Pricing, features, talent pool, hiring workflow, and the real-world use-cases where each platform wins. Written for employers who want a direct, side-by-side answer — not marketing copy.
Free forever, for everyone
$0/month
for employers and workers
Managed staffing with stacked monthly fees
$69–$99/month + $99 per staff/month
employer cost
Worker cost: $0 — paid directly to worker
VirtualStaff.ph bundles a talent marketplace with a managed-payroll and compliance layer designed for employers who want a formal Philippine employment structure. It works — but every active staff member adds another $99/month on top of the base $69–$99 subscription, so a three-person Filipino team costs roughly $4,300/year in platform fees before salary. WorkFil strips out the managed layer and charges nothing. If you want hands-off PH compliance, VirtualStaff.ph earns its fee. If you’re comfortable paying your Filipino worker directly (the vast majority of international employers), WorkFil delivers the same sourcing and screening experience for free.
VirtualStaff.ph’s pricing is additive: the base $69/mo subscription unlocks search and messaging, and every active hire adds a separate $99/mo service fee that covers their managed-payroll layer. A business with three Filipino remote workers pays $69 + ($99 × 3) = $366/month, or $4,392/year. WorkFil charges nothing — you pay your workers directly via Wise or a local alternative at a fraction of that in transfer fees.
VirtualStaff.ph’s selling point is hands-off PH compliance: contracts, payslips, BIR-aligned tax filings, 13th-month pay calculations, and SSS/PhilHealth registration handled by their team. For US, UK, and AU employers who classify Filipino workers as independent contractors (the standard international-remote arrangement), none of this is required. The compliance layer becomes a real asset only if you’re running a Philippines-registered entity or specifically want a W-2-equivalent employment relationship.
VirtualStaff.ph invests in product more than OnlineJobs.ph does — the UI is modern and functional. But WorkFil’s applicant tracking goes deeper: AI-scored profiles, voice-sample screening, custom screening questions per job, and an application pipeline that tracks every candidate from applied → interviewed → hired → rejected. VirtualStaff.ph’s messaging is solid but the pipeline tooling is thinner.
VirtualStaff.ph has a mid-sized pool (smaller than OnlineJobs.ph, larger than WorkFil today), and it’s actively curated — they reject profiles that don’t meet quality bars. WorkFil’s pool is growing; for most mainstream VA/bookkeeping/cold-calling roles you’ll get 15–40 applications within 72 hours of posting, which is enough to shortlist five strong candidates.
On WorkFil you and the worker negotiate and manage the relationship directly — they’re your contractor, full stop. On VirtualStaff.ph the managed-payroll layer inserts the platform between you and the worker: they handle payments, track hours via their in-platform tracker, and mediate performance issues. That’s a feature if you want an agency-like buffer, and a bug if you prefer direct employer-worker ownership of the relationship.
| Feature | WorkFil | VirtualStaff.ph |
|---|---|---|
| Searchable talent database | Free for all employers | Requires paid subscription |
| Talent pool size | Growing, PH-focused | Mid-sized, curated |
| AI profile scoring | Yes — 0–100 score | Limited |
| Skill badges | Yes | Partial |
| Voice intro samples | Yes | No |
| Featured placement | Admin-curated rotation | Paid boost available |
| Geographic focus | Philippines-only | Philippines-only |
| Feature | WorkFil | VirtualStaff.ph |
|---|---|---|
| Identity verification | Photo ID + admin review | Yes — integrated |
| English-level assessment | Voice sample + badge | Self-declared + interview |
| Screening questions per job | Up to 5 custom | Partial |
| Voice-reading script per job | Yes | No |
| Applicant ranking | AI-scored | Manual |
| Time-tracking integration | Off-platform (Toggl, Hubstaff) | Built-in tracker |
| Feature | WorkFil | VirtualStaff.ph |
|---|---|---|
| Direct messaging | Unlimited, free | Paid subscription required |
| File attachments in chat | Up to 15 MB | Yes |
| Application pipeline | Yes | Yes |
| Shortlist & bulk invite | Yes | Yes |
| Private employer notes | Yes | Yes |
| Team collaboration (multiple hiring managers) | Single employer account | Multi-user seats available |
| Feature | WorkFil | VirtualStaff.ph |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee on worker pay | $0 — direct pay | Bundled into $99/staff/mo |
| Employer base subscription | None | $69–$99/month |
| Per-staff monthly fee | None | $99/month per active hire |
| Managed PH payroll | Not provided — direct pay | Yes — included in $99/staff |
| 13th-month pay calculation | Guidance in blog | Automated |
| SSS / PhilHealth / Pag-IBIG | Employer-handled (usually not required) | Handled by platform |
| Contract templates | Editable templates | Platform-generated contracts |
| Tier | WorkFil | VirtualStaff.ph |
|---|---|---|
| Search + messaging | $0/month | $69/month (Pro) |
| + Featured posting, priority support | $0/month | $99/month (Premium) |
| + Managed payroll per hire | Not offered (direct pay) | +$99/month per active staff |
I’m a US/UK/AU company hiring a Filipino contractor
WorkFil. You’ll classify your hire as a contractor (the standard international arrangement), pay them via Wise, and owe zero Philippine payroll tax. VirtualStaff.ph’s managed compliance adds cost you don’t need.
I run a Philippines-registered company and want full PH employment
VirtualStaff.ph earns its fee. The managed-payroll layer handles BIR filings, 13th-month pay, and SSS contributions correctly — this is genuine work you’d otherwise need a PH HR service to do.
I need built-in time-tracking with screenshots
VirtualStaff.ph bundles a Hubstaff-style tracker. WorkFil leaves time-tracking to your tool of choice, which most employers prefer.
I want to pay the worker directly at the best exchange rate
WorkFil. A direct Wise transfer to the worker typically nets them 3–5% more than a platform-routed payment after fees and FX markups.
It covers payroll processing, contract administration, PH tax filings, 13th-month pay calculations, and SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG contributions on behalf of the worker. For employers who need a formal Philippines employment relationship, that’s a legitimate service. For contractors-based arrangements (the international-remote norm), none of it is required.
Yes — this is the standard international-contractor arrangement. You classify the worker as an independent contractor, issue them a 1099 at year-end if you’re US-based, and they self-declare income in the Philippines. Millions of employer-contractor relationships run this way. We have a full guide in the WorkFil blog.
Possibly as an optional add-on in the future, but the core freemium philosophy won’t change: direct-pay contractor hiring will always be free. Any managed-payroll feature would be a separate optional product for employers who specifically want that service.
Yes today, though smaller than OnlineJobs.ph. The gap matters less than you might think because both platforms curate and moderate profiles, so the shortlist quality per role converges. For specialized roles (Shopify VA, QuickBooks bookkeeper, SDR), WorkFil often surfaces comparable or better candidates within 72 hours of posting.
Time-tracking data is portable — it’s your data. Most employers using WorkFil route time-tracking through independent tools (Hubstaff, Toggl, Clockify) so they’re not locked to any platform. You can absolutely bring your existing tracker into a WorkFil-sourced hire.
Yes — nothing prevents running workers sourced from multiple platforms. You’d pay VirtualStaff.ph the $99/mo managed fee on the first hire (if you want to keep the managed payroll), and pay the WorkFil-sourced hire directly with zero platform fees.
Post a job in under 5 minutes. Compare WorkFil shortlists against VirtualStaff.ph side-by-side in 72 hours before renewing anywhere else.