EOR vendors compared: Which platform fits your hiring needs?

If you're hiring full-time employees internationally, an Employer of Record platform can solve a real problem: managing employment relationships in countries where you don't have a legal entity. But the EOR market is crowded with different platforms, pricing models, and capabilities.

Understanding the differences helps you choose the right platform for your situation—or determine whether you need an EOR at all.

The leading EOR platforms

Deel charges $599 per month per employee and covers 150+ countries. It's a market leader with strong compliance teams, mature platform features, and good customer support. Deel also offers contractor management, though contractor features are expensive relative to what they provide.

Remote.com also charges $599 per month per employee and covers 80+ countries. It's positioned as the platform for remote-first companies, with solid compliance infrastructure and customer support. Like Deel, it offers contractor features at $49-99 per contractor per month.

Oyster charges $699 per month per employee and covers 180+ countries. It's known for excellent user experience and design, strong benefits packages, and transparent pricing. Oyster positions itself around distributed team experience rather than just compliance. Its main limitation is that it's a smaller company than Deel or Remote, with less market presence. Contractor management features are limited.

Rippling charges $8 per month as a base fee plus per-employee EOR fees, and covers 90+ countries. Rippling is an all-in-one platform handling HRIS (human resources information system), payroll, IT management, and EOR. It's excellent if you're already using Rippling for U.S. employees because everything integrates. The main limitation is reduced country coverage compared to competitors and complex pricing that's hard to understand upfront.

Budget EORs (ChaadHR, Gloroots, and others) charge $299-399 per month per employee and cover 140-150+ countries. These are newer platforms targeting startups and small teams with tighter budgets. The advantage is lower cost. The tradeoff is smaller companies with less market presence, potentially slower support, less mature platform features, and more limited benefits packages.

Atlas HXM charges $599 per month per employee and covers 160+ countries. It positions itself as a growing company platform with moderate pricing and solid feature set. It's less well-known than Deel or Remote but offers reasonable value for growing teams.

Boundless charges $685 per month per employee and covers 170+ countries. It's positioned as compliance-focused, targeting companies that prioritize legal and tax compliance over user experience. It tends to attract larger enterprises more than startups.

When each platform makes sense

Use Deel or Remote if: You're hiring 10+ international employees, need extensive country coverage for flexibility, want a proven mature platform with established track record, or budget is less of a concern. These platforms are the safest choice if you're scaling international hiring and want minimal risk.

Use Oyster if: You're building a remote-first company, value user experience and design, want strong benefits packages, or are hiring primarily in Europe, Latin America, or Asia (where Oyster has strong coverage).

Use Rippling if: You already use Rippling for U.S. employees and want integration across all systems, you want one platform handling HRIS, payroll, IT, and EOR, or you're hiring in countries Rippling covers well.

Use budget EORs if: You're hiring 1-5 international employees, budget is a primary concern, you're testing international hiring before committing to a larger platform, or you don't need advanced features like benefits negotiation or complex compliance workflows.

The real cost of EORs

The starting price per employee masks the total cost. Most EORs charge additional fees: setup fees ($500-2,000 per country), per-country or per-payment fees, foreign exchange markups (1-3%), payment delays (3-5 days), and administrative overhead. For 10 employees, the true cost is often 30-50% higher than the per-employee starting price.

Always request a detailed quote including setup fees, benefits costs, currency conversion markups, and termination fees before committing.

When you don't need an EOR

Here's the honest reality: if you're working with independent contractors (not employees), you don't need an EOR. EORs are designed for employment relationships—handling payroll, benefits, tax withholding, and compliance. Contractors handle their own taxes and benefits.

Yet many EOR platforms charge $49-99 per month per contractor for what amounts to payment processing and basic tracking. For 10 contractors, that's $490-990 per month or $5,880-11,880 per year—for a service designed for employees.

A better approach for contractors: Use Wise, PayPal, or Payoneer for payments (you maintain your own accounts, not a middleman). Use contractor management software to organize contracts, invoices, track payments, and maintain compliance documentation. Keep full control of your cash flow without 3-5 day payment holds. Pay $99/month for up to 25 contractors instead of $1,225+ per month with an EOR.

The distinction is important. EORs are the right tool for employees. Contractor-focused tools are the right tool for contractors. Using an EOR for contractors is overpaying significantly.

Hybrid approaches that work

Many growing companies use a combination of EORs and contractor management:

EOR for employees, direct for contractors: Use Deel, Remote, or Oyster for full-time international employees who need benefits and employment status. Use Wise, PayPal, or Payoneer plus contractor management software for independent contractors. This gives you compliance for employees and cost efficiency for contractors.

Start with contractors, convert to employees: Hire people as contractors first (via direct payment and contractor management). After 3-6 months of working together, convert top performers to employees via an EOR. This reduces risk—you validate the fit before committing to EOR fees. It also lets you test new markets with contractors before investing in full employment.

EOR in key markets, contractors elsewhere: Set up EOR employment in 2-3 key markets where you're hiring multiple people. Use direct contractor management in other markets. This balances compliance needs in important regions with flexibility and cost efficiency elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

Which EOR is the cheapest?

For employees, pricing varies: Deel and Remote start around $599 per month per employee. Newer platforms like ChaadHR and Gloroots start at $299-399 per month. The cheapest option is often the least mature platform. For contractors, no EOR is cheap—you shouldn't use an EOR for contractors at all.

Can I use multiple EORs at once?

Yes, but it's administratively complex. Each EOR has separate dashboards, invoices, and processes. Most companies pick one primary EOR and use it consistently. If you're hiring both employees and contractors, using an EOR for employees and contractor management software for contractors is cleaner than using multiple EORs.

What happens if I want to switch EORs?

Switching EORs is disruptive. You need to offboard employees from the old EOR and onboard them to the new one. This involves new contracts, benefits re-enrollment, and payroll setup with a new provider. It typically takes 30-60 days and can disrupt payroll if not handled carefully. Choose your EOR carefully upfront because switching is expensive and time-consuming.

Do EORs handle contractor payments well?

Most EOR platforms offer contractor payment features, but they charge $49-99 per month per contractor even though contractors aren't employees. This is expensive for what you get—essentially payment processing and basic tracking. A contractor-specific tool designed around contractor workflows is more cost-effective.

Are EORs compliant in all countries?

No EOR operates in every country. Most cover 100-180+ countries, but coverage varies. Always verify the EOR operates in your target country before committing. Also check how they maintain local compliance—some use local partner companies, which can add complexity or cost.

What about employee retention with EORs?

EORs don't affect employee retention directly, but benefits packages do. Companies using premium EORs like Deel or Oyster can offer better benefits (health insurance, retirement, paid time off), which improves retention. Budget EORs offer more limited benefits. Consider the benefits impact when choosing an EOR, especially if you're in competitive markets.

How long does EOR setup take?

Usually 1-2 weeks from contract signing to first payroll. The timeframe depends on the country's complexity (some countries require local registration or verification), the EOR's speed, and how quickly you can provide employee documentation. Plan for at least 2-3 weeks to be safe.

The decision framework

Ask yourself these questions:

Are you hiring full-time employees or contractors? (EORs are for employees.)

How many people are you hiring internationally? (10+ makes an EOR more cost-effective.)

Which countries are you hiring in? (Verify EOR coverage.)

How much do you value platform features vs. cost? (Premium EORs offer more; budget EORs cost less.)

Do you already use other platforms? (Rippling makes sense if you're already in their ecosystem.)

Based on your answers, choose an EOR that fits your situation. Or if you're hiring contractors, skip the EOR entirely and use contractor management software instead.

The bottom line

EORs solve a real problem for companies hiring full-time employees internationally. Deel, Remote, and Oyster are proven platforms used by thousands of companies. Budget EORs like ChaadHR and Gloroots work well for startups with tighter budgets.

But EORs are expensive for contractors. If you're working with independent contractors, use direct payment methods plus contractor management software. Save EORs for actual employees.

The right choice depends on whether you're hiring employees or contractors, how many people you're hiring, and which markets you're targeting. Evaluate EORs based on these factors, not just price. The cheapest option isn't always the best—consider platform maturity, support quality, benefits packages, and country coverage.

Get detailed quotes from 2-3 EORs in your target countries before deciding. The differences in total cost (including setup, benefits, currency conversion, and payment delays) can be significant. Make an informed choice upfront because switching EORs later is expensive and disruptive.