Prialto alternative: what you actually pay for 55 hours a month, or for a full-time assistant
Price, minimum term, working hours and backup cover at Prialto and at Catalyst, side by side, from each company's own pages.
We're Catalyst, the alternative on this page. Every line about the other company comes from its own website, linked and dated in the sources, and the page says where it is the better pick.
Last checked 3 November 2026
Side by side: price, term, hours and cover
| Prialto | Catalyst | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,500 a month per 55-hour unit in its FAQ, $1,600 in its plan table; full-time from $3,600 for 165 hours or more | General admin: SGD 12, 10 or 9 an hour on a 3, 6 or 12 month plan; other roles on our pricing page |
| Hours | 55 a month per unit, with free overflow time and no overage fees | 160 a month full-time, or 20 a week part-time |
| Minimum term | A three-month pilot, then month to month | 3, 6 or 12 months per assistant, with no automatic renewal |
| Paid up front | A $250 setup fee, waived on a one-year agreement | The first month, plus a deposit of one month on a 6-month plan or two on a 12-month plan |
| Working hours | 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, in US and UK time zones | Your working hours, agreed with you |
| Who runs it | An engagement manager documents your processes, and Prialto's staff train the assistant | We recruit, vet, employ, pay and equip the assistant and manage them day to day; you direct the work |
| Cover when away | Two trained backup assistants per unit | Missed hours made up by the end of the next month, or taken off your next invoice |
| If it isn't a fit | A backup steps in while Prialto trains a replacement | Ask for a replacement in the first two weeks |
What you actually pay at Prialto and at Catalyst
Prialto prices by the unit. One unit is 55 hours a month with a dedicated assistant, an engagement manager and two trained backups. Its FAQ puts a unit at $1,500, about $27 an hour, and full-time support of 165 hours or more from $3,600, about $22 an hour. Its plan table lists $1,600 a unit, so ask which figure applies to you.
We price by the hour and the term. A general admin assistant is SGD 12 an hour on a 3-month plan, SGD 10 on 6 months and SGD 9 on 12 months, for 160 hours a month. Bookkeeping, executive and design roles cost more, and each rate is on our pricing page.
You get one invoice a month per assistant, sent in advance. Our rates exclude GST and other taxes. Sources: [1] [2] [4] [3]
A real scenario: 30 hours of admin a week
Say you have about 130 hours of admin a month: the inbox, the calendar, travel and CRM updates.
At Prialto that's two units, about 110 hours, at $3,000 to $3,200 a month on its published prices, with overflow time for busy weeks and no overage fee. Or full-time support from $3,600 for 165 hours or more.
With us it's one full-time general admin assistant for 160 hours: SGD 1,920 a month on a 3-month plan, SGD 1,600 on 6 months or SGD 1,440 on 12. Hours you don't use in a month don't roll over, so this pays only if you can fill most of the 160. Sources: [1] [2] [4] [3]
What you sign: the minimum term, the fees and the deposit
Prialto
A three-month pilot to start, then month to month, with optional annual agreements at set savings. A $250 setup fee in the first month, waived on a one-year agreement. Sources: [1] [2]
Catalyst
A 3, 6 or 12 month plan per assistant that doesn't renew by itself. You pay the first month before the start, plus a deposit of one month on a 6-month plan or two on a 12-month plan, used for your final month or two. Sources: [3]
Ending early with us
Give 30 days' written notice and pay for those 30 days. On a 6 or 12 month plan we keep the deposit as an early termination fee. A 3-month plan has no deposit. Sources: [3]
When your assistant is away, or isn't working out
Prialto builds cover into every unit: two trained backups who know your processes, and an engagement manager who writes them down, so a new assistant picks up where the last one left off.
With us, if your assistant is off through absence, leave or a technical fault on our side, we make up the hours by the end of the following month, or take their value off your next invoice. You can ask for a replacement in the first two weeks. After that, we consider a request on reasonable grounds.
We aim to place a replacement within 30 days. If we can't, you can end the plan, pay only for the work delivered and get the deposit back within 14 days. Days with no assistant while we look are credited to your next invoice. Sources: [1] [2] [3]
The honest summary: who each one suits
Pick Prialto if
You want backups and an engagement manager in the price, your hours swing from month to month, and US or UK business hours suit you. Sources: [1] [2]
Pick us if
You can fill a full-time week, want one person on your own working hours, and would rather be priced by the hour in Singapore dollars, under a Singapore agreement. Sources: [3] [4]
Look elsewhere if
You need someone on site, or only a few hours a month. Our comparison of eight companies includes plans from 10 hours a month.
How to switch without losing momentum
Write down the work
List the tasks your current assistant does each week, the tools and logins they use, and the steps for each task.
Book a call with us
Tell us the work and your hours. We'll price the role and the term in a proposal you sign.
Overlap the two
Keep your Prialto unit until your new assistant has finished their first two weeks, the window in which you can ask us for a replacement. Sources: [3] [1] [2]
Questions people ask before leaving Prialto
Does Catalyst cost less than Prialto?
Per hour, yes. Prialto's FAQ works a unit out at about $27 an hour and full-time at about $22. A general admin assistant with us is SGD 12, 10 or 9 an hour, by term. The catch: you pay for 160 hours a month, and hours you don't use don't roll over. Sources: [2] [4] [3]
Do I get backup cover like Prialto's?
Our cover works differently. Prialto puts two trained backups on every unit. Our Terms promise make-up hours instead: if your assistant is away, we make the hours up by the end of the next month or take their value off your next invoice. Sources: [1] [3]
Which hours will my assistant work?
With us, yours: one person on your working hours, agreed with you in writing. Prialto's assistants work 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, in US and UK time zones, and it arranges longer hours case by case. Sources: [1] [3]
Am I locked into a long contract?
Not with either, but the shapes differ. Prialto starts with a three-month pilot, then goes month to month. Our plans run 3, 6 or 12 months and don't renew by themselves. Ending one early takes 30 days' notice, and on a 6 or 12 month plan we keep the deposit. Sources: [2] [3]
Who employs the assistant?
We do. We recruit, vet, employ, pay and equip your assistant, and you direct the work. Prialto's FAQ says it hires its assistants too, and follows local labor laws. Sources: [2] [3]
Sources
- Prialto pricing, read 3 November 2026
- Prialto FAQs, read 3 November 2026
- Catalyst Terms of Business, October 2026, read 3 November 2026
- Catalyst pricing: role rates by term, read 3 November 2026