Wing publishes two General Virtual Assistant plans: $699/mo part-time (80 hrs) and $999/mo full-time (160 hrs), per Wing's published pricing checked October 19, 2026. Specialized roles are not priced publicly, and third-party reviews report software is not included (+$100 to $300/mo). Wing is a Philippines-based service, so on raw sticker cost it is often cheaper than a South African placement. The trade is quality and timezone: Filipino English is second-language (screen for client-facing roles) and the Philippines is ~12 hours ahead of US Eastern, so US-daytime coverage needs a night shift. A full-time South African placement through a firm like VirtuHire US runs $1,200 to $2,800/mo with native English and staff who work your US hours. Choose Wing for cost-first async work; choose South Africa for client-facing roles worked live on your US hours.
What Wing charges in 2026
Wing now lists prices for its two General Virtual Assistant plans on Wing's published pricing (checked October 19, 2026). Other roles are available but not priced publicly, so figures for those still come from third-party reviews. Each row below says which kind of figure it is.
Here is what Wing publishes, and what reviewers report for the rest.
| Item | Figure (source) |
|---|---|
| Part-time plan (GVA Part-Time) | $699/mo for 80 hrs (published by Wing) |
| Full-time plan (GVA Full-Time) | $999/mo for 160 hrs (published by Wing) |
| Specialized roles | Not published by Wing; third-party reviews report CRM ~$799, sales dev ~$1,199, EA ~$1,299 |
| Software the assistant needs | Not included; reported +$100 to $300/mo |
| Staffing model | Philippines-based, dedicated assistant with a success manager |
Only the two plan prices are Wing's own figures. The specialized-role, software and staffing-model rows are what recurs across third-party reviews as of 2026. On sticker cost, Wing's $999 full-time plan sits below a South African full-time retainer, so if the only number that matters to you is the monthly price, Wing will often look cheaper. The rest of this guide is about the parts of the decision that the sticker price hides.
Why the figures changed: until recently Wing did not publish a rate card, and earlier versions of this guide used reported ranges of about $699 to $899/mo part-time and $1,599/mo full-time. Wing's own pricing section now shows $699 and $999, so we use those and keep the reported label only on figures Wing does not publish.
What Wing's model includes
Wing sells a managed, dedicated-assistant relationship on top of the Philippines talent pool. Here is what Wing lists inside both plans.
- A dedicated assistant. You work with one assigned person rather than a rotating pool, on a part-time or full-time plan.
- A customer success manager. Wing adds a layer of account oversight and quality control on top of the assistant.
- Free replacement. If the assistant is not a fit, Wing reassigns you rather than leaving you to restart.
- Wing Workspace app. A task and communication layer for delegating and tracking work.
- Timezone flexibility. Wing offers shifted schedules, though covering US business hours from the Philippines generally means the assistant works a night shift.
- Shareable across your team. Wing lists sharing with colleagues on both plans.
That is a real, managed package, and for the right role it works well. The questions that decide fit are quality of English for client-facing work and whether a permanent night shift is sustainable for the coverage you need.
Who Wing fits
Wing is a strong fit for a specific buyer. Knowing whether that is you avoids a mismatch.
Wing fits you if:
- Cost is your top priority and the full-time sticker price is the deciding factor.
- The work is async: data entry, research, listings, scheduling, back-office tasks that do not need real-time US-daytime presence.
- You want 24/7 or overnight coverage, which a Philippines night shift covers naturally.
- You specifically want the depth of the Philippines talent pool for a technical or specialized role.
Wing may be the wrong tool if:
- The role is client-facing and accent or written-English nuance affects how your brand lands.
- You need an assistant who works live, in real time, during your US business hours.
- Retention matters and you are wary of the churn that long-term night shifts can drive in any offshore market.
- You want software and tools folded into one predictable monthly number.
If you landed in the second list, the comparison below is written for you.
The native-English alternative: full-time South African staff
Wing and a South African placement are both offshore, so this is not a US-versus-offshore pitch. It is a comparison of two offshore markets, and the honest framing is that they win on different things. Wing tends to win on raw cost. South Africa tends to win on client-facing quality and live US-hours coverage.
| Wing (published plans) | VirtuHire US (South Africa) | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $699/mo PT, $999/mo FT | $1,200 to $2,800/mo (full-time) |
| Hours | 80 (PT) or 160 (FT), dedicated | Full-time, dedicated to you |
| Staff location | Philippines | South Africa (EOR employed) |
| English | Strong, second-language (screen for voice) | Native or near-native |
| US timezone | ~12 hrs ahead (night shift for US daytime) | 6 to 7 hrs ahead (staff work your US hours) |
| Software / tools | Reported not included (+$100 to $300/mo) | Handled within the engagement |
| Replacement | Free reassignment | 30-day replacement guarantee |
The decision is not "which is cheaper." Wing frequently is, on sticker. The decision is which axis your role weights. For back-office and async work where cost dominates, Wing is a rational pick. For an executive assistant, a client success rep, a sales role, or anything where a US client hears or reads the assistant's English and where you want the person online during your morning, South Africa's native English and a shift set to your US hours change the outcome. You are not paying more for nothing; you are paying for language quality and daytime overlap without a graveyard shift.
On the night-shift question: covering US business hours from the Philippines means your assistant works while their country sleeps. Some people sustain that fine; across any offshore market, permanent night shifts can pressure retention over time. South Africa's smaller timezone gap puts a US Eastern business day in the South African afternoon and evening, which is one reason client-facing roles often run more smoothly from that market.
Native English and US-hours overlap
The two variables that most affect a client-facing VA hire are language and timezone. English is the dominant business language in South Africa and one of its official languages, so client-facing email, calls, and writing land at native or near-native quality. Filipino English is strong, but as a second-language market, voice clarity for phone-facing roles should be screened candidate by candidate. For internal or async work the difference is small; for brand-facing work it is not.
On timezone, South Africa is 6 to 7 hours ahead of US Eastern Time depending on daylight saving, and staff work a shift set to your US business hours, East Coast through Pacific. The Philippines is about 12 hours ahead, so US-daytime coverage generally requires the assistant to work overnight. Both can be made to work; the question is which structure fits the role and holds up over months.
How the economics actually compare
The right comparison is total cost for the outcome you need, not the lowest sticker. Run the math on your real role.
For a cost-first async role, Wing's published $999/mo full-time plan is genuinely competitive, and if the work does not need daytime overlap or accent-sensitive English, it may be the better value. Add the reported software cost (+$100 to $300/mo) and it lands around $1,100 to $1,300/mo, close to the bottom of a South African retainer, but it can still be lower.
For a client-facing role that needs someone live on US business hours, the comparison shifts. A South African placement at $1,600 to $2,200/mo gives you native-English, daytime-overlapping support without a permanent night shift, and firms in that market typically fold tools and a replacement guarantee into the engagement. The extra spend versus Wing's base plan buys language quality and schedule fit that the role actually depends on. Match the market to the role, not to the lowest line item.
When Wing is the better choice
Wing beats a South African placement in a real set of cases, and we would tell you to use them there.
- Cost is the deciding factor. For a full-time async role where the monthly price is what makes or breaks the hire, Wing's published $999/mo full-time plan is lower.
- The work is async and internal. Data entry, research, listings, back-office tasks with no accent or daytime-overlap requirement.
- You want overnight or 24/7 coverage. A Philippines night shift covers US overnight hours naturally.
- You want the Philippines talent pool specifically for a role where its depth and specialization help.
Outside those cases, and especially for client-facing roles, the native-English and daytime-overlap advantages of South Africa usually earn the difference.
How to decide in five minutes
Run this quick filter and you will know which direction to go.
- Is the role client-facing? If a US client hears or reads the assistant's English, weight native fluency heavily, which points to South Africa. If the work is internal or async, English quality matters less and Wing competes.
- Do you need real-time US-daytime overlap? If yes, a 6-to-7-hour SA gap beats a 12-hour Philippines gap without a night shift. If you want overnight coverage, the Philippines night shift is an advantage.
- Is cost the single deciding factor? If the lowest full-time sticker wins outright, Wing is often it. If you weight quality and schedule fit, compare total value.
- Do you want tools and a replacement guarantee folded in? Factor Wing's reported add-on software cost into the real monthly number.
Most founders hiring a client-facing or daytime role come out of this filter pointed at South Africa; most hiring a cost-first async role find Wing competitive.
What VirtuHire US offers and the proof behind it
VirtuHire US places pre-vetted, full-time South African staff with US companies, and the parent brand's track record is the credibility anchor. Across the parent network there are 272 clients, 750+ placements, and 93% retention based on internal data as of August 2025. Retention matters more than rate: a hire who stays beats a cheaper one who churns.
Pricing runs $1,200 to $2,800/mo full-time depending on role complexity, with no recruitment fee, EOR employment handled, and a 30-day replacement guarantee if the fit is wrong. Recent placements show the range: Carmen, an EA at $1,600/mo. Tom, a sales hire at $2,200/mo. Chantel, order processing at $1,200/mo. Eugene, a GTM engineer at $2,800/mo. Different roles, the same dedicated full-time structure.
If you want to talk through whether your specific role fits South Africa or is better served by a lower-cost Philippines option like Wing, book a 15-minute call here. If Wing is the right answer for you, we will say so.
A note on how this guide was built
Wing's two plan prices ($699/mo part-time, $999/mo full-time) come from Wing's published pricing, checked October 19, 2026. Specialized-role prices, software costs and the staffing-model details are not published by Wing; those come from third-party reviews available as of 2026 and are labeled as reported. Pricing and packages change, so confirm current Wing terms directly with Wing before signing.
VirtuHire US figures are internal placement data (272 clients, 750+ placements, 93% retention as of August 2025) and current pricing bands. Where we cite a competitor number we say whether the competitor publishes it or it is reported by third parties, and tell you to verify it at the source.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Pricing for third-party providers: Wing plan prices are from Wing's published pricing, checked October 19, 2026. Other Wing figures are third-party reported. Verify directly with the provider before signing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Wing Assistant cost in 2026?
Wing publishes two General Virtual Assistant plans: $699/mo for part-time (80 hours a month) and $999/mo for full-time (160 hours a month), checked on Wing's pricing section on October 19, 2026. Wing says additional roles are available but does not publish their prices, and third-party reviews note the software an assistant needs is not included. Confirm current pricing directly with Wing.
Does Wing publish its prices?
Partly. As of October 2026 Wing's pricing section lists two General Virtual Assistant plans with prices ($699/mo part-time, $999/mo full-time). Prices for other roles are not published, so any figure you see for specialized roles comes from third-party reviews, not a Wing rate card. Verify directly with Wing.
Where are Wing's assistants based?
Wing primarily staffs assistants from the Philippines, a large and mature offshore market. Filipino English is strong, but it is a second-language market, so voice clarity for client-facing roles should be screened candidate by candidate. The Philippines is also about 12 hours ahead of US Eastern Time, so US-business-hours coverage usually requires a night shift for the assistant.
Is Wing or a South African VA better for US companies?
It depends on the role. Wing is often the lower sticker cost, especially for async work and cost-first buyers. A South African placement, at $1,200 to $2,800/mo full-time, tends to win for client-facing work because English is a native business language and the assistant is recruited to work your US business hours, East Coast through Pacific. For accent-sensitive EA, sales, and customer-success roles, that difference matters.
What extra costs does Wing have?
Reviewers commonly note that the plan price does not include the software the assistant needs (CRM, project management, communication tools), which is reported to add roughly $100 to $300 a month. Specialized roles are also reported to cost more than the base plan. Confirm what is and is not included when you get a quote from Wing.
When is Wing the better choice?
Wing is a strong fit when cost is the top priority, when the work is async and does not require real-time US-daytime overlap, when you want 24/7 or overnight coverage that a Philippines night shift covers naturally, or when you specifically want the Philippines talent pool. If the role is client-facing or needs daytime US overlap without a permanent graveyard shift, a native-English South African placement is usually the better structural fit.
Related reading
- How much does a virtual assistant cost in 2026: full pricing breakdown by country and named provider.
- Philippines VA vs other offshore markets: how the Philippines compares to South Africa and LatAm.
- Belay virtual assistant pricing 2026: the premium US part-time comparison.
- Offshore executive assistant for US founders: dedicated EA pricing and engagement types.
- Offshore virtual assistants for US businesses: country and role overview with pricing.
- VirtuHire US pricing: full-time South African placements from $1,200 to $2,800/mo.
- Best countries to hire virtual assistants in 2026: how South Africa compares on cost, English, and timezone.
Comparing Wing against a native-English South African hire?
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