Offshore virtual assistant companies for Australian businesses
Most offshore virtual assistant companies serving Australia hire in the Philippines, 2 to 3 hours behind Sydney, and place one person you manage. VirtualStaff365 publishes rates from about $12 an hour excluding GST, and Remote Staff lists candidate rates. For checked batch work instead of a hire, a team in India such as HerWorkCircle prices per piece.
The short list
- [Remote Staff](https://www.remotestaff.com.au/): best for choosing a Philippine candidate from a list with hourly rates shown.
- [VirtualStaff365](https://www.virtualstaff365.com.au/): best for a Melbourne-run agency with published hourly ranges and a 5-month probation period.
- [Kinetic](https://www.kineticstaff.com/locations/australia/): best for hiring offshore staff in the Philippines while you run their daily work.
- [Staff Domain](https://www.staffdomain.com/): best for mid-market businesses that want staffing or employer-of-record services in the Philippines.
- [Wishup](https://www.wishup.co/hire/virtual-assistant/au): best for one dedicated assistant in India on a monthly plan.
- [HerWorkCircle](/hire): best for repeat batch work, such as listings, data checking and support tickets, checked by a second person.
How we chose and what we checked
We are one of the options, so we've ordered the list by the kind of help you need and say when each provider is the better choice. Every rate and term below comes from the provider's own pages on 25 October 2026. Virtual Coworker, a well-known Australian name, blocked our visits, so we left it out rather than guess at its terms. Onshore, Australia-based assistant firms aren't covered: this list is for owners comparing offshore help. Stealth Agents, which many Australian owners also look at, is in our main list of virtual assistant companies and has its own comparison page.
Directories such as Clutch and GoodFirms fill most of the search results for this question, and the few written lists come from providers that rank themselves first. Use them for names, then check each provider's own terms.
Offshore virtual assistant companies compared
| Provider | What you get | Published rate | Staff based in | Terms shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote Staff | A Philippine hire you choose and manage | Hourly rate per candidate, including the service fee, plus GST; moves with the exchange rate. Check the currency on the page | Philippines | Minimum term not published |
| VirtualStaff365 | A recruited offshore staff member | Estimates of $12 to $15 an hour excluding GST for a VA or PA, for a 40-hour week; no setup or recruitment fees | Philippines and South Africa | No long-term contracts; 5-month probation period |
| Kinetic | Offshore staff you run day to day | Per role; not on the Australia page | Philippines | Not published on the page |
| Staff Domain | Offshore staffing, BPO or employer of record | Not published | Philippines | Not published |
| Wishup | One dedicated assistant | From $1,299 a month for 4 hours a day; its pricing page lists this in US dollars | India | Month to month, cancel anytime |
| HerWorkCircle | Finished batch work, checked twice | No rate card: a price for a trial batch, agreed before work starts | India | None; a small trial batch first |
Philippines or India: what the time difference means
| Where you are | Manila | India |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney or Melbourne (AEST) | 2 hours behind | 4.5 hours behind |
| Sydney or Melbourne (AEDT, summer) | 3 hours behind | 5.5 hours behind |
| Brisbane | 2 hours behind | 4.5 hours behind |
| Perth | Same time | 2.5 hours behind |
| Auckland (NZST, April to September) | 4 hours behind | 6.5 hours behind |
| Auckland (NZDT, September to April) | 5 hours behind | 7.5 hours behind |
If you want someone online for most of your working day, a Philippine hire is the easier fit. If the work is batches you send off and check later, India's later hours help: work sent at lunchtime in Sydney can be done and checked by the next morning. Neither country is better at the work itself; pick by how you want to work.
Remote Staff: choose a candidate and see the rate
Remote Staff hires in the Philippines and lists available candidates with an hourly rate for each. Its candidate page says rates include the service fee, are linked to the exchange rate and move slightly month to month; Australian businesses pay GST on top. Check which currency the rates are in.
Best for: owners who want to pick a person and manage them. Downside: you manage the work and check it yourself, and the rate moves with the exchange rate.
VirtualStaff365: a Melbourne agency with published ranges
VirtualStaff365 is run from Melbourne and recruits in the Philippines and South Africa. Its cost page shows example hourly costs excluding GST: $12 to $15 for a virtual assistant or PA, $12 to $14 for data entry and $13 to $15 for customer service. It says these are estimates for a 40-hour week, that part-time rates may cost more, and that there are no setup costs or recruitment fees; the page doesn't name the currency. Its home page offers no long-term contracts and a 5-month probation period.
Best for: an Australian-run agency with clear rate ranges. Downside: it places a staff member, so training and daily management sit with you.
Kinetic: offshore staff you run day to day
Kinetic, with an office in Brisbane, hires staff in the Philippines for Australian companies across admin, finance, customer service and other roles. Its Australia page says you keep control of the team and daily work, and that costs should be judged role by role; it doesn't list rates there.
Best for: building your own offshore team under your management. Downside: no prices on the page, so you need a quote.
Staff Domain: staffing and employer of record
Staff Domain describes itself as serving mid-market Australian businesses ready to scale, with offshore staffing, outsourcing and employer-of-record services in the Philippines. It doesn't publish prices.
Best for: larger teams that want an offshore partner to employ staff for them. Downside: built for scale, so less suited to a few hours of work a week.
Wishup: one dedicated assistant in India
Wishup's Australia page offers assistants in India from $1,299 a month without naming a currency; its pricing page lists the same figure, in US dollars, as the 4 hours a day Prime plan, with 8 hours a day at $1,999. The Australia page doesn't say which Australian hours are covered, so ask. It's month to month and you can cancel anytime. More in our Wishup comparison.
Best for: one person for daily admin, on a monthly plan. Downside: the price is in US dollars, and you pay for the seat whether or not there's work that week.
HerWorkCircle: checked batch work from a team in India
We run a managed team of skill-checked women across India. You send repeat work in batches, such as product listings, catalog updates, data checking, research lists or written support tickets, and a second person checks every piece before it reaches you. Pricing is per piece or per hour, agreed before work starts.
Best for: repeat work with written rules that you'd rather receive finished than manage. Not for: someone online for your whole working day, or phone work; a Philippine hire suits that better. Start with a small paid trial batch and judge the result.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is the rate in Australian or US dollars, and is GST on top?
- Does the rate move with the exchange rate, and how often?
- What's the probation or minimum term, and the notice to end it?
- Who manages and checks the work day to day: you, or the provider?
- Which hours will the person work, in your time zone, through daylight saving changes?
Which one to choose
| If you need | Look at |
|---|---|
| A person online for most of your day | Remote Staff, VirtualStaff365, Kinetic |
| An offshore team employed for you at scale | Staff Domain |
| One dedicated assistant on a monthly plan | Wishup |
| Repeat batches checked before they reach you | HerWorkCircle |
For batch work, send us a short brief and we'll price a trial batch.
Questions
What is the best virtual assistant company in Australia?
It depends on whether you want a person or finished work. Remote Staff, VirtualStaff365 and Kinetic place Philippine staff you manage; Staff Domain suits larger teams; a managed team suits repeat batch work.
How much does an offshore virtual assistant cost in Australia?
VirtualStaff365's cost page showed $12 to $15 an hour excluding GST for a virtual assistant on 25 October 2026. Remote Staff lists a rate per candidate, and Wishup starts at $1,299 a month in US dollars.
Is GST charged on offshore virtual assistants?
Australian providers show GST on top of their rates: Remote Staff adds GST, and VirtualStaff365 quotes rates excluding GST. Check your own tax position with your accountant.
Philippines or India for an Australian business?
Manila is two to three hours behind Sydney, so it shares most of your day. India is four and a half to five and a half hours behind, which suits batches sent at lunchtime and returned by morning.
Do offshore staffing companies lock you into a contract?
Terms vary. VirtualStaff365 says no long-term contracts with a 5-month probation period; Wishup is month to month. Others don't publish terms, so ask before you sign.
Sources
- Remote Staff: home page and candidate rates Remote Staff
- Cost of virtual staff: example hourly costs excluding GST VirtualStaff365
- VirtualStaff365 home: Melbourne team, no long-term contracts, 5-month probation VirtualStaff365
- Offshore staffing for Australian companies Kinetic
- Staff Domain home page Staff Domain
- Virtual assistants for Australia Wishup
- Wishup pricing: 4 and 8 hours a day Wishup