Hourly pricing suits small, unpredictable workloads where you only want to pay for time used. Monthly pricing suits ongoing work because you get a dedicated person, a predictable bill and the freedom to ask for help without watching the clock. Most businesses that delegate steadily end up on a monthly plan. At delegateit, monthly plans start at $900 for part time and $1,500 for full time.
When you start looking for help, you will see two common ways to pay. Some providers and freelancers bill by the hour. Others offer a monthly plan for a set number of hours with a dedicated person. Both can work. The right one depends on how much work you have, how steady it is and how you like to manage.
How hourly pricing works
You pay for each hour worked, usually tracked with a time tracking tool. Some providers sell blocks of hours you draw down over time. Others bill weekly or monthly for whatever was used.
The appeal is obvious. You only pay for what you use. If you have a small project or a few hours of work here and there, it can be the cheapest option.
The downsides show up over time. Bills vary month to month, which makes budgeting harder. You may hesitate before sending a quick question because every minute counts. And many hourly arrangements come with a rotating pool of assistants rather than one dedicated person, so you end up explaining your business more than once.
How monthly pricing works
You pay a fixed amount each month for a set number of hours and a dedicated assistant. At delegateit, part time is about 80 hours a month from $900 and full time is about 160 hours a month from $1,500. Specialist roles start at $2,200 a month.
The appeal here is predictability and continuity. You know your bill in advance. You work with the same person every day, so they learn your business, your clients and your preferences. You can send small requests without thinking about cost, which is often where the real value of delegation lives.
The downside is commitment. If you only have a few hours of work in a month, you may pay for time you do not use. That is why an honest look at your workload matters before you choose.
When hourly makes more sense
Very small or occasional work
If you need a handful of hours a month for odd jobs, hourly is usually fine.
One off projects
A single research project, a data cleanup or a website migration might suit hourly or a fixed project price.
You are not ready to delegate regularly
If you are still testing whether delegation works for you, a few paid hours can be a low risk start. Just know that it is hard to judge an assistant's real value from a few scattered hours.
When monthly makes more sense
Ongoing work
Email, calendar, bookkeeping, customer support, social media and admin happen every week. Monthly plans fit steady work.
You want a dedicated person
If continuity matters, and it usually does, a monthly plan with one assistant is the better fit. Our post on virtual assistant agency vs freelancer talks more about the tradeoffs of different arrangements.
You want to grow delegation
When you know the hours are paid for, you look for more to hand over. That habit is how most owners get the biggest return from an assistant.
The hidden cost of watching the clock
This is the part people underestimate. With hourly pricing, many owners ration their requests. They batch small tasks, hesitate to ask questions and do quick jobs themselves to save a few dollars. The result is that the assistant does less, learns less and the owner stays busy.
With a monthly plan, the dynamic flips. The assistant is available for the hours you have, so you use them. Small tasks get handed off. Questions get asked. The assistant learns faster and takes on more. Over a few months the difference in value can be large.
Comparing the numbers fairly
To compare, estimate how many hours a month you actually need. Our guide to part time vs full time virtual assistants explains a simple one week audit. Then compare the total monthly cost of each option for those hours.
Include onboarding. If an hourly arrangement uses different assistants, you may spend extra time re explaining work. Include management time too. A dedicated assistant often needs less oversight after the first month.
Use the estimator on our pricing page to see how our plans fit your hours.
Questions to ask any provider
Before you sign, ask these.
- Will I work with the same person every time?
- What happens if I need more hours one month?
- What happens to unused hours?
- How is time tracked and reported?
- What is the notice period to change or cancel?
- Who handles replacement if the assistant leaves?
Clear answers to these questions will tell you more than the headline rate. Our post on hidden costs of offshore hiring has more to watch for.
Rollover and overtime
Some monthly plans allow a small rollover of unused hours. Others do not. Some allow overtime at an agreed rate. Ask how your provider handles both so there are no surprises. If you often go over, it may be time to move up a plan. If you often come in well under, you may be on too large a plan or not delegating enough.
What dedicated really means
The word dedicated gets used loosely. In some offers it means you get priority in a shared pool. In others it means one named person who works only on your account for the hours you pay for. Those are very different experiences. Ask for the name of the person you will work with and whether they support other clients at the same time. A truly dedicated assistant builds context every day, and that context is where most of the value comes from.
A practical way to decide
If you have fewer than about ten hours of work a month and it is irregular, start hourly or with a small project. If you have more than that, especially if it repeats every week, a monthly plan is usually the better value. When in doubt, start with part time monthly and adjust after the first couple of months.
What we recommend
We offer monthly plans because they work better for most of the businesses we serve. A dedicated assistant who knows your business is worth more than a cheaper rate with a rotating cast. That said, we would rather you pick the model that fits your work. If your workload is truly small, tell us and we will be honest about whether a plan makes sense.
If you are ready to talk through your situation, the contact page is the fastest way to reach us.
Hourly or monthly questions
Is monthly pricing more expensive?
Not necessarily. For steady workloads, a monthly plan often costs less per productive hour and includes a dedicated person.
What if I do not use all my monthly hours?
Policies vary. Ask your provider about rollover. If you regularly have unused hours, consider a smaller plan or delegating more.
Can I switch from hourly to monthly later?
Yes. Many owners start with a small block of hours and move to a monthly plan once they see the value.
Do monthly plans include a dedicated assistant?
At delegateit they do. Ask any provider directly, because some monthly plans still use rotating staff.