BELAY vs Time Etc 2026: Which US-Based VA Service Actually Wins?

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Last Updated: June 2026

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Quick Comparison Table

Category	BELAY	Time Etc
Founded	2010	2007
VA Location	US only	US and UK
Starting Price	~$1,380/mo (est. 30hrs)	$360/mo (10hrs)
Full-Time Estimate	~$6,700-$7,515/mo	$1,800/mo (60hr max)
Effective Hourly Rate	~$42-$46/hr	$30-$36/hr
Trustpilot	4.1/5	4.9/5 (263 reviews)
Glassdoor	4.1/5	4.7/5
Free Trial	No	$50 credit (no CC)
Money-Back Guarantee	No (rematch only)	Yes (100%)
Rollover Hours	No	Yes
Bookkeeping	Yes	No
Transparent Pricing	No	Yes
Cancellation Notice	30 days	Month-to-month
Suggested Rating	3.8/5	4.5/5

Scroll down for the full analysis. Jump to The Winner if you want the bottom line.

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BELAY Overview

BELAY was founded in 2010 in Roswell, Georgia, and has grown into one of the most recognizable names in US-based virtual assistance. The company places 100% US-based contractors across three service categories: virtual assistants, bookkeepers, and social media strategists. It serves more than 1,000 organizations, carries a "Christian values" company culture, and markets heavily toward faith-based businesses and executives. BELAY's "Right-Fit Guarantee" promises a rematch within 30 days if the initial VA isn't the right fit — though importantly, this is not a money-back guarantee, just a reassignment.

BELAY's defining friction point is pricing opacity. The company does not publish its rates publicly. Based on third-party reporting and client accounts, estimated pricing runs approximately $42-$46/hr, or roughly $1,380/mo for 30 hours — reaching an estimated $6,700-$7,515/mo at full-time volume. These figures require direct verification with BELAY, as the company's refusal to publish pricing is a meaningful point of friction for buyers who want to comparison shop before engaging a sales conversation. See our full BELAY review for more detail.

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Time Etc Overview

Time Etc was founded in 2007 by Barnaby Lashbrooke in the UK, making it one of the longest-running dedicated VA services in the market. It places US and UK-based contractors and has earned a Trustpilot score of 4.9/5 across 263 reviews — the highest in the managed US VA space. Unlike BELAY, Time Etc publishes its full pricing schedule publicly: 10hrs/mo for $360, 20hrs/mo for $660, 40hrs/mo for $1,260, and 60hrs/mo (the max) for $1,800.

The model has several distinctly buyer-friendly features: a $50 free credit trial that requires no credit card, a 100% money-back guarantee, month-to-month billing, and rollover hours that let unused time carry forward. The limitation is scope: Time Etc is admin-focused, doesn't offer bookkeeping or social media strategy, and caps at 60 hours per month (no full-time option). Read our full Time Etc review for the complete breakdown. See also our VA pricing comparison guide for broader market context.

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Pricing: BELAY vs Time Etc

This is where the comparison gets concrete and where Time Etc's advantage is clearest.

Direct Cost Comparison at Common Usage Levels

Monthly Hours	BELAY Estimated Cost	Time Etc Published Cost	Difference
10 hours/mo	~$420-$460	$360	~$60-$100 cheaper (Time Etc)
20 hours/mo	~$840-$920	$660	~$180-$260 cheaper (Time Etc)
30 hours/mo	~$1,260-$1,380	$990*	~$270-$390 cheaper (Time Etc)
40 hours/mo	~$1,680-$1,840	$1,260	~$420-$580 cheaper (Time Etc)
60 hours/mo	~$2,520-$2,760	$1,800	~$720-$960 cheaper (Time Etc)

30-hour estimate for Time Etc interpolated between 20hr and 40hr plans.

At the most commonly purchased volume (40 hours per month), Time Etc costs an estimated $420-$580 less per month than BELAY. Over 12 months, that's a $5,040-$6,960 annual difference for the same number of hours.

The BELAY pricing caveat: BELAY's refusal to publish pricing makes all BELAY figures estimates based on third-party reporting. Get a direct quote from BELAY before treating these numbers as final. The actual rate could vary from the estimates above.

Time Etc's rollover advantage: Unused hours roll forward on Time Etc. If you pay for 40 hours and only use 30, the extra 10 hours carry to next month. BELAY has no published rollover policy — unused hours are a sunk cost.

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Features Compared

VA Quality and Matching

Both services offer US-based, dedicated VAs — which is the baseline requirement driving most buyers toward these two services in the first place. BELAY's white-glove matching process is more involved: it includes a detailed intake, a longer matching timeline, and the Right-Fit Guarantee if the first match doesn't work. Time Etc's matching is lighter-touch but faster, and the $50 trial credit lets you experience the quality before committing fully.

Neither company allows you to interview the VA before placement (unlike Wishup, which lets you pick from multiple candidates). You're trusting both services' matching processes.

On quality signals, Time Etc's 4.9/5 Trustpilot across 263 reviews outperforms BELAY's 4.1/5. This gap is meaningful — a 0.8-point Trustpilot difference across hundreds of reviews reflects a genuine pattern in client satisfaction, not statistical noise.

Service Breadth

This is BELAY's clearest advantage. BELAY offers three service lines: virtual assistants, bookkeepers, and social media strategists. If you need bookkeeping support alongside administrative VA work — and want both from a single managed vendor — BELAY is the only one of these two services that can deliver it.

Time Etc is admin-only: inbox management, calendar coordination, research, document creation, CRM updates, scheduling, and similar administrative work. If you need bookkeeping, you'll need a separate vendor or a different service entirely.

Hours and Flexibility

Time Etc has a hard ceiling of 60 hours per month. This is enough for most small business owners and solopreneurs — 60 hours is the equivalent of roughly 15 hours per week, or substantial part-time coverage. For anyone needing full-time coverage (160+ hours/month), Time Etc is structurally unable to serve you, and you'll need to look elsewhere regardless of the cost comparison. See our best virtual assistant services overview for full-time options.

BELAY can in principle accommodate higher volumes, though its pricing at full-time volume (~$6,700-$7,515/mo estimated) would make it one of the most expensive US-based options on the market.

Time Etc's month-to-month billing and rollover hours are more flexible than BELAY's 30-day cancellation notice and no-rollover policy.

Trial and Guarantee Terms

This is a genuine differentiator — not just on paper but in what it signals about each company's confidence in its product.

Time Etc: $50 free trial credit (no credit card required) + 100% money-back guarantee. This is a direct "try before you commit" offer. The no-credit-card-required component eliminates a common friction point where free trials auto-charge at expiry.

BELAY: No free trial. No money-back guarantee. The Right-Fit Guarantee promises a rematch within 30 days, but you have no financial recourse if the relationship simply isn't working — only the option to try a different VA.

The trial/guarantee gap is significant for buyers who haven't used a managed VA service before and have legitimate uncertainty about whether $1,380/mo+ is justified. Time Etc's model de-risks the test; BELAY's doesn't.

Transparency

Time Etc publishes all prices publicly. BELAY does not. This is an ideological difference, not just a pricing strategy.

For a buyer comparing options, BELAY's pricing opacity requires a sales conversation before you can do comparative math. That's a friction cost. It also raises a practical concern: if the pricing is competitive, why not publish it? Services that don't publish pricing typically don't because the published number would disadvantage them in comparison shopping. BELAY's estimated $42-46/hr vs. Time Etc's $30-36/hr suggests this is likely the explanation.

Employee/Contractor Satisfaction

Both services use US-based contractors (not employees). Time Etc's Glassdoor score of 4.7/5 (116 reviews) outperforms BELAY's 4.1/5 (274 reviews). Higher contractor satisfaction generally correlates with lower VA turnover, which means fewer mid-engagement disruptions for clients.

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Who Should Choose BELAY?

• Executives who specifically need US-based bookkeeping alongside VA support — BELAY is one of the few US-based managed services that bundles this
• Buyers for whom bookkeeping from a single vendor is a priority over cost and transparency
• Clients of faith-based organizations where BELAY's company culture is a genuine factor
• Businesses whose VA needs exceed 60 hours per month — BELAY can accommodate higher volumes where Time Etc's cap becomes a ceiling
• Anyone who's tried Time Etc and needs a different match dynamic — BELAY's white-glove process is more intensive
• Organizations already using BELAY social media strategists who want to add VA services in the same ecosystem

For a deeper look at BELAY's positioning, see our full BELAY review and the BELAY vs Boldly comparison for the premium-tier US VA landscape.

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Who Should Choose Time Etc?

• Entrepreneurs and small business owners who need reliable US-based admin support at the best available price-to-quality ratio
• Anyone buying US-based VA services for the first time — the free trial credit and money-back guarantee dramatically reduce the commitment risk
• Buyers who want transparent pricing and the ability to comparison shop without a sales call
• Businesses with variable monthly workloads where rollover hours and month-to-month flexibility are operationally important
• Anyone for whom bookkeeping is a separate function already handled — if you don't need BELAY's bookkeeping add-on, you're paying for its pricing premium without getting the benefit
• Teams sharing a VA — Time Etc allows sharing VA hours across colleagues at no extra cost, a feature BELAY doesn't offer
• Cost-sensitive businesses that want US-based quality at the lowest-available US price point

For deeper context on Time Etc, read our full Time Etc review. For comparison with another premium US option, see Time Etc vs Boldly.

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The Winner

Time Etc wins for the majority of US-based VA buyers — and it's not particularly close.

Time Etc delivers a lower effective hourly rate ($30-36/hr vs. BELAY's estimated $42-46/hr), a meaningfully higher Trustpilot satisfaction score (4.9 vs. 4.1), a risk-free trial, a 100% money-back guarantee, rollover hours, month-to-month flexibility, and fully transparent pricing. BELAY offers none of those buyer-friendly terms.

BELAY's genuine advantage — and the only reason to choose it over Time Etc — is bookkeeping. If you need US-based bookkeeping bundled with VA services from a single managed vendor, BELAY is the right answer. If you don't, you're paying a premium of $420-$580 per month at typical 40-hour usage, receiving less flexibility, and committing to a 30-day exit notice, in exchange for a worse Trustpilot score and no trial protection.

The one caveat worth stating: BELAY's pricing is estimated, not verified. Get a direct quote. If BELAY's actual rates have changed and are competitive with Time Etc's published pricing, the calculus shifts. As of June 2026, the available evidence points clearly in Time Etc's direction.

For most SMBs, solopreneurs, and teams needing part-time US-based admin support, Time Etc is the better buy. See our full comparison of the best virtual assistant services to see how both stack up against the full market, including offshore alternatives that can deliver similar quality at $4-15/hr.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is BELAY or Time Etc cheaper?

Time Etc is cheaper at every comparable hour tier. Time Etc charges $1,260/mo for 40 hours (an effective $31.50/hr). BELAY's estimated rate is $42-46/hr, putting the equivalent 40-hour month at approximately $1,680-$1,840 — roughly $420-$580 more per month. Over 12 months, that difference compounds to $5,040-$6,960. Time Etc also publishes pricing publicly; BELAY requires a sales inquiry for a quote.

Does BELAY or Time Etc have a free trial?

Time Etc offers a $50 free credit trial with no credit card required plus a 100% money-back guarantee. BELAY offers neither a free trial nor a money-back guarantee — only a "Right-Fit Guarantee" that promises a VA rematch within 30 days if the initial placement doesn't work. If you want to test a US-based VA service before committing to significant spend, Time Etc's trial structure is meaningfully more buyer-friendly.

Can Time Etc handle bookkeeping?

No. Time Etc is an administrative VA service only. It does not offer bookkeeping, accounting, or financial services. If bookkeeping is part of your VA requirements, BELAY is the relevant option between these two, or you can pair Time Etc with a separate bookkeeping service. For a broader view of VA services that include financial tasks, see our best virtual assistant services ranking.

What is BELAY's cancellation policy?

BELAY requires 30 days written notice to cancel service. This means if you decide to stop using BELAY, you'll pay for one additional month before the contract ends. Time Etc is month-to-month with no stated notice requirement beyond the billing cycle. The 30-day BELAY notice requirement is a meaningful friction point for anyone who wants to retain flexibility.

Does Time Etc have a maximum hours limit?

Yes. Time Etc caps at 60 hours per month across all its plans. That's approximately 15 hours per week — sufficient for most part-time VA needs but insufficient for full-time coverage. If you need more than 60 hours per month of US-based VA support, BELAY can theoretically accommodate this (at significant cost), or you'd need to consider a different service entirely. See our VA pricing guide for full-time US VA options.

Which service has better reviews — BELAY or Time Etc?

Time Etc has a significantly better Trustpilot score: 4.9/5 across 263 reviews vs. BELAY's 4.1/5. Time Etc also outperforms on Glassdoor: 4.7/5 vs. BELAY's 4.1/5. A 0.8-point gap on Trustpilot across hundreds of reviews from real clients represents a genuine and meaningful difference in client satisfaction, not statistical variation. This gap is one of the stronger arguments in Time Etc's favor.

Can I share a VA between multiple team members with BELAY or Time Etc?

Time Etc explicitly allows sharing VA hours across colleagues at no extra cost — a useful feature for small teams. BELAY does not publish a team-sharing policy. If your use case involves multiple team members drawing on the same VA pool, Time Etc's sharing model is likely the better structural fit. Confirm details directly with each company for current terms.

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About the Author: Our editorial team independently researches and tests virtual assistant services. We are not affiliated with any VA company featured on this site.