The best Time Etc alternative for most businesses is Assist World: a full-time assistant from $1,800 a month (about $12 an hour), chosen by you from matched candidates, with no lock-in contract and industry-trained VAs. Time Etc starts at $390 a month for 10 hours ($39 an hour) and is rated 4.9 out of 5 by Forbes Advisor. If you need US-based assistants, compare Zirtual. For the lowest monthly price, compare Wing Assistant.
Time Etc sells dedicated US-based assistants on hourly plans: 10 hours for $390 a month up to 60 hours for $2,160 (about $39 to $36 an hour), with unused hours rolling over, no setup fee and a free first-task trial. Forbes Advisor ranked it first overall with 4.9 out of 5.
It’s a strong service. People compare it for three reasons: the hourly rate climbs quickly once you need full-time coverage, plans above 60 hours aren’t priced online, and Forbes Advisor notes it has fewer industry-specific assistants.
One disclosure up front: this is Assist World’s site, so we list ourselves first. Every price and rating below comes from each provider’s own site or from Forbes Advisor, checked in October 2026, and we say plainly where Time Etc is the better fit.
Time Etc alternatives at a glance
| Provider | Best for | Starting price | Assistants based | Guarantee or exit | Forbes Advisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assist World | Industry-matched support you choose yourself | $1,800/mo full time (about $12/hr) | Vetted global talent pool | 100% satisfaction guarantee, no lock-in | 4.5/5, Best for Specific Industries |
| Zirtual | US-based inbox, calendar and outbound support | $599/mo for 12 hrs (about $50/hr) | US-based | No contract; no formal guarantee, can request a new assistant | 4.6/5 |
| Boldly | Executive and personal support with published plans | $2,600/mo for 40 hrs ($65/hr) | North America or Europe options | Satisfaction guarantee (month refunded), cancel anytime | 3.8/5 |
| Prialto | Team support with backup assistants | $1,500 to $1,600/mo for 55 hrs | Not published (US and UK hours) | 90-day minimum per unit | 4.5/5 |
| Wing Assistant | Lowest monthly price | $999/mo (160 hrs) or $699/mo (80 hrs) | Not specified on homepage | Free replacement, cancel anytime | Not rated (featured partner) |
| Time Etc (for comparison) | US-based hourly support | $390/mo for 10 hrs ($39/hr) | US-based | Cancel anytime, satisfaction guarantee | 4.9/5 |
Prices and terms from each provider’s own pricing page and the Forbes Advisor roundup, October 2026. Where a provider doesn’t publish a price, we say so instead of estimating.
Now the detail on each one, starting with the option most Time Etc prospects compare first.
01Assist World: Matched to Your Industry, Chosen by You
Assist World takes a different route to the same goal of a dependable assistant. Instead of assigning one for you to evaluate, we put at least two matched candidates in front of you and you decide. They are matched by role and industry, so someone placed with an accounting firm has already worked inside accounting workflows. The result is a shorter learning curve than a general-purpose assistant.
Full-time support typically costs $1,800 to $3,000 a month (about $12 to $17 an hour), depending on role and experience. For comparison, Time Etc’s 60-hour plan is $2,160 a month, so a full-time Assist World assistant can cost the same or less while covering far more hours. Every client gets a dedicated account manager, a management dashboard, a 100% satisfaction guarantee and no lock-in contract. Forbes Advisor rated Assist World 4.5 out of 5 and named it Best for Specific Industries.
To be fair about the trade: Time Etc states that every assistant is US-based, and Assist World recruits from a vetted global talent pool. If US-only is a hard requirement, that decides it. If it isn’t, you get a lower hourly cost and an assistant you chose. If your work is mostly admin, see our administrative virtual assistant support.
What works
- You meet at least two matched candidates and choose who you work with
- Industry-trained VAs across 18 service lines
- Dedicated account manager and a dashboard to manage your assistant
- No lock-in contract and a 100% satisfaction guarantee
Watch for
- Pricing varies by role and experience, so use the instant quote for a firm number
- A vetted global talent pool, so not the pick if you require US-based assistants only
- A placement agency across many industries: ask about your exact tools before you commit
Versus Time Etc: Pay about $12 to $17 an hour instead of $36 to $39, choose your own assistant and get an industry match. Time Etc wins on US-based assistants and a free trial task. Assist World wins on price and fit.
Book a free consultationSee pricing and get an instant quoteAssist World pricing and terms from our own rate card and site. Rating from the Forbes Advisor roundup, October 2026.
02Zirtual: US-Based Help for Inbox and Calendar Work
Zirtual is the other well-known US-based, published-price option. Its ladder starts at $599 for 12 hours and rises to $1,699 for 45 hours with four users, which is about $50 down to $38 an hour. It also sells outbound calling plans, from $599 for 6 hours to $2,999 for 36 hours, which Time Etc doesn’t list.
Assistants are college educated and US-based, per Zirtual, and clients get direct phone, text and email access with a stated 2 hour response in business hours. Forbes Advisor rated it 4.6 out of 5. Against Time Etc, the main differences are that unused hours don’t roll over and cancellation takes effect the following month.
What works
- Assistants are US-based and college educated, per Zirtual
- No long-term contract and no setup fee
- Individual, team and outbound plans are all published
- Direct phone, text and email access, with a 2 hour business-hours response time
Watch for
- About $50 an hour on the solo plan, the highest solo rate here after Boldly
- Unused hours don’t roll over, and cancellations take effect the following month
- No formal guarantee stated, only the option to request a different assistant
- Forbes Advisor notes no industry-specific assistants beyond paralegal
Versus Time Etc: Choose Zirtual if you need outbound calling or a shared plan for up to four people.
Source: Zirtual pricing page, checked October 2026. Rating from the Forbes Advisor roundup.
03Boldly: Published Pricing for Executive and Personal Support
Boldly sits at the premium end of the published-price group: $2,600 for 40 hours, $3,900 for 60, $5,200 for 80 and $6,500 for 100, all at $65 an hour. Specialist tasks such as project management and design are $79 an hour.
Its selling points are a trained backup in every plan, a refund of the month’s fees if you’re unsatisfied and the chance to meet your staff before subscribing. At the 60-hour level, Boldly costs $3,900 against Time Etc’s $2,160, so the extra $1,740 a month has to be worth those features to you. Forbes Advisor rated Boldly 3.8 out of 5.
What works
- Prices published for every plan up to 100 hours
- You meet your assistant before subscribing, and a trained backup is included
- 100% satisfaction guarantee that refunds the month’s fees
- No start-up fees; cancel or change plans at any time
Watch for
- $65 an hour is the highest published rate on this list, and specialist work is $79 an hour
- 40-hour monthly minimum per assistant
- Forbes Advisor listed it among the highest priced options (3.8 out of 5)
Versus Time Etc: Choose Boldly if you want a refund promise and meet-first policy and can pay close to double.
Source: Boldly pricing page, checked October 2026. Rating from the Forbes Advisor roundup.
04Prialto: Backup Coverage for Teams That Can’t Afford Gaps
Prialto sells managed units of 55 hours for $1,500 to $1,600 a month (about $27 to $29 an hour), each with a second assistant who knows your processes and a dedicated engagement manager. Assistants complete a month of training, and logins are shared through a SOC 2 Type 2 compliant system.
Time Etc also builds in holiday and sickness cover, but Prialto’s backup is a named second person on your account. The cost is a 90-day minimum per unit and no published assistant location. Forbes Advisor rated Prialto 4.5 out of 5.
What works
- A backup assistant for every unit, so coverage doesn’t vanish on a sick day
- Dedicated engagement manager and month-long assistant training
- SOC 2 Type 2 compliant login sharing
- No overage fees
Watch for
- About $27 to $29 an hour on the 55-hour unit, well above hourly-plan providers
- 90-day minimum per unit
- Assistant location isn’t published (hours align to US and UK time zones)
Versus Time Etc: Choose Prialto when you need around 55 hours and a named backup, and can accept a 90-day term.
Source: Prialto pricing page, checked October 2026. Rating from the Forbes Advisor roundup.
05Wing Assistant: Lowest Monthly Price
Wing Assistant publishes two plans: $699 a month for 80 hours and $999 for 160 hours, month to month, each with a customer success manager and free replacement. At $6.24 an hour on the full-time plan, the rate is about one sixth of Time Etc’s.
That price comes with less independent validation (Forbes Advisor lists Wing as a featured partner, not a rated service), no stated guarantee beyond replacement, and no assistant location on the homepage. It is a fit for repeatable tasks rather than judgment-heavy work.
What works
- Lowest published monthly price on this list
- Dedicated assistant, customer success manager and free replacement
- Month-to-month plans with no stated minimum term
- Plans published openly on the pricing page
Watch for
- Assistant location isn’t specified on the homepage
- No satisfaction or money-back guarantee stated, only free replacement
- Forbes Advisor lists Wing as a featured partner without a star rating
Versus Time Etc: Pick Wing when the work is repetitive and the budget is tight.
Source: Wing Assistant pricing page, checked October 2026. Rating from the Forbes Advisor roundup.
US-based quality is worth paying for when the work needs judgment. For repeatable tasks, it usually isn’t.
Why people look for Time Etc alternatives
Time Etc is the top-rated service in Forbes Advisor’s roundup. The reasons people compare it with other providers are usually these:
- The hourly rate. About $36 to $39 an hour adds up fast: the 60-hour plan is $2,160 a month.
- Full-time coverage. Plans above 60 hours aren’t priced online, so a full-time need means a conversation first.
- Industry knowledge. Forbes Advisor notes fewer industry-specific assistants than some competitors.
- They want to choose. With Assist World you meet at least two matched candidates and pick who you work with.
- They want more hours for the money. Wing and Assist World both give a full-time person for a monthly figure below the cost of Time Etc’s 60-hour plan.
What the price gap actually buys
Any virtual assistant is a bargain next to a local hire. For most US businesses the comparison that matters is against the salary they would otherwise pay:
Time Etc’s 60-hour plan at $2,160 a month is well under a local hire, and Assist World at about $12 to $17 an hour is lower again for a full-time person. The real question is whether US-based assistants and a free trial are worth two to three times the hourly rate for your work.
Time Etc’s plans, hour by hour
Time Etc publishes four plans, and the hourly rate falls slightly as hours rise. Larger plans are available by consultation.
| Plan | Monthly price | Per hour | Works out against |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 hours | $390 | $39 | Zirtual 12 hours: $599 |
| 20 hours | $760 | $38 | Zirtual 20 hours (2 users): $899 |
| 40 hours | $1,480 | $37 | Boldly 40 hours: $2,600 |
| 60 hours | $2,160 | $36 | Assist World full time: $1,800 to $3,000 |
Plan prices from Time Etc’s pricing page and comparison figures from each provider’s own page, October 2026. Per-hour figures are rounded.
What every Time Etc plan includes
Time Etc’s inclusions are unusually complete for the price, which is part of why Forbes Advisor ranked it first. According to its pricing page, every plan comes with:
- A dedicated US-based assistant matched by Time Etc’s team, who you can speak with before deciding.
- Holiday and sickness cover built in.
- Time tracked and billed to the second, with reporting and a task dashboard and mobile app.
- Contact by email, text, phone or Zoom, plus a branded email address on your own domain.
- A dedicated Client Happiness manager, and the option to add or share assistants with your team at no extra cost.
- A satisfaction guarantee described as lifetime, and the ability to switch plans or cancel at any time.
- No setup fee, a free trial task with no credit card, and NDAs signed by every assistant.
Time Etc’s rollover wording isn’t consistent on the page: the 20, 40 and 60 hour plans list it explicitly, while the 10-hour plan’s details do not, so ask in writing if rollover matters to you.
When does a full-time Assist World assistant cost less?
Per-hour services get expensive at volume, and monthly placements get expensive at low volume. The crossover is easy to calculate. At Time Etc’s 60-hour rate of $36 an hour, an Assist World full-time assistant at $1,800 to $3,000 a month costs the same as roughly 50 to 83 hours of Time Etc (our math). Anything above that and the monthly placement is cheaper, and a full-time assistant also covers far more hours.
Below about 40 hours a month, the reverse is true. At 10 hours for $390 or 20 hours for $760, Time Etc is far less than any full-time placement, and its free trial task lets you test the service before paying.
Questions to ask Time Etc before you start
- Does my plan roll over unused hours, and for how long?
- What is the price of a plan above 60 hours?
- How quickly can I change assistants, and is there any charge?
- How is billing to the second handled for short tasks?
- What does the bank-grade encryption claim cover, and can I see the NDA?
- How does holiday and sickness cover work: who steps in, and with how much notice?
How to choose between Time Etc and its alternatives
Run every provider through the same four checks before you compare price:
- Location. Is US-based a requirement, or just a preference you could trade for price?
- Volume. How many hours will you really use each month? Hourly plans win at low volume, monthly placements at high volume.
- Minimum term. Is it month to month, a 90-day minimum or a contract, and are there setup fees?
- Role fit. Has this person done your exact task (scheduling, intake, bookkeeping, listing coordination) before?
Estimate monthly hours
Add up the recurring tasks you want to hand off and round up to the nearest plan size.
Run the break-even
Divide a full-time monthly price by the hourly rate to see where per-hour stops being cheaper.
Use the free trial
Send one real task to each provider that offers a trial and judge speed, tone and accuracy.
Lock the terms
Get rollover, cancellation notice and plan-change rules in writing before the second month.
How to switch from Time Etc without losing momentum
Time Etc renews monthly, so the move can be quick. Prepare the handoff in advance:
- Ask your assistant to document recurring tasks, templates and approval rules.
- Use up any rolled-over hours before the plan ends.
- Move shared logins into a password manager so access can be reassigned in minutes.
- Write down the three outcomes you’ll judge the new assistant on after 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Time Etc alternative?
It depends on what you’re optimizing for. For industry-trained assistants you choose yourself with no lock-in contract, Assist World (from $1,800 a month, rated 4.5 out of 5 by Forbes Advisor). For US-based help, Zirtual (from $599 a month). For built-in backup, Prialto. For the lowest monthly price, Wing Assistant ($999 a month for 160 hours).
How much does Time Etc cost?
Time Etc’s pricing page lists plans from 10 hours at $390 a month up to 60 hours at $2,160 a month, which is about $39 to $36 an hour. Unused hours roll over and there’s no setup fee. Plans above 60 hours aren’t priced online. Prices checked in October 2026.
Are Time Etc assistants US-based?
Yes. Time Etc states that every assistant is US-based. Zirtual and BELAY do too. Assist World recruits from a vetted global talent pool, so tell us your hours up front when you book a consultation.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Time Etc?
Yes. Assist World runs about $12 to $17 an hour for full-time support, Magic about $9 an hour on its virtual assistant plan (our math), and Wing Assistant about $6.24 an hour. Check each provider’s terms before you commit.
Does Time Etc have a contract?
No long contract. Time Etc plans renew monthly and you can cancel anytime. Assist World also has no lock-in contract.
How does Forbes Advisor rate these providers?
In Forbes Advisor’s current roundup, Time Etc scores 4.9, Zirtual 4.6, Prialto and Assist World 4.5, and Boldly 3.8. Wing Assistant appears only as a featured partner without a rating.
Does Time Etc have a free trial?
Yes. Time Etc says you can send one task and it is completed for free, with no credit card required. There is no setup fee, and you pay for your first month to start.
At what point is Time Etc more expensive than a full-time VA?
At the 60-hour rate of $36 an hour, roughly 50 to 83 hours a month of Time Etc costs the same as a full-time Assist World assistant at $1,800 to $3,000 a month (our math). Below that volume Time Etc is cheaper. Above it, a monthly placement costs less and covers more hours.
Does Time Etc include backup coverage?
Time Etc lists holiday and sickness cover as part of every plan. Prialto goes further with a named second assistant per unit, and Boldly includes a trained backup. Assist World doesn’t promise a built-in backup.
Keep comparing
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Free ConsultationHow we checked. Pricing and terms come from each provider’s own site (Time Etc, Zirtual, Boldly, Prialto, Wing Assistant), reviewed in October 2026. Ratings come from the Forbes Advisor roundup of virtual assistant services. Where a provider doesn’t publish a price, we say so instead of estimating.
Disclosure. Assist World is our company, so we list it first. Prices and terms change, so confirm current details with any provider before you buy.