Remote EOR
Deel EOR
Rippling EOR
Globalization Partner
Velocity Global
Oyster HR
Multiplier
Papaya Global EOR
Expanding into international markets is exciting but also brings a maze of compliance challenges.
Navigating complex labor laws, tax regulations, and employment standards can quickly turn into a legal and administrative nightmare. That's no one's favorite job, I totally get it!
That’s why Employer of Record Services become more prevalent in today’s borderless employment landscape. EORs take the headache out of global hiring, offer technology to manage distributed teams, and give leaders peace of mind when it comes to compliance requirements.
For more details, check out my articles on EOR meaning and Employer of Record Benefits.
A recent market research report from Business Market Insights revealed that the EOR market was valued at $4.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $8.59 billion by 2032.
I reviewed tens of EOR solutions referenced in the news, online directories, and various industry lists to uncover the top names that dominate global employment solutions today. (See more about the research methodology below.)
Beyond just gauging popularity, I’ve looked deeper into how these EORs perform in real-world applications. For example, their ability to navigate complex compliance landscapes, how effectively they support companies in scaling across borders, and real user feedback regarding service quality and platform performance. These insights help solidify why these companies deserve their place at the top.
If you're seeking top-rated EOR services to simplify your global expansion, this objective, unbiased review is a great starting point for discovering the best options.
Top 10 Employer of Record (EOR) Services for Global Expansion
Remote EOR
Best for startups and SaaS companies needing a direct EOR service with strong IP protection support.
Founded in 2019 by Job van der Voort and Marcelo Lebre, Remote has quickly become a major player in the EOR market, covering over 200 countries and territories and known for its strong focus on client needs. (Voort previously served as VP of Product at GitLab, an AI-powered solution for the tech industry and a leading remote-first company.)
What sets Remote apart is its wholly-owned legal entities in every country it serves, offering a fully integrated global hiring process, from sourcing remote talent to onboarding and managing employment processes. Its two-step direct IP protection is also unique.
Remote EOR has supported a wide variety of companies, especially tech startups and SaaS businesses. Key industries include software development, e-commerce, HR tech, fintech, and cybersecurity, with notable clients like Loom, Primer, Workato, and Semrush.
Region Coverage:
Almost everywhere you can hire!
Key Features of Remote EOR:
- Payroll process and expense reporting: Automates salary payment in local currencies and includes detailed reporting features to track and manage employment expenses.
- Employee self-onboarding: New hires are guided to fill their personal and professional details, upload necessary documents, and complete onboarding with minimal hassle.
- Employee benefits: Standard (basic, law-abiding plans) and premium (expanded packages with extra perks) across key markets.
- Equity incentives: Equity incentive schemes setup, employee training and guidelines, ongoing program monitoring and management per local jurisdiction requirements.
- PTO management: Easy process of submit, track, and approve time off requests among employees and client company (you).
- Remote IP Guard: Protect company’s intellectual rights with a transparent two-step transfer process. IP rights are assigned from the employee to Remote and then from Remote directly to the client company, with no intermediaries.
- Remote job board: Companies can use its built-in marketplace ($199/month) to find and connect with remote talents.
- Refugees hiring program: Remote partners with a wide range of organizations to support refugee talents and offers its EOR service for free (up to 10 employees) to onboard them.
Integration:
- Remote allows data connection with HRIS (HiBob, Gusto, BambooHR, Personio), accouting (Xero), and hiring (Workday, Greenhouse).
Note: If you’re using Gusto HRIS, you can directly access Remote’s EOR service for global employment.
- Enables notifications and updates through Slack.
- Zapier automation.
Pros & Cons:
Pro:
- Seamless global payments and compliance: Users love that Deel makes international payments and compliance with local laws hassle-free, including the ability to handle foreign currency exchanges and offer fast crypto transfers.
- Extensive global coverage and compliance: Remote is good at managing payroll, taxes, and legal compliance worldwide without third-party risks, giving companies confidence in international hiring.
- User-friendly platform: The intuitive interface makes it easy to access documents, track time off, and manage payroll.
- Reliable customer support: Users appreciate responsive and helpful support from Remote teams.
Cons:
- Complex onboarding process: Some users find the onboarding steps overwhelming, especially for hires without prior experience. This may cause confusion and delays during the initial setup.
- Usability limitations: A few users report challenges with certain features, such as payroll adjustments or managing holiday entries, which can disrupt workflows when clarity or guidance is lacking.
- Customer support delays: Some users have experienced slower-than-expected response times or automated messages that don’t fully address their concerns, particularly for more complex issues.
User Reviews:
- G2: 4.6/5 (2,093 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (46 reviews)
Remote Pricing:
- EORs: start at $599 per employee per month
- Contractors: Basic Contractor Management starts at $29 per contractor per month, Contractor Management Plus with indemnity coverage and compliance starts at $99/contractor/month.
Discounts: one-year 15% discounts for qualified startups, non-profits, and social purpose organizations.
Deel EOR
Best for businesses looking for streamlined EOR services with strong payroll engines.
Launched in 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco, Deel is a fast-growing EOR services provider with robust specialized capabilities. (The company has grown from zero to over $500 million ARR in just five years and is now valued at $12 billion!)
Starting as a strong contractor management software for companies to manage and run payroll for their project-based talents worldwide, Deel quickly expanded into compliant full-time hires just a year later. It now services 150 countries, of which 100 have fully-owned infrastructure and entities.
The company has helped tens of thousands of businesses, from startups to large enterprises, and has particular expertise in supporting tech and tech-related companies.
Region Coverage:
150 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Latin America, North America.
Key Features of Deel EOR:
- Multi-method and -currency global payroll: Pay employees flexibly in every currency worldwide and with various methods (incl. Deel Card, PayPal, or Coinbase)
- Contractor compliance: Legally binding agreements, AI + human misclassification protection methods.
- Benefits administration: Localize necessary benefits for new hires and facilitate further benefits you would like to provide (incl. Equipments, workspace, and equity management)
- Visa and immigration support: Add-on service to let you sponsor legal permits for relocating employees. Only 30 countries are available now, but they plan to cover more.
- Employee self-service portal: Employees and contractors can access and manage their personal information, submit PTO, and view payment and employment details.
- Global background check: Add-on service to verify new hires’ identity, education, employment history, and criminal records across 190 countries.
- Slack HR plugin: Automate and integrate key HR functions like PTO management, employee referrals, onboarding, and team engagement into Slack.
- Customizable reporting and analytics: Comprehensive insights into payroll operations, expense management, and other global team management metrics.
Integration:
Deel supports smooth connection with over 100 tools for easy data transfer and workflow optimization across your global HR tech stack.
- Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams
- Most-used integrations: accounting (QuickBooks, Xero), HRIS (BambooHR, Hibob), talent acquisition (Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Tailor), employee management (Pave, 15Five, 360Learning)
- Deel API to embed Deel’s services into enterprise workflows and operate under your own brand.
Pros & Cons:
Pro:
- Ease of use: Many users appreciate how intuitive and user-friendly Deel is, especially for managing payroll, compliance, and contracts. The platform saves time and simplifies complex tasks, even for those new to HR platforms.
- Strong customer support: Both AI-based and human support receive consistent praise for being responsive, friendly, and effective at resolving issues quickly.
- Seamless global payments and compliance: Users love that Deel makes international payments and compliance with local laws hassle-free, including the ability to handle foreign currency exchanges and offer fast crypto transfers.
Cons:
- Complex initial setup: Some users mention that the onboarding process can feel a bit lengthy and confusing, especially for new users unfamiliar with the platform. However, once set up, Deel works smoothly.
- Occasional navigation issues: A few users have found certain areas of the platform unintuitive or slow, though this seems to be minor and doesn’t detract from the overall ease of use.
- Support delays at times: While generally praised, a few users have experienced occasional delays in customer support response times, which can be frustrating in urgent situations.
User Reviews:
- G2: 4.8/5 (4,710 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (1,548 reviews)
Deel Pricing:
You will love this: Deel gives away its automated HR platform for FREE for teams of up to 200 employees!
Its global hiring packages cost:
- EORs: start at $599 per employee per month (billed annually)
- Contractors: start at $49 per contractor per month
Rippling EOR
Best for businesses that highly value speed and automation of EOR services.
Rippling, famous for its integrated HR, Finance, and IT platform, made a notable entrance into the EOR space in early 2023.
While it may not offer extensive country coverage of competitors like Deel and Remote, Rippling covers key markets across all regions. It comes with a highly automated, efficient solution for global hiring.
The platform’s fast onboarding, automated payment processing, customizable global policies, and responsive customer support make it a top choice for flexibility and control over global workforce management.
Clients of Rippling EOR are mostly small to medium-sized businesses.
Region Coverage:
The U.S., Canada, and key markets across Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America.
Key Features of Rippling EOR:
- Built-in ATS: Connect and automate the hiring process, from headcount approval to onboarding, with features like automated scheduling, customizable pipelines, feedback forms, and candidate performance insights.
- Rapid onboarding: Rippling boasts an industry-leading onboarding time of only 90 seconds and handles other admin requirements swiftly to ensure employees can work on day one.
- Fast localized payroll: Automate payroll processing across countries with auto-calculating payroll inputs, faster pay runs (5 days in popular markets), and tax compliance.
- Automated global compliance: Flag potential risks in the background to keep you aware of local employment laws, tax requirements, and contract compliance.
- Localized benefits: Offer country-specific benefits like health and retirement plans that sync automatically with payroll for more accurate deductions.
- Advanced workflows and permissions: Automate multi-step processes like onboarding and payroll for different roles, dynamically adjust permissions as roles change, and trigger actions across HR, IT, and finance.
- Data-driven insights: Access real-time insights and create custom reports with ease.
Integration:
Rippling boasts the highest number of integrations (600+) among EORs in various categories, which well reflects its effort to centralize all people management data sources into one place. Popular ones are:
- Hiring: Gem, LinkedIn, Greenhouse, Lever, Upwork, Workable, JazzHR
- Performance management tools: 15Five, CultureAmp, Leapsome, PerformYard, Officevibe
- Time management tools: Toggl, Clockify, TimeDoctor
- Slack integrations to deliver automated alerts and messages to individuals or teams.
Pros & Cons:
Pro:
- User-friendly interface: Many users love how easy it is to navigate Rippling, both on mobile and web.
- Strong customer support: I love how Rippling keeps their CS team motivated and committed to high standards with a success metrics dashboard. The responsive customer support, especially through chat, is consistently praised by its users.
- Efficient automation: Rippling’s automated workflows, from onboarding to benefits administration, save time and reduce manual HR tasks, making it an appealing solution for modern teams.
Cons:
- Limited phone support: While users appreciate the AI-based chat support, some mention the lack of phone support for complicated issues.
- Complex workflows: Rippling has a pre-built workflow recipe library to try out. But setting up advanced workflows for your unique needs can be challenging unless you already have experience with similar automation tools like Zapier.
- Reporting flexibility: Although reporting is generally easy to use, a few users mention that more customization options would improve usability.
User Reviews:
- G2: 4.8/5 (3,243 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (3,073 reviews)
Rippling Pricing:
Rippling’s pricing structure is module-based and it does not publicly disclose pricing details. For reference, it charges $500 to $600 per employee per month, combining the custom pricing with other requested functions.
Globalization Partner
Best for businesses looking for EOR service with dedicated customer support and standby legal experts.
Globalization Partners (G-P), recognized as an industry leader in the 2023 Global EOR Study by the IEC Group, is a well-established EOR provider with extensive coverage across 180 countries.
G-P offers a comprehensive suite of services that streamline international hiring, payroll, and compliance. The G-P Meridian Suite™ provides configurable, automated solutions for global employment management.
Known for its deep local expertise in employment laws and HR practices, G-P stands out as a go-to solution for businesses ranging from SMEs to multinational corporations, offering reliable, high-caliber support and focusing on customer success.
The company has experience with complex global compliance use cases, including M&A carve-outs and new market entries for various industries.
Region Coverage:
180 countries across APAC, EU, Latin America, the Middle East/Africa, and North America.
Key Features of G-P EOR:
- Automated global expansion: Rapidly assess, contract, and onboard talent worldwide through an automated platform with compliant employment offers, contract signing, and cost/regulation insights.
- Compliance and legal assurance: Ensure adherence to local laws in 180+ countries with real-time updates on employment regulations.
- Integrated payroll and benefits: Automates payroll processes for accuracy and timely payments and streamlines benefits enrollment. Companies can offer localized, competitive benefits packages and manage them directly through the platform.
- HR & expense tools: Simplify time and expense management with cloud-based tools that are accessible via both web and mobile (GoGlobal for iOS and Android).
- Employee onboarding & offboarding: Automates compliant contracts, background checks, and online signing for new hires, while ensuring smooth, legally compliant offboarding and transitions.
- Global employee portal: Self-service portal for employees to manage personal info, elect benefits, and stay informed about company policies and compliance updates.
- Real-time reporting: Secure access to employee data, contracts, payroll, and benefits, all in one platform.
Integration:
G-P integrations include accounting (ADP, Sage Intacct), HRIS (BambooHR, Personio, Trinet, UKG, Hibob), and hiring (Workday, Greenhouse).
Pros & Cons:
Pro:
- Reliable compliance management: G-P makes international hiring hassle-free by expertly handling local labor laws and tax compliance through wholly-owned in-country subsidiaries and in-house experts.
- User-friendly platform: The platform is intuitive, making payroll, leave management, and expense submission straightforward.
- Responsive customer support: Most users enjoy having dedicated customer support managers who are prompt, helpful, and knowledgeable.
Cons:
- High fee: G-P’s pricing is on the higher side, as reported by real users, especially when compared to other options. This could be a concern for small companies or those in low-cost regions.
- Limited self-service tools: Some users find it frustrating that administrative changes (e.g., salary adjustments or holiday schedules) need to be requested through G-P’s team, slowing down the process.
- Special local requests: While G-P is well-received for compliance standards, some users experienced frustrations as special cases, like obtaining employment certificates or applying local regulations for specific days off, often take a long time due to being processed by multiple teams.
User Reviews:
- G2: 4.6/5 (295 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (63 reviews)
Globalization Partners Pricing:
G-P does not share its EOR pricing details publicly. There are two packages for EOR services: G-P Meridian Core™ and G-P Meridian Prime™. It will charge you a percentage of employees’ annual salary.
Velocity Global
Best for extensive global coverage EOR service with on-the-ground experts.
Founded in 2014 by first-time entrepreneur Ben Wright, Denver-based employer of record company Velocity Global aims to "help companies seamlessly employ diverse teams, while simultaneously giving employees the freedom to work from anywhere," even before remote work became as prevalent as it is today.
Through strategic acquisitions of iWorkGlobal and Shield GEO in 2021, Velocity Global expanded its footprint to over 185 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
Velocity Global’s platform, although not having many built-in options, provides helpful features and integrations with third-party apps to streamline hiring and onboarding, centralize payroll and HR admin, and consolidate invoicing management.
Clients of Velocity Global range from SMEs in tech sectors to non-profit organizations.
Region Coverage:
185 countries across APAC, EU, Latin America, the Middle East/Africa, and North America.
Key Features of Velocity Global EOR:
- Expert global compliance: Access to local legal, tax, and cultural expertise in over 185 countries ensures full compliance with local employment laws, minimizing risks for international expansion.
- Global benefits administration: Comprehensive benefits management across multiple countries, offering consistent, scalable, and compliant healthcare, insurance, and social security packages.
- Centralized global platform: A user-friendly platform that simplifies hiring, payroll processing, and workforce management for distributed teams, enabling streamlined global operations.
- 24/7 local support: Real-time, on-the-ground support across different time zones, ensuring employees feel valued and addressing their needs in real-time.
- Compliant global payroll: Seamless payroll processing with built-in compliance for local tax laws and statutory benefits, ensuring timely and error-free payments.
- Immigration and mobility services: Comprehensive visa, work permit, and relocation support for global talent, making employee mobility stress-free and compliant.
- Pension and equity management: Flexible, compliant international pension plans and equity awards that help attract and retain top talent.
Integration:
Velocity Global integrations include: HCM (Oracle), HRIS (BambooHR, HiBob, Namely), and ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, JazzHR, Ashby).
Pros & Cons:
Pro:
- Excellent customer support: Many users praised Velocity Global's quick and helpful responses, making processes like onboarding and addressing concerns easier.
- User-friendly platform: The platform’s intuitive design was a standout feature, simplifying access to documents, payroll management, and tracking tasks.
- Efficient onboarding process: Users frequently highlighted how smooth and quick the onboarding process was, with clear instructions, frequent updates, and minimal delays, contributing to a hassle-free experience.
Cons:
- Benefits package: Not included in the go-to plan like in other EORs. Some users faced difficulties with the quality or availability of local health insurance options, which affected their experience.
- Repetitive document uploads: A few users found having to upload the same documents multiple times during onboarding to be frustrating.
- Limited customization: Although the platform is versatile and easy to use, it may not be tailored enough for businesses in highly regulated sectors requiring specialized administrative processes.
User Reviews:
- G2: 4.7/5 (197 reviews)
- Capterra: No reviews.
Velocity Global Pricing:
Velocity Global charges per employee monthly management fees and a monthly wire transfer or bank transfer fee on a per-country basis, though specific rates are not publicly available.
Oyster HR
Best for automated global hiring and onboarding.
Oyster HR, a relatively new Employer of Record service provider in the global employment platform market, was launched in 2020.
Since then, Oyster HR has expanded its global reach to 130 countries, helping companies manage the complexities of hiring people across multiple jurisdictions.
Oyster provides streamlined, fully compliant global employment processes through an automated platform, a strong in-house legal team, and powerful partnerships. This involves employee onboarding, PTO tracking, multicountry salary payments, benefits administration, and more for companies without legal entities in targeted countries.
Oyster's self-onboarding tools with a virtual hiring assistant, Pearl, set it apart from other providers.
It will guide HR managers and your new hires through detailed actions to collect information and automatically draft an employment contract based on expert-approved templates.
Although these automated global hiring features are not yet available for all countries serviced by Oyster, the EOR company plans to cover them all soon!
In addition to its hiring tools, Oyster offers a range of free resources to help companies make informed decisions about global employment. These include cost calculators, risk assessment tools, and comprehensive guides on best practices for recruiting, paying, and managing global employees in various countries.
The Downsides of Oyster HR
One limitation that sets Oyster back as a modern service provider is its reporting analytics. HRs must download the raw data in PDF or Excel files and interpret them on their own, given that all HR software platforms now can provide somewhat visualized analytics for direct insights and even AI interpretation and forecasting.
Another consideration is that, to rapidly extend its global coverage, Oyster partners with third-party providers for payroll and HR services in countries where it has not yet established a direct presence.
While this approach is effective in expanding Oyster's global reach, it might result in communication challenges and delays in resolving issues due to the involvement of multiple parties.
Additionally, the only way to contact Oyster's support team is by logging a ticket in the Oyster Portal. While this helps Oyster handle requests and inquiries effectively and professionally, it can be frustrating in urgent cases.
Key Features of Oyster HR
- Expense, PTO, and time management: Employees and contractors worldwide can request time off, submit their expenses in their local currency, and log hours directly on the Oyster platform. Plus, Oyster automatically reimburses expenses and integrates time off into payroll runs.
- Automated Global Hiring Features: include Pearl (a virtual hiring assistant to give you on-the-way instructions and insights), team member onboarding (a portal to collect employees' information), automated agreements, and e-signatures. Even though they do not live in all Oyster coverage countries yet, these developments save a lot of time and back-and-forth communication in operating in countries they applied.
- Preventing Employee Misclassification: Oyster offers a suite of tools to help companies avoid the risks associated with misclassifying employees, such as an analyzer, guided questionnaires, and support for converting contractors to employees. Oyster Shell, an upcoming misclassification insurance product, is also in the works!
- Benefits Administration: Thanks to its partnership with Allianz, the world's largest insurance company, Oyster offers variable employee benefits packages, from localized statutory benefits to high-end plans. Oyster also facilitates advanced rewards for high-performing team members, such as bonuses, commission schemes, and equity grants.
- Visa and Work Permits: Supports visa sponsorship in over 60 countries with tailored approaches.
- Employee Portal: Your global hires will engage with Oyster's platform from the onboarding process and interact with their "employers" (on paper and off paper) there, like requesting days off, reimbursing expenses, or generating employment verification letters.
- Expert Guidance: Oyster provides access to a team of knowledgeable, multilingual professionals who can offer advice on country-specific employment laws, assist with policy questions, help modify employee benefits or compensation, address concerns, and navigate the intricacies of global hiring. They can also help draft legally compliant contracts, such as those related to intellectual property protection and non-disclosure agreements.
- Refugees Hiring Program: In mid-2022, Oyster kept up with its competitors, Remote, with the "Oyster for Refugees" aiming to "bridge the gap between talent and opportunity." This helps companies find and connect with refugee talents in tech and data roles at little or no extra cost.
Oyster Pricing
- Contractors: start at $29 per contractor per month (30-day free trials)
- EORs: start at $599 to 699 per employee per month, depending on the countries
- Discounts are available for annual payments, bulk hiring (more than 5 full-time international hires), and qualified non-profit and B corporations.
Multiplier
Best for affordable yet feature-rich EOR.
Multiplier is an excellent option for medium to large enterprises that require a robust solution for managing international employees with a focus on compliance and payroll automation.
Since 2020, the EOR company has enhanced its global presence to over 150 countries across APAC, Europe, Africa, and the Americas and allows companies to pay remote talents in over 120 currencies.
Multiplier simplifies the management of international employees while ensuring compliance with local employment laws and streamlining payroll processes.
Multiplier comes with intuitive and user-friendly management software that guides users through necessary action steps in various functional areas.
Multiplier also provides comprehensive resources on hiring talent from various countries, including visa guidance, salary data, tax information, minimum wage, termination processes, and public holidays.
The Downsides of Multiplier
Compared to other EOR services, Multiplier's platform may lack some of the deeper integration capabilities that can automate the entire HR workflow.
Additionally, while Multiplier offers multicurrency payments and can pay freelancers via cryptocurrency, this option is not available for full-time hires.
It's also important to note that Multiplier has a fixed cut-off day for payroll runs (the 10th of each month), meaning any changes or requests made after this date will be counted for the next month.
Key Features of Multiplier
- Global Employment Compliance: Multiplier makes sure that companies comply with local and international employment laws and continuously track regulatory changes to keep your employment practices compliant, protecting your business from potential penalties and legal issues.
- Multi-lingual Employee Contracts: Multiplier enables you to seamlessly create employee contracts in various languages, customized to meet the specific legal requirements of each country.
- Employee Self-Service Portal: Empowers employees to independently manage their personal information, access employment files, and review their payroll data.
- Insurance Package: To provide comprehensive protection for your global team, Multiplier offers customized international insurance packages, starting at $20 per employee per month.
- Localized Payroll Management: Multiplier's payroll management system is built to handle the complexities of processing payments in different currencies and tax systems. It ensures accurate and timely payroll processing, including compliance with local tax requirements and deductions.
- Expense and Leave Management: Multiplier streamlines the management of expenses and leaves by automating approvals and record-keeping. This system enhances efficiency and accuracy in managing employee costs and time-off requests, ensuring they are handled fairly and in accordance with company policies.
- Employee Stock Options Plan (ESOP): This feature supports the setup, administration, and legal compliance of ESOPs tailored to each country's specific regulations and tax laws. It includes tools for tracking vesting schedules, exercising options, and handling the resulting financial reporting.
Multiplier Pricing
- EORs: start at $400 per employee per month
- Contractors: start at $40 per contractor per month
Papaya Global EOR
Best for robust EOR with dedicated customer support.
Papaya Global is a formidable player in the global EOR and payroll market, ideal for businesses seeking a comprehensive solution for international workforce management in over 160 countries.
Papaya Global’s robust platform, coupled with advanced analytics and a proprietary payment system, offers significant advantages in managing complex global operations. It provides transparency, automation, and data integration into global payroll and HR activities.
Papaya also has deep expertise in local compliance issues by maintaining a network of local legal experts in each country they operate in, ensuring that their service is up-to-date with the latest labor laws, tax regulations, and compliance mandates.
Papaya Global's users are satisfied with the quick and responsive customer support services.
The EOR company assigns dedicated account managers to each client, providing a single point of contact that helps streamline communication and resolve issues swiftly.
The Downsides of Papaya Global
The biggest downside is that Papaya Global does not own its entities for EOR services; instead, it relies on third parties.
This means, theoretically, layering works. And it potentially results in delays, less timely problem-solving, and higher costs than EOR providers that control the process with their in-house, experienced professionals.
This somehow explains why its EOR pricing is on the higher side compared to some EOR providers like Oyster HR and Multiplier, which may offer more competitive rates for similar services.
However, Papaya Global follows this approach on purpose to "create a layer of auditing and compliance" and commits to work with top-tier partners in every country who represent their clients' best interests and provide genuine support for their global expansion.
Key Features:
- Global Employer of Record: Offers compliant hiring in over 160 countries through an aggregator model, utilizing in-country partners for legal employment tasks.
- Compliance and Legal Support: Thanks to years of hands-on experience, Papaya Global can effectively mitigate risk and stay compliant across jurisdictions. It also offers several in-depth resources publicly to inform and update employers on jurisdiction regulations.
- Payroll and Taxes: It automatically calculates salaries, taxes, and deductions and handles the filing and remittance of payroll taxes to the appropriate local authorities. It ensures compliance and timely payments in over 100 currencies and guarantees "full local compliance and liability for your funds and payment process."
- Localized Benefits and Automated Enrollment: Configures benefits packages to comply with local standards and practices while streamlining the enrollment process for new employees with automatic eligibility checks and notifications.
- Global Equity Plan Management: Automates the allocation and distribution of equity awards, like stock options, across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring compliance with local tax laws and regulations while providing centralized management and real-time reporting for easy tracking and decision-making.
- Dedicated Employee Portal: Employees can independently access and manage their payroll details, personal information, and HR documents, as well as track their time and attendance, giving them more autonomy and freeing up HR teams' involvement.
- Customizable Reporting: Clients can access real-time data and analytics, providing immediate insights into payroll expenditures, workforce distribution, and cost management across different countries. You can also tailor the information and controls to their specific needs and preferences.
- HRIS Connections: The platform can connect with major HRIS software, including Bob, Bamboo HR, Oracle, and SAP SuccessFactors, to synchronize employee data management and seamlessly manage expenses and PTO.
Papaya Global Pricing
- EORs: start at $599 per employee per month
- Contractors: start at $30 per contractor per month
Employer of Record Services: Comparisons and Suggestions
No matter what vendors tell you or how they polish their service online, the vendors you engage with must first meet the standards:
- Help you compliantly hire people in other countries even though you have no legal presence (They can compete in terms of employee onboarding speed and ease.)
- Allows you to run payroll effectively and handle tax implications with local government bodies (They can compete in currency and payment method support, ease of adjustment, and payment cycle flexibility.)
- Ensure statutory benefits for your employees per industry standards and local environments (They can compete in quality, flexibility, and customization of the packages.)
You can find here the comparison table of the top 10 EOR services:
Other Popular Employer of Record Services for US Companies
Beyond the leading players in the EOR space, I’ve identified several other services that receive high search volume in the US market. Among those who gained over 10 thousands month visits, there are three long-established firms (more than 25 years) and three emerging players (founded later than 2020).
Each bringing their own strengths to support companies in the U.S. and around the world looking to expand globally and grow their remote workforce.
Here is a closer look at some of those EOR services:
Magnit (#18)
Formerly known as PRO Unlimited, Magnit (since 1991) offers a comprehensive workforce management solution that combines talent acquisition with EOR services. They are favored by enterprises that seek a full-service solution to scale their workforce while maintaining control over compliance and cost efficiency.
Coverage: 124 countries.
Plane (#14)
Plane, previously Pilot, is a modern EOR provider designed for startups and tech companies looking for streamlined, tech-driven global hiring solutions. Their platform is built for simplicity, offering fast onboarding, payroll, and compliance in various markets.
Region Coverage: 116 countries across APAC, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and North America.
Pricing: from $39 per contractor, from $499 per EOR employee.
Safeguard Global (#13)
A long-established EOR company that specializes in flexible workforce management. It possesses advanced payroll technology and a strong global presence in over 170 countries.
Region Coverage: 170 countries across Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.
Horizon (#11)
Horizon is an EOR provider that focuses on making international expansion smooth and compliant for companies of all sizes. Known for its personalized services and localized expertise, Horizon helps businesses manage payroll, taxes, and employee benefits in foreign markets. Their flexibility and hands-on approach appeal to growing companies in diverse sectors, especially those that value personalized, high-touch service.
Region Coverage: 180 countries across APAC, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and North America.
Pricing: from $49 per contractor, from $299 per EOR employee.
Atlas HXM (#25)
This global EOR provider focuses on delivering advanced HR management and payroll solutions through its HXM platform. With owned entities in over 160 countries, Atlas HXM excels at combining technology and human expertise to manage global workforces.
Region Coverage: 160 countries across APAC, Europe, The Americas and Africa.
Skuad (#17)
A fast-growing Singaporean global employment solution that helps you hire in Asia and around the world. Skuad is well-received for its automated platform, multi-currency payroll processing, and cost-concious EOR package.
Region Coverage: 160 countries across APAC, Europe, The Americas and Africa.
Pricing: from $19 per contractor, from $199 per EOR employee.
Omnipresent (#21)
Omnipresent is a fast-growing EOR provider that emphasizes remote work compliance and payroll across multiple countries. Their platform is designed to make hiring remote employees as easy as hiring locally, with built-in compliance tools and localized employment contracts.
Region Coverage: 143 countries across APAC, Europe, The Americas and Africa.
Pricing: from £29 per contractor, from £499 per EOR employee.
Playroll (#16)
An emerging EOR provider with known for its responsive customer service and user-friendly platform, offering seamless global payroll solutions with multi-currency payouts and easy integration with HR software.
Region Coverage: 180 countries across APAC, EU, Latin America, the Middle East/Africa, and North America.
Pricing: from $35 per contractor, from $399 per EOR employee.
Ontop (#15)
Ontop shines with fast and compliant global contractor management with easy cross-border payments. Ideal for remote-first companies, Ontop is particularly strong in the tech and startup sectors, where fast, efficient global hiring is a priority.
Region Coverage: 150 countries across APAC, EU, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, and North America.
Pricing: from $49/per contractor, from $499 per EOR employee.
RemotePass (#19)
A new player in the EOR space that is on the mission to help remote-first businesses to simplify global employment process with features like quick employee onboarding, secure digital contracts, and compliance tools.
Region Coverage: 150 countries across APAC, EU, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and North America.
Pricing: from $39 per contractor, from $349 per EOR employee.
Rivermate (#20)
Rivermate is a Netherlands-based EOR services that is highly praised for its user-friendly platform for streamlining global payroll, compliance, and HR tasks. They’re particular strong in teh tech and startup sectors.
Region Coverage: 150 countries across APAC, EU, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and North America.
Pricing: from €39 per contractor, from €399 per EOR employee.
Knit People (#22)
Knit has expanded from its roots in payroll and HR automation for Canadian SMEs to offer business a streamlined way to onboard, manage, and pay employees globally. Their standout features include competitive benefits packaging, customizable workflows, and seamless global payroll processing.
Region Coverage: US, UK, Canada, parts of Asia, and still expanding.
Pricing: 8% of total monthly processed payroll
Vistra (#12)
Vistra offers a wide range of EOR services, focusing on entity setup, tax advisory, and compliance. Due to their expertise in global governance, Vistra is most beneficial for large enterprises and multinational corporations seeking in-depth support for international expansion.
Region Coverage: 50 countries across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and EMEA.
Remofirst (#23)
Remofirst offers a highly affordable EOR service with straightforward pricing, catering to startups and small businesses looking for a cost-effective solution to global hiring. With a focus on simplicity and efficiency, Remofirst helps clients manage payroll, compliance, and taxes across multiple countries.
Region Coverage: 180 countries across APAC, EU, Latin America, the Middle East/Africa, and North America.
Pricing: from $25 per contractor, from $199 per EOR employee.
Native Teams (#24)
Native Teams focuses on providing compliant payment solutions for freelancers and businesses managing distributed teams. Their platform offers tools that facilitate seamless cross-border payments and legal compliance, making them a great fit for gig economy companies, small businesses, and freelancers managing international clients and teams.
Region Coverage: 70 countries across EU, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Australia
Pricing: from $19 per contractor, from $79 per EOR employee for incomes less than $1,500/month.
How Much Does Employer of Record Cost?
Typically, EOR services will cost between $200 to $700 per employee per month, varying based on location and the level of services required.
There are two main pricing EOR models, with some providers requiring a base cost and others charging only based on service usage:
- Percentage of Payroll: This model charges a percentage of the employee’s salary (e.g., Globalization Partners, Velocity Gloabl, and Knit People), which can be costly for higher-salary employees.
- Flat Fee Per Employee: A fixed monthly fee is charged per employee, with slight variations depending on the country. Some providers (e.g., Native Teams) offer tiered pricing based on salary levels.
Often, you need to pay extra for additional compliance services like equity management or visa sponsorship and advanced global hiring features like global background checks or marketplace access.
It’s worth noting that lower-priced EORs may not offer the same expert access, customization, and automation level in their platform.
Employer of Record Services: Full List
For a full breakdown of the most popular Employer of Record services, please see the table below. To understand these numbers better, please see the research methodology below. If we missed you or your numbers don't seem quite right, please contact us.
About the Research Methodology
I reviewed tens of EOR solutions referenced in the news, online directories, and lists. This initial research helps me map out the major players in the market.
I excluded providers whose EOR are not their main functions or direct product. For example, Randstad offers EOR services but its core focus remains on recruitment and staffing. Or Gusto can service employer of record hiring but their services are powered by Remote.
For this list, I prioritized EOR companies with broad global coverage to address diverse needs and embrace scalable remote hiring. I excluded region-specific providers, such as Links International for EOR in Asia and Near for EOR in Latin America, and save them for other nicher EOR rankings.
I may have overseen some tools but believe this is a comprehensive selection, and invite companies I've overseen to submit their listing for our next survey.
Usage estimation: To estimate usage, which most of these tools don't report, we took the average relative ranking on Similarweb and Ahrefs Organic Search Traffic as proxy indicators for usage.
- For Similarweb, we took the average monthly visits of the 3 months prior to polling date.
- For Ahrefs SEO Traffic, we took the 60 day-organic search volume on the URL, polled on 4 and 5 October, 2024.
This is very much an imperfect view into the popularity of Employer of Record services, driven by our curiosity. And I understand that popularity isn’t the only measure of whether a service is good or not. That’s why I’ve backed it up with customer reviews, product presentations across various sources, and client portfolios.
In the coming months, I’d love to include actual metrics (EOR companies, please correct yours, contact me here!), as reported by these platforms, to create better rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Employer of Record is a global employment solution that helps streamline onboarding, payroll, and compliance management processes when hiring international employees.
Among the options for hiring foreign employees, the EOR model is considered the most efficient and hassle-free solution. It allows businesses to expand quickly while staying compliant with local laws, without the need to navigate the complexities of different jurisdictions and of setting up a local entity.
An EOR service acts as a third-party partner to hire employees, handling compliance, payroll, benefits, and other HR-related tasks on your behalf.
Many EOR platforms also provide user-friendly portals for employees to access their payroll and HR information.
Once you sign a service agreement with an EOR, they will step in to handle the legal and admin responsibilities of employing global talent for you. They legally hire talents under their in-country entity, so you don’t have to open a subsidiary to comply with employment regulations.
This means the new hires will be the EOR’s employee on paper, but you retain full control over their daily work, performance, and engagement.
For more details on the EOR’s employership arrangements, check out my guide on What Does an Employer of Record Do.
The key distinction between EOR company and Staffing Agency lies in your global recruitment needs.
- An EOR helps you hire employees in a new country or region where you don’t yet have a legal entity or want to outsource admin HR tasks. It helps with compliance, managing payroll, and reducing legal risks related to hiring employees in unfamiliar jurisdictions.
- A staffing agency helps you source and hire temporary or contract workers for short-term or project-based roles. It’s beneficial when your company is facing seasonal demand or struggling to fill talent gaps and non-core positions with flexible employment terms.
Some staffing agencies like Adecco and Randstad have expanded their services to include EOR functions, but their focus remains on staffing services, contingent workforce management, and talent outplacement.
For those expecting to hand over HR admin processes to partners, you’re likely confusing the EOR and PEO models. The key difference is that a PEO cannot assist if you don’t have a local entity in the country of your target hire.
A PEO is involved in a co-employment agreement, where responsibilities and liabilities are shared between you and the provider (while an EOR assumes full responsibility).
When a PEO operates in different countries and regions, or called Global PEO (international PEO), it acts the same as EOR services.
For a deep dive, check out my detailed guide on PEO vs. EOR.
When expanding globally and engaging with international talents, there are several legal considerations companies should watch out for, as the employment laws and regulations there will differ from those of your home region. Some of these includes:
- Employee Misclassification: Definitions for employees and contractors differ. Misclassifying them can lead to legal trouble and fines.
- Employment Standards: Work hours, overtime, benefits, probation, and leave vary by country. Missing these details can result in disputes or penalties.
- Tax Rules and Processes: Different tax regulations across regions can lead to double taxation or compliance issues if not managed carefully.
- Intellectual Property: Without clear agreements, your company’s IP could be at risk when working with remote teams.
For more details, visit my guide on: 5 Must-Know Remote Hiring Legal Issues
With this EOR listing, you can find a helpful overview of top EOR companies, each with their unique strengths, geographic coverage (matters if you want to hire in different countries), pricing tiers, technology platform and its automation level, and customer support details. This will help you narrow down your options.
However, no service is one-size-fits-all. I recommend taking a free demo to see the solutions in action and discuss your specific challenges and global employment needs with experts.
Make sure to check out my guide on Choosing The Right EOR Partner: 17 Questions to Ask Before Signing a Contract.
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