Honest comparison
AI agent vs virtual assistant:
colleague maths.
A good VA is worth every penny. An AI agent isn't a replacement for judgement — it's AI staff for the repetitive layer, at a fraction of the monthly cost, awake all night.
| A Virtual Assistant | A Kodie agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | 15–40 per week, in working hours | Around the clock, every day — overnight runs included |
| Monthly cost | Roughly £900–£2,500+ for a part-time UK VA | From £349, everything included |
| Best at | Judgement calls, phone calls, relationships | Repetitive tasks done identically every time, at any hour |
| Onboarding | Weeks of handover | Days — shown a job once, it becomes a routine |
| Leaves or gets sick | Re-hire and re-train | Never — and its memory is backed up continuously |
Our honest verdict
Plenty of our favourite businesses run both: a VA (or office manager) for the human work, an agent for the volume. If budget forces a choice, the agent covers more hours for less.
Still weighing it up?
Ask Kodie below — it'll tell you straight if an agent isn't the right fit for what you need.