Side by side · every figure sourced
Cool Blue VA vs Swiss Monkey
Both companies publish a rate, so they can actually be compared. Everything below is quoted from each company’s own website with the date we read it. Blank means the company publishes nothing on that point — click ⓘ to see which pages we checked.
6/12Cool Blue VA publishes
1/12Swiss Monkey publishes
| Cool Blue VA | Swiss Monkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate | $9.95/hr Verified i$9.95/hr comes from this sentence on their site: “Cool Blue VA Medical Virtual Assistants offers an affordable rate starting at $9.95 per hour for customer service virtual assistants.” | $399/mo Verified i$399/mo comes from this sentence on their site: “Annual Plans: $399/month/location.” |
| Setup fee | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Minimum commitment | No minimum Verified iNo minimum comes from this sentence on their site: “No contracts, no fees, or hidden charges. You can cancel anytime without cost.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Free trial | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Replacement guarantee | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Assistants based in | Philippines Verified iPhilippines comes from this sentence on their site: “All our Virtual Assistants are local Filipinos and are governed by the Philippines' Data Privacy Act of 2012.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Qualifications held | registered nurses Verified iregistered nurses comes from this sentence on their site: “Many are registered nurses in the Philippines.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Dedicated or shared | Dedicated to one client Verified iDedicated to one client comes from this sentence on their site: “It means this person is dedicated to performing tasks for you.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Works your time zone | Yes Verified iYes comes from this sentence on their site: “But regardless of their location, they work based on your work hours.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Background checks | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Fastest stated start | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Cover when assistant is out | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| The BAA is between | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Claims HIPAA training | Yes Stated iYes is what this company states, in these words: “They are also HIPAA certified.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| EHR systems named | eClinicalworks Verified ieClinicalworks comes from this sentence on their site: “Our Medical VAs are trained in eClinicalworks, but are adaptable to other systems as well.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
We do not pick a winner. We have no commercial relationship with either
company, we are not paid by either, and we are not qualified to say which suits your
practice. What we can do is put their own published claims next to each other, dated,
so the differences are visible without sitting through two sales calls.
Before you decide
- Ask both for the actual Business Associate Agreement, not a sentence about one.
- Ask what happens on a sick day — the answer varies far more than the price does.
- Ask which EHR, by name, and for how long.
- If a figure here is out of date, tell us and we will re-check it within a day.