Best Employer of Record Services in 2026: 10 EORs Compared on Price, Deposits and Coverage
Quick definition: An employer of record (EOR) is a company that legally employs a worker for you in a country where you have no entity. It signs the local contract, runs payroll, pays employer taxes and handles benefits and terminations, while you direct the work. Published EOR fees in October 2026 run from $199 to $699 per employee per month.
Disclosure: TracefyHR makes HR software, not employer of record services, and it is not in the ranked list. No vendor paid to be included in this list or for its position. If that ever changes, the listing will be clearly marked as sponsored. Prices and features come from each vendor's own pricing pages, product pages and help centres, checked October 2026. EOR packaging changes often, so confirm current terms before you sign.
Best for most small companies hiring abroad: Remote. Best for month-to-month terms: Deel. Best for bundled HR advice: Oyster. Best for large multi-country programmes: G-P. Best owned-entity footprint: Atlas HXM. Best for capped termination risk: Papaya Global. Lowest flat list price from a large provider: Pebl, formerly Velocity Global. Best if you already run Rippling: Rippling. Best if you will negotiate: Multiplier. Lowest published price overall: RemoFirst.
Most EOR roundups stop at the headline fee, and many are written by an EOR. The fee is usually the smallest line on the invoice. This guide adds what those lists leave out: the deposit you will tie up, which providers own their entities, Germany's 18-month rule, and the full first-year cost of one UK hire.
The 10 EOR services at a glance
All figures are the vendors' own, checked October 2026. "Not published" means the pricing page does not say, not that the cost is zero.
| Provider | Published EOR fee per employee per month | Commitment | Deposit | EOR countries (vendor claim) | Entity model (vendor's own words) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote | From $599, 15% off year one for pre-seed to Series A | Not stated | No standard deposit, refundable reserve possible | 90+ | 100+ owned entities, no third parties |
| Deel | $599 | Month-to-month | 1 to 1.5 months of all charges | 130+ | Owns entities and payroll engine in 130+ countries |
| Oyster | $699, annual discounts available | Monthly, or annual at a reduced fee | About 1 month of total cost | 120+ | Not stated |
| G-P | From $599, volume discounts | No minimum term per hire | Not published | 180+ | Not stated on pricing page |
| Atlas HXM | $599 platform fee plus a country rate | Pay only for active employees | Not published | 160+ | Owned and operated entities |
| Papaya Global | From $499 | Quote | Not published for EOR | 180+ | Not stated |
| Pebl (Velocity Global) | $399 | Quote | Not published | 185+ | Not stated |
| Rippling | Quote-based | Quote | Not published | Not published | Not stated |
| Multiplier | $275, $400 or $459 (its own pages disagree) | Quote | Not published | Not verified | Not verified |
| RemoFirst | From $199 | No annual contract, no minimum | Not published | 185+ | Partner-based |
How we compared these EOR services
We read each provider's pricing page, EOR product page and, where public, its help centre in October 2026. We did not open paid accounts or run payroll through any of them. For each one we recorded the published fee (or "quote-based"), billing terms, deposit rules, claimed country coverage, whether it employs through its own entities or local partners, and anything else that changes the real cost, such as startup discounts or termination guarantees.
Country counts and entity claims are the vendors' own; we did not audit them. Deel's and Oyster's help centres and Multiplier's pricing page block automated reading, so those figures come from the vendors' own pages as shown in search results.
The order reflects fit for a 10 to 250 person company making its first hires abroad, weighted toward clear pricing and small deposits. It is not a quality score.
The best employer of record services in 2026
1. Remote: best for most small companies hiring abroad
Remote employs people through entities it owns. Its EOR page claims more than 100 of them and no third parties in the chain, so the company holding your employee's contract is the one answering your ticket.
The pricing page lists EOR from $599 per employee per month with no setup or onboarding fees. Companies that have raised pre-seed, seed or Series A money get 15% off for the first 12 months, about $509. There is no standard deposit, though Remote may ask for a refundable reserve.
The limit is reach: 90+ countries, the smallest footprint among the large providers here. Skip Remote if your next hire is in a country it does not list.
2. Deel: best for month-to-month terms
Deel's pricing page lists EOR at $599 per employee per month, month-to-month, with no long-term commitment. Its EOR page says it owns entities and its payroll engine in 130+ countries. Deel also sells a US PEO ($125 per employee) and contractor management ($49 per contractor), so all three models can sit on one invoice.
The catch is cash. Deel's help centre sets the standard deposit at 1 to 1.5 times all monthly charges, salary and employer costs included, and higher where terminations are expensive. On the UK hire worked through below, that is roughly £5,800 to £8,700 per person, held until the contract ends.
3. Oyster: best if you want HR advice in the same contract
At $699 per employee per month on its pricing page, Oyster has the highest list price here. The extra buys the advisory side: People Partner Services at $300 an hour for senior HR help, and no separate setup, onboarding or offboarding fees.
The list price bends more than most. Oyster offers unpublished annual discounts, up to $1,200 off EOR fees for startups, discounts for nonprofits and B Corps, and refugee hiring at no or reduced cost. It covers 120+ countries. Its support centre puts the refundable deposit at about one month of the hire's total cost.
4. G-P: best for large programmes across many countries
G-P (Globalization Partners) lists EOR from USD 599 per employee per month with volume discounts, across 180+ countries. Its FAQ says there is no minimum contract length for EOR hires, which suits a six-month market test.
Everything past the starting rate comes through a proposal, and deposits go unmentioned. G-P's AI compliance assistant, Gia, costs USD 500 per seat per month, which tells you who the product is priced for. A five-person startup will usually get more from the self-serve options above.
5. Atlas HXM: best owned-entity footprint
Atlas says it employs through its own entities in 160+ countries rather than partners, the widest owned-entity claim on this list. Shortlist it if you hire where others subcontract.
Read the Atlas pricing page closely. The $599 per employee per month is a platform fee. On top come a Local Employer Services rate that varies by country, foreign exchange at the OANDA spot rate plus a disclosed markup, and benefits premiums. So $599 at Atlas is not $599 at Deel. Ask for an all-in monthly figure. NGOs can get EOR from $399.
6. Papaya Global: best for capping termination risk
Papaya lists EOR from $499 per employee per month across 180+ countries. Its EOR page makes the most specific termination promise we found: it says it caps your legal defence costs and your exposure beyond statutory requirements when an employee leaves. Both caps carry an asterisk, so get the conditions in the contract.
Papaya is built for enterprise payroll teams, and its pricing page is silent on EOR deposits. A team hiring one or two people may find the sales process heavier than it needs.
7. Pebl (formerly Velocity Global): lowest flat list price from a large provider
Velocity Global now trades as Pebl. Its EOR pricing page shows $399 per employee per month, $200 below Remote, Deel and G-P, across 185+ countries.
The page still asks for a quote per country and publishes no deposit terms. Treat $399 as the floor: if your quote comes back near $599, the reason to pick Pebl is gone.
8. Rippling: best if you already run Rippling
If your HR, payroll and IT already live in Rippling, its EOR puts a hire in Spain in the same org chart, approvals and reports as your US team.
The weakness is transparency. In October 2026 the EOR product page showed no price and no country count, and the pricing page said only that plans start at $8 per employee per month plus a base fee. EOR is quote-based. Without other Rippling products, you would be buying a platform to get one feature.
9. Multiplier: best if you will negotiate
Multiplier competes on price, but in October 2026 its own site disagreed with itself. Comparison pages against Deel and Rippling gave an EOR starting price of $275 per employee per month, pages against Remote, Oyster and G-P said $400, and the EOR product page said $459. The pricing page blocked our automated check.
Treat it as quote-based. Get your country's rate, the commitment term and any deposit in writing. With three published numbers to point at, you have room to negotiate.
10. RemoFirst: lowest published price
RemoFirst lists EOR from $199 per employee per month, a third of the common $599 rate, with no setup, onboarding or termination fees, no annual contract and no minimum headcount. It covers 185+ countries, though its FAQ says the fee may vary with local requirements.
The price comes with a different model. RemoFirst describes itself as partner-based, working through established in-country firms rather than its own entities. Ask who signs your employee's contract and who answers their payroll questions.
We also read Playroll's pricing page: from $399 per employee per month, no minimums, a refundable deposit of one month's salary, 180+ countries. It is worth a quote alongside Pebl.
What does one EOR hire really cost? A 12-month UK example
Take one software engineer in the UK on £60,000, employed through an EOR for the 2026 to 2027 tax year. Employer costs come from HMRC and the Pensions Regulator; fees come from the vendor pages above.
| Cost line | Amount for 12 months | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £60,000 | Your offer |
| Employer National Insurance | £8,250 | 15% above the £5,000 secondary threshold, HMRC rates 2026 to 2027 |
| Minimum employer pension | £1,321 | 3% of earnings between £6,240 and £50,270, per the 2026 to 2027 earnings band and the Pensions Regulator |
| Statutory employment cost | £69,571 | Sum of the lines above |
| EOR fee at $199 (RemoFirst) | $2,388 | Vendor pricing page |
| EOR fee at $399 (Pebl) | $4,788 | Vendor pricing page |
| EOR fee at $599 (Remote, Deel, G-P) | $7,188 | Vendor pricing pages |
| EOR fee at $699 (Oyster) | $8,388 | Vendor pricing page |
| Refundable deposit at Deel's 1 to 1.5 months | About £5,800 to £8,700, plus the fee share | Deel help centre |
Two things stand out. The statutory employer costs, £9,571 a year, exceed every EOR fee on the list, and no provider can negotiate them away. And the gap between the cheapest and dearest list price is $6,000 per employee per year, multiplied by headcount.
The table leaves out lines that vary by provider: optional benefits, any Apprenticeship Levy the EOR passes through (0.5% of pay, £300 here, if it does), the margin on converting dollars to sterling, equipment, and the cost of ending the contract. Ask each provider to quote them.
Flat fees also bite harder where salaries are lower. A $599 monthly fee adds about 30% to a $24,000 salary but about 6% to a $120,000 one, so in lower-cost markets the price gap between providers matters far more.
Where an EOR does not take the risk off you
In Germany, lending an employee to another company is regulated temporary agency work. Under section 1 of the AÜG, the lender needs a permit, and the same worker may not be placed with the same client for more than 18 consecutive months. Ask any EOR how its German setup works and what it proposes at month 18. If you plan to keep a German hire for years, price an entity early.
Tax is the other gap. An EOR takes on employment obligations, but it does not decide whether your company has a taxable presence abroad. A salesperson who meets local customers or concludes contracts for you can create one, whoever employs them. Our guide to EOR vs PEO vs contractor covers the OECD tests and when your own entity becomes cheaper.
Six questions to ask before you sign
- What is the all-in monthly cost for this country and salary, including fee, employer contributions, benefits and currency margin?
- Is this country run through your own entity or a partner, and who signs the employment contract?
- How much deposit or reserve do you hold, and when is it returned?
- Is the price month-to-month, annual, or tied to a minimum term per hire?
- What do you charge to transfer the employee to our own entity later?
- How do you handle a termination, and which costs are capped in the contract?
Paying freelancers rather than employing them? Our roundup of the best contractor management software covers the payment platforms, and the contractor vs employee classification guide explains where the legal line sits. For the rest of the stack, see the startup HR software guide.
Key takeaways
- Published EOR fees in October 2026 run from $199 (RemoFirst) to $699 (Oyster) per employee per month, and $599 is the most common list price.
- On a £60,000 UK hire, statutory employer costs of £9,571 a year are larger than any EOR fee on this list.
- Deposits range from none at Remote (a reserve is possible) to 1 to 1.5 months of all charges at Deel.
- Atlas HXM's $599 is a platform fee before a country-specific rate, so it is not directly comparable with other $599 prices.
- In Germany, agency work with the same client is capped at 18 consecutive months under the AÜG.
- An EOR does not remove permanent establishment risk, which depends on the work the employee does.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an employer of record cost?
Published fees in October 2026 run from $199 to $699 per employee per month, with $599 the most common. Salary, employer taxes, benefits and usually a refundable deposit come on top.
Do EOR providers require a deposit?
Many do. Deel asks 1 to 1.5 months of all charges, Oyster about one month of total cost, Playroll one month's salary. Remote has no standard deposit but may ask for a reserve.
Which employer of record is the cheapest?
RemoFirst publishes the lowest rate, $199 per employee per month, using local partners. Pebl and Playroll both list $399.
How long does it take to hire through an EOR?
Providers say days: Remote cites a three-day average onboarding and Pebl says as little as 24 hours. Allow longer if the hire needs a visa.
Can I move an EOR employee to my own company later?
Usually, once you have an entity there. Ask before signing whether a transfer fee applies and how notice periods and accrued leave carry over.
Is using an EOR legal in every country?
EORs operate in most countries, but local law shapes the model. In Germany, where an EOR arrangement counts as agency work, the AÜG caps it at 18 consecutive months per client.
TracefyHR is not an employer of record and does not file payroll taxes, so it sits beside whichever EOR you choose: one HR system holding the employee record, leave, attendance and expenses for your whole team, EOR hires included, at a flat monthly price rather than per employee. If that is the gap in your stack, start a 30 day trial with no card.