People who are busy, not swamped: one Gmail inbox and its calendar, a few school or work emails that matter each day, and reminders you keep forgetting. Lite is R299 a month and made for a lighter month of use.

When should I pick Standard instead?

Pick Standard, at R999 a month, if you run two or three inboxes, live in your email all day, or want Slack and ClickUp (both in beta). It has 5× Lite’s usage.

What about my WhatsApp groups?

Lite Plus, at R499 a month, adds up to 5 WhatsApp groups: catch up and get mention alerts. Verify your WhatsApp number with a PIN and add Ordaily’s group number (it’s different from the number you chat with) to the group; it never posts there, and it only sees messages from after it joined. Plain Lite does not read groups.

Will it send anything without asking me?

No. Ordaily never sends, books or changes anything without your yes: every email reply and every invite waits on a card in WhatsApp for your yes, and after you approve you have 30 seconds to undo. It is built for POPIA, and your content is never used to train AI.

Is an AI assistant cheaper than a virtual assistant?

For inbox, calendar and reminders, yes: R299 a month is less than two hours of most South African virtual assistants. For phone calls, errands and bookkeeping you still need a person.

Can I cancel any time?

Yes. Ordaily is billed monthly in rand and you can cancel any time.

An affordable personal assistant in South Africa

Last updated 27 October 2026

By Josh Macdonald, founder of Ordaily

For email, calendar and reminders, an AI PA (personal assistant) such as Ordaily Lite costs R299 a month in WhatsApp, against about R250 to R650 an hour for a human virtual assistant or R15,000 to R33,000 a month for a full time PA. It is a little help, not a person: no calls and no errands. A little help, without hiring a PA. For the human figures in depth, see PA, virtual assistant or AI: the real cost in South Africa.

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What R299 a month gets you

Your inbox, sorted. Every email in your Gmail badged urgent, priority, must read or FYI.
Replies drafted. Sent only after you say yes, and in your own style on Lite Plus.
Your calendar kept. It books, moves and cancels meetings in Google Calendar, with invites.
Reminders and to dos. Set by text or voice note in WhatsApp.
Briefings. A morning or evening briefing, as text or a voice note.

Lite, a virtual assistant or a PA

Human figures from the sources cited on our two cost guides, linked below. Ordaily publishes this guide.
Compared on	Ordaily Lite	A virtual assistant	A full time PA
Cost	R299 a month	About R250 to R650 an hour	About R15,000 to R33,000 a month in salary
Email and calendar	Sorts your Gmail, drafts replies, books meetings in Google Calendar	Yes, in the hours you book	Yes, in office hours
Reminders	By text or voice note in WhatsApp	If you brief them	Yes
Phone calls and errands	No	Some services, yes	Yes
When it works	Whenever you message it	In the hours you book	Office hours, less leave
Asks before sending	Always: nothing goes without your yes	Depends on how you work together	Depends on how you work together

More on the human side: the real cost of a PA in South Africa and virtual assistant or AI assistant.

Who Lite is for, and who needs more

Lite, at R299 a month, if…

you are busy, not swamped. One Gmail inbox, a handful of emails a day that matter, a calendar to keep and reminders you keep forgetting. Parents juggling school emails and extramurals often start here; see an AI assistant for parents.

Lite Plus, at R499 a month, if…

you also want up to 5 WhatsApp groups (catch up and get mention alerts), replies in your own style, an evening briefing as well as the morning one, and 10 web look-ups a month.

Standard, at R999 a month, if…

you live in your email all day, run two or three inboxes, or want Slack and ClickUp (both in beta), or jobs done for you. It has 5× Lite’s usage.

A person, if…

you need calls made, errands run or bookkeeping done. Ordaily does none of those.

Questions

What is the most affordable personal assistant in South Africa?: For email, calendar and reminders, an AI PA (personal assistant) such as Ordaily Lite costs R299 a month in WhatsApp, against about R250 to R650 an hour for a human virtual assistant or R15,000 to R33,000 a month for a full time PA. It is a little help, not a person: no calls and no errands.
Who is Lite for?: People who are busy, not swamped: one Gmail inbox and its calendar, a few school or work emails that matter each day, and reminders you keep forgetting. Lite is R299 a month and made for a lighter month of use.
When should I pick Standard instead?: Pick Standard, at R999 a month, if you run two or three inboxes, live in your email all day, or want Slack and ClickUp (both in beta). It has 5× Lite’s usage.
What about my WhatsApp groups?: Lite Plus, at R499 a month, adds up to 5 WhatsApp groups: catch up and get mention alerts. Verify your WhatsApp number with a PIN and add Ordaily’s group number (it’s different from the number you chat with) to the group; it never posts there, and it only sees messages from after it joined. Plain Lite does not read groups.
Will it send anything without asking me?: No. Ordaily never sends, books or changes anything without your yes: every email reply and every invite waits on a card in WhatsApp for your yes, and after you approve you have 30 seconds to undo. It is built for POPIA, and your content is never used to train AI.
Is an AI assistant cheaper than a virtual assistant?: For inbox, calendar and reminders, yes: R299 a month is less than two hours of most South African virtual assistants. For phone calls, errands and bookkeeping you still need a person.
Can I cancel any time?: Yes. Ordaily is billed monthly in rand and you can cancel any time.

A little help, for R299 a month

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Built for POPIA · Nothing sent without your yes · Your content is never used to train AI