AVA vs Belay: Pricing, VAs, and Hiring Model Compared

AVA vs Belay at a glance

Belay built its reputation placing US-based executive assistants, bookkeepers, and social media specialists with American business owners. AVA places bilingual VAs from Latin America and Europe with similar skill profiles at roughly a third of the cost. Both companies use a managed-placement model (you don’t pick from a marketplace, you get matched), and both pre-vet candidates before you interview.

The decision usually comes down to one question: do you need the VA to be physically in the US, or do you just need them to work US hours and speak fluent English? If it’s the former, Belay is your answer. If it’s the latter, AVA delivers the same outcome at a much lower price.

Feature comparison

Feature	AVA	Belay
Starting price	$10.99/hr (40 hrs/wk)	Custom quote (US-EA market rates)
VA location	LATAM and Europe	United States
Education	College degree or final term	College degree
Bilingual (EN+ES)	Yes, every VA	Not standard
Hiring model	Managed placement	Managed placement
Time to placement	1-2 weeks	1-3 weeks
Contract minimum	Monthly, adjustable with 30 days notice	Custom contract terms
Replacement guarantee	Yes, managed by AVA	Yes
Dedicated vs shared VA	Dedicated (works only for you)	Dedicated

Pricing comparison

Plan	AVA price	Belay price	What’s included
5 hrs/week	$14.99/hr (~$300/mo)	Custom quote	Dedicated VA, US hours, bilingual
10 hrs/week	$12.99-$14.99/hr (~$520-$600/mo)	Custom quote	Dedicated VA, US hours, bilingual
20 hrs/week	$12.99-$14.99/hr (~$1,040-$1,200/mo)	Custom quote	Dedicated VA, US hours, bilingual
40 hrs/week	$10.99-$12.99/hr (~$1,760-$2,080/mo)	Custom quote (typically $4,000-$6,000+/mo for US EA)	Dedicated VA, full-time, US hours

Belay does not publish pricing on its site, so the right-hand column reads “custom quote.” Industry-reported ranges put Belay’s effective hourly rate in the $40-$60/hr range for executive assistants and higher for specialized roles like bookkeeping.

When to choose AVA vs Belay

Choose AVA when:

• You want full-time dedicated support but the US-payroll price point doesn’t fit your budget.
• Bilingual coverage (English and Spanish) matters for your customers or internal team.
• You want pricing you can see before a sales call.

Choose Belay when:

• The VA must be a US tax resident (some regulated industries require this).
• You need an assistant who can handle in-person tasks in a specific US city.
• US-based EA status is a hard requirement for stakeholders or board members.

Be honest with yourself about which of those is actually true. Most of the work an EA does (calendar, inbox, travel, vendor coordination, light bookkeeping) doesn’t require physical US presence.

How the hiring process compares

Both companies start with a discovery call where you describe the role, hours, and tools. Both pre-vet candidates and present 2-3 matches rather than a marketplace browse. Both manage the VA’s employment, payroll, and HR so you don’t deal with that.

The substantive differences:

• Pricing transparency. AVA publishes rates by tier. Belay quotes after a discovery call.
• Replacement. Both replace VAs if the fit isn’t right. AVA’s median client tenure is well over a year, and 85% of placements retain past the first quarter.
• Time zone overlap. AVA’s LATAM VAs natively cover US Central, Eastern, Mountain, and Pacific. Belay’s US placements obviously cover all US time zones.

If the question is “do I trust this company to find me a good person?”, both answer yes. The question that actually decides it is “am I paying for the work, or am I paying for the zip code?”