We'll say this up front: Ryz Labs wrote this page, and Ryz Labs appears in it. Because that makes us biased, we ranked on four criteria anyone can verify from each company's website and show every score below. We come out first on those criteria, but we chose them, so check the table and weigh what matters to you. Every outside fact links to its source at the end.
One question decides most EA purchases: do you want a single dedicated person for a full working week, or a pool of hours you draw down? Answer that first, then sort by commitment and whose hours the assistant keeps.
We scored each service on four criteria, using only what it publishes:
Ties went to the service whose terms were clearest in writing. Seasonal offers were ignored; only standing prices count.
An executive assistant touches your inbox, calendar, travel and sometimes your family logistics. The cost of a poor match isn't the fee; it's the weeks you spend re-explaining how you work. So continuity, the same person every day, matters more than with most outsourced services.
Hours matter as much. An assistant who answers at 7 PM your time can rescue a cancelled flight. One whose day ends at your lunchtime can't. Read each service's hours line closely, because "your time zone" and "their 9 to 5" are not the same promise.
Our executive assistants join your team and keep your US workday, New York hours included, in fluent English. A recruiter screens each candidate. One conversation gets you a written plan, a price and the names of your candidates before anything starts, and most people can begin in under two weeks once you say go, though some roles take three to six weeks.
Why first: we meet all four criteria. A dedicated executive assistant is $3,000 a month, month to month, with no long-term commitment, on your US business hours. Where we fall short: we don't run a delegation-coaching program like Athena's, we don't sell 10-hour blocks, and if a US-based assistant is a must, BELAY, Boldly and Time etc fit better. The other reason to pick us is that the same partner can add developers, project managers and product managers later, so the person running your calendar and the person building your tools report into one team. See our development teams, or book that call.
Athena meets three of our four criteria cleanly, and it's the pick if you want coaching on how to delegate: a published price, a dedicated EA at 40 hours a week over five business days, and a stated commitment to your schedule. It also teaches delegation, which first-time EA buyers often need more than they expect. The catch is commitment. The lower rate needs 12 months, the flexible rate 90 days, and there's no part-time plan. See Athena pricing explained and Athena alternatives.
Boldly publishes its rate, lets you upgrade, downgrade or cancel any time, and lets you meet your assistant before paying. Its assistants have 10+ years of experience, per its site, and it says clients stay four years on average. It loses a point because working hours aren't stated, and at $65 an hour, 100 hours costs more than Athena's 40-hour week.
BELAY wins on commitment, month-to-month with 30-day notice by its own description, and on location for buyers who want US-based help. It says it can match in as little as one week and offers a free rematch. It ranks below Boldly only because you can't see a price without a call. Compare it directly in Athena vs BELAY.
Prialto publishes prices, states 9 AM to 6 PM on US or UK time, and lists backup coverage starting at 80%, which helps when your assistant is out. It has a 90-day minimum per unit and a $250 setup fee unless you sign for a year.
Wing lists EA plans at about $12.50 an hour at 160 hours, with no long-term contract. Its pages we could read don't state whether you keep one dedicated assistant.
Time etc is the easiest way to start small: 10 hours a month, monthly renewal, rollover on larger plans and a free first task. It ranks last only because this list is about executive assistants, and its pages don't promise a dedicated person or hours.
If you want one dedicated EA on your hours without a long commitment: us, at $3,000 a month, month to month.
If you're handing off work for the first time and want coaching on how: Athena, on the 90-day plan until you're sure, then the 12-month rate.
If you need a US-based assistant and can't commit: BELAY, or Boldly if you'd rather see the price first.
If you also have a website, app or automation backlog: us again, because the assistant and the developer can share one team.
If it's 10 to 20 hours a month: Time etc.
Listed prices run from about $12.50 an hour (Wing, 160 hours) to $65 an hour (Boldly). A dedicated 40-hour EA is $3,000 to $3,600 a month at Athena, and a dedicated Ryz EA is $3,000 a month, month to month. Our executive assistant cost guide compares these with in-house salaries.
BELAY, Boldly and Time etc say their assistants are US-based. Athena says its EAs are overseas, and Prialto names the Philippines, Kenya and Guatemala.
For daily inbox and calendar work, usually yes, because context builds up in one person. For occasional research or bookkeeping tasks, an hour block wastes less money.
Boldly and Time etc describe cancelling any time or monthly; BELAY describes month-to-month with 30-day notice, and Ryz Labs is month to month. Athena and Prialto both start at 90 days.
Among the services ranked here, only Ryz Labs places both. For small-business VA options see the best virtual assistant companies for small business.
Last checked November 14, 2026. Each price above is the one on that company's own pricing page that day; confirm it before you commit.
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