Quick Summary
Magic and Prialto are both fully managed services. Each one recruits, trains, and replaces your assistant for you, both give you backup when that assistant is out, and both publish their prices.
The difference is in what an hour costs and what you commit to. Magic charges every client $13.50 an hour with no minimum term. Prialto sells in units of 55 hours a month at $1,600, which works out to about $29 an hour, with a 90-day minimum and a $250 setup fee.
This comparison uses the prices and policies on Prialto’s own site as of September 2026. Anything their site doesn’t state is marked as not listed.
What we found
- Prialto costs about twice as much per hour. Their fractional plan works out to about $29 an hour and their full-time plan to about $22. Magic is $13.50 on both plans.
- Prialto asks for 90 days and a setup fee before you start. Every unit carries a 90-day minimum and a $250 fee, waived if you sign for a year. Magic has no minimum, no fee, and no charge until you start working with your assistant.
- Prialto works 9 to 6 on weekdays and says no to after-hours work. Magic includes Magic 24/7 on full-time plans, so a request sent at 9pm or on a Sunday still gets handled.
- Prialto’s assistants are full-time employees, and that’s a point in their favor. They’re hired with benefits and trained for four weeks before assignment. Magic’s assistants are managed contractors. We cover what that means for you below.
Pricing: Magic is about half per hour
Magic is $13.50 an hour on both plans and the rate doesn’t change by client. Prialto works out to about $29 an hour on its fractional plan and about $22 on full-time. Full Magic pricing is on the pricing page.
| Magic plan | Hours a week | Price | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time, includes Magic 24/7 | 40 | $540/wk | $13.50 |
| Part-time | 20 | $270/wk | $13.50 |
Billing runs every four weeks and there’s no charge until you start working with your assistant.
Prialto prices by the unit. One unit is a fractional dedicated assistant with about 55 hours a month. Full-time is three or more units. These are the plans published on their site.
| Prialto plan | Hours a month | Price | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional dedicated assistant, one unit | About 55 | $1,600/mo | About $29 |
| Full-time dedicated assistant, three or more units | 165 or more | From $3,600/mo | About $22 |
| Enterprise, ten or more units | 550 or more | Not listed, quoted on a call | Not listed |
Every Prialto unit carries a 90-day minimum, and there’s a $250 setup fee unless you sign a one-year agreement. Their pricing page also promises “free episodic overflow time,” meaning they won’t bill extra if you occasionally run over your hours.
One thing to know if you research Prialto yourself: their pricing page says $1,600, but their FAQ and some older blog posts still say $1,500. We’ve used the pricing page figure throughout.
A year of Magic part-time costs $5,400 less than one Prialto unit and includes 380 more hours
Monthly prices make the two look closer than they are, so compare a year of each.
| Plan | Hours a year | Cost a year | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic part-time | About 1,040 | $14,040 | $13.50 |
| Prialto fractional, one unit | About 660 | $19,200, plus $250 setup | About $29 |
| Magic full-time, includes Magic 24/7 | About 2,080 | $28,080 | $13.50 |
| Prialto full-time, three units | About 1,980 | $43,200, plus $250 setup | About $22 |
Magic part-time gives you about 380 more hours a year than one Prialto unit, for about $5,400 less. At full time, Prialto costs about $15,000 a year more than Magic for roughly 100 fewer hours, and Magic’s plan is the one that includes nights and weekends.
Prialto’s overflow policy gives you some room above the 55 hours. If you have a heavy month, they say they won’t charge extra. It’s described as episodic, so it isn’t a plan for someone who needs 20 hours every week.
No upfront cost
Meet your assistant before you pay anything
Talk to your assistant before you commit. You pay nothing until you actually start working with them.
Magic vs Prialto side by side
| Feature | Magic | Prialto |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | $13.50 an hour for every client | About $29 an hour fractional, about $22 an hour full-time |
| Price | $540/wk full-time ($270/wk part-time) | $1,600/mo per unit, from $3,600/mo full-time |
| How you get a price | On the pricing page, one rate for everyone | On their pricing page by unit. Enterprise tier quoted on a call |
| Hours | 2,080 a year on full-time, 1,040 on part-time | About 1,980 a year on full-time, about 660 on one unit |
| Minimum commitment | None, cancel anytime | 90 days per unit, then month to month |
| Setup fee | None | $250, waived with a one-year agreement |
| Working hours | US hours, plus a 24/7 shared pool on full-time | 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, US and UK time zones, excluding federal holidays |
| Nights and weekends | Included with full-time, via Magic 24/7 | Not offered, per their FAQ |
| Talent based in | Philippines and Latin America | Philippines, Kenya, and Guatemala, working from Prialto offices |
| Employment type | Managed contractors | Full-time employees with benefits |
| Model | Dedicated executive assistant with an account manager, plus a 24/7 shared pool | Dedicated assistant with two trained backups and an Engagement Manager |
| AI tools | Paid for by Magic, with training before they start | Assistants described as trained on AI tools. Tools not named |
| Security | [Confirm Magic’s certifications before publish] | SOC 2 Type 2, secured in 2025 |
| Acceptance rate | Top 0.5% of applicants | Not listed. Four weeks of training before assignment |
| Replacement | Free, preferences carry over, with Magic 24/7 covering urgent work in the meantime | Trained backups step in if the primary “leaves, or doesn’t work out” |
| Before you pay | Meet your assistant first, no charge until you start | Setup fee and 90-day commitment at signup. A meet-first trial isn’t listed |
Backup coverage: weekdays vs 24/7
Both services cover you when your assistant is out. Prialto’s backup team works 9 to 6 on weekdays, and Magic 24/7 runs around the clock. Assistants take holidays, get sick, and go on leave, and having any answer for those days puts both companies ahead of most of the market.
Every Magic full-time plan includes Magic 24/7, a shared pool of assistants who pick up tasks when your dedicated assistant is unavailable. You send the request and someone handles it, at 2 a.m. or on a holiday. It’s also available on its own at $199 a week.
Prialto covers absences with a team. Each account gets a primary assistant, two trained backups who know your processes, and an Engagement Manager who documents how you work so a backup can step in without starting over. Their FAQ also says they manage the handover if your primary assistant leaves or gets promoted.
That team only works during Prialto’s operating hours, which are 9am to 6pm, Monday through Friday, in US and UK time zones. Asked whether they offer after-hours or weekend support, their FAQ says no, because their assistants are employees under local labor law and they want them to keep a work-life balance. It’s a fair policy for an employer, and it means a request you send at 8pm waits until morning. So Prialto gives you more backup during business hours, and Magic gives you backup outside them.
AI tools: only Magic pays for them
Every Magic assistant gets access to leading LLMs and AI tools, plus training on how to use them before they start working with you. Magic pays for the tools, and coaches each assistant one on one every week after that.
Prialto says its assistants are fluent in common software and AI tools, and that it trains them regularly on new technologies. Their service page lists more than 15 platforms assistants are trained on, including HubSpot, Salesforce, Asana, and Slack. Their site doesn’t name the AI tools or say who pays for access, so you’d need to ask on the call.
Vetting: 0.5% accepted vs 4 weeks trained
Magic publishes an acceptance rate of 0.5%. Prialto publishes a four-week training program and no acceptance rate. The two numbers measure different things, so they don’t line up neatly.
Magic accepts the top 0.5% of applicants, and a person makes the final call after live interviews with each candidate. Every Magic assistant then goes through training and assessments on AI tools before their first task for you.
Prialto publishes a training program rather than an acceptance rate. Every assistant is a full-time employee who completes four weeks of core training before being assigned to a client, then learns the client’s own procedures on the job. They also run background checks and security training, and they secured SOC 2 Type 2 compliance in 2025.
Neither company publishes an audit of its hiring funnel, so treat both as claims. What you can check is the employment model. Prialto’s assistants are employees with benefits, and Magic’s are managed contractors. Some buyers care about that a great deal, and if you’re one of them, that row in the table matters more than the acceptance rate.
Commitment: 90 days and $250 vs none
Prialto requires a 90-day minimum on every unit. Their FAQ frames it as a three-month pilot, after which you move to month to month. There’s also a $250 setup fee, waived if you commit to a year. Whether written notice is needed to cancel after the pilot isn’t listed on their site.
Magic has no minimum term and no setup fee. You meet your assistant first, there’s no charge until you start working together, and you can cancel at any time.
Prialto’s 90 days makes sense for an employee-model service. They hire the person, train them for a month, and assign them to you, so they want some assurance you’ll stay. It’s still the longest minimum we’ve seen among the managed providers we’ve compared, and you should know it before you sign.
Why choose Prialto
If you’re buying for a department rather than for yourself, look at Prialto. They’ve served enterprise clients since 2009, list Rapid7, Compass, MIT, and EOS Worldwide on their homepage, and sell a 550-hour enterprise tier. They’re used to procurement conversations.
Their assistants are full-time employees with benefits under the labor laws of Guatemala, the Philippines, and Kenya, and they completed SOC 2 Type 2 in 2025. If your security review asks for that report, or your procurement team requires an employee staffing model, Prialto has both and Magic doesn’t. [Adjust once Magic’s security position is confirmed.]
Their backup structure is also more formal than a shared pool. Two named backups plus an Engagement Manager who documents your processes means work keeps moving during the workday if your primary assistant is out, and if that’s your main worry, their setup does it well.
Why choose Magic
For most buyers the Magic vs Prialto decision comes down to one question: do you need an employee-model, SOC 2 vendor for business hours? If you don’t, Magic gives you the same managed service at half the hourly cost, with coverage around the clock.
- About half the hourly cost. $13.50 an hour whether you book 20 hours a week or 40. Prialto’s fractional plan works out to about $29 and its full-time plan to about $22.
- No 90-day minimum and no setup fee. You meet your assistant first, billing begins when the work does, and you can cancel anytime.
- Coverage after 6pm. Full-time plans come with Magic 24/7, so work keeps moving at night, on weekends, and when your assistant is away. Prialto doesn’t offer after-hours support.
- More hours on the entry plan. Magic part-time is 20 hours a week. One Prialto unit is about 13.
- More selective. Magic accepts the top 0.5% of applicants. Prialto doesn’t publish an acceptance rate.
- Trained on AI before they start. Every assistant gets access to leading AI tools, paid for by Magic, plus training and weekly coaching.
What Magic clients say
★★★★★
“Magic has been fantastic from the start! They are with you constantly on the onboarding process, follow-up meetings, etc. And my assistant has FAR exceeded my expectations!”
Robert Clausen
★★★★★
“Had an amazing time working with Irish Colleen, who became a warm, intuitive, and proactive member of the team almost immediately from day one. She was really great at anticipating the needs of my business before I even had a chance to assign tasks.”
Kalo Catalyst
More at Magic reviews.
Magic vs Prialto: common questions
Magic vs Prialto: which is cheaper?
Magic, by about half per hour. Magic is $13.50 an hour on both plans. Prialto’s fractional plan is $1,600 a month for about 55 hours, roughly $29 an hour, and its full-time plan starts at $3,600 a month for 165 hours, roughly $22 an hour. Prialto also charges a $250 setup fee unless you sign for a year.
How much does Magic cost?
Magic is $540 a week for a full-time assistant at 40 hours a week, which includes Magic 24/7 (part-time is $270 a week for 20 hours). Both work out to $13.50 an hour. Plans are billed every four weeks and there’s no charge until you start working with your assistant. See the pricing page.
How much does Prialto cost?
Prialto’s pricing page lists $1,600 a month per unit, with about 55 hours of support included, and full-time dedicated assistants starting at $3,600 a month for 165 or more hours. Every unit has a 90-day minimum and a $250 setup fee, waived with a one-year agreement. Enterprise plans start at ten units and are quoted on a call. Some of Prialto’s older pages still show $1,500 a month for the fractional plan.
Does Prialto have a minimum contract?
Yes. Each unit carries a 90-day minimum, which Prialto describes as a three-month pilot. After that the plan runs month to month. Magic has no minimum and you can cancel anytime.
Where are the assistants based?
Magic assistants are in the Philippines and Latin America, and all of them work US time zones. Prialto’s assistants work from company offices in Manila, Guatemala City, and Nairobi, and its headquarters and engagement managers are in Portland, Oregon. Neither service places US-based assistants.
Does Prialto offer after-hours or weekend support?
No. Prialto’s operating hours are 9am to 6pm, Monday through Friday, in US and UK time zones. Their FAQ says they don’t offer support outside those hours because their assistants are employees under local labor law. Every Magic full-time plan includes Magic 24/7, a shared pool that picks up tasks outside your assistant’s hours.
Are Prialto assistants employees or contractors?
Employees. Prialto hires its assistants full-time with benefits and follows local labor laws in each country. Magic’s assistants are managed contractors.
Do the assistants use AI tools?
Yes. Every Magic assistant gets access to leading LLMs and AI tools, plus training on how to use them before they start. Magic pays for the tools. Prialto says its assistants are trained on AI tools and new technologies, but doesn’t name the tools or say who pays for access.
What happens if my assistant isn’t the right fit?
Magic replaces them at no extra cost and your saved preferences carry over, so the new assistant starts with the same context. On full-time plans, Magic 24/7 handles urgent work while the new assistant is matched. Prialto says your two trained backup assistants step in if the primary leaves or doesn’t work out, and that it manages the transition.
How does Prialto compare to BELAY?
Both are managed services, but BELAY places US-based contractors and doesn’t publish pricing, while Prialto places employees in the Philippines, Kenya, and Guatemala and publishes its rates. Prialto is the cheaper of the two per hour. We compared Magic and BELAY separately.
Magic vs Prialto: which is better?
It depends on what you’re buying for. If you need an employee staffing model, SOC 2 documentation, and enterprise account management inside business hours, Prialto is the better fit. If you want the same managed service at about half the hourly rate, with no minimum term and coverage at night and on weekends, Magic is.
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