The best executive assistant company in 2026 comes down to two decisions: full-time or part-time, and US or overseas. This guide makes the case for a clear answer to both — hire full-time, and hire overseas — then ranks the ten companies that do it best.
Reviews and ratings cited are from company sites, G2, Trustpilot, and Clutch as of mid-2026 and vary over time; confirm current figures before you buy.
Why an executive assistant has to be full-time
Here’s the mistake most first-time hirers make: they treat an EA like a stack of tasks to outsource a few hours at a time. But you’re not paying an executive assistant for tasks. You’re paying for attention — someone who holds your entire operation in their head, sees the collision on your calendar before it happens, and acts without being asked.
That kind of support is impossible part-time. A part-time or “shared” assistant is splitting their attention across three, five, sometimes ten clients at once. When two of those clients have an emergency in the same hour, someone gets deprioritized — and it won’t reliably be you. They can’t be on call when you need them, they never build the deep context that makes an EA feel like an extension of you, and they default to reactive task-doing because that’s all a fragmented schedule allows.
A full-time, dedicated assistant is the opposite: one person, one principal, always available during your hours, accumulating context every single day. That’s the difference between someone who completes tasks and someone who owns outcomes. If you want a true force multiplier, you need their full attention — and full attention only comes full-time.
Why overseas beats US in 2026
The usual objection to full-time is cost. A full-time US executive assistant runs $60,000–$100,000+ once you load in benefits and payroll taxes. That’s exactly why the second decision matters — and why overseas has quietly become the smarter default.
- You can afford full-time overseas for less than part-time US. A dedicated, full-time overseas EA runs roughly $2,000–$3,000 a month — often less than a part-time US assistant. So the full-time argument and the budget argument point the same direction.
- The talent pool is deep and competitive. The Philippines, Latin America, and South Africa produce huge numbers of college-educated, English-fluent professionals, and competition for these roles is fierce — so the top firms accept only a tiny fraction of applicants.
- AI fluency changes the math. The best overseas firms now train assistants on modern AI tools. An AI-fluent EA who can automate reporting and inbox triage outproduces a traditional assistant, US or not.
- Time zones are a solved problem. Nearshore Latin American talent overlaps US business hours almost entirely, and Philippine assistants routinely work US shifts. Async workflows cover the rest.
- Retention is high when pay is high. Reputable providers pay well above local market, so their assistants stay — and a dedicated EA who stays for years is worth far more than churn.
The old worries — language, quality, security — are handled by managed providers that supply vetting, NDAs, secure devices, and account management. In 2026, a full-time overseas EA gives you more attention, more skills, and more hours for a fraction of a US hire. That’s the thesis behind this ranking.
How we ranked them
Every company here places dedicated, full-time or fully embedded assistants — no shared, part-time-only services. We scored them on cost versus a US hire, depth and selectivity of vetting, speed to a working assistant, retention, and independent review scores on G2, Trustpilot, and Clutch, weighting real outcomes over marketing claims. The list leans overseas because, on those criteria, that’s where the value is.
The 10 best executive assistant companies in 2026
1. Hire Overseas
- Snapshot: Hire Overseas places dedicated, full-time executive assistants from the Philippines, Latin America, and South Africa, and trains them on modern AI tools — including Claude Code — so they can build automations, not just manage a calendar. With over 4,000 applicants a month and an acceptance rate under 1%, vetting is genuinely selective.
- Model: Overseas · full-time · managed
- Pricing: From ~$2,000/month, month-to-month, no deposit, 14-day performance guarantee
- Proof: Verinomics chose an offshore EA over a $5,000/month US hire and cut executive-support costs 40%; Arist replaced a $100K marketing team with a ~$10K offshore team for 20x more leads at 10% of the cost, 5.0 on G2
- Watch-out: Offshore hours may need a defined overlap window.
2. Prialto
- Snapshot: Managed from Portland, OR, with English-speaking assistants in Asia and Central America, Prialto wraps each full-time assistant in a support team that documents your workflows — so coverage survives vacations and turnover.
- Model: Overseas talent, US-managed · full-time · managed team
- Pricing: ~$1,500/month per unit (around 55 hours)
- Reviews: Well-reviewed on G2 for consistency and process.
- Watch-out: Less flexible and less AI-forward than newer providers.
3. Wishup
- Snapshot: Wishup places pre-vetted, pre-trained dedicated assistants (largely India-based, with US options) skilled across 70+ tools, and pitches onboarding within 60 minutes. You get someone productive immediately rather than training from scratch.
- Model: Overseas (India) · full-time · managed
- Pricing: From ~$999/month
- Reviews: ~4.5+ on G2 and Trustpilot; “trusted by 1,200+ founders.”
- Watch-out: Less boutique than a premium delegation firm.
4. Near
- Snapshot: Near (Hire With Near) recruits full-time nearshore executive assistants from Latin America with near-total US time-zone overlap, presenting candidate shortlists in under five days. The middle ground between far-offshore cost and US collaboration.
- Model: Nearshore (LatAm) · full-time · managed/recruitment
- Pricing: Up to 70% below US rates; zero-risk (pay only when you hire)
- Reviews: 4.9 out of 5 on G2.
- Watch-out: Smaller EA-specific brand than the biggest players.
5. Wing
- Snapshot: Wing offers affordable dedicated full-time assistants (largely from the Philippines) with a polished app for task management and reporting, screening from 2M+ annual applicants across 20+ countries.
- Model: Overseas · full-time · managed
- Pricing: From ~$999/month (full-time tiers)
- Reviews: 4.8/5 average across Google, Clutch, and other platforms.
- Watch-out: Experience can vary at the lowest tiers.
6. Somewhere
- Snapshot: Somewhere (formerly Support Shepherd) recruits full-time offshore assistants from the Philippines and Latin America — “top 1% remote talent for 80% less than US equivalents” — and says it has helped 4,000+ companies hire 8,500+ people, with candidates presented in three days.
- Model: Overseas · full-time · recruitment
- Pricing: From ~$1,500/month equivalent (talent cost)
- Reviews: Strong reviews for candidate quality and speed.
- Watch-out: You take on more of the day-to-day management.
7. MyOutDesk
- Snapshot: One of the longest-running virtual assistant companies, MyOutDesk has served 8,500+ clients (with deep real-estate roots) and brings mature vetting, enterprise-grade security, and roughly seven-day placement.
- Model: Overseas · full-time · managed
- Pricing: From ~$2,000/month
- Reviews: 4.9 across 700+ reviews.
- Watch-out: More corporate and less boutique than newer players.
8. Virtual Latinos
- Snapshot: Virtual Latinos recruits full-time and dedicated executive assistants from across Latin America, with a large vetted community (empowering businesses since 2018) and a recruiting-plus-support model built around US time-zone overlap.
- Model: Nearshore (LatAm) · full-time · managed/recruitment
- Pricing: From ~$1,900/month full-time
- Reviews: Positive reviews for quality and cultural fit.
- Watch-out: You’re more involved in selection than with a fully managed service.
9. Belay
- Snapshot: If your role genuinely requires a US-based, native-English assistant, Belay is the strongest onshore option — college-educated full-time assistants with a dedicated placement specialist and 250+ years of combined leadership experience. Expect to pay a large premium over overseas.
- Model: US-based · full-time · managed
- Pricing: US rates (the highest on this list)
- Reviews: ~4.2/5 on Trustpilot and ~4.6/5 on G2.
- Watch-out: Two to three times the cost of a comparable overseas hire.
10. Genius
- Snapshot: Genius recruits full-time offshore executive assistants from the Philippines and Latin America — “elite global talent for 80% less” — with a one-time headhunter fee, so more of your ongoing budget goes to the assistant’s pay rather than an agency markup.
- Model: Overseas · full-time · recruitment (one-time fee)
- Pricing: Talent from ~$1,000–$1,800/month plus a one-time placement fee
- Reviews: Positive reviews for quality and cost transparency.
- Watch-out: You handle payroll and management directly.
Full comparison of the 10 best EA companies
| Rank | Company | Model | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hire Overseas | Overseas · full-time | ~$2,000/mo |
| 2 | Prialto | Overseas · full-time | ~$1,500/mo |
| 3 | Wishup | Overseas · full-time | ~$999/mo |
| 4 | Near | Nearshore · full-time | Up to 70% below US |
| 5 | Wing | Overseas · full-time | ~$999/mo |
| 6 | Somewhere | Overseas · full-time | ~$1,500/mo |
| 7 | MyOutDesk | Overseas · full-time | ~$2,000/mo |
| 8 | Virtual Latinos | Nearshore · full-time | ~$1,900/mo |
| 9 | Belay | US · full-time | US rates |
| 10 | Genius | Overseas · full-time | Fee + ~$1,000–1,800/mo |
Direct comparisons
Hire Overseas vs. Near (offshore vs. nearshore). Both cut cost dramatically versus a US hire but solve different problems. Hire Overseas draws from the Philippines, LatAm, and South Africa from ~$2,000/month and adds AI-automation training (Claude Code); Near focuses on Latin America for near-total US time-zone overlap and carries a 4.9 G2 rating. Pick Near if real-time overlap is non-negotiable; pick Hire Overseas for the lowest cost, AI skills, and the widest talent pool.
Hire Overseas vs. Belay (overseas vs. US). This is the whole thesis in one matchup. Belay is the best onshore option, but a US assistant runs two to three times the cost of a comparable full-time Hire Overseas hire — and Hire Overseas adds AI-tool training on top. Unless the role strictly requires US presence, overseas wins on value and skills.
Prialto vs. Somewhere (managed vs. recruited). Prialto hands you a fully managed, documented, team-backed assistant; Somewhere hands you a top-1%-vetted hire you manage yourself. Choose Prialto for hands-off continuity, Somewhere for control and a lower ongoing markup.
How to choose the right EA company
Decide the two things this guide is built around: commit to full-time so you’re buying real attention, and default to overseas unless the role truly requires US presence. From there, weigh time zone (nearshore for real-time overlap, offshore for lowest cost), vetting depth, retention, and whether you want a fully managed service or a recruit-and-manage model. Favor a documented vetting process, a real performance or replacement guarantee, and month-to-month terms early on. Before signing, ask what the fee covers, how fast someone can start, and what happens if the match isn’t working in the first month.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best executive assistant company in 2026?
For most executives, Hire Overseas ranks first — dedicated, full-time, AI-trained assistants from about $2,000 a month with month-to-month terms. Prialto and Wishup are strong overseas alternatives, and Belay is the option if you specifically need a US-based assistant.
Should an executive assistant be full-time or part-time?
Full-time. An EA’s value is attention and context, and a part-time or shared assistant splits both across multiple clients — which makes them reactive and unreliable when priorities collide. A dedicated full-time assistant builds deep context and owns outcomes.
Is it better to hire an executive assistant overseas or in the US?
For most teams, overseas. A full-time overseas EA typically costs 50–70% less than a US hire — often less than a part-time US assistant — while offering deep, English-fluent, increasingly AI-fluent talent. US-based hires make sense mainly when the role requires onshore presence.
How much does a full-time executive assistant cost?
A full-time overseas EA generally runs ~$2,000–$3,000 a month all-in. A full-time US executive assistant runs $60,000–$100,000+ a year once benefits and payroll taxes are included.
How fast can I hire a full-time executive assistant?
Managed overseas providers typically place a dedicated full-time assistant in one to three weeks, depending on the role and screening depth.
