Freelance Virtual Assistant Or A Managed PA Service?
A good freelance VA can be excellent. You deal with one person, you build a relationship, and the rate is often keen. Plenty of businesses run happily that way for years.
The risk is that one person is also a single point of failure. When they are ill, on holiday, oversubscribed or they decide to move on, your diary and your inbox go with them. A managed service costs a little more and removes that risk, because there is a business behind the person.
Written by Emma Mills, Founder and Managing Director of Mi PA. Last reviewed September 2026.
A freelance VA or a Mi PA PA, side by side
The things buyers ask us about most often, answered straight.
| What you are weighing up | Freelance VA | A Mi PA PA |
|---|---|---|
| Who you work with | One person, directly. | A dedicated PA, with a business behind them. |
| Vetting and training | Down to you to assess. | Recruited, trained and supported by us. |
| Capacity when you grow | Limited to their available hours. | Scales as your needs change. |
| Contract and compliance | Varies. Often a personal arrangement. | A company contract, one calendar month notice. |
Mi PA has answered calls and run diaries for UK business owners since 2008. We support over 500 businesses from our Salford office.
What you are actually buying
When you take on a freelance VA you are buying somebody’s hours. When you work with us you are buying a service that keeps running.
The difference does not show up in month one. It shows up the week they are in Lanzarote and your inbox is filling up.
I’ve been a client for more than 2 years now and the experience has been great. They provide an amazing service and are an integral part of my business.
Carl Firmstone, Definitive Electrical Solutions
The process problem
With a single freelancer, everything about how your business works tends to live in their head. That is fine until it is not.
We build the way your business runs into how we work, so it is not dependent on one person remembering it.
When a freelancer is the better choice
If you need a few hours a month, or you want one specific skill from one specific person you already trust, a freelancer is likely a better fit than we are.
We are built for owners who want ongoing, embedded support rather than occasional help.
Common questions
Is a freelance VA cheaper than a managed PA service?
Often, on the headline rate. A managed service includes recruitment, training, supervision and continuity, which you are otherwise providing yourself or going without.
How is a Mi PA PA different from a virtual assistant?
A generic virtual assistant is process and task driven. They work through the list you write. A Mi PA PA is a trained executive assistant who learns your goals and carves a path to reaching them, becoming a second brain and an extension of you rather than another pair of hands.
What can I hand over to a Mi PA PA?
Phones first, then your inbox, then your diary. From there it tends to grow into lead follow up, customer service, travel, meeting preparation and the admin that never reaches the top of your list.
What happens if my PA is unavailable?
Answer coming soon
Thinking about a freelancer?
Book a free call and we will help you work out whether you need a person or a service.
Or just ring us on 0161 820 6080. Somebody will answer.
Other comparisons
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What a permanent hire really costs once you add National Insurance, pension, holiday and recruitment.
Mi PA vs AI
What AI genuinely handles well, what it still cannot do, and why our PAs use it anyway.
Mi PA vs an offshore VA
Where the cost saving is real, and where time zones, accents and data protection start to cost you more.
Our virtual assistant services
What a dedicated UK PA actually takes off your plate, day to day.
