Last updated: 2026-08-24
Honest Taskers, Athena, and Prialto lead this year's shortlist of executive virtual assistant companies, seven firms ranked on how they support a practice owner or executive, from calendar defence and inbox triage to travel, meeting preparation, follow-up, and the standing processes that make delegation stick. This is the one role where the published prices span a factor of five, from $270 a week to $3,000 a month, and the difference is not hours. It is training, process design, and how much of the thinking the assistant does.
Disclosure: Honest Taskers publishes this list and appears at position 1. We're judged on the same five published criteria as every other company here.
At a glance
- 1Honest Taskers
- 2Athena
- 3Prialto
- 4BELAY
- 5MyOutDesk
- 6Magic
- 7Wing Assistant
How we chose the best executive virtual assistant companies
We ranked these firms on five facts, each read at the provider's own website in August 2026. Those facts are the executive support scope, the stated HIPAA and Business Associate Agreement position, published pricing, the purchase model, and the notable verified detail each firm publishes. The criterion that separates this category from ordinary administrative staffing is what happens after the match. An executive assistant who needs instructions for every task has not saved you time, they have moved it. So we weighted the training and management wrapper heavily: who trains the assistant, who fixes the process when it is not working, and who covers when they are away. Two firms answer all three. Blank facts read "not publicly listed" instead of a guess.
Best executive virtual assistant companies compared
The table ranks all 7 on the same columns, Honest Taskers first because we publish the list. Facts were read August 2026 and change often, so treat them as a starting point, not a quote.
| Company | Executive support scope | HIPAA / BAA position | Published pricing | Purchase model | Notable facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honest Taskers | Calendar and inbox, meeting preparation, follow-up, document preparation, travel, task tracking inside your systems | HIPAA compliance verified by Accountable; BAA when PHI is accessed; compliance officer | $10.00–$12.65/hr | Hourly staffing, your direction | Healthcare-specialized; two-week first-hire trial; 99.6% average monthly retention |
| Athena | One dedicated full-time executive assistant, vetted, trained, device-equipped and employed by Athena | Nothing stated | $3,000/month | Dedicated EA, 90-day commitment | 1% acceptance from 30 to 60k monthly applications; 3,000+ leaders |
| Prialto | Managed executive support with an Engagement Manager for process design plus backup assistant cover | Nothing stated | $1,600/mo per unit (55 hrs); $3,600/mo full time (165+ hrs) | Managed service, 90-day minimum | Engagement Manager, month-long training, backup assistant; 9am to 6pm US and UK hours |
| BELAY | Executive assistants, plus operations, personal, sales and marketing assistants and an accounting bench | Nothing stated | Not publicly listed | Matched US-based staffing | 93% first-match success rate; top 3% of US applicants; industries include Private Healthcare |
| MyOutDesk | Administrative and executive support, customer service, bookkeeping, marketing, inside sales | "HIPAA Verified"; HIPAA and PCI-DSS compliance ready | $1,988/mo managed; $2,500/mo specialized | Full time only, 8h x 5d | SOC 2 certified and audited (company-reported); 17+ years; 8,500+ businesses served |
| Magic | Executive assistant, admin, customer support, ecommerce assistants, 24/7 option on full time | Nothing stated | $270/wk part time; $540/wk full time | No contract, cancel anytime | Top 0.5% of talent claimed; billed every 4 weeks |
| Wing Assistant | Executive assistant, administrative assistant, VA, customer service rep, digital marketing assistant | Nothing stated beyond a healthcare VA product | Not publicly listed | Placed assistants | 10,000+ active assistants; 2M+ applicants screened annually |
Read the purchase model column beside the price. Athena at $3,000 a month and Prialto at $3,600 for full time are selling a managed relationship with training and performance management attached; Magic at $540 a week for full time is selling a capable person and leaving the rest to you. Both are defensible. What is not defensible is paying managed-service prices and receiving neither training nor process design, so ask what the wrapper contains. Only three firms here state any HIPAA position.
1. Honest Taskers
Best for: practice owners and clinical leaders whose calendar and inbox contain patient information.
Pricing: $10.00–$12.65/hrLocation: US clients; PH, LatAm, India and Pakistan recruitingModel: Hourly staffingFirst hire: Two-week working trial
A physician owner's inbox is not a normal executive inbox. It contains referral letters, results, patient messages, and prior authorization correspondence, which means an executive assistant with access to it is handling protected health information from day one. That reframes the decision: the mainstream executive assistant firms are strong at the work and mostly silent on this. Honest Taskers places staff trained on HIPAA and data privacy under a dedicated compliance officer, working your time zone inside your own systems, with a Business Associate Agreement signed before access and HIPAA compliance verified by Accountable. Scope is standard executive support: calendar management and defence, inbox triage and drafting for your review, meeting preparation and follow-up, document and letter preparation, travel, and keeping commitments tracked. Rates run about $10 to $12.65 an hour depending on role, background, schedule, and location, billed hourly rather than as a monthly minimum, with a two-week working trial on the first hire and 99.6% average monthly retention reported. See the multi-purpose virtual medical assistant service for role detail.
Limitation: Honest Taskers is built for healthcare, so a business outside healthcare is not the target buyer and BELAY or Athena will fit better; the firm describes its security environment as SOC 2 audit ready rather than holding a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification of the kind MyOutDesk and Staffingly publish.
2. Athena
Best for: executives who want one dedicated, heavily vetted assistant and are willing to pay the premium for it.
Pricing: $3,000/monthLocation: Not publicly listedModel: Dedicated full-time EAMinimum: 90-day commitment
Athena is the most focused firm on this list, selling exactly one thing: a dedicated full-time executive assistant at $3,000 a month, billed monthly after an initial 90-day commitment. What the price buys is selection and management. It reports 30,000 to 60,000 monthly applications with a 1% acceptance rate, and the assistant is vetted, trained, device-equipped, and employed by Athena rather than contracted, with algorithmic matching, onboarding shaped to the role, and ongoing executive assistant performance management. More than 3,000 leaders are named as clients, with logos including Stripe, Goldman Sachs, Shopify, and Uber. The company reports clients increasing time spent on revenue-generating work by 40% to 50%.
Limitation: it states no HIPAA position and no Business Associate Agreement, publishes no staff location, requires a 90-day commitment, and does nothing except executive assistants, so it cannot flex into other administrative work.
3. Prialto
Best for: executives who have tried delegating before and found the process fell apart.
Pricing: $1,600/mo per unit; $3,600/mo full timeLocation: Not publicly listedModel: Managed service, 55 hrs per unitMinimum: 90 days per unit
Prialto is the answer for anyone whose previous assistant experience failed on process rather than person. Each unit is $1,600 a month for 55 hours plus free episodic overflow, with full time from $3,600 for 165 or more hours, and the wrapper is what you are buying: an Engagement Manager whose job is process design and optimisation, a month-long training program before the assistant starts on your work, backup assistant support so a holiday does not stop your week, and tool training. Most assistants hold a bachelor's degree or extensive business support experience. Coverage is 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday across US and UK time zones, onboarding runs three to five days, and the firm reports 16 or more years of experience. Setup is $250, waived on a one-year agreement.
Limitation: no HIPAA or Business Associate Agreement position is stated, the 90-day minimum per unit prevents a short trial, and at roughly $29 an hour it is the most expensive option here.
4. BELAY
Best for: executives who want an American assistant and value a fast, reliable match.
Pricing: Not publicly listedLocation: US-based partnersModel: Matched staffingMatch: As little as one week
BELAY is the strongest US-based executive assistant option, stating that it accepts only the top 3% of US-based applicants and describing its people as US-based partners. For an executive whose assistant will be on the phone with patients, referring physicians, vendors, and boards, that removes a set of concerns some practice owners hold firmly. Matching is done by people rather than an algorithm, with a reported 93% first-match success rate and a match in as little as one week. Beyond executive assistants it offers operations, personal, sales and marketing assistants, social media managers, and a full accounting bench up to fractional controller and chief financial officer, which is useful if the role grows. Named industries include Private Healthcare and Health & Wellness, and it reports a tenth consecutive year on the Inc. 5000.
Limitation: no pricing whatsoever is published, and despite naming Private Healthcare as an industry it states no HIPAA position or Business Associate Agreement, which must be settled before inbox access.
5. MyOutDesk
Best for: executives who want offshore economics with a named audit behind the provider.
Pricing: $1,988/mo managed; $2,500/mo specializedLocation: Not publicly listedModel: Full time only, 8h x 5dCompliance: SOC 2; HIPAA Verified
MyOutDesk is the value option with real documentation, publishing $1,988 a month for managed outsourcing and $2,500 for specialized, both full time at eight hours a day, five days a week. Its compliance position is the strongest among the offshore firms here: SOC 2 certified and SOC 2 audited, described as HIPAA Verified, and HIPAA and PCI-DSS compliance ready. Scope covers administrative and executive support, customer service, bookkeeping, marketing, inside sales, and transaction coordination, so the role can broaden without changing vendors. It reports 17 or more years in business, 8,500 or more businesses served, screening to the top 0.7% of talent, and hiring in as little as one week.
Limitation: full time only, so a half-time executive assistant is not available, and HIPAA Verified is the firm's own description rather than an independent certification, so establish exactly what it covers.
6. Magic
Best for: executives who want to test delegation this month without signing anything.
Pricing: $270/wk part time; $540/wk full timeLocation: Not publicly listedModel: No contract, cancel anytimeTalent: Top 0.5% claimed
Magic is the lowest-risk entry point to executive support that exists on this list. Part time is $270 a week for 20 hours and full time is $540 for 40, billed every four weeks, with no contracts, cancel anytime, and payment beginning only when you start working with your assistant. For an executive who has never delegated and is not sure they will like it, that structure removes the reason not to try. Roles include executive assistant alongside admin, customer support and ecommerce assistants, with Magic 24/7 included on full-time and team plans, and the firm claims curation from the top 0.5% of talent. Teams start at three assistants if the need grows.
Limitation: it states no HIPAA position, no compliance certification, and no delivery location, and its named industries are ecommerce, transportation, warehousing, media, non-profit, construction and professional services rather than healthcare.
7. Wing Assistant
Best for: executives who want replacement speed and out-of-hours coverage from a large pool.
Pricing: Not publicly listedLocation: Not publicly listedModel: Placed assistantsScale: 10,000+ active assistants
Wing Assistant brings the deepest bench, reporting more than 10,000 active assistants and more than two million applicants screened annually, with 24/7 specialist availability and a 4.8 out of 5 average rating. For an executive assistant specifically, pool depth matters most at the moment a match fails, because the cost of a bad executive assistant is measured in your own hours rather than theirs. Its roles are explicitly segmented, naming executive assistant, administrative assistant, virtual assistant, customer service representative, digital marketing assistant, sales development representative, and a healthcare virtual assistant product.
Limitation: it publishes no pricing, no delivery location, no minimum commitment, and no HIPAA detail, which leaves an executive buyer unable to compare it on any of the four things that decide the purchase.
Should an executive assistant be in-house, remote, or a managed service?
Go remote unless the role genuinely requires presence, which for a clinical executive usually means only a few tasks. The cost difference is substantial: a medical records specialist earned about $51,140 a year, roughly $24.59 an hour before benefits, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 wage data for medical records specialists, before benefits and overhead, against published remote options from $13.50 an hour at Magic full time to roughly $29 at Prialto. Choose a managed service over a placed assistant if your previous attempt at delegation failed, because what fails is almost never the person. It is the absence of a process: nobody documented how you want your calendar defended, so every week you re-explain it. Prialto's Engagement Manager and Athena's performance management are both aimed at that problem, and they cost to match. Choose a straightforward placement if you already know how to delegate and just need hours. And settle the compliance question first if your inbox contains patient correspondence, because it eliminates most of the mainstream market. For the scope of what can move, see tasks to outsource to a virtual medical assistant.
What are the risks of a remote executive assistant?
An executive assistant sees more than almost anyone in the organization, which makes access and continuity the whole risk picture.
- Inbox access means PHI access. A clinical executive's inbox contains patient correspondence. Without a Business Associate Agreement, that is an exposure you created.
- Delegation without process. Write down how you want the calendar and inbox handled, or you will re-explain it weekly regardless of who you hire.
- Continuity when they are away. Ask who covers. Prialto names backup assistant support; most firms do not address it.
- Financial and credential access. Executive assistants often end up with payment and login access. Set boundaries explicitly and review them.
- Commitment against uncertainty. Athena and Prialto require 90 days, MyOutDesk is full time only, Magic has no contract. Match the term to your confidence.
How much does an executive virtual assistant cost?
Five of these seven publish a rate and the spread is wide. Athena is $3,000 a month for a dedicated full-time executive assistant after a 90-day commitment. Prialto is $1,600 a month per unit for 55 hours, or $3,600 for full time at 165 or more hours, plus a $250 setup fee waived on an annual agreement. MyOutDesk is $1,988 or $2,500 a month, full time only. Magic is $270 a week part time or $540 full time with no contract. Honest Taskers is $10.00 to $12.65 an hour. BELAY and Wing Assistant publish nothing. On a cost-per-hour basis that runs from about $10 to about $29, and the top of the range is buying training, process design, performance management, and backup cover rather than more hours. The question to settle before comparing is whether you need those things, because if you do not, you are paying three times over for hours you could buy elsewhere. Rates were checked August 2026 and change often. For rate context, see how much a virtual medical assistant costs in 2026.
What should you look for in an executive assistant provider?
The wrapper around the person, compliance, coverage, and what happens when the match fails.
- Who trains the assistant. Prialto runs a month-long program; Athena trains and employs directly. Ask what training exists before your work starts.
- Who fixes the process. A named person responsible for how the work runs, not just who does it.
- A BAA if your inbox holds patient data. Only three firms here state any HIPAA position.
- Backup cover. Ask what happens during holiday and sickness, in writing.
- Rematch terms. Establish how a failed match is handled and whether the commitment period restarts.
How do you hire an executive virtual assistant?
Start by writing down how you want your calendar and inbox handled, because that document is what makes the hire work.
- Write your delegation rules: what gets declined, what gets forwarded, what needs you, what does not.
- Note which of those touch patient information, since that decides whether a BAA is required.
- Decide whether you need a managed service or a placed assistant, and be honest about why the last attempt failed.
- Shortlist on the wrapper and compliance, then compare cost per hour.
- Review at four weeks against the delegation rules rather than against a feeling, and adjust the rules before blaming the person.
For a fuller hiring walkthrough, read how to hire a virtual medical assistant.
Methodology and sources
We read each company's own website in August 2026, recording executive support scope, stated HIPAA and Business Associate Agreement position, published pricing, purchase model, and the notable facts each firm publishes. Wage context is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for medical records specialists. Business Associate Agreement requirements are set by the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Where a company didn't publish a fact, we marked it "not publicly listed"; match rates, talent-acceptance percentages, and client counts are labeled company-reported and were not independently audited.
Related executive support guides
If delegation has failed before, the fix is usually documenting your own preferences rather than finding a better assistant. Our explainer on what a virtual medical assistant is covers the scope a remote hire can own for a practice owner, and where patient correspondence makes a Business Associate Agreement mandatory.
Speak with Honest Taskers about executive support for your practice.