Published May 12, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Time Etc uses a shared VA model with hourly plans -- VAs work for multiple clients simultaneously.
- Stealth Agents VAs start at $0-5/hr and are dedicated full-time to a single client.
- Time Etc's hourly rates range from $29-$34/hr; Stealth Agents full-time costs roughly $9-$10/hr effective rate.
- Stealth Agents includes a backup VA and account manager; Time Etc does not offer these by default.
- Businesses needing consistent, high-volume support will outgrow Time Etc's hourly model quickly.
Time Etc has a clean product and a loyal user base among solo entrepreneurs who need light, occasional assistance. But "light and occasional" is not the same as operational support for a growing business.
Stealth Agents serves a different need: dedicated full-time VAs who become genuine extensions of your team. When you compare Time Etc vs Stealth Agents, the gap between a shared hourly model and a dedicated full-time model becomes the deciding factor for most buyers.
Understanding Time Etc's Model
Time Etc was founded in 2007 and positions itself as an affordable entry point into virtual assistance. Their VAs are U.S.-based and UK-based, experienced, and matched by a team that reviews your task requirements.
The model is hourly and shared. Plans start around $29/hr for a bundle of prepaid hours each month. At the lower tiers -- 10 or 20 hours per month -- you're paying for a VA who is also managing work for multiple other clients. The VA does not work exclusively for you.
This works fine for one-off tasks, small research projects, or occasional calendar management. For anything that requires real continuity -- learning your systems, managing recurring workflows, representing your brand in client communications -- the shared model creates friction that hourly billing can't paper over.
Time Etc also does not include a dedicated account manager or backup coverage in standard plans. If your VA is unavailable, the responsibility to find a replacement or reschedule tasks lands back on you.
How Stealth Agents Compares
Stealth Agents places dedicated full-time VAs who work exclusively for one client. There is no shared model. Your VA focuses entirely on your business during their working hours.
Pricing starts at $0-5/hr, with full-time dedicated placements averaging around $1,500/month. At 160 hours per month, that works out to roughly $9-$10/hr effective hourly rate -- compared to Time Etc's $29-$34/hr for shared, part-time hours.
Every Stealth Agents placement includes a dedicated account manager who assists with onboarding, performance alignment, and issue resolution. If your VA is unavailable, a backup VA steps in at no extra cost.
Cost Comparison: What You Actually Spend
Running the numbers side by side makes the value gap clear.
| Factor | Time Etc | Stealth Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hourly plans ($29-$34/hr) | Full-time placement (~$9-10/hr effective) |
| VA dedication | Shared across clients | Dedicated to one client |
| Hours available/month | 10-40 pre-purchased | 160+ (full-time) |
| Backup coverage | Not included | Included |
| Account manager | Not included | Included |
| Annual cost (full-time equiv.) | ~$55,000+ | ~$18,000 |
If a business needs 40 hours of work per week -- which is a full-time workload -- Time Etc at $29/hr costs over $55,000 per year. A Stealth Agents full-time VA costs roughly $18,000 per year. That is not a small difference.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for an administrative assistant at over $44,000, not counting benefits or overhead. Both VA options cost less -- but Stealth Agents does so by a wider margin while providing more hours and dedicated attention.
The Shared Model Problem
The shared VA model is a structural limitation that hourly pricing can't fix. When a VA serves multiple clients in the same day, their attention is divided by nature. Context-switching is real. Mistakes happen when someone is mentally toggling between your workflows and five others.
Dedicated VAs avoid this entirely. Your VA wakes up thinking about your business, not about rotating through a client queue. That shift in focus produces measurably different results within the first 30-60 days of an engagement.
For tasks like inbox management, client onboarding sequences, CRM maintenance, or social media scheduling, the compounding effect of a dedicated VA who knows your processes inside out is hard to replicate with a shared model.
When Time Etc Makes Sense
Time Etc is a reasonable starting point for a solo founder who needs fewer than 20 hours of help per month and wants to experiment with delegation before committing to a full-time hire. Their U.S.-based VAs and straightforward onboarding make the trial period low-friction.
But that use case has a ceiling. Most businesses that start with Time Etc either scale their hours -- at which point the cost becomes hard to justify -- or graduate to a dedicated model like Stealth Agents once they understand how much they can delegate.
When Stealth Agents Wins
Any business that needs consistent daily support, recurring task management, or a VA who genuinely knows their operations will get more from Stealth Agents. The dedicated model, lower effective hourly rate, included account manager, and backup VA policy create a package that Time Etc's hourly model can't match at scale.
FAQ
Q: Does Time Etc offer dedicated full-time VAs?
A: No. Time Etc's model is based on prepaid hourly plans where VAs serve multiple clients. Stealth Agents is built around dedicated full-time placements where one VA works exclusively for your business.
Q: How does the hourly rate compare between Time Etc and Stealth Agents?
A: Time Etc charges $29-$34/hr for shared, part-time support. Stealth Agents full-time VAs start at $0-5/hr, with an effective rate of roughly $9-$10/hr at full-time placement. The difference is substantial at scale.
Q: What if I only need occasional help -- is Stealth Agents still worth it?
A: For very low-volume needs (under 20 hours/month), an hourly model like Time Etc may fit better. Once you consistently need more than 20-30 hours of support per month, a dedicated full-time VA from Stealth Agents becomes the more cost-effective and consistent choice.
Q: Does Stealth Agents require a long-term contract?
A: Stealth Agents offers flexible terms. There is no rigid annual commitment required for most placements, unlike some enterprise VA services.
Q: What types of tasks can a Stealth Agents VA handle?
A: Stealth Agents VAs cover executive assistance, customer support, social media management, content creation, bookkeeping support, lead generation, CRM management, data entry, research, and more -- across virtually any industry vertical.