South Assistants vs MagicEA
MagicEA is great when you need a task done in the next 10 minutes. South Assistants is who you hire when you want someone who already knows the answer — because they've been working with you for six months.
Chat-to-task or chief-of-staff. Different tools for different jobs.
Magic's shared-agent model is brilliant for transactional work — 'book me a flight', 'research these three companies'. It's not built for someone who owns your CRM hygiene, manages your investor comms, or runs a weekly newsletter. That's the gap South Assistants fills.
One person, not a pool
Magic rotates agents across clients. We give you one dedicated teammate you trust by name.
Learns your business
After week two, your hire knows your clients, tools, SOPs, voice. A shared-agent pool can't.
Strategic work, not just tasks
Not just 'book the flight' — our assistants run end-to-end processes, own outcomes, and report on them.
Feature by feature
How we compare
The details, side-by-side. No asterisks.
When to choose which
The honest picture
We don't win every comparison. Here's when each option actually fits.
Choose South Assistants if…
- You want ownership of a function (inbox, CRM, scheduling, research)
- You're tired of re-explaining context to new agents
- You need someone to build institutional knowledge
Stay with MagicEA if…
- You need ad-hoc tasks solved in the next hour
- Your volume is 5–10 hours a week, unpredictable
- You don't want the commitment of a dedicated hire
Switching
Switch in 14 days
No overlap period needed. No migration headaches. Here's the path from “we're thinking about it” to your new hire in standup.
- Day 1
1. Tell us the role
15-minute call to nail down scope, seniority, tools and the outcomes you want in the first 90 days.
- Days 4–10
2. Meet your shortlist
We present 2–3 pre-vetted candidates from the top 3% of our talent pool. Interview the ones you like.
- Day 14
3. Onboard with a playbook
Your hire starts with SOPs, access, tools, and our AI notetaker ready. We run 30/60/90 check-ins.
“Magic was brilliant for hotel bookings and research — until I wanted someone to run my newsletter and manage clients. That needs a person, not a pool. Moved to South Assistants, never looked back.”
FAQ
Questions we hear often
Can I use both?
Several clients do. Keep Magic for unpredictable one-offs; use South Assistants for the person who owns the function. The math usually says: if you use Magic more than ~15 hours a month, a dedicated hire is cheaper.
Do I sign a long-term contract?
No. Month-to-month with a 14-day notice. We keep you because the work is good, not because you're locked in.
What if it's not the right fit?
We replace your hire for free within the first 90 days — no questions, no prorating. After that, replacements are also complimentary if a match we placed underperforms.
Who manages the assistant day-to-day?
You do. They work directly with your team in Slack, Gmail, and your tools. We handle payroll, HR, equipment, and performance support in the background.
Other comparisons
South Assistants vs. others
Ready to leave MagicEA behind?
Book a 20-minute intake call. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit — and if not, where to go instead.