Freelancer vs. Agency VA: What’s Best for Your Business?

“We all have 24 hours in a day, but why does it sometimes feel like everyone else is managing theirs better?”

When your to-do list starts spilling into your weekends or you find yourself working in the business more than on it, hiring a virtual assistant is a smart next move.But once you decide to get support, a new question shows up: Do you hire a freelance VA or go through a VA agency?

While both options can offer fantastic support, they come with distinct differences in cost, consistency, flexibility, and overall reliability. This blog will help you compare all pros and conse and make that final decision!

Maybe you’ve tried to do it all yourself. Or maybe you’ve hired a VA before, but it didn’t quite stick. Missed deadlines, unclear communication, or just the wrong fit. You’re not looking for someone to just tick off tasks. You want someone you can trust. Someone who “gets it.” Someone reliable.

And that’s where this choice really matters.

You need flexibility…

Freelancer:Freelancers often set their own schedules. That’s great for them, but not always for you. If they’re juggling multiple clients, your work might take a back seat when things get busy.

Agency VA:An agency works as a team. If your main VA is unavailable, there’s a plan in place and someone else steps in. You’re never left hanging. Flexibility, with structure behind it.

Real-life example: One of our clients had an urgent launch during her VA’s vacation. Our another VA with same set of skills stepped in, fully briefed and ready to go. Zero panic.

You need your time back, not another person to manage.

Freelancer: When you hire a freelancer, you’re also managing them. Training, checking in, all on you.

Agency VA:

With an agency, the onboarding is smoother. We’ve already trained our team, and we guide the process, so you can hand things off and actually let go. You can find out more about that in this blog.

What if you are planning to scale?

Freelancer:

Freelancers usually specialize in only one or two area: marketing, finances, sales, admin, email management…and don’t have very diverse skills. If you’re not planning to scale and just need help with a specific aspect of your business, a freelancer is a good choice. But if you do plan to grow, you might need to go through the whole process of finding a VA again.

Agency VA:

An agency grows with you. At RemoteBob, we have VAs with diverse skills across admin, marketing, tech, and more, all under one roof. As your needs expand, we simply give you options of VA that could do the job. No extra hiring, no lost momentum.

What to choose?

Go with a freelancer if:

• You’re comfortable managing and training someone directly.

• You’re okay with a bit of unpredictability.

  
  

Go with an agency if:

• You value reliability, structure, and consistency.

• You’re scaling your business and want a long-term partner.

• You want to delegate more without micromanaging.

  
  

At RemoteBob, we’re here to help you reclaim your time, bring order to the chaos, and grow your business with confidence. Our virtual assistants are smart, fast, resourceful, and genuinely care about the clients they support. Whether you need help streamlining operations, organizing your workload, or scaling your company, you’ll have a dedicated extra team member that works hard.

Need help choosing the right kind of support? Book a call with us on this link or reach out on email customers@remotebob.co.uk