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See how talent quality, pricing, support models, and scalability stack up to find the right fit for your business.
The top global founders and companies scale with Oceans.
Choosing between Oceans and Prialto means deciding between two fundamentally different approaches to executive support. At Oceans, we place university-educated, rigorously vetted professionals into EA+ roles—with a path to scale into marketing, finance, and operations. Prialto delivers managed administrative services backed by 15+ years of infrastructure across three countries.
Both solve the same problem—getting quality support without traditional hiring overhead—but the models, pricing, talent caliber, and service scope are meaningfully different.
Quick Comparison: Oceans vs. Prialto at a Glance
Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay
For a fair comparison, you need to look at full-time pricing. Prialto sells "units" of 55 hours at $1,500/month each. For full-time support, you'd need three units — $3,600/month (165 hours total), plus a $250 setup fee (waived with a one-year commitment) and a 90-day minimum contract.
At Oceans, pricing starts at $3,000/month based on role and seniority — for a dedicated full-time professional (40 hours/week) with a Pod Leader, Account Manager, and AI workflow training included. No setup fee. 3-month trial period, then a rolling agreement.
The bottom line: For full-time support, Oceans starts at $3,000/month with a deeper support layer included. Prialto costs $3,600/month and bills in 55-hour blocks — which means you're also managing unit allocation on top of managing the work itself.
Talent Quality and Where It Comes From
This is where the two services diverge most.
Oceans: Exceptional Talent, Rigorously Selected
At Oceans, we recruit from a pool of university-educated professionals—many trained in the British-style education system and holding credentials from internationally recognized institutions. A meaningful number of our team members bring corporate backgrounds at organizations like Ogilvy, KPMG, and other Fortune 500 companies, along with international work experience that translates directly to supporting US-based executives.
We focus on a less-saturated talent market, which means we're not competing with hundreds of outsourcing firms for the same candidates. The result is access to professionals who bring genuine business acumen—not just administrative skills—at a fraction of what comparable talent costs in the US.
Every Diver completes a month-long in-person training program before they're matched with a client, covering everything from AI workflow tools to communication standards and proactive execution frameworks.
Prialto: Established Multi-Country Infrastructure
Prialto takes a multi-country approach, hiring from the Philippines, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. With 15+ years operating in these markets, they've built established training centers and management infrastructure in each region. Most assistants hold college degrees or have extensive business support experience.
Prialto's positioning centers on consistency—their documented systems and backup infrastructure aim to reduce dependency on any single person. However, consistency through systems is only as strong as the talent in those systems.
How They Work Day-to-Day
Both services employ assistants directly with full benefits, training, and career development. The key difference is how those 40 hours are structured. Prialto's assistants work traditional business hours. Oceans' Divers split their full-time schedule between real-time collaboration with you and protected execution time—so deep work like building SOPs, processing deliverables, and closing loops happens without waiting for synchronous input. It's the same 40-hour commitment, optimized for output rather than availability.
Service Models and Support Structure
Oceans: Building Multi-Functional Teams
We built Oceans to deliver proactive support, not task-by-task delegation. Instead of waiting for you to hand over a list, our assistants are trained to spot what needs attention, anticipate the next step, and keep work moving. That's the heart of our "EA+" model: strategic execution, not just task completion.
As your business grows, we can help you expand beyond a single executive assistant into a full team. Need marketing support for campaigns and paid media? Finance support for FP&A and bookkeeping? Operations help for project management? We place talent across those functions—so you're building a real operating engine, not making a series of disconnected hires.
To make the relationship work long-term, you get:
• A dedicated Account Manager to help you scale intentionally
• A Pod Leader to oversee quality and support ongoing growth
• A structured 90-day integration period with defined projects and goals
Many clients start with one role and eventually hire 10+ Divers across departments.
AI training is a core part of what we deliver. Because our EAs are trained in AI workflows, you can delegate outcomes—not step-by-step instructions. An AI-fluent EA can turn your standards into reusable templates, light automations, SOPs, and clean process documentation. Over time, that reduces friction and increases output—especially during dedicated execution time where deep work happens.
Prialto: Managed Service with Built-In Backup
Prialto operates as a fully managed service focused on administrative and operational support. Every client gets a dedicated assistant, an Engagement Manager who acts as your delegation mentor, and a cross-trained backup team.
The team-based approach means your work is documented in Prialto's system. If your primary assistant is on vacation or leaves, a trained backup steps in without you starting over. Your Engagement Manager helps optimize processes and teaches better delegation habits through ongoing consulting.
Prialto has operated for 15+ years and leans on documented best practices to deliver consistency. That track record matters—though longevity alone doesn't guarantee the caliber of talent or the strategic value of the support you receive.
What You Can Hire
Bottom line: Oceans builds diverse teams across functions. Prialto specializes in deeply managed admin support with strong continuity systems.
Vetting Process and Quality Control
Oceans: Precision Matching from an Exceptional Talent Pool
We process over 2,000 applications monthly through a 6-stage interview process. Candidates go through multiple interviews, third-party skills assessments, and personality testing. We verify experience and professional background thoroughly before anyone enters our training program—let alone gets matched with a client.
What sets this apart: we're drawing from a pool of degree-holding professionals with corporate and international backgrounds. Many have worked at Fortune 500 companies, managed teams, or hold postgraduate credentials. Our selection process accepts fewer than 5% of applicants.
The result: an 86% first-match success rate, meaning most clients keep their first assigned Diver long-term. Before matching, we conduct in-depth discovery calls to understand your needs, working style, preferences, and even pet peeves. If the match doesn't work, we provide free rematching.
Prialto: Training-First Approach
Prialto requires every assistant to complete a month-long training program before working with clients. They hire college graduates or candidates with extensive business support experience, then put them through comprehensive onboarding on business practices and technology.
Assistants receive continuous skill upgrades and management oversight after onboarding. Prialto reports a 97% retention rate for both clients and employees.
The difference is philosophical—and practical: Prialto invests in systems and redundancy to keep support consistent. Oceans invests in hiring exceptional talent, training them intensively (month-long in-person program), and matching them precisely to your working style—then layering in Pod Leader oversight and AI workflow capability so the relationship gets *better* over time, not just stays stable. An 86% first-match success rate and university-educated professionals with Fortune 500 backgrounds mean you're starting from a higher baseline from day one.
Which Service Fits Your Needs?
Choose Oceans if you:
• Want to build a complete team across marketing, finance, and operations—not just hire an EA
• Value working with university-educated professionals who bring Fortune 500 experience and international credentials
• Want an EA trained in AI workflows who can build repeatable systems, SOPs, and automated processes
• Want full-time (40 hours/week) support structured for both real-time collaboration and deep execution
• Plan to scale to 10+ team members across different functions
• Want dedicated Pod Leader + Account Manager oversight at every stage
Choose Prialto if you:
• Want transparent, published pricing before the sales conversation
• Need robust team-based backup and continuity systems
• Prefer standard business hours (9am–6pm) with established protocols
• Value a long-tenured provider with documented administrative processes
• Want delegation coaching and process optimization consulting
• Need purely administrative and operational support (not specialized roles)
• Work in an established business where redundancy and process documentation matter
At Oceans, we've built our model for businesses that need strategic partners who scale across multiple functions—not just complete the tasks you assign them. Book a call to see which model fits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main differences between Oceans and Prialto?
Oceans places university-educated professionals with Fortune 500 backgrounds into EA+ roles, with pricing starting at $3,000 per month and a clear path to scale into marketing, finance, and operations. Prialto operates as a managed administrative service with unit-based pricing ($1,500/mo per 55-hour unit), team-based backup, and 15+ years of infrastructure across the Philippines, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Oceans is built for multi-functional team growth; Prialto specializes in deeply managed admin support.
How does Oceans vet its executive assistants?
Oceans runs a 6-stage selection process including multiple interviews, third-party skills assessments, and personality testing. Candidates are drawn from a pool of university-educated professionals—many with British-style credentials and corporate backgrounds at companies like Ogilvy and KPMG. Every hire completes a month-long in-person training program before placement, covering AI workflows, communication standards, and proactive execution. The result is an 86% first-match success rate.
Which service offers team-based backup support?
Prialto uses a team-based model with backup assistants cross-trained on your work. Oceans takes a different approach: rather than rotating between backup assistants, you get a dedicated Diver supported by a Pod Leader and Account Manager who maintain quality and continuity. Because Oceans invests heavily in matching and retention, the need for backup coverage is significantly reduced—most clients keep their first Diver long-term (86% first-match success rate).
How long does onboarding take?
Oceans can get you working with your Diver quickly—typically within two weeks of discovery. From there, we run a structured 90-day integration runway with defined projects, expectations, and goal-setting so the relationship compounds over time. The 90 days isn't how long it takes to start; it's the optimization period that turns a good hire into a great long-term partnership. Prialto's onboarding typically begins within 3–5 days, with a 90-day minimum contract.
Can I scale beyond executive assistant roles?
Yes with Oceans—we help clients build teams across executive assistance, marketing, finance, and operations. Many clients start with one Diver and grow to 10+ across multiple functions. Prialto focuses primarily on administrative and operational support. If you need marketing strategists, finance analysts, or operations managers, Oceans offers broader role diversity. For administrative scaling only, both work well.
Which service is better for startups vs. established businesses?
Oceans appeals to startups, growth-stage companies, and established teams that want to build real operational leverage across functions—at a competitive price point with university-educated talent. Prialto can work for established businesses focused purely on administrative support with strong process documentation needs. If you're building something that requires more than admin help, Oceans gives you the talent caliber and scaling path to grow with your business.
