Comparison
Time Etc review
Direct answer
Our Time Etc review in short: Time Etc matches you with a dedicated, experienced US-based virtual assistant and bills in monthly blocks of hours, from $390 for 10 hours to $2,160 for 60 hours as of October 2026. Its public ratings are strong, plans are easy to cancel, and the small 10-hour plan makes it a good first VA for a busy owner. The cost per hour is high next to offshore services, and you still have to direct the work. TeamShift sells an adjacent product, an AI team for small businesses, so read our view with that in mind.
What Time Etc is
Time Etc is a virtual assistant service that pairs each client with one dedicated assistant. Per its pricing page, assistants are based in the US, are "expertly matched" to you, and average about 12 years of experience. You're not hiring a freelancer through a marketplace. Time Etc recruits and matches the assistant, and you can switch to a different one free of charge if the fit is wrong.
The work is the classic executive and admin assistant list: inbox and calendar management, travel, research, data entry, bookkeeping support, CRM updates, social media scheduling, and customer service tasks. Time Etc also gives new clients a free first task with no credit card required, so you can see the quality before you commit.
Time Etc pricing (as of October 2026)
From the Time Etc plans and pricing page:
| Plan | Monthly price | Hours | Rate per hour | Unused hours roll over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten hours | $390 | 10 | $39 | No |
| Twenty hours | $760 | 20 | $38 | Yes |
| Forty hours | $1,480 | 40 | $37 | Yes |
| Sixty hours | $2,160 | 60 | $36 | Yes |
There's no setup fee and no notice period to cancel. Time Etc says one email or call is all it takes. You can switch plans at any time, and custom plans are available on request. Every plan includes what Time Etc calls a lifetime satisfaction guarantee.
For context, Time Etc puts the average salary of an experienced executive assistant at $60,500 in 2026, citing Payscale. If you only need 10 to 20 hours of help a month, paying for hours costs a fraction of a hire.
How it works day to day
You sign up, describe what you need, and Time Etc matches you with an assistant. You then send work by email or through Time Etc's system, and the assistant logs time against your monthly hours. The first few weeks go to teaching your assistant how you like things done: your email tone, which clients get priority, where files live.
Over time a good assistant becomes a real extension of you. That's the main reason to pick a dedicated-assistant service over a task pool. The catch is that the knowledge lives in one person. If they leave or you switch, some of it goes with them.
What users say
On Trustpilot, Time Etc has a 4.8 out of 5 rating, labeled "Excellent," as of October 2026. Time Etc replies to many reviews.
What people praise: knowledgeable assistants, one trusted person who keeps both a professional and a personal diary in order, and time saved. One reviewer describes a positive year and a half with the service.
What to weigh: the recent reviews we read were almost all positive, so the drawbacks are mostly structural rather than complaints. You pay US rates by the hour, a new assistant needs time to learn how you work, and tasks with a lot of back-and-forth use up hours.
That's a strong reputation for a VA service.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- A dedicated, experienced, US-based assistant.
- A small 10-hour plan, so you can start without a big commitment.
- Free first task, no setup fee, and no notice period to cancel.
- Unused hours roll over on the 20-hour plan and up.
- Free assistant switching if the match doesn't work.
- Strong public ratings.
Weaknesses
- $36 to $39 an hour adds up. Forty hours a month costs $1,480.
- The 10-hour plan doesn't roll over unused hours.
- You manage the work: writing instructions, checking output, and following up.
- One assistant means business knowledge sits with one person.
- Assistants work set hours, so after-hours coverage is limited.
Who Time Etc is best for
- Owners and executives who want a trusted US-based assistant for inbox, calendar, travel, and personal admin.
- Businesses with 10 to 60 hours a month of mixed work that needs a person's judgment.
- Anyone trying a virtual assistant for the first time who wants to start small and cancel easily.
If cost per hour matters more than US location, managed offshore services like Wing Assistant charge far less per hour. If you want a fully managed US team with bookkeeping and marketing roles too, BELAY is the more corporate option.
Where an AI team like TeamShift fits instead, or alongside
A good human assistant beats software at judgment calls, phone work, and the odd errand that doesn't follow a pattern. TeamShift's AI can answer calls on your business line, but it doesn't place calls for you and doesn't run errands. For an executive who needs someone to manage a personal calendar and call the airline, a Time Etc assistant is the better fit.
TeamShift is built for the repeating business loop that eats a VA's hours. A business gets a hosted team of nine AI workers that works in the apps you already use, like Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, and QuickBooks, and keeps a live picture of every customer, quote, and invoice. Support sorts the inbox and drafts replies. Customer success prepares reminders and no-show follow-ups. Finance drafts invoice chasers and cleans up QuickBooks. You hand off work in a sentence, and anything that would go to a customer, move money, publish, delete, or commit the calendar waits for your OK. Every step is recorded.
| Time Etc | TeamShift | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | One dedicated US-based assistant | A team of nine AI workers |
| Calls made for you, errands, personal admin | Yes | No |
| Answering your inbound calls | Not its focus | Yes, AI |
| Billing | $390 to $2,160 a month for 10 to 60 hours | Free workspace; usage billed at 3x compute cost, quoted with a maximum before work starts |
| Who checks the work | You | You approve anything customer-facing, money, or calendar |
| Where business knowledge lives | With your assistant | In your workspace, built from connected tools and your corrections |
A practical split: keep a Time Etc assistant on a smaller plan for judgment-heavy and personal tasks, and let an AI team handle inbox drafts, follow-ups, and invoice chasing. Our AI team vs virtual assistant page covers that tradeoff, and pricing explains how TeamShift usage is billed.
FAQ
Is Time Etc worth it?
For owners who want a reliable, experienced US-based assistant for 10 to 60 hours a month, usually yes. Ratings are strong and you can cancel without notice. If you mainly want low hourly cost, offshore services are cheaper.
How much does Time Etc cost?
As of October 2026, plans are $390 a month for 10 hours, $760 for 20, $1,480 for 40, and $2,160 for 60. That works out to $36 to $39 an hour, with no setup fee.
Do unused Time Etc hours roll over?
On the 20-hour plan and above, yes. The 10-hour plan does not roll over unused hours.
Are Time Etc assistants based in the US?
Yes. Time Etc says its assistants are US-based, dedicated to you, and average about 12 years of experience.
Can TeamShift replace a Time Etc assistant?
Not fully. TeamShift doesn't make phone calls, run errands, or handle personal admin. It can take over repeating business work like inbox drafts, lead replies, and invoice follow-up, with your approval before anything goes out, which can let you stay on a smaller VA plan.