Start Hiring Call us 516-604-5371 Apply for Jobs
Boldly alternative

Boldly Alternative: Why Growing Companies Are Choosing Full-Time Offshore Staffing Instead

Founders comparing Boldly and Hire Overseas are usually trying to answer one core question:

"Should I pay a premium subscription rate for fractional, hourly support or build a dedicated, full-time offshore team member into my business at a lower total cost?"

Start hiring See all available roles

Zero cost to recruit · placed in 2-4 weeks · forever replacement

Hire Overseas compared with Boldly

Trusted by 250+ US companies

WayflyerRupa HealthCase StudyRupa Health, a root-cause medicine lab testing marketplace, partnered with Hire Overseas in 2023 to build a global media team that saved $1.2M annually and made them the most recognized brand in functional medicine.Tara ViswanathanTara ViswanathanCEO of Rupa HealthArtistCase StudyArist, an enterprise learning platform, overhired and burned cash after Series A. They fired their entire marketing team and rebuilt globally through Hire Overseas, achieving 20x more leads at 10% of the cost.Ryan LavertyRyan LavertyCo-Founder of AristSunrise ToyotaCase StudySunrise Toyota strategically scaled its service department by hiring offshore Customer Service/Dealership VAs through Hire Overseas. The team handled calls, bookings, and follow-ups, saving 75% in costs while filling service bays faster.Colleen CollettiColleen CollettiExecutive at Sunrise ToyotaTalofa GamesCase StudyTalofa Games, an innovative gaming studio, scaled faster with Hire Overseas, adding a Full Stack Engineer, Senior Unity Developer and QA Tester at 70% lower cost than U.S. hires, improving QA accuracy, and freeing 30+ leadership hours weekly.Jenny XuJenny XuCEO of Talofa GamesVerinomicsCase StudyBy partnering with Hire Overseas, Verinomics saved 40% on executive support costs, gained seamless admin help, and freed leadership time to drive growth.Gio ScalzoGio ScalzoCOO of VerinomicsHoneZestSonicSunflowerCase StudySunflower Sober, a SaaS platform for recovery support, scaled faster with Hire Overseas, cutting project times 40%, improving branding, ensuring accuracy, and saving $2K/month through offshore talent and AI workflows.Koby ConradKoby ConradCEO of Sunflower SoberThrone Science

This page is an honest, side-by-side breakdown of how Boldly and Hire Overseas actually work, what each one costs, and where your money really goes, so you can decide which model fits where your business is headed.

As companies grow past occasional executive support and start needing the same person full-time, someone who owns a workflow without hitting a monthly hour cap, becomes the default team member instead of a shared, billed-by-the-hour resource, Boldly's fractional subscription model starts to show its limits.

Start hiring overseas

Boldly overview

What Is Boldly

Boldly (formerly Worldwide101) is a premium subscription staffing company that matches clients with vetted, mostly US and UK-based executive assistants, project managers, and marketing specialists. Instead of a traditional hire, clients "subscribe" to a set number of hours per month, billed hourly, with plans starting around 40 hours and scaling up from there.

How Boldly Works (Subscription Staffing Model)

Talent type
Primarily US and UK-based W-2 executive assistants, project managers, and marketing specialists
Target user
Executives and established businesses needing polished, native-English fractional support
Management
Boldly handles matching and account management; client directs day-to-day tasks
Vetting
Candidates require 10+ years of experience; Boldly-run screening and matching process
Scope of work
Executive assistance, project management, marketing coordination, admin support
Client involvement
Moderate, client manages tasks and priorities within monthly hour allotment
Continuity
Fractional and hour-capped; assistant may be shared or reassigned if hours fluctuate

Boldly is a strong option if your only need is occasional, high-polish executive support billed by the hour.

Hire Overseas overview

What Is Hire Overseas?

Hire Overseas connects startups and scaling businesses with dedicated, full-time offshore professionals from the Philippines, South Africa, and Latin America. Rather than metering hours, you hire one committed team member who works your hours, on your systems, as part of your team, for a fraction of the cost of hourly Western-market subscription staffing.

How Hire Overseas Works (Staffing Model)

Talent type
Full-time offshore professionals from the Philippines, South Africa, and Latin America
Target user
Startups and scaling businesses that need consistent, full-time support without US/UK-market pricing
Management
Client manages the hire directly, with Hire Overseas handling recruiting, payroll, and compliance
Vetting
Structured, role-specific screening and skills testing before a candidate is presented
Scope of work
Any role your business needs full-time: EA, customer support, marketing, ops, dev, and more
Client involvement
Direct, ongoing, the hire becomes a true extension of your team
Continuity
Full-time, dedicated, long-term, the same person, working your hours, every week

This model prioritizes consistency, institutional knowledge, and long-term ROI over one-off convenience.

Hire Overseas vs Boldly

Key differences at a glance

Comparison
Core modelBoldlyPremium hourly subscription staffingHire OverseasFull-time dedicated offshore staffing
Talent typeBoldlyUS/UK-based W-2 professionalsHire OverseasGlobal; mainly Philippines, South Africa, LatAm
Engagement typeBoldlyFractional, hour-capped monthly planHire OverseasFull-time, dedicated hire
Role flexibilityBoldlyEA, PM, marketing, admin onlyHire OverseasAny role: EA, support, ops, marketing, dev, and more
VettingBoldlyBoldly-run matching for experienced US/UK candidatesHire OverseasStructured, role-specific screening per hire
ManagementBoldlyBoldly-managed matching; client directs tasksHire OverseasClient-managed, with recruiting and compliance handled for you
Client involvementBoldlyModerate, within hour capsHire OverseasDirect and ongoing, like an in-house employee
ContinuityBoldlyFractional; hours and availability can shift monthlyHire OverseasFull-time, consistent, long-term
ScalingBoldlyAdd hours or a second assistant at premium hourly ratesHire OverseasAdd dedicated full-time hires at predictable, lower monthly cost
Best use caseBoldlyOccasional executive support billed by the hourHire OverseasBuilding a real, full-time offshore team as you scale
Platform take rateBoldly~$65/hour billed rate on top of W-2 payroll overheadHire OverseasFlat monthly cost with transparent payroll and compliance handling
Talent developmentBoldlyNot included in the subscriptionHire OverseasOngoing upskilling, including AI tools, through Hire Overseas University

At a glance, Boldly is built for buying hours; Hire Overseas is built for building a team.

Cost comparison

Boldly vs Hire Overseas: Cost Comparison

One of the most important, and often overlooked, differences between Boldly and Hire Overseas is where your money actually goes.

$2,600–$6,500/mo

for 40–100 fractional hours ($65/hour billed rate)

Contractor take-home pay
Roughly half of the billed hourly rate, after W-2 payroll taxes, benefits, and Boldly's overhead
Platform / management take rate
Significant built-in margin on top of a US/UK-market wage base
Budget focus
Buying a capped number of premium-market hours
Where the money goes
Split between W-2 wages, benefits/payroll tax overhead, and Boldly's subscription margin
To contractor: about 50%To overhead

With Boldly, a $2,600/month plan buys only 40 hours of fractional support (about 10 hours a week) at a $65/hour billed rate, and a meaningful share of that rate is absorbed by W-2 payroll tax, benefits administration, and Boldly's subscription margin before it reaches the assistant. In practical terms, that $2,600 monthly plan may put somewhere around $1,300–$1,600 in the assistant's pocket for capped, part-time hours and scaling to full-time coverage would mean jumping to a $6,500+/month plan.

$2,000–$3,000/mo

for one full-time (160+ hour) dedicated hire

Contractor take-home pay
$1,200–$2,000/month goes directly to the contractor
Management & overhead
Transparent, modest management fee on top of contractor pay
Budget focus
Buying a full-time, dedicated team member
Where the money goes
Overwhelmingly to the contractor's take-home pay
To contractor: about 65%To overhead

With Hire Overseas, a much larger portion of the same monthly cost goes directly to the professional doing the work. A $2,000–$3,000 monthly cost generally results in about $1,200–$2,000 going directly to the contractor, aligning your investment with performance, retention, and long-term value for a full-time hire, not a capped number of hours. That cost also buys a professional who grows with you. Every Hire Overseas hire gets free access to Hire Overseas University for ongoing training and upskilling, including AI tools, so the same investment keeps compounding as their skills grow.

Why the model matters

Why This Cost Difference Matters

How compensation is structured has a direct impact on outcomes:

Comparison
Talent motivationBoldlyMotivated within capped hours, but shared across multiple clientsHire OverseasHighly motivated - full-time income tied to one dedicated client relationship
RetentionBoldlyDependent on Boldly's internal staffing and hour allocationHire OverseasStrong - competitive full-time pay encourages long-term commitment
AccountabilityBoldlyShared attention across fractional clientsHire OverseasHigh - one employer, one focus, daily accountability
Institutional knowledgeBoldlyLimited by capped hours and potential reassignmentHire OverseasDeepens over time as a true full-time team member
Long-term ROIBoldlyDiminishes as hour needs grow and costs scale linearlyHire OverseasIncreases as the hire grows with your business

When professionals are paid competitively and feel invested:

  • Payroll processing in local currency
  • Government tax compliance
  • Medical aid & leave administration
  • Ongoing HR support

For startups and growing businesses, this difference often translates into more stability, better performance, and stronger returns from the same monthly investment.

With Boldly, a significant portion of every payment goes toward W-2 overhead and subscription margin rather than the person doing the work.

With Hire Overseas, a much larger share of the same budget goes directly to the professional doing the work.

Which one fits

Who should choose Boldly vs Hire Overseas

Deciding between Boldly and Hire Overseas usually comes down to how much support you need and how you want to pay for it.

Choose Boldly if

  • You only need a few hours of executive support per week
  • You specifically want a US or UK-based assistant
  • You're comfortable paying a premium hourly rate for flexibility
  • You don't plan to scale support into a full-time role

Choose Hire Overseas if

  • You need consistent, full-time support, not capped hours
  • You want to lower costs without lowering quality
  • You're scaling and need a growing offshore team, not just one assistant
  • You want payroll, compliance, and HR handled for you at a predictable monthly cost
  • You want full-time offshore talent from the Philippines, South Africa, or Latin America instead of hourly-billed US/UK support

Growth Starts Here

What Changes After You Hire Overseas

What you actually need isn't a few borrowed hours from a shared, fractional assistant but a dedicated team member who shows up every day and grows with your business.

Hire Overseas is built for this transition.

Instead of paying premium hourly rates that cap your support and climb with every tier upgrade, you get a full-time offshore hire at less than half the cost of Boldly's top-tier plan, with far more hours covered and far more continuity. We handle recruiting, vetting, payroll, and compliance, so you can focus on the work, not the overhead.

When Growth Changes Everything

Your Own Full-Time Hire, Dedicated to Your Growth

Boldly's fractional model caps your hours and shares your assistant across other clients, and growing past your tier means a bigger hourly bill, not a more dedicated relationship. Hire Overseas gives you a full-time, dedicated hire from day one. A real professional, accountable to your business, who grows and scales with it, at less than half the cost of Boldly's top-tier plan. If you're ready to build that kind of team, we'll show you exactly what that looks like.

Start Hiring Overseas

Questions

Boldly alternatives, answered.

Ask us on a call

Yes. Boldly's plans start at $2,600/month for just 40 fractional hours at a $65/hour billed rate. Hire Overseas provides a full-time (160+ hour) dedicated hire for $2,000–$3,000/month - more coverage at a lower total cost.

Boldly's subscription staffing model bills by the hour, so plans are built around fixed monthly hour allotments (40, 60, 100, etc.). Going over means upgrading tiers or paying overage rates - a structural limit Hire Overseas' full-time hires don't have.

Yes. Hire Overseas recruits and vets full-time professionals anywhere in the world, most often in the Philippines, South Africa, and Latin America, with strong English fluency and relevant experience, matched to your specific role - often at less than half of Boldly's effective hourly cost.

Hire Overseas handles local payroll processing, government tax compliance, medical aid and leave administration, and ongoing HR support for your hire, so you get the simplicity of a subscription without the hourly cap or premium markup.

Case studies

How we help businesses scale remotely.

See how companies worldwide scaled faster and smarter with Hire Overseas.

Rupa Health case study
Health Tech

Rupa Health Built a $10M+ Media Brand with Offshore Talent

A root-cause medicine lab testing marketplace partnered with us in 2023 to build a global media team that saved $1.2M annually and made them the most recognized brand in functional medicine.

$1.2MSaved Annually
#1Brand Recognition
Your team Hire Overseas

Tell us the role. We’ll find the person.

One call to scope the role, budget, and time zone. Vetted candidates in your inbox within days.

Start Hiring

Month-to-month · 14-day money-back guarantee · Forever replacement