Quick note before we start: this page is written by Ryz Labs, and we place executive and virtual assistants, so we're a competitor of Athena and Time etc. Every fact about them is taken from their own sites and linked at the end. Our pitch is in one labelled section.
These two answer different questions. Time etc answers "I need a capable US assistant for ten or twenty hours a month and want to be able to stop any time." Athena answers "I want one person handling my week, forty hours, and I'll commit to make it work." Owners with a light, irregular load should start with Time etc. Owners drowning in email and scheduling every day usually outgrow hour plans and want a dedicated person, from Athena or from us.
As listed on each company's site when we checked in November 2026. Hourly figures for Athena use 173 hours a month.
If Time etc feels too small and Athena feels too locked in, that gap is where we sit. Ryz places a dedicated assistant, not a pool of hours, and the terms run month to month: $3,000 a month for a dedicated executive assistant and $2,000 a month for a dedicated virtual assistant.
The people we place work on your team during US business hours, New York hours included, and their English is fluent. Recruiters vet every candidate first. You have one conversation with us; afterwards you hold a plan, a price and the names of the people who'd actually do your work. In most cases people can typically start in under two weeks of your go, though some roles take three to six weeks.
We're also the only name on this page that places developers and product and project managers. Small businesses often find their next hire after an assistant is technical: someone to fix the booking flow, connect the CRM, or build the dashboard the assistant keeps assembling by hand. With Ryz the EA and that developer share a team and a partner. Ryz started in 2021, is headquartered in Calabasas, California, has 200+ people, and is trusted by Fortune 500 engineering teams. Ryz Portal, our client workspace, is rolling out to clients now.
Not a fit: if you only need ten hours a month, Time etc's smallest plan is the honest recommendation. We don't sell hour packs.
Time etc has been in business since 2007 and says it has helped more than 22,000 entrepreneurs. Its headline is a US-based virtual assistant, and the footer describes its assistants as 100% US-based, spread across the country.
You choose a monthly plan of hours. The ladder starts at 10 hours for $390, then 20 hours for $760, 40 for $1,480 and 60 for $2,160, with bigger plans on request. The hourly rate drops from $39 to $36 as you buy more. Unused hours roll into the next month. There's no setup fee, no notice period, and the plans renew monthly until you cancel by email or phone. You can send a first task free without a card, and Time etc offers a lifetime satisfaction guarantee without spelling out the mechanics.
Work comes in through email, text, phone, Zoom, Slack or Time etc's app, and the company advertises real-time time tracking, so you can see where the hours went.
Athena builds everything around a single executive assistant. The FAQ says each EA works 40 hours across five business days and gets two consecutive days off. You pick between $3,000 a month on a 12-month commitment and $3,600 a month after an initial 90-day commitment. That makes the smallest total spend $10,800, and a full year $36,000 or $43,200. The Athena pricing breakdown has the arithmetic.
The FAQ says its EAs are overseas and work a schedule that matches your needs, with most members choosing their own time zone. Onboarding typically takes two to three weeks, and Athena adds delegation coaching to help new members hand work off.
Time etc's 60-hour plan is $2,160. A dedicated 40-hour week is roughly 173 hours a month. If you honestly need more than 60 hours a month, hour plans get costly fast; if you need fewer than 30, a dedicated person is mostly idle.
With a pool of hours you may work with one assistant or several. With a dedicated model, one person learns your preferences, your contacts and your shorthand. Ask Time etc how assignment works on the plan you're considering.
Time etc's exit is an email. Athena's shortest commitment is 90 days at $3,600.
Time etc starts at $390 a month for 10 hours and goes to $2,160 for 60 hours. Athena is $3,000 a month on a 12-month plan or $3,600 after 90 days, for a 40-hour week.
Yes, Time etc describes its assistants as 100% US-based. Athena's FAQ says its EAs are located overseas.
Time etc lets you send a first task free with no card. Athena doesn't describe a trial; it describes a matching process and onboarding call.
At Time etc, yes, they roll into the next month. Athena sells a weekly schedule, not hours, so the question doesn't arise.
Usually a dedicated assistant, because the load is daily. That's Athena's model and ours. Read executive assistant vs virtual assistant to size the role.
Both companies' pages were checked on November 14, 2026. Terms can change, so confirm before you buy.
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