Most guides send you to OnlineJobs.ph, which charges $69–$99 a month before you can contact candidates. That’s fine if you hire all the time. If you need one virtual assistant, or hire a few times a year, you end up paying for months you don’t use. Here is every way to hire a Filipino VA without a recurring platform fee, and what each one really costs.
Quick answer: The options with no subscription are free Facebook groups and referrals ($0, but no screening tools and more scam risk) and flat-fee job boards like WorkBase PH ($29 one-time per job post, with messaging and video interviews included). Upwork and Fiverr have no subscription either, but they take a fee from every payment for as long as you work through them.
| Option | To start | Ongoing platform cost | What you get | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook groups & referrals | $0 | $0 | Direct contact with candidates | No profiles, matching or protection; more scams and no-shows |
| WorkBase PH | $29 one-time per job post | $0 | AI-matched candidates, full profiles and contact details, messaging, video interviews; post live 30 days | Candidates aren’t hand-screened on the $29 plan; you run the interviews |
| DonutJobs (free plan) | $0 | $0 on the free plan | 1 job post, up to 10 applications | Past that, it’s a subscription ($55–$99/month; Pro $299) |
| Upwork | $0 to post | Marketplace fee + payment processing on every payment | Escrow, contracts, reviews | Fees run for as long as you pay through Upwork; freelancers also lose 10% |
| Fiverr | $0 to browse | Buyer service fee on every order | Fixed-price gigs | Built for one-off tasks; sellers lose 20% of every order |
| OnlineJobs.ph | — | $69–$99/month to contact candidates | A very large résumé database | It’s a subscription, though you can cancel once you’ve hired |
Take one full-time general VA at $600 a month, a typical mid-level rate in our salary guide. Their pay is the same wherever you find them, so the difference is only the platform fee:
Ready to hire without a subscription?
Post a job on WorkBase PH for a flat $29, with no subscription and no fees for the people you hire. Filipino specialists are matched to your role, and their profiles can include a video or audio intro.
Post a Job — $29 → Or let our team hire for you →Philippine VA groups and personal referrals cost nothing, and a referral from someone you trust can be the best hire you make. The trade-off is that you get no profiles to compare, no matching and no record if something goes wrong. If you go this way, ask for a portfolio or past work, do a video call before you agree to anything, and start with a short paid trial. A real candidate will never ask you to pay them a fee before they start.
Signing up and writing your job post is free. You pay $29 once when you publish, and the post stays live for 30 days. Smart matching surfaces Filipino specialists whose skills fit the role, and you see full profiles and contact details from day one, with no paywall. Profiles can include a video or audio intro, an internet speed test and a work-style assessment. You message and run video interviews inside the platform, then pay your VA directly; they keep 100% of what they earn.
To be clear about what you’re buying: candidates aren’t hand-screened on the $29 plan, so you do the interviews. If you’d rather not, Done-For-You Hiring has our team source, screen and interview for you, for one flat fee per hire, quoted up front. It’s still not a subscription.
Neither one charges a monthly fee to hire, which is why they come up for this question. Instead they take a cut of every payment, from you and from the freelancer. That suits short projects. For a VA you plan to keep for months or years, the per-payment fees usually end up costing more than a one-time fee. See WorkBase PH vs Upwork and WorkBase PH vs Fiverr for the details.
OnlineJobs.ph has the biggest pool of Filipino résumés. To keep it from becoming an ongoing cost, pay for one month, hire, and cancel. It only gets expensive if the search drags on or you forget to cancel. Our WorkBase PH vs OnlineJobs.ph comparison covers when each one fits better.
Yes. Facebook groups and referrals are free, WorkBase PH charges $29 one-time per job post, and DonutJobs has a free plan for one post with up to 10 applications. Upwork and Fiverr have no subscription either, but they take a fee from every payment.
In platform fees, a free group or a referral costs nothing, and a flat-fee job board like WorkBase PH costs $29 one-time. The bigger cost is the VA’s pay: a full-time general VA usually earns about $300–$1,200 a month, depending on experience and skills.
You can create a free account, but contacting candidates needs a paid plan of $69–$99 a month. Many employers pay for one month, hire, and then cancel.
One job post live for 30 days, AI-matched candidates, full applicant profiles and contact details from day one, in-app messaging, instant video interviews and applicant tracking. There’s no subscription and no commission on what you pay your hire.
No. You pay your VA directly, WorkBase PH takes no commission, and specialists keep 100% of what they earn.
Post a job for $29 one-time: AI-matched Filipino VAs, full profiles and contact details, messaging and video interviews. Free to sign up and write your post; you pay only when you publish.
Post a Job for $29 →Rather not screen candidates yourself? Have our team hire for you →Not sure which way fits? Agency vs direct hire, compared →
Sources: competitor prices as published on the OnlineJobs.ph, DonutJobs, Upwork and Fiverr pricing pages, last checked September 2026. Pricing changes, so confirm on their sites before you buy.
Related: Agency vs Direct Hire → · OnlineJobs.ph Alternatives · Hire a Filipino VA With No Bidding Fees · Filipino Remote Worker Salary Guide 2026