Time Etc Review 2026: Is It Worth the Price?

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Last Updated: June 2026

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Quick Verdict

Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5

Time Etc is the best-value US-based virtual assistant service for entrepreneurs and small business owners who need reliable admin support without a long-term commitment. With a 4.9/5 Trustpilot score — the highest in the industry — transparent public pricing starting at $360/month, and a no-risk $50 trial credit, it earns its reputation. The ceiling is real though: no full-time option, no bookkeeping, and the per-hour rate is higher than any offshore alternative.

Best for: Solopreneurs, small business owners, and entrepreneurs who want a reliable US-based VA for ongoing admin work and are willing to pay a fair premium for quality and transparency.

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What Is Time Etc?

Time Etc was founded in 2007 by Barnaby Lashbrooke, originally in the UK, and has since expanded to serve US clients with American-based virtual assistants. It operates a managed/dedicated model — meaning you get one consistent VA assigned to you, with Time Etc handling the matching, vetting, and oversight. Unlike freelance platforms, you're not doing the hiring yourself. Unlike bloated enterprise services, you're not paying for a sales team to upsell you.

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Time Etc Pricing and Plans

Time Etc publishes its pricing openly — which immediately puts it ahead of competitors like BELAY that force you into a sales call before revealing rates.

Plan	Hours/Month	Monthly Price	Effective Hourly Rate
Starter	10 hours	$360/mo	$36.00/hr
Standard	20 hours	$660/mo	$33.00/hr
Professional	40 hours	$1,260/mo	$31.50/hr
Executive	60 hours	$1,800/mo	$30.00/hr

Key terms:

• Month-to-month — no annual contract required
• Unused hours roll over to the next month
• You can share your VA with colleagues at no additional charge
• $50 free trial credit available (no credit card required)
• 100% money-back guarantee

The math on that rollover policy is worth calling out. If you buy the 20-hour plan and only use 15 hours in month one, those 5 hours carry forward. Competing services like Zirtual don't offer rollover — you lose unused hours at month's end.

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Key Features

Dedicated VA Model

Every Time Etc client gets one primary VA assigned specifically to them — not a pool of agents where a different person handles every request. This matters more than it sounds. A dedicated VA learns your preferences, your communication style, your recurring tasks, and your standards. After a few weeks of working together, you stop explaining things you've already explained.

US and UK VAs Only

All Time Etc assistants are based in the US or UK. This is deliberate positioning. If you need a VA who works your timezone, understands American cultural context, and communicates in native-level English for client-facing tasks, Time Etc delivers that by design. It's not an afterthought — it's the core product.

VA Matching Process

Time Etc does not let you browse a marketplace and pick whoever looks best on a profile. They match you based on your task requirements, industry, and working style. The matching quality is a real differentiator: their Trustpilot reviews consistently mention first-match success rather than the multiple replacement cycles that plague other services.

Hours Rollover and Team Sharing

Two underrated features: hours roll over month to month (so a slow month doesn't cost you money), and multiple team members can share the same VA under a single plan at no extra cost. If you and a business partner both need occasional help, one 20-hour plan covers both of you.

Free Trial Credit

Time Etc offers $50 in free credits to try the service — no credit card required to start. This is a genuinely no-risk entry point. You can test the VA matching process, evaluate the quality of work, and decide whether to commit before paying a cent. Among US-based managed VA services, this is rare.

Money-Back Guarantee

If you're not satisfied after starting a paid plan, Time Etc offers a full money-back guarantee. This is a real safety net, not fine-print theater. Combined with the free trial credit, it's one of the most consumer-friendly commitment structures in the managed VA space.

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Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Highest Trustpilot score in the VA industry: 4.9/5 from 263 verified reviews
• Fully transparent public pricing — no sales call required
• Month-to-month plans with no cancellation penalty
• Unused hours roll over to the following month
• Share one VA across multiple team members at no extra charge
• $50 free trial credit with no credit card required
• 100% money-back guarantee
• Strong Glassdoor score of 4.7/5 (116 reviews) — happy employees produce better work
• US and UK VAs only — consistent timezone, language, and cultural alignment

Cons:

• Maximum plan is 60 hours/month — no full-time option available
• Admin-focused only — no bookkeeping, no social media strategy, no creative services
• Higher per-hour cost than any offshore service ($30-$36/hr vs $4-$12/hr Philippines-based)
• Not the right fit for specialized or industry-specific tasks (legal, medical, real estate CRM)
• No stated SLA for response time in public documentation

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Who Is Time Etc Best For?

• Entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who need 10-40 hours of reliable admin support each month
• Small business owners who have tried offshore VAs and want the reliability and communication quality of a US-based assistant
• Consultants and freelancers who need calendar management, email triage, research, and document work done in their timezone
• Teams of 2-5 people who want to share VA hours rather than each paying separately
• First-time VA buyers who want a no-risk way to test the category with the $50 free credit

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Who Should NOT Use Time Etc?

• Anyone who needs more than 60 hours/month — Time Etc simply doesn't offer full-time plans
• Business owners who need bookkeeping or financial support — Time Etc does not offer these services
• Anyone whose budget is the primary constraint — the $30-$36/hr rate is fair for US-based work but cannot compete with offshore alternatives at $4-$12/hr
• Companies needing specialized industry support — real estate CRM, legal document prep, medical scheduling — Time Etc's generalist VA pool is not built for these
• Anyone who needs 24/7 or international timezone coverage — US/UK VAs work business hours

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Time Etc Alternatives

If Time Etc isn't the right fit, here are three alternatives worth considering:

1. BELAY (~$1,380/mo for 30 hours) BELAY is also US-based with a white-glove matching process, and it adds bookkeeping and social media strategy that Time Etc doesn't offer. The trade-off: pricing is not public, you'll need to sit through a sales call, and the 30-day cancellation notice is a real trap. Read our full BELAY review to compare.

2. Boldly ($2,520/mo for 40 hours) If you want the highest-quality US-based VA available and budget is not a constraint, Boldly employs W-2 assistants with full benefits — which produces the lowest VA turnover in the industry. At $63/hr effective, it's nearly double Time Etc's rate, but the stability is unmatched. Read our full Boldly review to decide if the premium makes sense.

3. Wing Assistant ($699/mo for 80 hours) If you need more hours at a lower cost and are willing to work with a Philippines-based VA, Wing offers a managed full-time model at $1,099/mo. The quality signals are weaker (Glassdoor 3.7/5), but the value math is hard to argue with. Read our full Wing Assistant review for the full picture.

You can also see our full comparison of the best virtual assistant services or read the Time Etc vs Boldly breakdown to see how these two stack up directly on price and quality.

For broader context on what US-based VA support costs vs. offshore alternatives, our virtual assistant cost guide runs the complete numbers.

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Our Verdict

4.5 / 5 — Recommended

Time Etc earns its position as the best-value US-based virtual assistant service in 2026. The combination of transparent pricing, rollover hours, team sharing, a 4.9/5 Trustpilot score, and a genuinely no-risk trial makes it the easiest recommendation we can make for entrepreneurs who want reliable admin support without a long-term commitment.

The limitations are real and worth naming clearly: if you need more than 60 hours a month, or you need bookkeeping, or your budget can't absorb $360/month minimum, Time Etc is not the answer. But for the specific use case it serves — consistent, high-quality, US-based admin VA support for a growing business — it's the best option in the market by a meaningful margin.

If you're starting from scratch and want to test without risk, the $50 free credit is an unusually fair offer. Take it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Time Etc cost per month? Time Etc plans start at $360/month for 10 hours of VA time, which works out to $36/hour. The most popular plan is $660/month for 20 hours ($33/hr), and the maximum plan is $1,800/month for 60 hours ($30/hr). All plans are month-to-month with no annual contract required, and unused hours roll over to the following month.

Does Time Etc offer a free trial? Yes. Time Etc offers $50 in free trial credits with no credit card required at signup. This lets you test the service, evaluate your matched VA, and complete real tasks before committing to a paid plan. Combined with their money-back guarantee, it's the most consumer-friendly entry point among US-based managed VA services.

Is Time Etc a US-based VA service? Yes. All Time Etc virtual assistants are based in the United States or the United Kingdom. This makes it one of the few managed VA services that guarantees US/UK talent, which matters for timezone alignment, native English communication, and cultural context on client-facing tasks.

Can I get a full-time VA through Time Etc? No. Time Etc's maximum plan is 60 hours per month, which is part-time support. If you need a full-time dedicated VA (160+ hours/month), you'll need to look at services like Wing Assistant ($1,099/mo), Wishup ($1,999/mo full-time), or MyOutDesk ($1,788/mo). See our virtual assistant cost guide for a full comparison.

What tasks can Time Etc VAs handle? Time Etc VAs are generalist admin assistants. Common tasks include email inbox management, calendar scheduling, travel booking, data entry, research, document creation, social media scheduling (not strategy), and customer communication. They do not offer bookkeeping, graphic design, copywriting, or specialized industry services like real estate CRM management.

How does Time Etc compare to BELAY? Time Etc is significantly more affordable than BELAY and has a higher Trustpilot score (4.9 vs 4.1). Time Etc publishes its pricing openly; BELAY does not. BELAY adds bookkeeping and social media strategy services that Time Etc doesn't offer. For most entrepreneurs who need admin support only, Time Etc is the better value. Read our detailed BELAY vs Time Etc comparison for a full breakdown.

Does Time Etc offer bookkeeping services? No. Time Etc is an admin-focused VA service only. If you need bookkeeping support alongside VA services, BELAY is the main managed service that bundles both. Alternatively, you could use Time Etc for admin and a dedicated bookkeeping service separately.

What is Time Etc's cancellation policy? Time Etc is month-to-month with no long-term contract required. You can cancel at any time without a multi-month notice requirement — a meaningful advantage over services like BELAY that require 30 days written notice.

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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.