Virtual Assistant vs AI Email Assistant: Which Saves Small-Business Owners More Time & Money?
TL;DR A typical virtual assistant (VA) costs £20–£40 per hour (≈ $25 USD) and still can’t answer email while you sleep. An AI email assistant such as Ellie handles the repetitive inbox work for <£1 per day, responds 24/7, and always sounds like you. Read on for the numbers, pros, cons, and an easy way to test Ellie risk-free.
Why This Comparison Matters
Your inbox is the biggest thief of time in modern business. If you’re a solopreneur, freelancer, or small-team founder you’ve probably considered two fixes:
- Hire a human virtual assistant to triage and draft replies.
- Automate your inbox with an AI email assistant that learns your writing style (hi 👋, we’re Ellie!).
But which route actually saves you the most time and money? Let’s dig in.
What Is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is a remote, human contractor you pay by the hour or on retainer to handle tasks such as:
- Email filtering & basic replies
- Calendar scheduling
- Data entry & research
- Travel booking
Typical hourly rates vary by skill and location:
| Source | Region | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Upwork marketplace | Global | $10 – $20 /hr (Upwork) |
| PayScale 2025 average | US | $18.66 /hr (Payscale) |
| UK VA Industry Survey | UK | £25 – £30 /hr (societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk) |
What Is an AI Email Assistant?
An AI email assistant is software that plugs into Gmail or Outlook, studies your past messages, and drafts context-aware replies in your tone. With Ellie:
- One-click suggestions appear right beside the Reply button.
- The model adapts to your formality, signature, even emojis.
- It works instantly—no onboarding or confidentiality contracts.
Cost Show-down
| Scenario | Time Needed / Mo. | Cost with VA | Cost with Ellie* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light inbox (5 hrs) | 5 hrs | £125 (£25 /hr) | £19 |
| Growing inbox (10 hrs) | 10 hrs | £250 | £19 |
| Busy founder (20 hrs) | 20 hrs | £500 | £19 |
*Ellie Starter Plan, billed monthly. Prices may vary by region.
Annual savings at 20 hours / month: ~£5,772.
5 Areas Where AI Wins
- Speed & Scale – Generates a polished reply in seconds, no matter how many emails land overnight.
- 24/7 Coverage – Customers in different time zones never wait for office hours.
- Tone Consistency – Ellie references thousands of your sent emails, so every reply “sounds like you”—something even the best VA struggles with.
- Data Privacy – No third-party human reading sensitive correspondence.
- Cost Predictability – Flat subscription; your bill doesn’t spike during launch weeks.
Where a Human VA Still Shines
- Complex multi-step tasks outside email (e.g., bookkeeping, event planning).
- Voice calls or real-time chat support.
- High-touch personal errands that need judgment beyond written context.
Many founders eventually blend the two: let Ellie clear 80 % of email noise and reserve pricier VA hours for bespoke tasks.
Decision Flowchart
- Inbox over 50 messages a day?
- Need replies in your personal voice?
- Budget under £100 / month?
If you answered yes to at least two, an AI email assistant is likely the fastest win.
Try Ellie in 2 Minutes
- Install the free Chrome or Firefox extension.
- Connect your Gmail inbox.
- Start replying—Ellie drafts, you edit or click Send.
💡 No credit card required for the trial, so it’s risk-free to benchmark against your current VA or your own typing speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ellie replace a virtual assistant entirely?
Not always. Many customers keep a VA for admin work but offload all email drafting to Ellie to slash labor hours.
How secure is my email data?
Ellie encrypts data in transit and at rest, with SOC 2-ready architecture and no human review of your content.
What languages are supported?
Ellie writes in 25+ languages—ideal if your VA doesn’t cover every market you serve.
Final Thoughts
Hiring a VA can feel like a milestone—but it’s not your only path to reclaiming work hours. For the specific bottleneck of writing and sending emails, an AI assistant like Ellie offers faster turnaround, stronger brand voice, and thousands in annual savings.
Ready to see for yourself? 👉 Add Ellie to Gmail and get back to building your business.
P.S. Already have a VA? Let them use Ellie too—watch their output double overnight!