Virtual assistant services in the UAE, compared on price, VAT and hours
A virtual assistant for a UAE business costs from about AED 4,770 a month for 4 hours a day (Wishup), $390 for 10 hours (Time Etc) or $1,600 for a full-time seat (Stealth Agents), checked 25 October 2026. If you are VAT-registered, you usually account for the 5% VAT yourself on services bought from abroad.
The short list
- [Wishup](https://www.wishup.co/hire/virtual-assistant/ae): best for one dedicated assistant on UAE hours, with a price shown in AED.
- [Stealth Agents](https://stealthagents.com/pricing/): best for a full-time assistant on US hours, if your work follows a US team.
- [Time Etc](https://www.timeetc.com/pricing): best for a few hours a month of admin from a US-based assistant.
- [Upwork](/hire/compare/herworkcircle-vs-upwork): best if you want to hire and manage a freelancer yourself.
- [HerWorkCircle](/hire): best for repeat batch work, such as product listings, data checking and support tickets, checked by a second person.
What "outsourcing company UAE" usually means
Search for an outsourcing company in the UAE and most results are manpower supply, payroll, employer-of-record and HR firms that place staff in your office. That's a different purchase. This guide is for owners who want work done remotely: admin, inbox and calendar, listings, data and written support.
We read each provider's own page on 25 October 2026 and list what it publishes. We are one of the options, listed last, and we say when each one is the better choice.
Virtual assistant services compared
| Provider | What you buy | Published price | Currency shown | VAT stated? | Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wishup | One dedicated assistant, 4 or 8 hours a day | From AED 4,770 a month ($1,299) for 4 hours a day | AED and USD | Not stated | "No commitments" to match; cancel anytime |
| Stealth Agents | One full-time assistant, 160 hours a month | $1,600 to $3,000 a month, plus an onboarding fee | USD | Not stated | 3-month commitment and 30 days written notice on its pages; confirm |
| Time Etc | Hours with one US-based assistant | $390 for 10 hours to $2,160 for 60 hours a month | USD | Not stated | No notice period |
| Upwork | A marketplace to hire freelancers | Set by each freelancer, plus Upwork's fees | Varies | Not checked | Terms you agree with the freelancer |
| HerWorkCircle | Finished batch work, checked twice | No rate card: a price for a trial batch, agreed before work starts | Ask on the first call | Ask on the first call | None to start; a small trial batch |
Wishup: one assistant on UAE hours, priced in AED
Wishup's UAE page says its plan starts at about AED 4,770 a month ($1,299) for 4 hours of daily support, aligned with UAE working hours, and that you get matched with no commitments and a quick replacement if the fit is wrong. Its pricing page lists 8 hours a day at $1,999. Assistants are mostly in India, which is 1.5 hours ahead of the UAE.
Best for: one named person in your inbox, calendar and CRM, on your hours. Downside: the page doesn't say whether VAT is included, and you pay for the seat whether or not there's work that week. More in our Wishup comparison.
Stealth Agents: a full-time seat on US hours
Stealth Agents places one full-time assistant from the Philippines, 160 hours a month, at $1,600, $2,400 or $3,000 a month plus a one-time onboarding fee whose amount isn't shown. Its pricing page is written for US time zones and doesn't mention the UAE.
Best for: a business whose day follows a US team or US customers. Downside: you'll need to agree UAE hours in writing, and its pages give two different commitment terms. More in our Stealth Agents comparison.
Time Etc: a few hours a month, in US dollars
Time Etc sells monthly bundles of a US-based assistant's time, from $390 for 10 hours to $2,160 for 60 hours, with no setup fee and no notice period. Prices are in US dollars.
Best for: occasional admin from an assistant based in the US. Downside: US working hours overlap with the UAE only in your evening, and $36 to $39 an hour adds up on large volumes.
Upwork: hire a freelancer yourself
Upwork is a marketplace: you post a job, choose a freelancer, agree their rate and manage the work, and Upwork adds its own fees. Its UAE hire page blocked our visit, so check its current fees on Upwork's own site.
Best for: owners who want to pick and manage one person themselves. Downside: screening and checking the work sit with you. Our Upwork comparison covers it in detail.
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. Not for: phone calls, in-person tasks, work that needs someone in the UAE, or one person living in your inbox all day; an assistant above suits that better.
Working hours: India and the UAE
The UAE doesn't change its clocks, and neither does India, so the gap stays at 1.5 hours. A 9 AM to 6 PM day in Dubai is 10:30 AM to 7:30 PM in India. The clock below shows it.
UAE doesn't change its clocks, so this shift is the same in India time all year.
Weekends and public holidays differ between employers, so agree in writing which days the provider works.
Do you pay VAT on a virtual assistant based abroad?
The UAE's VAT rate is 5%. Registration is required once a business's taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 a year, and optional above AED 187,500. The Federal Tax Authority's public clarification VATP044 says a taxable person receiving services from outside the UAE, where the place of supply is in the UAE, must account for the VAT on them, unless the service would be exempt in the UAE, and report it in Box 3 of its VAT return.
Which describes your business?
Registered and making taxable supplies
- Account for the 5% VAT on the service yourself and report it in Box 3 of your return.
- Keep the supplier's invoice; the FTA ties input tax recovery to keeping supporting documents.
- Ask your adviser to confirm the place of supply for your case.
Registered, but some of your supplies are exempt
- The VAT you account for may not all be recoverable.
- Ask your adviser before you sign, and budget for it.
Below the registration threshold
- Registration is required once taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 a year.
- Check with your adviser whether buying services from abroad changes your position.
Licensed in a free zone
- Some free zones are designated zones for VAT, but businesses there may still need to register.
- Check your zone's status and your registration with your adviser.
None of the provider pages we read says whether its price includes VAT. Ask for it in writing, and ask for an invoice that shows the supplier's legal name and the service.
Customer data: the UAE's data protection law
Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, the Personal Data Protection Law, came into force on 2 January 2022. The UAE government's portal says it applies to processing of personal data inside or outside the country and sets requirements for transferring personal data across borders. The UAE Data Office is the federal regulator. The DIFC free zone has its own data protection law, DIFC Law No. 5 of 2020.
- Ask which of your customers' personal data the provider will see, and where it is stored.
- Ask who can access it, and how access is removed when the work ends.
- Ask whether they will sign a data-handling clause, and have your lawyer check which rules apply to you.
Which one to choose
| If you need | Look at |
|---|---|
| One assistant on UAE hours, priced in AED | Wishup |
| A full-time seat that follows a US team | Stealth Agents |
| A few hours of admin a month | Time Etc |
| To hire and manage someone yourself | Upwork |
| Repeat batches checked before they reach you | HerWorkCircle |
For batch work, send us a short brief and we'll price a trial batch. Comparing more providers? See our list of virtual assistant companies.
Questions
How much does a virtual assistant cost in Dubai?
On 25 October 2026 Wishup's UAE page started at about AED 4,770 ($1,299) a month for 4 hours a day. Time Etc started at $390 for 10 hours, and Stealth Agents at $1,600 a month for a full-time assistant.
Do I pay VAT on a virtual assistant based outside the UAE?
If you are VAT-registered and the place of supply is the UAE, the FTA's clarification VATP044 says you account for the VAT on services received from abroad yourself, at 5%. Confirm your case with a tax adviser.
Is VAT included in virtual assistant prices?
None of the provider pages we read on 25 October 2026 said so either way. Ask each provider in writing.
Is a virtual assistant in India in the same time zone as Dubai?
India is 1.5 hours ahead of the UAE all year, so a 9 AM to 6 PM day in Dubai is 10:30 AM to 7:30 PM in India.
Does UAE data protection law apply if my assistant works abroad?
The UAE government says the Personal Data Protection Law applies to processing inside or outside the country and covers cross-border transfers. Ask your lawyer which rules apply, especially if you are licensed in a free zone such as the DIFC.
Can a free-zone company hire a remote virtual assistant?
Nothing in the sources we read stops it. VAT registration and which data rules apply can depend on the zone, so check with your adviser.
Sources
- Wishup: virtual assistants for the UAE, AED prices and hours Wishup
- Wishup pricing: 4 and 8 hours a day Wishup
- Stealth Agents pricing and FAQ Stealth Agents
- Stealth Agents terms: cancellation Stealth Agents
- Time Etc pricing Time Etc
- VAT Public Clarification VATP044: concerned services Federal Tax Authority, UAE
- Register for VAT: rate, thresholds and designated zones UAE Government portal (u.ae)
- Data protection laws: PDPL, scope and the UAE Data Office UAE Government portal (u.ae)