The short answer
Use an AI assistant for the high-volume, rules-based back-and-forth: scheduling, chasing, reminders, first drafts. Hire a human VA for judgement, relationships, phone calls and anything that needs a person. Plenty of people use both.
At a glance
| Human virtual assistant (UK) | AI assistant (Emily) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Employed VAs average £15.33 an hour (PayScale); freelance VAs typically charge £30 to £40 an hour at entry level | £5 a month including 50 actions, then 10p per action |
| Availability | Working hours you agree | Any time, including evenings and weekends |
| Speed on routine tasks | Minutes to hours, depending on workload | Usually minutes |
| Judgement and relationships | Strong - can read a situation and use discretion | Follows your instructions; asks when something's missing |
| Phone calls and in-person tasks | Yes | No - email and, in the UK, text |
| Setting up | Recruit, brief and manage | Sign up and email an instruction |
Prices are list prices as published on 21 September 2026, in the currency and billing basis shown. They change, so check the provider's own page before you buy.
What makes Emily different
Whichever tool you compare her with, these are the things Emily is built around.
Talk to her like a real assistant
Write the way you would to a PA: "Find an hour with Sam next week and chase the contract if he goes quiet." She asks when something isn't clear and will think a problem through with you, so she's a sounding board as well as a doer.
Arranges things without you
She does the back-and-forth with the other people, checks your calendars and just asks you to pick a time. Then she sends the invite and chases anyone who goes quiet.
Every calendar you use
Connect Google, Microsoft and Apple calendars, including more than one account of each. She checks them all before she offers a time and can keep one in sync with another.
Your emails and other people's
Forward or CC her your own mail, or give your Emily address to clients, candidates and suppliers. She deals with what they send and can pass each kind of email to the right person on your team.
Yours to shape
Rules for how she handles certain emails, notes she remembers about you and your contacts, and automations such as weekly updates, reminders and follow-ups.
Your information and the web's
She works from your files, notes and contacts, and uses live web search for anything beyond them, such as finding a local tradesperson or checking a fact.
Acts only with your say-so
She acts on what you ask and the rules you've set, can send you a draft first, and checks with you when she isn't sure. A message that fails sender checks is held, never acted on.
Private by design
She never reads your mailbox. She sees only the emails that reach her and the calendars you connect, and your data is stored in the UK.
Email, text, Claude or ChatGPT
Email her from any provider, text her from a UK mobile, or connect her to Claude or ChatGPT and delegate from there.
What a human VA is better at
- Judgement calls, delicate conversations and anything where the relationship matters.
- Phone calls, and tasks in the physical world.
- Working across your own systems and logins, where you're happy to give access.
- Spotting what you forgot to ask for.
What an AI assistant is better at
- Volume: arranging many meetings, chasing many people, without getting tired or forgetting.
- Speed and hours: tasks start as soon as you ask, including at 11pm on a Sunday.
- Cost: routine admin for pounds a month rather than pounds an hour.
- Consistency: follow-ups go out exactly on the schedule you set.
How to decide
Write down the admin that ate your last week. Anything that's a clear instruction - book this, chase that, remind me, draft this - is a good fit for an AI assistant. Anything that needs someone to use judgement, talk on the phone or know your business deeply is a better fit for a person. If your list is mostly the first kind, try an AI assistant first; it costs little to find out.
Questions
How much does a virtual assistant cost in the UK?
PayScale puts the average employed UK virtual assistant at £15.33 an hour. Freelance VAs usually charge more, commonly £30 to £40 an hour at entry level and £40 to £60 mid-level, according to one UK VA's 2025 rate guide.
Can an AI assistant replace a virtual assistant?
For routine email admin - scheduling, chasing, reminders, drafts - often yes. For judgement, phone work and relationship management, not yet.
Is Emily an AI virtual assistant?
Yes. You email her instructions and she does the email side of the work: booking meetings, chasing people, sending emails as your assistant and reminding you.
Sources
- PayScale - UK virtual assistant hourly rate
- Bee Constructive VA - UK virtual assistant rates 2025
- Emily pricing (landing page)
- Emily privacy policy - where data is stored and processed
We wrote this page, and Emily is our product, so read it with that in mind. Every fact about another product comes from its own public pages, checked on 21 September 2026. Where we couldn't confirm something, we say so. Product names belong to their owners, and we're not affiliated with them. Spotted something out of date? Email help@emily-wrf.com and we'll fix it.
Try Emily for yourself
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