Comparison guide · 2026
BELAY vs Upwork:
costs, pros and cons
BELAY and Upwork solve different problems. BELAY is a managed service that matches you with one U.S.-based contractor, typically from 45 hours a month. It doesn't publish prices, and outside estimates put it at $42 to $46 an hour.
Upwork is a freelance marketplace. Its cost guide puts virtual assistants at a median of $13 an hour, plus a 3% to 7.99% marketplace fee on the Basic plan. You vet, hire, and manage the person yourself.
Choose BELAY
For U.S.-based, part-time support
The screening is done for you.
Choose Upwork
For short projects
Or if you're happy to recruit and manage on your own.
Consider Assistantly
For a full-time operator
Every candidate completes a simulation of the role before you meet them.
At a glance
BELAY vs Upwork vs Assistantly
The biggest differences are who does the vetting, what you pay, and what happens when a hire doesn't work out.
| Factor | BELAYManaged service | UpworkFreelance marketplace | Assistantly |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Managed U.S. assistant service | Freelance marketplace | Placement of proven mid-to-senior operators |
| Who you get | One U.S.-based contractor BELAY matches to you | Any freelancer you choose, anywhere | The finalist you choose from your top three |
| Who vets | BELAY, through interviews and a skills assessment | You do; Upwork's AI can shortlist | A Day One™ simulation built around your role, reviewed by a person |
| Price | Not published; estimated at $42 to $46 an hour | The freelancer's rate plus Upwork fees; VA median $13 an hour | Published: most full-time roles $2,500 to $3,000 a month |
| Hours | Typically from 45 hours a month | Whatever you agree | Full-time roles, matched to your team's hours |
| Employment admin | BELAY contracts the assistant (1099) | Yours; classification is your responsibility | Contracts, payroll, compliance, and benefits handled |
| Commitment | Month-to-month | None | Three-month initial commitment |
| If it isn't working | Right-Fit Guarantee: mismatches resolved at no added cost | No replacement guarantee | Quality guarantee for as long as you work with us |
| Best for | Part-time, U.S.-based support | Short projects and hands-on managers | A full-time operator with proof up front |
Head to head
Agency service vs freelance marketplace
BELAY costs more and does more of the hiring work for you. Upwork costs less and leaves that work to you.
Cost
For the same hours, BELAY's estimated rates run about two to three and a half times what a typical Upwork VA costs, fees included.
| Monthly hours | BELAYEstimated $42 to $46 an hour | Upwork VA$13 median to $20 an hour, plus 3% to 7.99% |
|---|---|---|
| 45 hours (BELAY's typical starting point) | $1,890 to $2,070 | $600 to $970 |
| About 87 hours (20 hours a week) | $3,640 to $3,990 | $1,160 to $1,870 |
| About 173 hours (full time) | $7,280 to $7,970 | $2,320 to $3,740 |
BELAY's figures reflect U.S.-based talent, and BELAY prices full-time work individually, so treat the full-time row as an extrapolation.
The gap closes for experienced North American help on Upwork. Its cost guide lists advanced VAs and executive assistants with 1,000+ hours and a 90% success rate at $38 to $50+ an hour. That works out to about $6,590 to $8,670 a month full time, before fees.
Upwork's numbers also leave out your time. Recruiting, interviewing, testing, and managing a freelancer all fall on you, and a hire that doesn't work out means paying that cost again. Our breakdown of the true cost of a cheap virtual assistant walks through it.
Vetting and quality
BELAY vets for you. It says candidates go through interviews and a skills assessment before they are presented, and its team recommends one match. There are no further details on what skills it looks for or what the assessments involve.
Upwork gives you tools, such as AI shortlists, badges, and reviews, but the judgment is yours. You can run a paid test project, though designing and grading it is your job. BELAY doesn't say whether its skills assessment uses your actual tasks.
Time and effort
BELAY says most clients are matched “within about a week,” and its team does the screening. On Upwork, proposals and an AI shortlist can arrive the same day, but reviewing, interviewing, and testing take your time.
Flexibility and commitment
Both are flexible. BELAY runs month-to-month, typically from 45 hours a month. Upwork has no minimum, and contracts end when you say. For unpredictable or project-based needs, Upwork wins here.
What happens if a hire doesn't work out
BELAY says “any mismatch is resolved through the Right-Fit Guarantee at no additional cost,” and a Client Success Consultant stays involved after placement. Upwork has no replacement process, so you post again and start over. On fixed-price disputes, Upwork gives a nonbinding recommendation, and either side can then request binding arbitration.
Compliance and classification
With BELAY, you contract with BELAY, and its assistants are BELAY's independent contractors. On Upwork's standard plans, the terms make you responsible for classifying each freelancer; only Enterprise Compliance clients get classification services. Misclassification carries legal and tax risk, so it is worth a conversation with your accountant.
Provider one
What is BELAY?
BELAY Solutions is a U.S. company that matches busy leaders with U.S.-based assistants and financial professionals. Bryan and Shannon Miles founded it in 2010, and Tricia Sciortino now leads it as CEO. BELAY says it has served “25,000+ leaders” and keeps a bench of “2,000+ vetted, U.S.-based professionals.”
BELAY offers assistants for executive, operations, marketing, sales, personal, and social media work. Its finance side covers bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, tax, and fractional CFO work.
How BELAY works
BELAY does the matching for you. After a call about your needs, its team selects “two to three candidates” from the bench, interviews each one, and recommends a single match. BELAY says candidates go through interviews and a skills assessment first, and that each client has a Success Consultant assigned for the life of the engagement.
You don't interview a slate. You meet your assistant on a kickoff call. BELAY says most clients are matched “within about a week” and reports a “first-match success rate” of 93%.
Assistants are U.S.-based independent contractors, not BELAY employees. Hours are agreed up front, and their talent usually works Monday to Friday, between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. in the client's time zone.
BELAY assistant support runs month-to-month and hours can scale up or down. It “typically begins at 45 hours a month,” and many leaders start at 10 to 20 hours a week.
BELAY pricing in 2026
BELAY doesn't publish prices or a range. It prices engagements individually and bills monthly, rather than as an hourly wage. By its own description, BELAY doesn't compete on price.
Two outside sources put BELAY at $42 to $46 an hour. A client of three years puts it at about $42 an hour as of September 2026, and Forbes Advisor lists $46 hourly. BELAY hasn't confirmed either figure.
At those rates, BELAY's typical 45-hour starting point works out to about $1,890 to $2,070 a month. Twenty hours a week would run about $3,640 to $3,990.
BELAY's own guide says U.S.-based virtual assistants charge “$30 to $75 per hour” on average, and that services like BELAY “may cost more up front” in exchange for “less risk and more reliability” (BELAY).
BELAY pros
- Onshore talent. Every assistant works in the U.S., which suits client-facing work and U.S. business hours.
- Done-for-you screening. BELAY interviews and assesses candidates, then recommends one, so you skip sorting applicants.
- Support after placement. A Success Consultant stays for the life of the engagement.
- Month-to-month terms. There is no long-term contract, and hours scale up or down as needs change.
- A guarantee on fit. Mismatches are resolved through the Right-Fit Guarantee.
- Assistants and finance under one roof. Bookkeeping, payroll, tax, and fractional CFO services sit next to assistant support.
BELAY cons
- No published price or range. You won't know the cost until after a sales call. At estimated rates, full-time hours would run about $7,280 to $7,970 a month.
- U.S. business hours. Teams working outside U.S. hours get limited overlap.
- One match, not a shortlist. BELAY recommends a single candidate, so you can't compare finalists side by side.
- No test on your own work. BELAY doesn't say whether its assessments use a client's actual tasks.
- Key terms aren't public. BELAY doesn't publish how long its guarantee lasts, what happens if an assistant leaves later, or whether unused hours roll over.
BELAY reviews
- 4.0/5Trustpilot
- 58Reviews
- 71%Five stars
- 14%One star
Praise centers on the matching process, such as “a proven process for efficiently and effectively pinpointing the right talent.” Recent complaints cite price (“too expensive”) and candidate quality (“Very poor quality of candidates presented”).
Comparing more providers? See our list of BELAY alternatives.
Provider two
What is Upwork?
Upwork is a freelance marketplace where businesses post jobs, review proposals, and hire independent contractors, including virtual and executive assistants. It reported 763,000 active clients in the second quarter of 2026.
In 2026, Upwork is betting on AI. Its AI agent, Uma, now shortlists applicants and runs first-round interviews for clients.
How hiring a virtual assistant on Upwork works
- Post a job or search profiles. Describe the work, budget, and hours, or browse freelancers directly.
- Review proposals. Uma can deliver a shortlist of “top applicants” within hours. Upwork extended that to its free Basic plan in May 2026, though its pricing page lists curated shortlists under Business Plus.
- Interview. Uma can run first-round interviews and send “structured summaries.” You interview the finalists.
- Hire hourly or at a fixed price. Payments run through Upwork, with fees added.
- Manage the work yourself. Upwork does not supervise or monitor freelancers.
To judge candidates, Upwork shows a Job Success Score and badges. Top Rated means the top 10% of talent, Top Rated Plus the top 3%, and Expert-Vetted the top 1%; the Expert-Vetted badge is visible only to Business Plus and Enterprise clients. Upwork says it verifies freelancer identities and certain professional certifications, but not degrees or employment history.
Upwork's marketing says Uma handles much of the screening and vetting work. Clients are still responsible for vetting freelancers and deciding whether they are suitable. For a step-by-step checklist, see how to hire a virtual assistant.
Upwork fees for clients in 2026
On the free Basic plan, Upwork takes a marketplace fee of 3% to 7.99% from every payment, depending on your account and payment method, plus a one-time fee per contract. Its own pages state the Basic fee three ways: up to 7.99% in the Help Center, 5% on its pricing page, and 3% or 5% in its plan terms. Check your own account before you budget.
| Fee | 2026 amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace fee, Basic plan | 3% to 7.99% of each payment | On the tiered structure, 3% by U.S. bank account or 5% by other methods; on the flat structure, 7.99%. Not refundable. |
| Contract initiation fee | $0.99 to $14.99 per contract | Set by contract type, account history, and hiring activity. |
| Business Plus plan | 10% of each payment | Some U.S. clients pay 8% by checking account. Adds access to Expert-Vetted talent. |
| Freelancer service fee | 0% to 15% per contract | Paid by the freelancer, who may factor it into the rate. |
| Conversion fee | 13.5% of 12 months' estimated earnings | Applies when you move a freelancer off Upwork within 24 months. $1,000 minimum, $50,000 maximum. |
Freelancer rates vary widely, even within Upwork's own cost guide. It gives a range of $10 to $20 an hour with a median of $13, but also says VAs charge “an average of $18-35/hour depending on skills and experience.” For experienced North American freelancers, its table runs up to $38 to $50+ an hour for advanced VAs and executive assistants.
Upwork pros
- Low rates and a deep talent pool. VA rates start around $10 an hour, and you can hire from almost anywhere.
- Speed. Uma can return a shortlist in hours, so interviews can start the same day.
- No commitment. Pay by the hour or by milestone, and end a contract when the work is done.
- Payment safeguards. Fixed-price payments sit in escrow until you approve the work, and Upwork reviews disputed hourly invoices against the freelancer's Work Diary.
- Public track records. Success scores, badges, and past reviews are visible.
- Good for one-off projects. A single data cleanup, a research sprint, or a narrow technical task fits this setup well.
Upwork cons
- You're the recruiter. Upwork says vetting is the client's job, and it doesn't verify degrees or work history. Sorting proposals, interviewing, and testing are on you.
- You're also the manager. Upwork doesn't supervise freelancers, so onboarding, training, and quality control fall to you.
- No quality or replacement guarantee. If a hire doesn't work out, you start over.
- Fees stack up and are hard to pin down. Basic adds 3% to 7.99% to every payment, plus up to $14.99 per contract, and Business Plus adds 10%. Upwork's own pages disagree on the Basic rate.
- Easy to end on both sides. Either side can end a contract at any time, and nothing stops a freelancer from taking other clients.
- Compliance sits with you. On standard plans, Upwork's terms make the client responsible for deciding whether freelancers are contractors or employees.
Upwork reviews
- 4.2/5Trustpilot
- 16,480+Trustpilot reviews
- 4.5/5G2
- 3,230+G2 reviews
Both platforms include reviews from freelancers as well as clients, so read recent client reviews before you decide.
Weighing other marketplaces too? See our guide to Upwork alternatives for virtual assistants.
The third option
Assistantly sits between the two
A full-time operator with a team behind the hire, at a price closer to Upwork than to BELAY.
Assistantly places mid-to-senior operators in executive assistant, operations, marketing, client experience, and finance roles across nine industries. Every candidate completes a Day One™ simulation of the role's work, reviewed by a person, before you meet them.
Proof before you meet anyone
You describe the role on a call, and we build a Day One™ simulation around it. A person on our team reviews every result, and you meet your top three.
A published price range
Most full-time roles cost $2,500 to $3,000 a month, and senior or specialized roles run higher. That monthly number covers sourcing, the simulation, contracts, payroll, compliance, benefits, a success team, a 90-day plan, and the guarantee (pricing).
Pay is built around the person
Each operator sets their own rate, and you see it before you interview. We add benefits, including health coverage and paid time off, with no hidden markups.
Someone checks early
Every hire shares a Fresh Eyes™ review at two weeks, so a weak match surfaces early. Your success team then runs a 90-day plan with you.
A guarantee that doesn't expire
If a hire ever stops being the right fit, we find you a new one, for as long as you work with us.
Placements that last
98% of placements are still in role at six months.
Because our talent is global rather than U.S.-based, a full-time hire sits well below BELAY's estimated $7,280 a month. Most full-time roles run $2,500 to $3,000, in the same range as a full-time Upwork VA at $2,320 to $3,740, before you count the time you would spend recruiting and managing.
More than 1,000 companies have hired through Assistantly, with 80+ client reviews on our reviews page.
“Compared to my previous experiences with Upwork and other platforms, Assistantly's service was consistently superior in every aspect.”
What to know before you choose Assistantly
- It's built for ongoing roles. For a one-off project or a few hours of help a week, Upwork is the better fit.
- Talent is global, not U.S.-based. If the role strictly needs someone in the U.S., BELAY or a U.S. freelancer on Upwork fits better.
- Placements start with three months. That gives a hire a real chance to deliver. BELAY is month-to-month, and Upwork has no commitment.
Which to choose
Your hours, your budget, your time
The right choice comes down to how much of the hiring work you want to do yourself.
Choose
BELAY
If you want part-time, U.S.-based support, you'd rather not interview anyone, and convenience matters more than cost.
Choose
Upwork
If the work is a short project or a narrow skill, price decides, and you have time to recruit, test, and manage.
Choose
Assistantly
If you need a full-time operator who owns real work, you want to see a simulation of the role before you meet candidates, and you want a structured check two weeks in.
If you need more hours than BELAY makes affordable and less hiring work than Upwork demands, that middle is what we built.
Book a free strategy call to scope the role.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between BELAY and Upwork?
BELAY is a managed service: it matches you with one U.S.-based contractor and handles the screening. Upwork is a marketplace: you post a job, choose from proposals, and manage the freelancer yourself. BELAY costs more per hour, while Upwork takes more of your time.
Is BELAY more expensive than Upwork?
Usually, yes. BELAY doesn't publish prices, but outside estimates put it at about $42 to $46 an hour. Upwork's cost guide puts virtual assistants at $10 to $20 an hour, with a median of $13, plus a marketplace fee of 3% to 7.99%. Experienced North American executive assistants on Upwork can cost about as much as BELAY.
How much does BELAY cost per month?
BELAY quotes each client after a call and bills a monthly fee. Support typically begins at 45 hours a month, which comes to roughly $1,890 to $2,070 at estimated rates. Twenty hours a week runs about $3,640 to $3,990.
What fees does Upwork charge clients in 2026?
On the free Basic plan, Upwork charges a marketplace fee of 3% to 7.99% per payment, depending on your account and payment method, plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99. Business Plus charges 10% per payment.
Are BELAY assistants employees?
No. BELAY says its contractors “are independent contractors rather than BELAY employees.” They are U.S.-based, hours are agreed up front, and some work with more than one BELAY client.
Can you interview BELAY assistants before you're matched?
Not as a slate of candidates. BELAY selects two to three candidates, interviews and assesses them itself, and recommends one match, whom you meet on a kickoff call. BELAY says any mismatch is resolved through its Right-Fit Guarantee at no additional cost.
Do unused BELAY hours roll over?
BELAY doesn't say publicly. Its main site doesn't address unused hours or how long its Right-Fit Guarantee lasts, so ask for those terms in writing before you sign.
Does Upwork vet freelancers for you?
Not the way an agency does. Upwork checks that freelancers are eligible to use the platform, and its AI agent, Uma, can shortlist and interview. But its Help Center says, “You are responsible for vetting freelancers.” The Expert-Vetted badge, for the top 1%, is visible only on Business Plus and Enterprise plans.
Can you hire U.S.-based virtual assistants on Upwork?
Yes. Upwork lets you hire freelancers almost anywhere, including the U.S. Its cost guide lists experienced North American freelancers at up to $38 to $50+ an hour for advanced VAs and executive assistants, well above the $13 median across all VAs.
What is the best alternative to BELAY and Upwork?
It depends on the role. For a full-time operator, Assistantly is built for the middle ground: mid-to-senior talent who complete a Day One™ simulation before you meet them, with most full-time roles at $2,500 to $3,000 a month. For more options, see our guides to BELAY alternatives and Upwork alternatives.
Proof over Promise
See the work
before you meet the person
Tell us the role, and we'll show you who can actually do it.
There's no commitment until you choose who to hire.