Top virtual assistant services for US executives

In this post, we compare five top virtual assistant providers tailored to U.S.-based executives: Viva Executive Assistants, Athena, Boldly, Persona, and Wing. We’ll break down pricing, onboarding, time zone alignment, support, and social impact to help you choose the right fit for your needs.

My Viva virtual EA is very proactive and has shown a lot of value working with other members of the team. The way he’s been able to do that is strong comms, follow up and being clear about he does and will do. He’s very fast and communicative. Has made great impression.

– Head of Operations, Series A company based in San Francisco

What we’ll compare

• Pricing: Cost structure and flexibility
• Onboarding & training: Speed and quality of setup
• Time zone alignment: U.S. hour compatibility
• Post-hiring support: Coaching, replacements, scaling
• Social mission: Commitment to economic or social change

Viva Executive Assistants

Overview: Viva delivers proactive, full-time EAs tailored for startup execs. Their standout feature is speed and quality. Only 0.2% of applicants are hired, and onboarding can take less than 48 hours.

• Pricing: $3,999/month for a dedicated executive assistant. Viva has other plans to support up to 3 executives in their Enterprise plans. Includes recruitment, training, coaching, oversight, and benefits (like equipment, insurance, time-off, pay increases, paternity and/or medical leave). 
• Onboarding: Executive assistants are pre-hired and trained in a business bootcamp prior to being paired with executives. Most execs are matched within 24 hours. Viva aims to create an impact by the very first week of partnership. They have a 9.5/10 NPS score for their onboarding (evaluated by their customers).
• Time zone: Virtual executive assistants are based in Latin America and work in real-time collaboration with U.S. customers (EAs are located in the same time zones as US executives, not working graveyard shifts, contributing to a better sync collaboration). 
• Support: Viva supports executives in calendar management, meeting support, email management, travel and logistics, project management, and team engagement activities such as organizing offsites and sending work anniversary gifts. All plans include a dedicated customer success manager, regular performance check-ins, and backup EAs during leave (maternity, medical, or PTO).
• Social mission: Empowers women in Latin America by creating long-term careers. Aligned with the United Nations mission SDG #5. Viva collaborates with Latin American foundations and organizations, providing education and microloans to women entrepreneurs. 

Best for: Startup executives seeking high-quality, full-time assistants specifically trained to match their fast-paced environment. Viva focuses exclusively on startups, pairing executives with proactive EAs who complete an intensive business bootcamp before being paired. It’s ideal for leaders who value quick onboarding, dependable support, and meaningful social impact through empowering women in Latin America.

“Our Viva EA is our glue that makes us work efficiently as a team”

– CEO, from a Network and Security company in the US

Why choose Viva?

Viva Virtual Executive Assistants was built with startups in mind. From lightning-fast onboarding to assistants who are trained to work in high-growth environments, every part of the experience is designed for executives who move fast and need support fast. Executive assistants are not only professional and proactive—they’re backed by a system that includes training, coaching, and replacements if anything goes off track.

With Viva, you also get to support a bigger mission: empowering women across Latin America through meaningful, long-term careers. 

Athena Assistants

Overview: Athena offers full-time EAs with a strong onboarding structure. Assistants are based in the Philippines but work U.S. hours.

• Pricing: $3,000/month flat rate for one dedicated EA.
• Onboarding: Guided process includes delegation, coaching, and a customer partnership manager. Takes 2–3 weeks once the executive gets paired with an EA. Athena usually has a waiting list.
• Time zone: Philippines-based EAs work graveyard shifts to align with U.S. hours (12-hour difference with ET time zones and 15-hour difference for PT. As an example, when it’s 9 AM PT, it’s Midnight of the next day in the Philippines)
• Support: Regular coaching, dedicated client success manager, and assistant upskilling.
• Social mission: Focus on life-changing careers; offers equity, benefits, and MBA support for assistants.

Best for: Executives and business professionals who want a dedicated EA and are comfortable with the time zone difference or async collaboration. Athena is also a good choice for executives and professionals who can wait a few weeks to get paired with an EA. This service also provides delegation advice that can be helpful for business professionals. 

Boldly

Overview: Boldly provides experienced, U.S.-based executive assistants on a subscription basis with fractional support. They provide a variety of assistance roles: project management, admin, marketing and social media management, customer service, bookkeeping, or personal assistants. 

• Pricing: Starts at $2,520/month for 40 hours a month. Their plans can increase up to 80 hours a month for $5040. Project Management, web development, blog writing, design, and other specialist tasks are billed at $79/hr.
• Onboarding: Personalized matching; you meet the EA before committing. Start time: a few days to 2 weeks. 
• Time zone: 100% U.S.-based assistants work standard business hours.
• Support: Lifetime match guarantee, account manager, HR compliance, typically unavailable when hiring independent virtual assistants without company oversight or a subscription-based service. 
• Social mission: Employs military spouses and remote professionals. 30% of the team are military spouses.

Best for: Executives who want experienced U.S.-based EAs with fractional monthly plans. This is also great for people looking for a personal assistant on a fractional basis. 

Persona

Overview: Persona specializes in building remote teams with talent from around the world. You can find generalists or specialized professionals in marketing, accounting, operations, or executive assistants. 

• Pricing: Custom; based on “role-complexity”. Their pricing is not stated on their website. 
• Onboarding: Matches provided in 21 days or less.
• Time zone: Assistants are globally located but matched to your working hours. Persona has talent in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. 
• Support: Their scope of focus is wide. They do not specialize in executive assistants but hire for any role. Persona also works with companies of any size.
• Social mission: N/A

Best for: Execs who want to hire for roles other than executive assistants, solopreneurs looking for assistants who can support with personal errands, bookkeeping, social media, marketing, or customer service. Larger companies have also used Persona to hire for multiple roles. If you are looking for a variety of roles in multiple time zones, Persona might be a good fit for you

Wing

Overview: Wing offers low-cost assistants and basic EA coverage. They have a Wing App where executives and business professionals can manage their workload and collaborate with their virtual assistants. 

• Pricing: They have 2 plans for 80 hours a month for $699/month or $1,099/month for 160 hrs. If you are looking for the most affordable option, you might consider Wing.
• Onboarding: Match within days. Includes a dedicated success manager.
• Time zone: Global talent working at the required hours of the executive or business professional. Wing hires people in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. 
• Support: Social Media Management, Executive Assistance, Data Entry, Sales Calling. Wing offers free replacements. 
• Social mission: N/A

Best for: Budget-conscious startups looking for fractional, entry-level admin help for multiple industries. They have virtual assistants for healthcare, real estate, bookkeeping and personal support. 

My Viva EA has been wonderful. She’s sharp, responsive and has picked up my complex recruiting processes really fast. I literally don’t know how I would have survived the last 3 weeks without her help.

– Head of People Operations, Series B, Software Development company in San Francisco

Top virtual assistant services FAQs

Why not just hire in-house?
Hiring a full-time in-house EA can take months and cost significantly more (salary + benefits). Virtual assistant services provide pre-vetted talent and flexible terms.

Is a full-time assistant better than an hourly one?
A full-time position brings better continuity if your workload is consistent. Viva, Athena, and Persona specialize in full-time placements. Boldly and Wing offer fractional support.

What about security?
All providers vet virtual assistants require NDAs, and offer platform-based task management or admin controls.

Can I change assistants?
Yes. All services offer replacement guarantees.

Should you hire a virtual assistant?

A great virtual assistant can help you reclaim dozens of hours a month. There’s a VA service that fits your needs, whether you’re looking for U.S.-based support, flexible pricing, or want to align with a social mission. Viva stands out for startup alignment, onboarding speed, and social impact, but all five bring strong value depending on your needs.

Book a call with Viva to know more about your options and understand the scope of the service. 

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Desiree de Leon

Desireé de León is a bilingual writer and SEO specialist who’s crafted copy for everything from SaaS startups and B2B brands to radio spots and consumer campaigns. She began her career in advertising and scriptwriting, and once wrote for a radio station before falling in love with the rhythm of search-driven content. Desireé has a habit of Googling everything (twice), and she has a soft spot for poetry, which makes sense: she was born on International Haiku Day.