Hiring a virtual assistant in the Philippines can mean three very different things. You can post on a job board, interview people yourself and pay them directly. You can pay a staffing firm a monthly fee to employ and manage them. Or you can pay a recruiter once to find the right person and then hire them yourself. The sites below cover all three, and the right one depends on how much of the work you want to do.
We compared them on price, vetting, who pays the worker and what happens if a hire doesn't work out, using each site's own pricing and terms pages, checked October 28, 2026. Our pick is HireTalent.ph, because it's the one site where you can either hire directly with no markup or hand the search to recruiters, on one platform with published prices.
Here's the TLDR (prices checked October 28, 2026):
- HireTalent.ph (our pick): Best for hiring directly from reviewed profiles, with a done-for-you option. Free to browse; $48 per job post or $88/month; recruiting $999 up front plus 20% on hire.
- OnlineJobs.ph: Best for the biggest DIY job board, if you'll vet carefully. $69 or $99/month.
- VirtualStaff.ph: Best for a flat $99/month staffing fee on top of the assistant's salary.
- Remote Staff: Best for a fully managed hire on your time zone, with payroll and compliance handled. All-in hourly rate, quote only.
- Somewhere: Best for a recruiter-led direct hire with a six-month guarantee. Fee by quote.
- MyOutDesk: Best for a managed, full-time assistant with benefits included. From $1,988/month.
- Upwork: Best for short projects and freelancers worldwide, not long-term VAs. Percentage fee per payment.
Quick comparison
| Site | Model | Who pays the VA | Price (Oct 28, 2026) | If it doesn't work out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HireTalent.ph | Direct-hire platform plus recruiting | You, through Wise, no markup | $0 browse; $48/post or $88/mo; recruiting $999 + 20% | Recruiting: 90-day replacement |
| OnlineJobs.ph | Job board | You, directly | $69/mo or $299/yr; $99/mo or $349/yr | You rehire; refund within 31 days of a payment |
| VirtualStaff.ph | Staffing "Seats" | Salary goes to the VA; $99/mo fee | $599 to $1,299/mo total in its examples | First Seat 30-day money-back |
| Remote Staff | Managed staffing | Remote Staff payroll | All-inclusive hourly rate, not published | Per agreement |
| Somewhere | Recruiter, direct hire or on-demand | You (direct hire) or Somewhere | Refundable deposit + % of first-year salary, not published | 6-month guarantee |
| MyOutDesk | Managed full-time staff | MyOutDesk | From $1,988/mo | "Impact guarantee" |
| Upwork | Freelance marketplace | Through Upwork | Service fee on payments + contract fee | Contract terms |
1. HireTalent.ph (our pick)
HireTalent.ph is a hiring platform for Filipino remote workers that gives you two ways in. You can post a job or search profiles, interview, and hire the person directly, then track time, approve time off and pay them through Wise on the same platform. Or you can have its recruiters run the search and present screened candidates within 10 business days.
Profiles are reviewed before they go live; the home page says "65% don't make the cut" after platform checks, portfolio and experience review. Identity verification covers email, phone, government ID and a selfie match, and its FAQ says profiles may also show NBI clearance where available. Workers can earn human-reviewed badges for tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and GoHighLevel, and you can assign paid trial tasks before you commit. Asking rates on the sample profiles on its home page run from about $5 to $15 an hour.
Pricing: on its pricing page, a free account lets you search all profiles and message people who apply to your jobs; job posts are $48 each, and tracking and paying a person is $20/month each. The Employer plan is $88/month (two months free on yearly billing) with 3 job posts, 3 people tracked and paid, contact with 10 candidates a day and 5 trial tasks. Done-For-You Recruiting is $999 to start, credited toward a fee of 20% of first-year salary on hire, with a 90-day replacement guarantee and six months of platform access. On the self-serve plans there's no finder's fee and no markup on worker pay; you pay Wise's standard transfer fees.
Limits: on the self-serve plans you still do the screening and interviews yourself, and the free plan only lets you contact your own applicants. Workers are independent contractors, so classification and any benefits are your call; there's no employer-of-record service. The Philippines is 12 hours ahead of US Eastern (standard time), so overlap is partial unless you pay a premium for US hours. The size of the talent pool isn't published, and refunds on plans are limited to one request within 14 days. HireTalent is one of Digital Mundo's published projects, and we found no third-party reviews to cite. Our earlier HireTalent.ph review has more on the platform.
Pick it if: you want reviewed profiles and a direct relationship with your VA at their full rate, with the option to hand the search off.
2. OnlineJobs.ph
OnlineJobs.ph is the long-running job board for hiring Filipinos directly, based in Utah. You post a job or search resumes, contact people, and hire and pay them yourself. It promises "no salary markups or ongoing fees" and offers TimeProof for tracking and EasyPay for payments.
Pricing: per its pricing page, the free account lets you post up to 3 jobs and see applications, but "you CAN NOT contact, interview, or hire people." Pro is $69/month or $299/year with 3 job posts and 75 contacts a month. Premium is $99/month or $349/year with 10 job posts, 500 contacts a month and unlimited background data checks. There's no free trial; its terms allow a refund of your most recent payment within 31 days, once per customer.
Limits: it's a board, so screening, contracts, payment and replacing a bad hire are all on you. Fake profiles and scam employers are a known problem on open boards; read our guide to spotting scams on OnlineJobs.ph before you start.
Pick it if: you want the widest pool and are comfortable vetting on your own. Our OnlineJobs.ph alternatives post covers more options in the same model.
3. VirtualStaff.ph
VirtualStaff.ph has moved from a job board to "Seats": you add a full-time or part-time Philippines-based staff member and pay their salary plus a flat $99 a month, with VirtualStaff staying "behind the staffing relationship."
Pricing: "$99/month per Seat + staff salary," per its pricing page. Its examples show assistants at an expected $500 to $700 a month in salary, so $599 to $799 in total, and its home page ranges run to $1,299. Your first Seat comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Limits: the $99 is ongoing for as long as the person works with you, and replacement terms "depend on your agreement."
Pick it if: you want a small, transparent monthly fee and someone to call when a hire goes wrong.
4. Remote Staff
Remote Staff is a Philippines staffing provider founded by an Australian, now also serving US clients, with an employer-of-record option. Staff work your time zone (often the night shift in Manila) under its monitoring software, and it handles payroll and Philippine statutory payments. Its FAQ says it has served more than 3,000 clients.
Pricing: "all-inclusive" hourly rates that cover recruitment, after-hire support, compliance, payroll, monitoring tools, statutory payments and the worker's rate. Rates aren't published. Custom recruitment needs a deposit and runs a six-week search; if no one is hired, the deposit comes back as credit or on request. Unworked hours are credited back the next month.
Limits: quote only, not for short projects (its own FAQ says so), and you pay its margin for as long as the person works for you.
Pick it if: you want an assistant on US hours with the employment side fully handled.
5. Somewhere
Somewhere (the old supportshepherd.com address now redirects to it) recruits remote staff across the Philippines, Latin America, South Africa and more. For VAs, its Direct Hire service finds the person and you employ them; Talent on Demand has Somewhere handle payroll and compliance for a monthly fee. It says most roles fill in 7 to 21 days, and its home page lists a chat support agent in the Philippines at $1,100 to $1,540 a month.
Pricing: per its pricing page, a fully refundable deposit starts the search, then a one-time fee as a percentage of first-year salary that drops as you hire more. The deposit and percentage aren't published. Direct hires carry a six-month guarantee with one free replacement.
Limits: fees by quote, and the company is global rather than Philippines-focused.
Pick it if: you want a recruiter and the longest guarantee on this list.
6. MyOutDesk
MyOutDesk provides managed, full-time virtual staff from the Philippines, Latin America and Africa, with recruiting, payroll, benefits, HR, time tracking and an account manager in one monthly rate.
Pricing: from $1,988/month for daily operations support and from $2,500/month for industry-specific roles, per its pricing page.
Limits: the most expensive option here, and full-time only by design.
Pick it if: you want a managed, benefited assistant and budget isn't the first concern.
7. Upwork
Upwork is a global freelance marketplace with plenty of Filipino freelancers. It handles contracts, time tracking and payments, which helps for one-off projects. Clients pay a percentage marketplace fee on payments plus a small contract initiation fee per new contract; check the current rates on Upwork's help center, since its pages don't all agree.
Limits: you compete with clients worldwide on rate, fees apply to every payment for the life of the contract, and it isn't built around long-term, full-time VAs.
Pick it if: the work is a defined project rather than an ongoing role.
How to choose
- Decide who does the vetting. On a job board it's you. A recruiter (HireTalent's recruiting, Somewhere) does it once. A staffing firm (VirtualStaff, Remote Staff, MyOutDesk) does it and keeps managing.
- Compare the total for a year. A $600-a-month assistant costs $7,200 a year in salary. A $99 monthly fee adds $1,188. A 20% recruiting fee adds $1,440, once. Staffing margins built into hourly rates keep going.
- Know who's the employer. If you hire directly, the person is usually your contractor. Read our notes on tax considerations for Filipino contractors and how to pay a Filipino VA.
- Budget the rate realistically. Our virtual assistant salary guide compares the Philippines with Latin America and the US.
- Plan the overlap. Decide how many hours of live overlap you need before you post, and say it in the job description. Our ManagePH vs Hubstaff comparison covers tracking tools if you need them.
FAQ
How much does a Filipino virtual assistant cost?
On the sites we checked, sample asking rates run from about $5 to $15 an hour on HireTalent.ph, and VirtualStaff.ph's examples show assistant salaries of $500 to $1,200 a month before its $99 fee. Managed, full-time services such as MyOutDesk start near $2,000 a month all-in.
What is the best site to hire a Filipino VA?
For most small businesses that want to hire directly at the worker's full rate, HireTalent.ph. For the widest DIY pool, OnlineJobs.ph. For a managed hire, VirtualStaff.ph at the low end or Remote Staff and MyOutDesk for more support.
Is OnlineJobs.ph free?
You can post jobs and see applications for free, but you can't contact or hire anyone until you pay for Pro ($69/month) or Premium ($99/month).
Should a Filipino VA be a contractor or an employee?
If you hire directly, usually a contractor: HireTalent.ph's FAQ says workers hired there are independent contractors, and it collects W-8BEN forms for US employers. If you want them employed locally with benefits, use a staffing firm or an employer-of-record service.
Can Filipino VAs work US hours?
Yes, if you agree it up front. Remote Staff builds its service around your time zone, with staff on the night shift. HireTalent.ph's FAQ says many employers work with 4 to 5 hours of overlap plus async work, and that some roles work US hours at a premium.
Write down the three tasks you'd hand off first, then pick the model that matches how much hiring work you want to keep.
Disclosure: HireTalent is made by Digital Mundo LLC, which has the same owner as Gold Penguin LLC.
