AVA vs Magic: Pricing, VAs, and Hiring Model Compared
AVA places college-educated bilingual VAs from Latin America and Europe at $10.99-$14.99/hr, managed placement, 1-2 week start. Magic offers a dedicated assistant at $13.50/hr or a 24/7 on-demand assistant at $19.90/hr drawn from a shared pool. AVA fits when you want one person who learns your business. Magic 24/7 fits when round-the-clock coverage matters more than continuity.
AVA vs Magic at a glance
Magic markets two distinct products: a dedicated assistant at $13.50/hr and a 24/7 shared-pool service at $19.90/hr. AVA only does the first kind (one dedicated person who learns your business) and competes on price, education level, and bilingual coverage.
The decision splits cleanly: if you want one VA who becomes part of your team, compare AVA and Magic’s dedicated plan side by side. If you want around-the-clock coverage from a rotating pool of assistants, that’s Magic 24/7’s specific use case and AVA doesn’t directly compete.
Feature comparison
| Feature | AVA | Magic (Dedicated) | Magic 24/7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10.99/hr (40 hrs/wk) | $13.50/hr | $19.90/hr |
| Minimum hours | 5 hrs/wk | 20 hrs/wk | 10 hrs/wk |
| VA location | LATAM and Europe | Not publicly stated | Shared pool, global |
| Education | College degree or final term | Not publicly stated | Varies |
| Bilingual (EN+ES) | Yes, every VA | Not standard | Not standard |
| Hiring model | Managed placement | Managed placement | On-demand shared pool |
| Time to placement | 1-2 weeks | 1-2 weeks | Immediate |
| Contract minimum | Monthly, adjustable with 30 days notice | No contract, cancel anytime | No contract, cancel anytime |
| Replacement guarantee | Yes | Yes | N/A (shared pool) |
| Dedicated vs shared VA | Dedicated | Dedicated | Shared |
| 24/7 availability | Via 2-VA setup (LATAM + Europe) | No | Yes |
Pricing comparison
| Plan | AVA price | Magic price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time (20 hrs/wk) | $12.99-$14.99/hr (~$1,040-$1,200/mo) | $13.50/hr (~$1,080/mo) | Dedicated VA |
| Full-time (40 hrs/wk) | $10.99-$12.99/hr (~$1,760-$2,080/mo) | $13.50/hr (~$2,160/mo) | Dedicated VA |
| 24/7 coverage | Custom (2-VA setup) | $19.90/hr (Magic 24/7) | Shared assistant pool, around-the-clock |
For dedicated full-time, AVA runs roughly $100-$400/month less than Magic depending on which billing period you’re in.
When to choose AVA vs Magic
Choose AVA when:
- You want one person who learns your business and stays long-term (median tenure well over a year).
- Bilingual English and Spanish matters.
- You want published, predictable pricing.
Choose Magic (Dedicated) when:
- You’ve already evaluated Magic’s onboarding and like their match.
- You don’t need bilingual coverage and the small price gap is worth it for whatever quality signal you have.
Choose Magic 24/7 when:
- Coverage at 2am matters more than the same person handling every task.
- Your task volume is unpredictable and you want a “always someone available” model rather than a fixed weekly schedule.
How the hiring process compares
AVA’s process is sequential: discovery call, 2-3 candidate profiles within 48 hours, you interview and choose, VA starts within days. Magic’s dedicated assistant follows a similar pattern. Magic 24/7 skips matching entirely because there’s no specific person being matched.
The biggest behavioral difference is continuity. With a dedicated VA (AVA or Magic Dedicated), every recurring task improves over time because the same person is doing it. With Magic 24/7, each task is fresh for whoever picks it up, which is the cost of always having someone available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Magic cheaper than AVA?
For part-time work, Magic's $13.50/hr dedicated plan is in the same range as AVA's $12.99-$14.99/hr tiers. For full-time at 40 hours, AVA drops to $10.99/hr during onboarding and $11.99-$12.99/hr after that, so AVA is slightly cheaper at full-time. Magic 24/7 at $19.90/hr is more expensive per hour but buys you around-the-clock coverage from a shared pool.
What is the difference between Magic's dedicated assistant and Magic 24/7?
Magic's dedicated assistant is one person who works with you on your schedule, similar to AVA's model. Magic 24/7 is a shared pool of assistants available around the clock, so any given task may be handled by a different person. The 24/7 model trades continuity for time coverage.
Does AVA offer 24/7 coverage like Magic 24/7?
AVA places dedicated VAs on schedules you set. For around-the-clock coverage, the path is to place one LATAM VA on US-day hours and one Europe-based VA on US-evening or overnight hours. That gives you 16-20 hour coverage with two dedicated people who know your business, rather than a rotating shared pool.
Can I switch from Magic to AVA?
Yes. If you've been using Magic's dedicated plan and want a similar dedicated model at full-time hours, AVA is a direct swap with a slight cost reduction. If you've been using Magic 24/7 and want to move to dedicated, the transition involves consolidating your task logs into SOPs so the AVA VA can pick up the workflow.
Are Magic's assistants based in the US?
Magic does not publish its VA locations on its pricing page. AVA places VAs from Latin America and Europe, working US business hours, all bilingual in English and Spanish, all college-educated.
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