EA AI vs hiring

An executive assistant costs $9,100 a month. EA AI starts at $39.

National median with benefits1,2. EA AI handles inbox, calendar and follow-ups across six channels from $39/mo.

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99.6%
Lower cost than hiring
0 days
To get started
6
Channels covered
The short version
  • Save $9,000+/mo: $39-$97/mo vs $9,100-$11,700 fully loaded1,2
  • Start today: No 5-6 week hiring process, no onboarding9
  • Six channels: Email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram, calendar and texts covered day and evening
  • Zero overhead: No payroll, no benefits, no PTO, no training period
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Software, employee, fractional

Three ways to get help with messages and scheduling

EA AI
Full-time human EA
Fractional / virtual
Monthly cost
$39 to $97
$9,100-$9,300 fully loaded1,2
$1,200-$6,50012,13
Ready in
Same day
5-6 weeks + onboarding9
Days to weeks
Channels
Email, calendar, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram, texting*
Any channel + phone + in-person
Inbox, calendar, travel; remote only12
Coverage
Day and evening, every message
~40 hrs/wk minus PTO
10-20 hrs/wk12
Meetings
Joins your video calls, writes them up, drafts the recap
Only the meetings they sit in
Only the meetings you buy hours for12
Volume cap
Every message you get, no queue
One person's bandwidth
Bounded by hours purchased
Scaling up
Add another inbox in minutes
Hire again, 5-6 week cycle9
Buy more hours; ~$11,200/mo at full-time13
Physical world
No. Messages and scheduling only.
Yes, plainly
Remote only

* Texting requires an iPhone plus the free EA AI companion app: on a Mac, which has to stay powered on and signed in to the same Apple ID, or on Windows with the relay app, currently in beta. One-on-one threads only, no group threads, MMS or attachments.

Where a person still has the edge

Judgment

Knows which meeting to bump and owns the call.

Relationships

Years of rapport with board members, vendors and other EAs.

Physical world

Greeting visitors, staging a boardroom, fixing a travel meltdown.

Everything else is messages and scheduling. EA AI handles that for about 1.7% of the cost1,2.

Try the $39 layer first.

Connect an inbox today. 7 days against your real mail. Cancel if it does not earn its keep.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does a full-time executive assistant cost in 2026?
$9,100-$9,300/mo nationally (BLS median wage times the 1.43-1.46x employer-cost multiplier), or $10,500-$11,700 in top metros. Add ~$4,700 average hiring cost and 15-30% recruiter fee on top.
Can AI replace an executive assistant?
For the message-heavy part of the job, yes. EA AI handles email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram, calendar and texts for $39-$97/mo. A human still wins when you need judgment, relationships or someone physically there.
What does EA AI cost all-in?
Starter $39/mo (one email + calendar), Professional $97/mo (three accounts + LinkedIn). Add-ons: WhatsApp $29, Instagram $29, texting $29. 7-day free trial, cancel anytime.
Is my data safe with EA AI?
Your data is encrypted, isolated from other users, and all activity is permanently logged. EA AI never deletes or archives your mail.
Disclosures, methodology, sources and security details
Texting requirementsTexting requires an iPhone plus the free EA AI companion app: on a Mac, which has to stay powered on and signed in to the same Apple ID, or on Windows with the relay app, currently in beta. One-on-one threads only, no group threads, MMS or attachments.
Cost methodologyThe $9,100 to $9,300 national median is BLS median wage $76,590/yr1 multiplied by the 1.43x to 1.46x employer-cost ratio2,3, divided by 12. Top metro figures use Robert Half 2026 midpoints5,6,7,8 with the same multiplier. National salary range for context: $58,250 to $86,7504.
How sending worksNothing sends until you approve it, unless you have told EA AI that a specific kind of message can send on its own. You set those rules per contact type and action and can withdraw any of them at any time.
Security controlsPer-tenant AES-256-GCM envelope encryption on message bodies. Thread subjects and sender name/email stored as plain text for search. Row-level security on every table. Append-only audit log: delete and update revoked for the app's database role and blocked by triggers. EA AI never deletes or archives your mail. No SOC 2 or ISO certification today.
Sources

Details verified as of July 27, 2026. Prices and features change; check the vendor's site for current terms. Corrections: shail@eaai.io

  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 43-6011 (Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants): median annual wage $76,590, median hourly $36.82, 90th percentile $109,850. Figures verified via the official BLS Public Data API. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes436011.htm. As of July 27, 2026.
  2. BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, March 2026: private industry averaged $46.60 per hour in total compensation against $32.60 in wages (a 1.43x multiplier); all civilian workers $49.32 against $33.72 (1.46x); benefits are 30.1 percent of private-industry compensation cost. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm. As of July 27, 2026.
  3. BLS TED article confirming civilian compensation costs averaged $49.32 per hour worked in March 2026. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/compensation-costs-for-civilian-workers-averaged-49-32-per-hour-worked-in-march-2026.htm. As of July 27, 2026.
  4. Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide, Executive Assistant, national: $58,250 low, $70,250 mid, $86,750 high. https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/job-details/executive-assistant. As of July 27, 2026.
  5. Robert Half 2026, Executive Assistant, New York NY: $79,511 low, $95,891 mid, $118,414 high. https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/job-details/executive-assistant/new-york-ny. As of July 27, 2026.
  6. Robert Half 2026, Executive Assistant, San Francisco CA: $78,638 low, $94,838 mid, $117,113 high. https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/job-details/executive-assistant/san-francisco-ca. As of July 27, 2026.
  7. Robert Half 2026, Executive Assistant, Boston MA: $77,473 low, $93,433 mid, $115,378 high. https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/job-details/executive-assistant/boston-ma. As of July 27, 2026.
  8. Robert Half 2026, Executive Assistant, Chicago IL: $72,813 low, $87,813 mid, $108,438 high. https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/job-details/executive-assistant/chicago-il. As of July 27, 2026.
  9. Robert Half time-to-hire survey: 5 weeks for entry-level roles, 6 weeks for mid-level, 8 weeks for managers and directors, 11 weeks for senior leaders; hiring takes up to 11 weeks overall, 57 percent longer than in 2021. https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/insights/management-tips/its-time-to-talk-about-time-to-hire. As of July 27, 2026.
  10. SHRM, The Real Costs of Recruitment (April 2022): average cost per hire was nearly $4,700; many employers estimate the total cost of a hire at three to four times the position's salary. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/talent-acquisition/real-costs-recruitment. As of July 27, 2026.
  11. Contingency recruiting fees typically run 15 to 30 percent of first-year salary: 20 to 25 percent is standard for mid-to-senior roles, 25 to 30 percent for executive or specialized searches. https://www.recruiterslineup.com/contingency-recruiting-fee-structure/. As of July 27, 2026.
  12. BELAY FAQ: US-based virtual assistants charge $30 to $75 an hour on average; most cost $1,200 to $3,000 a month depending on hours, experience and work type. Belay does not publish its own plan pricing; quotes come via sales call. https://resources.belaysolutions.com/belay-faq-how-much-does-it-cost-to-hire-a-virtual-assistant-in-the-us. As of July 27, 2026.
  13. Boldly published pricing: $65 an hour on subscription; $2,600 a month for 40 hours, $3,900 for 60, $5,200 for 80, $6,500 for 100; 160 hours custom-quoted; specialist work $79 an hour. https://boldly.com/pricing/. As of July 27, 2026.
From $39/mo
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