Virtual assistant vs freelancer vs employee: the real cost over six months, not the hourly rate
When a managed assistant pays for itself and when it doesn't. The hidden costs of a freelancer and a local hire, priced honestly, and ours too.
Last checked 7 October 2026
The real cost over six months, not the hourly rate
Twenty hours a week for 26 weeks is 520 hours. Here's the bill for each option.
In-house hire, a US example
At the US median of $23.23 an hour for secretaries and administrative assistants, 520 hours is $12,080 in wages. Wages are 70% of what private employers pay per hour worked, so the real cost is about $17,260, before recruiting, a desk and a laptop. That's our arithmetic on the BLS figures. Sources: [1] [2]
In-house hire, UK and Australia
A UK admin assistant earns GBP 21,000 to GBP 28,000 a year full-time, and you add 15% employer National Insurance above GBP 5,000 plus at least 3% into a pension. In Australia a general clerk's median is A$40 an hour, plus 12% super. Sources: [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Freelancer
520 hours at whatever rate they quote. Upwork's fee comes out of the freelancer's earnings, so it's already in that rate. What the quote leaves out is your time: the post, the interviews, a trial task, the daily check-ins, and a second search if they leave in month three. Sources: [8]
Managed virtual assistant (Catalyst)
520 hours at your role's rate, from around $8.80 an hour, billed monthly. Recruitment, payroll, equipment, cover, Crewhall and the time tracker are in that rate. You pay one month's fees as a deposit before the start, and it's credited to your final month or two. Sources: [9]
At a glance: what you pay and what you carry
| Managed virtual assistant (Catalyst) | Freelancer (Upwork or similar) | In-house hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | From around $8.80 an hour, billed monthly per assistant | The rate they set; Upwork takes 0% to 15% of the freelancer's earnings | Wage plus benefits; in the US, benefits are 30% of the employer's cost per hour |
| Who finds and vets them | We do | You do | You do, or a recruiter you pay |
| Who employs them | We do: payroll, equipment, leave | They work for themselves | You do: payroll, tax, pension or super, leave |
| Who directs the work | You | You | You |
| When they're away | A trained backup steps in | No cover unless they arrange it | Paid leave, and the work waits unless you hire cover |
| If it isn't working | Ask for a replacement in the first two weeks | End the contract and search again | A performance process, notice, then a new hire |
| Time to start | About two weeks to match and onboard | Days, after you find and test someone | Weeks to months of recruiting |
| What you sign up to | A minimum term in your proposal, 30 days' notice after it, a one-month deposit | Each contract's own terms | An employment contract and notice |
| Hiring them yourself later | Allowed, with a conversion fee of 12 months' fees under clause 9.2 of our Terms of Business | No fee, they're already yours | Already your employee |
Where each option is the wrong call
A freelancer
Fails when the work repeats every week. They have other clients, nobody covers them, and when they leave you start again.
An in-house hire
Fails on cost and speed. You carry payroll, leave and a desk, and hiring takes weeks or months.
A managed assistant, ours included
Fails when the job needs someone on site or it's a one-off project. You also commit to a minimum term, and hiring your assistant directly later costs 12 months of fees under our Terms of Business. If you already hire remote staff well and want to run their payroll yourself, you're paying for work you don't need. Sources: [9]
Upwork vs a managed assistant: cost, vetting and fit
If you were about to post the job on Upwork or Fiverr, here's the trade. A marketplace finds you someone fast and you pay only for the work. You also do the vetting and the managing, and when they move on to a bigger client, you post the job again.
Upwork's own help page says the freelancer pays a fee of 0% to 15% on what they earn, so it shows up in the rate they quote. When the work is weekly and you want the same person on it, a managed assistant costs you fewer hours. Sources: [8]
Who each option is best for
Pick a freelancer if
it's a one-off project with an end date, like a website, a logo or a data clean-up.
Pick an in-house hire if
the work needs someone in the room, manages other staff day to day, or has to sit on your payroll.
Pick a managed assistant if
it's repeatable desk work, 20 hours a week or more, that you want the same person doing every week, without becoming their employer.
Questions to ask before you commit to any of the three
What's the difference between a virtual assistant and a freelancer?
A managed virtual assistant works for you every week and is employed by a company that recruits, pays and covers them. A freelancer works for themselves, usually for several clients, and you manage everything.
Is a virtual assistant cheaper than an employee?
It depends on the role and the hours. A median-paid US admin hire costs about $33 an hour once benefits are counted, and managed assistants start from around $8.80. A local hire still wins if the job needs someone on site. Sources: [1] [2]
Can a virtual assistant replace an in-house employee?
For repeatable desk work, often yes. For work that needs someone on site or managing staff, keep the in-house hire.
Is Upwork cheaper than a virtual assistant company?
On the hourly rate, often. Count your hours too: finding, testing and managing the freelancer, and starting again if they leave. Sources: [8]
What's the catch with a managed assistant?
A minimum term, a deposit and a fee to hire them directly. With us, the minimum term is in your proposal, notice is 30 days after it, the deposit is one month's fees credited to your final month or two, and hiring your assistant directly costs 12 months of fees. Sources: [9]
What if the assistant isn't right for me?
Ask for a replacement in the first two weeks, and we rematch you. Sources: [9]
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Secretaries and administrative assistants (May 2025 pay), read 7 October 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, read 7 October 2026
- National Careers Service: Admin assistant job profile, read 7 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, read 7 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Workplace pensions, what you, your employer and the government pay, read 7 October 2026
- Jobs and Skills Australia: General Clerks (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025), read 7 October 2026
- Australian Taxation Office: Super guarantee percentage, read 7 October 2026
- Upwork Help: Learn about the Freelancer Service Fee, read 7 October 2026
- Catalyst Outsourcing: Terms of Business, read 7 October 2026