been looking for a virtual assistant company, they’re struggling with some (if not most) of the following issues in their business.
Finding skilled virtual assistants (VAs) at an affordable cost is a significant challenge for professionals like lawyers, coaches, insurance agents, and more.
Despite being part of agencies, VAs work individually. They’re simply assigned clients and complete tasks for them with no proper oversight and responsibility from the VA company. This leads to trust and quality concerns for customers.
VA agencies engage with clients merely on a per-task basis. They only complete tasks and get paid.
VA agencies don’t have a thoughtful approach for pairing clients with VAs. Typically, new clients get assigned whoever is next available with the necessary skills without further consideration or intentional match-making.
VA service pricing strategies and contracts overwhelmingly benefit agencies and only them. This leaves clients evaluating the worth of their investments and if they get a fair value for their money.
Now, in light of these issues, we’ve built up a list of the 11 best virtual assistant services you can hire in the U.S., and expect top-notch service and high-quality VAs.
1. Cascade Virtual
2. BELAY Solutions
3. Time Etc
4. Zirtual
5. Boldly
6. Uassist.Me
7. Prialto
8. WoodBows
9. UpWork
10. Magic
11. Fancy Hands
While each of these VA services is different in how they operate and what they offer, you can be sure to get the best value for your money with each of them.
Note: Ready to hire VA services for your business? At Cascade Virtual, we are the business growth partners you need. We offer you U.S.-based VAs with over 10 years of experience at a $35-$50 hourly rate. Our team takes care of the activities that weigh you down while you focus on the core parts of your business. Book a meeting with us!
11 top virtual assistant companies to hire in the United States
1. Cascade Virtual
At Cascade Virtual, we pride ourselves on offering highly skilled virtual assistants capable of handling a variety of tasks to help businesses and entrepreneurs maximize their productivity.
For us, the key to a successful partnership is a thorough understanding of who you are as a business and where you want to go.
So, we always seek to understand your needs and goals and assign you VAs who come aboard as seasoned members of your business, ready to move the needle and get things done.
Our VAs are equipped to manage responsibilities such as administration, social media, customer service, project management, and more.
We always set out to match your business with the right virtual professionals to meet your unique needs and business goals.
Here is why we are the best VA agency for your needs.
Why Cascade Virtual is the best virtual assistant company in the U.S. for your needs
You get excellently vetted VAs from the U.S. with over 10 years of experience working for businesses.
One of the main challenges businesses face when collaborating with VA companies is working with VAs that aren’t properly vetted and start to show shortcomings when you need them the most.
Most VA companies just go by what the VA says they can do, like their past jobs, schooling, and maybe a quick chat or two. Sometimes, these companies use computer programs to ask a bunch of questions.
They’re generally in a rush to get VAs and don’t want to spend much money or time in the process, so they skip making sure these VAs are really good. The issue is that, for you, this means you might not get the best bang for your buck.
That’s because this quick way of doing things doesn’t really show you what the VA is like as a person or worker. You can’t tell how they handle tasks or if they’ll vibe well with your team, especially when everyone’s working from different places.
What’s even more alarming is that big online VA spots like UpWork and Fiverr don’t check people at all.
Anyone can join these sites, say they’re a VA, put up a fancy photo, answer some questions, and pretend they’re top-notch. They can even get their friends to leave great feedback and high star ratings so that they have a convincing profile.
The problem is, if you work with a VA service that doesn’t properly check its people, you might get stuck in a contract with VAs who aren’t skilled, act professional, or show up when you need them. This can also result in mess-ups, slowing everyone down and even raising security worries.
For us at Cascade Virtual, there are a couple of values that clients shouldn’t compromise when hiring VA services, and a high standard for vetting VAs is one of them.
Ideally, you want to make sure that the VAs working for your business are excellently vetted, that they fit your business, and that they’re reliable — among other things.
Here’s what it means for you when trying to find a good virtual assistant (VA) service.
You want a VA you can count on. You need to be sure they’ll finish jobs on time and be there to help when you call.
You want someone who’s going to deliver. It’s important that they know their stuff. Sure, lots of VAs can do basic office work, but you’re after someone with special talents in things like handling social media management, data entry, digital marketing, creating content, calendar management, designing graphics, and more.
If you’re thinking long-term, you don’t want to keep looking for new VAs every few months. It wastes your time and money, and you can’t afford that. So, you’re looking for quality that sticks around.
You have high standards, too, and you expect work that meets or even beats those standards. That means you’re looking for a VA whose work shows real professionalism and a keen eye for the small stuff.
And since they’ll often deal with private information about your business, you need to know your data’s safe.
That’s why at Cascade Virtual, we really focused on making one of the best systems for checking and choosing our VAs. We want to make sure they’re the right fit for you in every way.
If you are working with us, you’re not just getting a virtual assistant; you’re getting a top-notch pro from the U.S. who's passed our tough checks. Here’s how we ensure you get the best VAs from the United States.
Before you even chat with an assistant, they go through:
First-round interviews: We check out their personality, how professional they are, and if they share our core beliefs.
Skills check: We’re not just after someone who’s okay; we want folks who are awesome at the stuff your business needs.
Serious testing: We don’t just take their word for it or trust what's on their resumes. We test them to see if they can deliver and keep up the quality.
Background checks: We do this to ensure they’re trustworthy and keep your data safe. It helps you feel more secure working with us.
Double-checking references: Having a nice resume and recommendations is cool, but we go the extra mile to ensure their work history and wins are legit.
Thanks to this process, you can be sure you are getting the best VAs for your business. What’s interesting is that our assistants are all based in the U.S. and are real pros in various fields.
Most of them have over ten years of experience serving Fortune 500 companies, so they come with a ton of know-how and are industry smarts.
You get a VA-partner relationship that’s beyond assignment-execution partnerships. We take the time to understand your situation, learn about your overarching goals, and work out tasks to help you achieve them.
Most VA companies collaborate with clients on a mere transactional basis. Here is what their working process typically looks like:
You have a need for some tasks taken care of,
You hire them,
They assign you the next VA available,
You name the tasks,
The VA completes the tasks,
Your credit card gets charged.
In most cases, you collaborate with them in that loop. The direct implication for your business is that your VA agency doesn’t take the time to understand your business and its overarching goals to deduce tasks for long-term success. They only serve you as tasks come, and that’s it.
No intentional match-making with the VAs,
No relationship whatsoever with your company to map long-term growth,
No goal mapping,
No systems for structured task lists,
No standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure work is done smoothly.
If your VA agency doesn’t have solid plans for setting goals, organizing tasks, or standard ways of doing things, work gets messy. Problems like not knowing what to do first, mixed-up communication, and not keeping track of how things are going can quickly hinder the work.
So, this all ends up in tasks not getting done right. What’s even more worrying is that it shows that there’s no real standard for how well things should be done.
Another implication of this is that it leads to tasks taking long, deadlines slipping through the cracks, and just a general feeling of letdown for you.
At Cascade Virtual, we understand that you’re paying for a service, and you expect it to be top-notch. So, we deliver nothing less than that. Here is the step-by-step process we follow to set you up for success from the minute we onboard you.
Step 1: We seek to understand your needs and build a job description accordingly
Right from the start, we discuss with you to figure out the main problems that made you seek out a VA company. Our goal is to understand what issues you’re facing or things you need taken care of so that we can create a job description accordingly.
We meet with you. The idea is to ask you questions to understand where you need help and deduce virtual assistant jobs. We will ask questions about:
Your products,
Your personal tasks,
How much marketing you do,
How you stay in contact with your customers or potential customers,
Your system/tech used, etc,
It helps us establish how much work is involved, the specific talents you need, and thus a dedicated assistant for your needs.
Unlike most VA agencies who simply assign you the next VA available, after building the job description, we match you with an assistant with the right skills and the best traits to fit into your business. Here is an email example of us doing that.
Our whole way of doing things is all about putting you first. You’re always in control, but we guide you heavily through the steps.
Step 2: We set you up for the best collaboration
The whole point of this step is to lay the foundation for a smooth working relationship and give you all the know-how and tools you'll need to benefit from teaming up with us.
Here’s a simple breakdown of what we do and how it helps you:
Your go-to person on our team
This person isn’t your VA but someone from our side you can always reach out to. They make talking with us straightforward and make sure you’re always heard.
A handbook
You can look back on this to get a grip on how everything functions, what you need to do, and, of course, what you’ll get from us.
See timesheets and daily goings-on
You’ll know what’s happening, when it’s happening, and how long it’s taking. You get to see the work as it’s done and can chime in with thoughts or tweaks as you see fit.
Your own dashboard for the full picture
We set you up on our easy-to-use, central system where you can see all the stuff related to your account, like what tasks are in progress, how many hours you’ve used up, and other important information. Here is what it looks like:
Step 3: We’ll map goals and set up tasks
Here, we start to lay out clear, doable, and time-bound goals for your business. It’s all based on where you are now, what you need taken care of right now, and where you want to go. Here is a snap view of our delegating 101 document we send you for this:
Your answers to this document help us establish an immediate week-by-week set of goals. These are immediate to-do’s we need to start with. Then we keep following up with you and your VA until you are more comfortable with your team.
So, these goals guide the way, help make decisions, and let us keep checking how things are moving along. We set up both short-term and longer-term goals and then make a to-do list based on these goals. Here is an example we did for a client:
We’ll sit down with your team and make plans for 1, 2, or 3, and sometimes even 6 months ahead. From these plans, we’ll identify specific tasks to grow your business, achieve success, and find new paths to explore.
Step 4: We create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to ensure immediate integration and minimum disruption
This is where the real work starts.
We start by crafting SOPs from the job description we put together. People from your team and ours take part in this, with your VA right at the heart of it all. Here is a representation of the process we follow to build this:
We create an SOP for every task we take on or develop within your company. These SOPs give a clear picture of what needs to be done and the best way to do it. Your new VAs can hit the ground running, getting the hang of tasks without needing a long training period.
They jump right in as seasoned members of your squad. And because we’ve mapped out goals, they know your business’s direction and know their daily tasks are part of the bigger journey to your goals.
This whole approach saves you the time you’d otherwise spend on training. Plus, you have a solid standard to compare their work against (the SOP), and it ensures a seamless handover if you ever need someone to step in for your VA or decide to switch staff.
You get rigorous supervision, regular check-ins, and a dedicated HR system to manage administrative and compliance aspects like timesheets, payroll, taxes, and more. You won’t have to worry about handling the VA; we take care of that for you.
Most VA companies work like a place where you just get paired up with a VA — you know, like a job board. They don’t watch over things or supervise the VAs working for you to ensure all’s going well or that you’re getting your money’s worth.
For us, if a VA company doesn’t have a proper HR team and system to handle the regular stuff like tracking hours, paying salaries, and dealing with taxes, that’s a big warning sign that means you’ll frequently be running into issues with them.
Why?
Because it usually means things are all over the place, left to happenstance, and that the VA is solely responsible for everything that is done for you and that you have to micro-manage them to ensure they’re working and happy.
The implication is that there is no accountability to the VA agency — you’re simply assigned a VA, and that’s it.
At Cascade Virtual, we believe that getting and looking after a VA shouldn’t make your life harder. You should be able to ensure everything is running smoothly without needing to check in yourself constantly.
That’s why we do more than just hook you up with a VA. We’ve got a whole system of services to ensure you enjoy the ride without worrying about the mechanics of it. Here’s what comes with our services:
HR stuff handled for you
You know how when you get a new VA, you feel like they’re a part of your business but don’t know how to go about managing them and all? We’ve got you covered.
We have a whole HR team at Cascade that takes care of the nitty-gritty of having an assistant, so you don’t have to stress about it.
We handle everything from clocking hours, getting paychecks out, and sorting out the tax forms every year. We do all this boring but important stuff ourselves, which means working with your VA makes things easier for you, not the other way around.
Also, we have the experience, and we are happy to recruit on your behalf. If you are looking for a very specific person to fill a very specific admin role, we are happy to recruit on your behalf until we find the perfect fit.
Everyday check-ups and hands-on help
We track and keep an eye on your VAs on a daily basis to ensure they’re delivering up to your expectations. We ensure things run smoothly every single day, and we help manage your account. Here is our dashboard for managing VAs.
We’ve all over making sure tasks are moving along, and goals are getting ticked off the list. We keep things rolling so you can stick to running your business stress-free.
Regular catch-ups and talks to make things better
Communication is the secret sauce in any good team-up, and we know it. That’s why we set up regular times to chat, especially early on, when you and your VA are just starting out.
We’ll talk about how things are going, give a high-five for the good stuff, sort out any early bumps in the road, and tweak things if we need to.
You get a YOU-FIRST approach. We don’t force you into contracts that make things hard for you; you can restaff easily, roll over hours, pause your account anytime you need to, and more.
When working with a service provider business, the most important feature they can offer you for the partnership is flexibility and the ability to adapt and accommodate based on your changing needs. That’s how you know you will get the best service at any time.
The same rule applies to VA companies as well.
So, when you’re working with a VA company, you want to ensure that their contracts are flexible to your changing needs.
For example, there will be times with huge workloads. So you may need more staff. As well, there will be lull times when your VAs don’t have much to do. And in those times, you want to ensure you can roll over hours or pause your account.
But many VA agencies’ contracts aren’t like that. In fact, they’re only built around serving the company, not you.
Why?
There are three main issues that we see here.
Firstly, VA service contracts don’t let you change assistants or restaff easily if your needs change or you’re unhappy with their work. And when they allow changes, there is a good chance you will face delays or pay extra.
Secondly, many agencies don’t let you roll over hours. This means you might end up paying for VA services you don’t use, especially during quieter times for your business where there is not much need from your VA.
Lastly, you usually can’t pause your contract with these agencies. So, if something unexpected happens, like a personal emergency or a big change in the market where you need to go back on the agreement and pause the contract, you can’t.
That means you’ll still be paying, even if you’re not using the services.
At Cascade Virtual, we do things differently. We understand businesses’ needs change. So, our contracts are built to offer the best value for your money anytime. We offer you the ability to roll over used hours and pause your account as you see fit.
Plus, we let you restaff easily. And given that we build SOPs and map goals for your business, new VAs won’t struggle to catch up with what’s being done. They can easily join in as new staff or replacements and perform excellently without needing a transition time or training.
You get the best bang for your buck. Most VA agencies charge you a lot, and their pricing models don’t benefit you. We are more affordable, and you only pay per use.
There are three main pricing models known to VA agencies, and none truly benefits you or your business. Let’s discuss them.
Hourly rate with a monthly hour cap: This sounds good initially, but your needs may change, and it leads you to use more hours and pay extra or not use the hours you’ve already paid for. Also, this can be costly, especially with agencies like Zirtual or Boldly charging up to $50 an hour. For example, a VA working 4 hours daily could cost over $4,000 a month, which is quite a lot.
Project-based retainer: The agency charges a set amount for a specific project. However, if your needs change partway, altering the project could get difficult or more expensive.
One-time project: You pay a one-time fee for a specific task. This is good for a one-off task but doesn’t help build an ongoing understanding between the VA and your business. Also, constant negotiations for new tasks can be a hassle and make even small projects costly due to administrative tasks.
We offer you better at Cascade Virtual.
Our main goal is always to offer you the best service. So, we designed our pricing to deliver you the best of our services while ensuring you get the best bang for your buck.
Our services cost between $35 to $50 an hour, based on the plan you choose, and you only pay for what you use.
$600-Innovator (Up to 3 hours a week/12 hours a month)
$1200- Entrepreneur (Up to 7 hours a week/28 hours a month)
$2400-Premier (Up to 15 hours a week/60 hours a month)
$3500-Dignitary(Up to 25 hours a week/100 hours a month)
This pricing allows us to hire the best VAs and offer you one of the best pricings on the market. Plus, our pay-per-use system is flexible and budget-friendly, especially if your business’ needs keep changing. Here’s why our plan is a game-changer:
You don’t have to stress about unused hours or going over a set limit — adjust the hours as needed.
You only pay for the actual work done, a real plus for small businesses or startups watching their spending.
Note: Ready to hire VA services for your business? At Cascade Virtual, we are the business growth partners you need. We offer you U.S.-based VAs with over 10 years of experience at a $35-$50 hourly rate. Our team takes care of the activities that weigh you down while you focus on the core parts of your business. Book a meeting with us!
2. BELAY Solutions
Belay is a US-based company providing virtual assistants, bookkeeping, and web specialist services. They’re known for their rigorous selection process and high-quality assistance, mostly targeting clients in the US.
According to their website, they have a lower acceptance rate than Havard. This process ensures that businesses receive the expertise they require, fitting seamlessly with their operations.
The company is also well-known for its consistency of relationships; clients are matched with dedicated assistants, creating an environment of mutual understanding and tailored support.
However, when it comes to pricing, Belay maintains a custom quote policy. This means you’ll have to reach out directly to discuss their specific needs and receive an accurate pricing proposal.
3. Time etc
Time etc. is a virtual assistant platform offering VAs to businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals. They have a team of experienced virtual assistants capable of handling a variety of tasks.
What makes Time etc. unique is the level of flexibility they offer. Clients can purchase service hours monthly. They also offer a trial period, allowing potential clients to explore their services risk-free. You also have the ability to switch plans and cancel your account at any time.
You can find talent for a range of services that go from everyday administrative tasks to more complex project management. The cost of engaging with Time etc. is relatively transparent, with plans starting at $360 per month for a 10-hour commitment. That’s $36 per hour.
4. Zirtual
Zirtual offers US-based virtual assistants to entrepreneurs, professionals, and small teams. They provide trained VAs for a range of business needs and ensure all of their virtual assistants are at least college-educated.
Working with Zirtual is both fun and not fun. Their pricing is straightforward, with the entry-level plan starting at $549 per month, which includes 12 hours of service. That means they charge you more than $45 for every hour of service.
Zirtual also lets you switch plans and cancel at any time as your needs change. But you can’t roll over hours. That means if you don’t use all your hours in a month, you’ll lose money because you cannot roll them over into the next month.
Previously known as “Worldwide101”, Boldly provides subscription staffing, including virtual assistants, marketers, project managers, and more. They provide VAs with team members in North America and Europe with at least 7 years of experience in their respective fields.
They primarily target and work with leading brands and successful entrepreneurs. Their matching process is also a perk, as Boldly pairs clients with staff members who are the best fit for their specific needs and company culture.
Their basic plan offers you 40 hours of service per month, and it starts at $2200. That’s about 55 an hour for their service. That’s way more expensive than any company we’ve discussed so far.
Uassist.Me
Uassist.me is a well-known provider of virtual assistants and administrative services. The company is based in Miami, Florida, with a team primarily in El Salvador, and they offer virtual assistant services for various business needs.
So, as you can tell, the company stands out with its bilingual virtual assistants, proficient in both English and Spanish. This can easily broaden the scope of communication for businesses and particularly serve businesses that operate in Spanish-speaking regions.
Contrary to the VA services and like Belay, Uassist.me doesn’t have a pricing page on their website. You’ll have to reach out to them to get custom pricing.
7. Prialto
Prialto provides remote administrative virtual assistants to executives, entrepreneurs, and businesses.
Their service model is grounded in consistency, high-quality support, and interaction with their customers. They also boast procedures designed to integrate seamlessly with popular business tools.
Prialto prices its services based on a system of hour units and set prices for units. So, the basic plan that’s available on their website mentions a 55-hours-per-month unit, which comes at $1450 per month. That comes at about $26 for the hourly rate.
8. WoodBows
WoodBows offers virtual assistant services in the US, Philippines, and India. They promise dedicated assistants who are available 24/7 and are known for a good balance between quality and affordability.
WoodBows is known for providing strict confidentiality and a money-back guarantee. Their commitment to confidentiality is particularly appealing if your business handles sensitive information. The pricing is transparent, with several plans on their website.
So, if you want to work with them, having a dedicated U.S.-based VA will cost your company $33 per hour.
9. UpWork
As you probably know, Upwork isn’t solely for virtual assistants; it’s a marketplace for a wide range of freelance services. A global platform where businesses and independent professionals connect and collaborate remotely.
The main benefit of Upwork lies in its flexibility; clients can browse freelancers with specific skills and view their ratings, reviews, and work history. Pricing on Upwork varies significantly based on the freelancer’s rates, and the platform also collects a service fee on payments.
We’ve seen some VAs on UpWork charge up to $100 per hour for their services. At the same time, we’ve seen others charge as low as $5. It mainly depends on what you need them to do and how much experience it requires to guarantee excellence.
10. Magic Outsourcing Solutions
Available 24/7, Magic provides a text-based platform service where users can request anything they need, as long as it’s legal. So, you want something done, you request it on the platform, someone reaches out to you, you discuss, they complete the task, and you pay them.
From travel booking to extensive research, Magic VAs handle tasks promptly at any time of day. Their service’s responsiveness and broad capabilities are major draws of the platform. Magic is best for you if you need something taken care of quickly with no long-term commitment.
Magic’s assistants start at $10/hour with no contracts or hidden fees. You pay as you go and adjust the hours you need. Keep in mind that doesn’t mean all their VAs start at $10/hour. For some, you will get billed as high as $30 per minute.
11. Fancy Hands
Fancy Hands is a team of US-based virtual assistants who handle a wide range of tasks. Their specialty is to work on small, quick-turnaround tasks. You can request assistance through their website or app, and tasks are assigned to the first available assistant.
They operate in the same way as Magic. They also offer a subscription service where you can submit requests for virtual assistants to handle tasks every now and then and pay them an hourly rate.
The appeal of Fancy Hands is the ability to pay per request or via subscription, offering you the flexibility to pay based on the number of tasks. With subscriptions starting at $29.99 per month for five requests, it’s an accessible option for those needing occasional, varied support.
Work with Cascade Virtual to handle all your business needs
Even though they are good places to find talent for your needs, most visual assistant companies operate like job boards where you are simply assigned someone to handle some work for you, and you pay them.
If that’s all you care about, then you can simply hire any of the companies on this list. They will provide you with good VAs from the U.S. who will do the work for you, and you can expect good quality work. But if you want success partner and are looking for a VA company that:
Seeks to understand your unique business needs, goals, and vision and maps a strategy and tasks accordingly.
Pre-selects resumes based on your predefined criteria and ensures a standard of quality that’s already aligned with your business.
Creates everything from comprehensive SOPs to meticulous task lists and cares about getting things done the right way.
Offers a good plan for staff replacements and fill-ins.
Offers assistants that aren’t just vetted but proven professionals with 10 years of experience.
Values your opinions and is always looking to improve.
Offers a pay-per-use model, ensuring you get the most value, with the freedom to scale support up or down based on your evolving needs.
Then Cascade Virtual is what you need.
With us, you’re not just hiring an assistant; you’re gaining a support system. We offer our customers a blend of human expertise, strategic orientation, operational excellence, and a personal touch.
Note: Ready to hire VA services for your business? At Cascade Virtual, we are the business growth partners you need. We offer you U.S.-based VAs with over 10 years of experience at a $35-$50 hourly rate. Our team takes care of the activities that weigh you down while you focus on the core parts of your business. Book a meeting with us!