Global hiring has opened the door for companies to build truly distributed teams, but it comes with complex legal, payroll, and compliance challenges. That’s why many companies partner with an Employer of Record (EOR).
However, there are numerous EORs available today, and choosing the right one can mean the difference between scaling smoothly across borders or running into costly compliance issues and unpredictable costs.
In this post, we’ll compare Deel and Remote, two of the most well-known EOR providers on the market.
We’ll take an in-depth look at what each platform offers and how they stack up in terms of pricing, offerings, and customer support, so you can decide which EOR solution best fits your global hiring needs.
Key takeaways:
- Deel stands out for HR integrations and automation, while Remote is known for its expanded benefits coverage.
- The owned-entity model used by Deel and Remote often results in higher per-employee and per-contractor costs, which can be challenging for startups and small businesses.
- For cost-conscious startups and SMBs, RemoFirst offers broad global coverage, flat-rate pricing, flexible contracts, other global HR services, and hands-on support without enterprise-level costs. RemoFirst's EOR can be a better alternative.
How Deel and Remote Compare
Both Deel and Remote are well-established EORs that simplify global hiring by acting as the legal employer of their customers’ international employees.
However, these two companies have key differences that may help you decide which is the best fit for your business.
Deel EOR Services Overview
Deel is a global employment platform that owns its own entities. It enables companies to employ workers in more than 130 countries while handling all the legal, payroll, and compliance requirements on their behalf.
It’s known for simplifying global hiring through a unified platform that brings together HR administration, payroll, compliance, benefits, and contractor management. Deel’s services include:
- Creating locally compliant employment contracts
- Managing global payroll and tax filings
- Administering benefits
- Supporting onboarding and offboarding processes
A key strength of Deel’s EOR offering is its automation and integrated workflows, which help companies streamline tasks such as payroll processing, compliance monitoring, and document management.
Remote EOR Services Overview
Remote is a global HR and employment platform that helps companies hire, pay, and manage international teams in more than 90 countries without establishing local legal entities.
In addition to acting as the employer for its clients’ global hires. Remote’s platform includes features such as global payroll, contractor management, and HRIS tools to help centralize and streamline international HR operations.
Remote is also known for owning its local entities, which provides tight compliance control, fast onboarding, and robust legal coverage. Its services typically include:
- Creating locally compliant employment contracts
- Benefits administration
- Dedicated support from HR and legal specialists
Deel vs. Remote: Contractors
Deel’s platform lets businesses compliantly hire, manage, and pay independent contractors in 130+ countries through a unified dashboard. You can onboard contractors, automate HR tasks, manage payments and invoicing, and stay compliant — all in one place. And if you have remote international employees, you can manage their payroll on the same platform.
Deel combines contractor management with its payroll engine, which means contractor onboarding, classification workflows, contract templates, and global payments work seamlessly together. It also offers tools and perks to streamline payments and administrative tasks, giving contractors flexibility in how they get paid.
Remote enables businesses to hire, onboard, manage, and pay contractors using automated tools for compliance and contract generation. Its contractor management solution includes:
- Localized contract templates vetted for legal compliance
- Automated onboarding and invoice approvals
- Support for global payouts in multiple currencies
Remote also offers enhanced options, such as Contractor Management Plus, which adds protections such as misclassification safeguards, indemnity coverage, and robust compliance support.
Deel vs. Remote: Pricing
For employees under its EOR model, Deel’s services start at USD 599 per employee per month, covering:
- Legal employment
- Payroll processing
- Compliance
- Benefits administration
- Ongoing support
For contractor services, pricing starts at USD 49 per active contractor per month for:
- Contractor onboarding
- Drafting contracts
- Payments through the platform
Deel also offers a global payroll standalone starting at USD 29 per employee per month if you manage your own entities.
Remote’s EOR services cost USD 699 per employee per month, with potential variations depending on billing terms. This covers payroll, compliance, and benefits.
For contractor management, the standard fee is USD 29 per contractor per month, including compliant contracts and global payout tools. Its Contractor Management Plus option costs USD 99 per contractor per month.
Why Pricing Can Be on the Higher Side
Both Deel’s and Remote’s pricing reflects their owned-entity EOR model, where the provider directly holds legal entities in each jurisdiction rather than relying on third-party partners.
This structure reduces compliance risk and streamlines global payroll and HR administration; however, it also means more expensive operational costs — that are passed on to customers. Larger enterprises with substantial global teams may find the higher price acceptable for the compliance certainty and service quality they provide. However, these rates may be too cost-prohibitive for startups and small businesses.
Read more: Which EOR Operating Model is Right for Your Business?
Deel vs. Remote: Customer Service
Deel positions customer service as a core part of its platform, offering 24/7 support. Customers can access help directly through the platform via live chat and support tickets. Deel emphasizes dedicated onboarding and ongoing support. However, some users report that Deel’s customer service takes too long to resolve issues.
Remote provides 24/7 customer support via chat, as well as via email or by submitting a support ticket. Remote highlights access to customer success and support teams who assist with onboarding, compliance questions, and ongoing employment needs. But users have complained that they’re unable to chat live with customer service and that staff have failed to fix issues.
Meet RemoFirst: The Cost-Effective EOR With Global Reach
Platforms like Deel and Remote are designed with enterprise needs in mind. For startups and small to mid-sized businesses, that can mean paying for complexity they don’t actually need.
RemoFirst, on the other hand, is built specifically to help growing companies hire globally without the enterprise price tag or long-term contracts. Our EOR services support hiring in 185+ countries, giving teams the flexibility to scale internationally while staying fully compliant with local labor laws.
We offer the most affordable flat-rate pricing in the market, with no hidden fees and no annual contracts, making it easier for startups and SMBs to plan, test new markets, and scale at their own pace. Every customer gets a dedicated account manager and access to 24/5 support.
RemoFirst is an all-in-one global employment platform, managing:
- Onboarding
- Shipping equipment
- Payroll and compliance
- Benefits administration, including localized health insurance options
We also offer background checks and assistance with visas and work permit applications.
For companies working with freelancers, RemoFirst supports contractor management in 150+ countries. Teams can start with a free tier for contractor management or upgrade to a paid plan to manage and pay contractors directly through the platform.
Ready to see how RemoFirst compares to Deel and Remote? Book a demo.
