Guide · Cost
PA or AI assistant? The real cost in South Africa
Last updated
A human personal assistant in South Africa costs about R15,000 to R33,000 a month, and Ordaily, an AI executive assistant on WhatsApp, costs R999 a month, but a person can do things Ordaily cannot, such as phone calls, errands and judgement in the room. Here is where the salary figures come from, what each option covers, and who each one suits.
What a personal assistant costs
Published salary figures for a personal assistant in South Africa run from about R15,000 to R33,000 a month, depending on the source, the city and the seniority of the role:
- About R15,560 a month
The average personal assistant salary of R186,700 a year, from Indeed (December 2024), as reported by Regenesys.
- R17,501 a month
The average monthly personal assistant salary from Talent.com, as reported by Regenesys.
- R23,500 to R33,000 a month
The Personal Assistant range, cost to company, in the Pnet 2025 Salary Guide.
Ordaily Standard is R999 a month in early access, billed monthly, and you can cancel any time. The price is locked for 12 months, then R1,500.
Side by side
| Compared on | Ordaily | A human PA |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | R999 for Standard (early access), locked for 12 months, then R1,500 | About R15,000 to R33,000 in salary |
| Where it works | WhatsApp, by text or voice note, whenever you message it | At their desk, on email and on the phone, in their working hours |
| Sorts your Gmail into urgent, priority and follow-up, alerts you to urgent email, drafts replies in your style | Reads and answers email the way you teach them | |
| Calendar | Books, moves and cancels Google Calendar meetings with invites | Manages your diary, and can arrange times over the phone |
| Phone calls | No | Yes |
| Errands | No, nothing physical | Yes: post, collections, the bank, the office |
| Judgement in person | No. It shows you what it wants to do and waits for your yes | Yes: reads the room and deals with people face to face |
| Asks before sending | Yes, every time, with a 30-second undo | Depends on the person and how you work together |
| Setup | Connect your Google account and start | Recruit, hire and train |
What a person does that Ordaily cannot
Ordaily works through your accounts and your WhatsApp. It cannot pick up the phone to a client, supplier or airline. It cannot run an errand, collect a parcel, go to the bank or greet a visitor. And it cannot read a room: a good PA knows when a client is upset, when to interrupt you and when to hold a call. Ordaily shows you what it wants to do and waits for your yes. Reading photos and PDFs you send it is coming soon.
Which should you choose?
A human PA is the better fit if…
much of your admin happens on the phone or in person: calls to make and take, errands to run, visitors to look after, and people to handle face to face. No AI assistant does that work today.
Ordaily suits you if…
most of your admin is email, your calendar, reminders and to-dos. Ordaily sorts your Gmail into urgent, priority and follow-up, drafts replies in your style, books, moves and cancels meetings, sends a morning briefing as text, a voice note or a PDF, and catches you up on Slack and ClickUp, all from WhatsApp, for R999 a month. You can also have both: a PA for the calls and errands, Ordaily for your own inbox and diary.
Trust
Built for POPIA. Ordaily and its database are hosted in Johannesburg; WhatsApp delivery and AI processing use international providers, as the privacy policy explains. Your content is never used to train AI.
Questions
- Is a personal assistant or an AI assistant cheaper in South Africa?
- A human personal assistant in South Africa costs about R15,000 to R33,000 a month, and Ordaily, an AI executive assistant on WhatsApp, costs R999 a month, but a person can do things Ordaily cannot, such as phone calls, errands and judgement in the room.
- How much does a personal assistant cost in South Africa?
- About R15,000 to R33,000 a month. Regenesys reports an average of R186,700 a year (about R15,560 a month, from Indeed) and R17,501 a month (from Talent.com); the Pnet 2025 Salary Guide puts a Personal Assistant at R23,500 to R33,000 a month, cost to company.
- How much does Ordaily cost?
- Ordaily Standard is R999 a month in early access, billed monthly, and you can cancel any time. The price is locked for 12 months, then R1,500. Premium, at R2,500 a month, is coming soon.
- Can an AI assistant replace a personal assistant?
- Not completely. Ordaily cannot make phone calls, run errands or use judgement in person. It looks after your Gmail inbox, Google Calendar, reminders and to-dos, Slack catch-up and ClickUp tasks, and sends you a morning briefing, all from WhatsApp.
- Will Ordaily send anything without asking me?
- No. Every email and every invite comes to you as a confirm card first, and nothing is sent until you say yes. After you approve, you have 30 seconds to undo.
Sources (checked 9 October 2026)
- Regenesys: Personal assistant salary in South Africa (updated 11 November 2025): an average of R186,700 a year, about R15,560 a month (Indeed, December 2024), and an average of R17,501 a month (Talent.com).
- Pnet 2025 Salary Guide: Personal Assistant, R23,500 to R33,000 a month, cost to company.
A monthly figure worked out from a yearly one is the yearly figure divided by 12, rounded.
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