Alternatives
Remote Staff alternatives
Remote Staff alternatives include published-rate agencies (Virtual Coworker, DotVA), Australian-managed providers (VirtualStaff365, ConnectOS), larger offshore operations (Cloudstaff, Outsourced) and AssistBPO, which employs its assistants and answers phones in your name. Seven options are compared below on published price, management, cover, phones and hours, each checked in September 2026.
· Reviewed by Nimra Khalid
- Checked on their own site
- Dated and sourced
- No ratings or rankings
Overview
Remote Staff has placed home-based Philippine professionals with Australian businesses since 2007, offering a choice of engagement structure including employer of record, with candidate shortlists, time tracking and payments run through its platform and rates quoted on consultation. Buyers look around when they want a published figure before a sales call, an office-based team rather than home-based staff, a managed desk instead of a placement they supervise, or live telephone answering as a service. The seven entries below set out what each provider is, who it suits and what it publishes, with the month checked and nothing estimated. Report §3.3 places Australian-facing offshore agencies at A$8 to A$35 an hour, which is the useful band for sizing any quote. AssistBPO appears first because this is our site, written to the same standard as the rest, including its published rate card.
How does Remote Staff compare with AssistBPO?
The same ten rows on every comparison page, so two providers can be read against each other without re-learning the layout.
| AssistBPO | Remote Staff | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the work happens | A managed office in a second location in Pakistan, on managed devices with no local storage | Home-based Philippine professionals as the published norm | remotestaff.com.au, Sep 2026 |
| Published price | Published rate card, plus a costed staffing plan within 1 business day | Not published; quoted on consultation | remotestaff.com.au and Report §3.3, Sep 2026 |
| Live telephone answering | Included; the receptionist answers, transfers and places calls in your business name | Phone roles can be recruited; managed answering is not published as a service | remotestaff.com.au, Sep 2026 |
| Engagement structure | Assistants are employees of the group throughout; clients never co-employ them | Employer-of-record and bring-your-own-staff structures published | remotestaff.com.au, Sep 2026 |
| Markets and hours | Staffed AEST shifts on request, plus UK, US and Canadian hours | Australian business hours; Philippine time sits two hours behind AEST | remotestaff.com.au and Report §3.3, Sep 2026 |
Remote Staff facts as published on the dates shown. The AssistBPO rate card is published too, from $400 a month, and the staffing plan is what sets where on it you land. Spotted a change? Tell us and we update the row with a new date.
Who should choose AssistBPO, and who should choose Remote Staff?
Choose AssistBPO if
- You want the provider to manage the work daily, not only place the person
- Calls have to be answered live in your company name
- Office-based delivery with managed devices suits the data you handle
Choose Remote Staff if
- An Australian-owned company operating since 2007 is reassuring
- You want a choice of engagement structure, including employer of record
- Home-based staff and flexible hours fit the role you are filling
Which companies are the main Remote Staff alternatives?
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AssistBPO
Employed assistants, receptionists, support agents and back-office staff from SS Support Network LLC, working staffed AEST shifts or UK, US and Canadian hours from a managed office. Named assistant, trained backup, team lead, end-of-day report and monthly QA scorecard.
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Virtual Coworker
Recruits Filipino staff for Australian, US and UK businesses at published per-role rates, with screening, reference checks, payroll and HR handled while the client directs the work.
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DotVA
A founder-led Melbourne agency placing Filipino virtual assistants with Australian small businesses on Australian Eastern hours, with pricing published on the site and no lock-in term.
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VirtualStaff365
A Melbourne-based outsourcing company placing Philippine staff with Australian businesses across administration, bookkeeping, customer service, IT support and supply chain roles, with office-based and remote options.
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Cloudstaff
A large Philippine offshoring company operating since 2005 with an Australian-facing site, staffing administration, finance, technology, marketing and creative roles with its own workforce tools.
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ConnectOS
Australian-managed offshore staffing in Manila covering finance, administration, technology, marketing, customer support and operations, with recruitment, facilities and workforce management handled for the client.
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Outsourced
A Philippine offshore staffing provider delivering dedicated full-time remote talent, with a focus on professional and technical roles and formal information security certification.
How does AssistBPO work?
A discovery call, then a named assistant proposed within 72 hours. That person works your hours inside your tools through your own user accounts, sends an end-of-day report, and is covered by a trained backup when they are off. A team lead runs a 20-minute weekly review with you and scores calls and tickets monthly. Assistants are employees of the group, never freelancers, and you never co-employ them. Plans start at $400 a month for 40 hours, at $10 an hour, and rates improve as you add assistants. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day.
Keep comparing
- Remote Staff vs AssistBPOThe head-to-head table for Remote Staff
- Beepo alternativesManaged offshore provider
- MicroSourcing alternativesManaged offshore provider
- Cloudstaff alternativesManaged offshore provider
- ConnectOS alternativesManaged offshore provider
- All comparisons, by familyIncluding the rest of the managed offshore and staffing firms
What this desk actually does
- Dedicated virtual assistant services for the work that eats your dayService
- Tickets resolved by agents who learn your productService
- Executive & admin deskThe desk this sits on
- What moves a staffing planThe rate card, and the six things that move a plan off it
Frequently asked questions
Is AssistBPO cheaper than Remote Staff?
Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day. Remote Staff does not publish rates and quotes on consultation, while Report §3.3 places Australian-facing offshore agencies at A$8 to A$35 an hour depending on role and seniority. With no published figure on either side, ask for written quotes on the same role and hours, and check which side expects you to supervise.
Which Remote Staff alternative is better for phones?
AssistBPO staffs receptionists on set shifts who answer in your business name, book appointments, transfer warm and log the outcome in your CRM, with monthly call scoring. ConnectOS and Cloudstaff publish customer support roles for queue work. Virtual Coworker, DotVA, VirtualStaff365 and Outsourced place people who can take calls but do not sell managed answering as of September 2026. Ask each shortlisted provider to put someone on a test call first.
Home-based or office-based: which should I pick?
It depends on what the person handles. Home-based work widens the talent pool and suits flexible roles, which is part of the Remote Staff model. Office-based delivery makes device control, supervision and call quality easier, which is how AssistBPO, ConnectOS and Outsourced run. If your work touches patient records, payment details or client files, ask specifically about device management, local storage and access logs.
What does employer of record change for me?
It changes who carries the employment obligations. Under an employer-of-record arrangement the provider is the legal employer, handling payroll, statutory entitlements and local compliance while you direct the work. AssistBPO assistants are employees of SS Support Network LLC throughout, so the client never co-employs them. Either way, read who signs the employment contract and what your exposure is if the engagement ends early.
Why is Remote Staff not in the list below?
Because this page covers the alternatives. Remote Staff is a credible option for Australian businesses that want an established local company and flexible engagement structures, and its head-to-head with AssistBPO sits on the AssistBPO vs Remote Staff page. We do not rank providers, publish star ratings or quote reviews we cannot verify. Every entry is taken from the provider's own site with the month checked.
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- Employed, screened and managed staff, never freelancers
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