- Best overall Deel alternative: Gusto
- Best for managing employee benefits: Justworks
- Best international PEO: Papaya Global
- Best for hiring contractors internationally: Oyster
- Best for hiring and onboarding: Multiplier
- Best for integrations and IT hardware support: Rippling
- Best value for the price: Remote
Deel streamlines hiring, onboarding, and payroll management for both employees and contractors in over 150 countries worldwide. For thousands of multinational companies, it’s the perfect international payroll solution—but if Deel is not for you, one of its global payroll software competitors could be a better fit.
Check out our list of top alternatives:
Top Deel competitors and alternatives: Comparison table
| Vendor | EOR starting price | Global availability | Our star rating (out of 5) |
Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | $599/employee/mo. | Try Deel | ||
| Gusto | $699/employee/mo.* | Try Gusto | ||
| Justworks | $599/employee/mo. | Visit Justworks | ||
| Papaya Global | $599/employee/mo. | Try Papaya | ||
| Oyster | $699/employee/mo. | Try Oyster | ||
| Multiplier | $400/employee/mo. | Try Multiplier | ||
| Rippling | Custom | Try Rippling | ||
| Remote | $699/employee/mo. | Try Remote |
Plans and pricing are up to date as of 1/2/2025
*Gusto’s new pricing for its EOR services took effect on January 1, 2025
The top Deel alternatives for global businesses
Gusto: Best overall Deel alternative
Our star rating: 4.71 out of 5
Why we chose it: Gusto’s automation, streamlined platform, and overall accessibility make it one of the best payroll companies for small and midsize U.S. businesses, including those that pay international contractors. Employers already using Gusto to pay domestic contractors and employees can add international contractors without additional fees. The only cost you will incur is an exchange-rate fee that varies by country.
Gusto’s employer of record (EOR) services (powered by Remote) were introduced in early 2024. These services are currently available only in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Spain—with new countries added every month.
Who it’s best for: Gusto is an exceptional small-business alternative to Deel for businesses expanding to foreign markets for the first time. Its user-friendly platform is deeply intuitive with a low learning curve, making it a great payroll system for first-time employers. With the addition of Gusto Global, the software is now also a strong option for first-time global payroll users.
Get more information by reading our comprehensive Gusto review.
Pricing
Gusto’s contractor-only plan costs $6 per contractor per month for the first six months. After that, you will be charged an additional $35 per month base fee, on top of the fee per contractor. You can also add international contractors for the same $6-a-month price, and the only additional fee is a variable exchange fee (the exact cost depends on the country).
You can also pay international contractors through any of Gusto’s three employee-and-contractor payroll plans:
- Gusto Simple: $40 per month + $6 per employee or contractor per month. Includes unlimited monthly payroll runs and access to optional employee benefits.
- Gusto Plus: $80 per month + $12 per employee or contractor per month. Includes multi-state payroll, time tracking, and PTO management.
- Gusto Premium: Custom pricing only. Includes compliance alerts, HR resource center access, and dedicated customer support.
- Gusto Global: The regular price for this plan is $699 per employee per month. However, Gusto is currently offering a discounted price of $599 per employee until December 31, 2025.
You can also get a one-month free discount on your invoice after you subscribe and run your first payroll with Gusto. Other terms and conditions may apply.
Top features and integrations
- Unlimited monthly payroll runs
- Optional employee benefits, including health insurance plans in 37 states
- Employee mobile app for self-service onboarding and on-demand pay
- Local currency payments (availability varies by country)
- Fully automated full-service payroll tax administration
Integrations: As a top payroll service provider in the U.S., Gusto includes built-in integrations with dozens of third-party apps, including accounting software like FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, and ZipBooks. Gusto also syncs with expense management software like Expensify, performance management tools like Culture Amp, and time-tracking tools like 7shifts.
Pros and cons
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Justworks: Best for managing employee benefits
Our star rating: 4.64 out of 5
Why we chose it: Justworks is a certified professional employer organization (PEO) that takes the complexity out of running your business by handling the heavy lifting of payroll processing, tax management, and benefits administration. What sets it apart is its ability to give small businesses access to premium health insurance plans from major insurers like Aetna and UnitedHealthcare.
Justworks’ EOR services give small businesses access to local HR experts who are ready to help you navigate compliance and answer your workplace questions. It also offers time-tracking features and international contractor payments.
Who it’s best for: Justworks is an ideal Deel alternative for businesses that want to provide premium health plans and benefit options for their employees. Whether you run a small business or a big enterprise, Justworks can negotiate benefits coverages and rates with major insurance carriers. Thus, you can access the same caliber of health coverage typically reserved for big corporations, but at rates that work with your budget.
Pricing
Justworks has two pricing plans for its PEO services and standalone payroll software. Additionally, it also has a separate plan for its time tracking and scheduling software as well as its EOR services. Below is the detailed breakdown of its pricing plans:
- PEO Basic: $59 per employee per month. Includes unlimited and off-cycle pay runs, 24/7 support, and access to HR consulting and tools.
- PEO Plus: $109 per employee per month. Includes health insurance administration, mental health benefits, and HSA/FSA accounts.
- EOR: $599 per person per month. Includes global hiring and compliance, and global HR support.
- Payroll: $50 per month + $8 per person per month. Includes contractor payments, payroll reporting, and tax filing.
Add-ons (Available in Payroll, PEO Basic, and PEO Plus)
- International Contractor Payments: $39 per contractor per month
- Time Tracking: $8 per employee per month
- Payroll and Health Insurance: $8 per employee per month. Includes access to medical, dental, and visual insurance, COBRA admin
Top features and integrations
- Has off-cycle pay runs
- Access to high-quality employee benefits
- ESAC and IRS-certified
- HR platform manages onboarding, employee information, and pad time-offs (PTO)
- Excellent HR and compliance support
Integrations: Justworks integrates with major payroll and HR software, including QuickBooks
Online, Xero, Netsuite, Greenhouse Recruiting, JazzHR, Lever, CultureAmp, 15Five, Vanta, and Trainual.
Pros and cons
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Papaya Global: Best international PEO
Our star rating: 4.54 out of 5
Why we chose it: Papaya Global streamlines international payroll and workforce management in 160+ countries through its comprehensive PEO platform. It also handles local currency payments directly from your company and helps you set up the right benefits in each location.
Beyond its core payroll processing, Papaya Global provides location-specific guidance, competitive compensation analytics, and robust compliance support. The platform helps you navigate immigration requirements, documentation, and regulatory tracking to enable strategic global hiring.
Papaya also excels when it comes to country-specific compliance. It also works on the ground, partnering with locally based experts who understand the complexities of each country’s employment laws. Plus, Papaya Global’s plans incorporate AI-based automation tools to ensure accuracy and minimize risks in payroll and compliance processes.
Who it’s best for: Papaya Global works best for businesses with both local and global employees seeking comprehensive international workforce management solutions. Its Workforce OS platform integrates global payroll and payments.
As a global employment partner, its EOR services allow you to hire and pay employees in more than 160 countries. This is a wider coverage compared to Oyster’s EOR which is limited to around 130 countries. Papaya Global also provides end-to-end services for managing complex international employment requirements, including country-specific compliance, multi-currency payroll processing, statutory benefits administration, and immigration support.
Get more information by reading our comprehensive Papaya Global Review.
Pricing
Papaya Global has a number of payroll plan options that match your business needs:
- Payroll Plus
- Grow Global: starts at $25 per employee per month for businesses with 101-500 employees
- Scale Global: starts at $20 per employee per month for businesses with 501-1000 employees
- Enterprise Global: starts at $15 per employee per month for businesses with over 1000 employees
- Workforce OS: $5 per employee per month. One single SaaS platform for managing and paying your global payroll.
- EOR: $599 per employee per month. Includes built-in EOR payments, contract generator, automated onboarding, and access to certified CPA firms.
- Contractor Payments and Management: $30 per month per contractor. Includes payouts in 100+ local currencies, automated recurrent invoicing, record-keeping, and reporting.
- Global Workforce Payments: $2.50 per transaction. Includes payroll wallets in 15 currencies, financial data connectors, and fraud prevention.
- Agent of Record: $200 per contractor per month. Includes ongoing compliance checks, contractor classification, and full liability coverage.
Top features and integrations
- Single-point access to payroll management and payments
- Full-service payroll in over 160 countries
- Payments are available in over 100 currencies
- Full liability coverage and payments
- Compliance checks and worker classification
Integrations: Since our last update, Papaya Global currently integrates with SAP Success Factors,
Oracle HCM, NetSuite, Workday HCM, BambooHR, SAP Fieldglass, Namely, HiBob, Expensify, Personio, Trintech, Blackline, UKG, Sage, and Beeline.
Aside from these, you can connect any payroll and HR software to the Workforce OS using Papaya Global’s connectors.
Pros and cons
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Oyster: Best for hiring contractors internationally
Our star rating: 4.50 out of 5
Why we chose it: Oyster HR gives you access to the same essential multinational payroll features as Deel and its top alternatives. However, Oyster stands out by operating in 180+ countries and enabling payments in 140+ local currencies, making it more widely accessible than Deel or any other top competitors on our list.
Along with making global payroll less of a hassle, Oyster takes some of the stress out of hiring international workers by working with global talent teams. Using Oyster, you can access global job boards, agencies, and hiring marketplaces with vetted, trustworthy candidates.
Who it’s best for: If finding top talent in a crowded global marketplace is one of your main considerations, you may benefit more from Oyster than from Deel and other global payroll options. Even if you don’t leverage Oyster’s unique partnerships with third-party global hiring resources, its cost-comparison tool and resource library can give you extra support to help your global hiring practices stay compliant and cost-effective.
Get more information by reading our comprehensive Oyster HR review.
Pricing
Oyster offers upfront pricing for three of its services and requires a custom quote for the fourth:
- Contractor: Free for the first 30 days, then $29 per contractor per month. Includes expense and time off management.
- Global Payroll: $25 per employee per month. Includes support from payroll specialists and payroll reports.
- EOR: $699 per employee per month (billed monthly) or $599 per employee per month (billed annually). Available in 130+ countries.
- Scale: Custom pricing. Includes everything in EOR and access to dedicated support managers.
Add-ons
- Benefits Package: Custom pricing. Available in EOR and Scale
- Salary Insights: Custom pricing. Available in all packages
- Visa Sponsorship: Custom pricing. Available in EOR and Scale
- Oyster Shell: Custom pricing. Available in Contractor
Top features and integrations
- Full-service global tax administration
- Expense, invoice and payroll reports
- Location-specific hiring templates and compliant employment agreements
- Pre-built workflow automations for time-off requests, onboarding, and documentation
- Online expense reimbursement
Integrations: Oyster integrates with a number of payroll, HRIS, and messaging software, such as TriNet, SAP Concur, Carta, Personio, Slack, Zapier, Okta, Workday, HiBob, BambooHR ATS, Greenhouse, QuickBooks Online, and Xero.
Pros and cons
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Multiplier: Best for hiring and onboarding
Our star rating: 4.17 out of 5
Why we chose it: Like Deel, Multiplier partners with dozens of global talent agencies to help you quickly access vetted lists of top talent in any region. Like the other providers on this list, Multiplier provides payroll tools for companies that just need to pay international employees.
What sets Multiplier apart from other providers is its ability to create contracts in just 5 minutes, significantly speeding up the employee onboarding process. Additionally, Multiplier offers intellectual property (IP) protection, visa and work permit services, and 24/5 support. While its contractor plan starts at an above-average cost ($40 per contractor compared to the industry standard of $20 to $30), its employee plan starts at the below-average price of just $400 per person.
Who it’s best for: Multiplier is an excellent choice for fast-growing companies and businesses that prioritize speed and security in their global operations. The fast contract creation process allows you to onboard new employees and contractors in just minutes, reducing delays and helping them stay agile in competitive markets.
Meanwhile, the robust IP protection ensures that a company’s valuable intellectual property is safeguarded across international borders, giving you the confidence to expand operations without risking your assets.
Get more information by reading our comprehensive Multiplier review.
Pricing
Multiplier offers an upfront flat-rate pricing plan for two of its services and custom pricing for the other two:
- Contractors: $40 per month. Includes multi-currency and cryptocurrency payments, worker’s classification, and benefits administration.
- EOR: $400 per month. Includes instant employment contracts, expense and leave management, and ESOPs.
- Global Payroll: Custom pricing. Includes multi-currency payments and payroll reports.
- Immigration: Custom pricing. Provides visas in 140+ countries.
Top features and integrations
- Multilingual, locally compliant employment contracts
- Benefits administration built into every plan
- Time-off management
- Employee expense and reimbursement tracking
- Multi-currency payment options, including crypto payments
- 24/5 customer service connections to local HR and compliance experts
- Support for visas in 140+ countries
Integrations: Multiplier currently integrates with 20+ multinational third-party apps, including Geektastic, OnLoop and Reaction.
Pros and cons
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Rippling: Best for integrations and IT hardware support
Our star rating: 4.13 out of 5
Why we chose it: Rippling’s all-in-one business software enables global businesses to manage HR, payroll, expenses, and IT in one unified operating system. It connects with over 500 apps and automates tasks for HR, IT, and finance, making it simpler and faster. Rippling helps manage devices by setting them up automatically, installing software, and fixing issues remotely. It works with all kinds of hardware, keeping your operations secure and compliant. Plus, it’s easy to scale with Rippling as your business grows, and its straightforward design simplifies usage for you and your team.
Who it’s best for: As a modular end-to-end software solution, Rippling is best for companies in need of scalable software that grows in step with their businesses. Choose Rippling over Deel if you want to manage major business operations in one place, including global HR, international payroll, and remote tech.
Plus, Rippling’s focus on technology and IT makes it a perfect fit for remote global companies that outfit new employees with company laptops. It’s the only platform that lets you manage employee pay, time off, expenses, devices, compensation, and password security from a centralized system.
Get more information by reading our comprehensive Rippling review.
Pricing
Rippling’s domestic payroll service starts at $8 per employee per month on top of an unlisted monthly base fee (third-party sources suggest base pricing starts at $35 per month). However, since Rippling’s modular software is extremely customizable, it offers custom quotes for most of its services, including global payroll, and EOR services.
Contact Rippling to start building your quote.
Top features and integrations
- 90-second self-guided onboarding for new hires (employees and contractors)
- Local currency payments
- Automated global payroll tax filing and legal compliance
- Global employee benefits options
- Automatic expense categorization and general ledger export
- Comprehensive international organization chart
- Country-specific customizable policies
- Remote IT management, including device, app, and password management
Integrations: Rippling offers over 500 pre-built third-party app automations. Top Rippling integrations include Slack, G Suite, and Greenhouse.
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Remote: Best value for the price
Our star rating: 4.01 out of 5
Why we chose it: Remote gives companies multiple affordable options for paying employees and contractors in 170+ countries. Its employer-of-record service starts at the industry-standard cost of $599 per employee per month. Additionally, Remote provides a free HRIS platform for companies with up to 200 employees.
With tools for onboarding, time and attendance tracking, expense management, and document storage, Remote’s all-in-one global free HR service simplifies employment for your team.
Who it’s best for: Given its free HRIS tool, affordable contractor plan, and upfront pricing, Remote is an excellent choice for global companies seeking budget-friendly international payroll solutions.
Get more information by reading our comprehensive Remote review.
Pricing
Remote provides transparent starting prices for its major services:
- Contractor Management: $29 per active contractor per month (no charge for inactive contractors)
- Contractor Management Plus: $99 per active contractor per month, including indemnity coverage
- Employer of Record: $599 per employee per month
- Global Payroll: $29 per employee per month
Remote’s HRIS platform is also completely free for businesses with up to 200 global employees.
Per Remote’s fair pricing guarantee, the company doesn’t require upfront deposits or minimum contract terms. Services such as offboarding and equity management are included at no additional cost. Additionally, Remote’s EOR satisfaction guarantee promises a full refund of all management fees accrued within your first 90 days of service if you are not completely satisfied.
Top features and integrations
- Global contractor hiring and payroll in 200+ countries
- International employee hiring and payroll in 170+ countries
- Same-day local currency payments
- Employee self-service portal and mobile app
- In-app document signing
- Automated invoice approvals and contractor payments
- Payroll software includes PTO management, payslip creation, and automated local tax calculations.
- EOR service includes local benefits options, a country-based cost of employment calculator, and country-specific compliant onboarding
Integrations: Remote’s open API allows software developers to build custom integrations between Remote and their preferred third-party apps. Remote also offers pre-built integrations with a handful of third-party platforms, including BambooHR, Zapier, Greenhouse, and HiBob.
Pros and cons
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Should you choose Deel or a Deel competitor?
Deel’s impressive suite of payroll features, completely free HR plan, and customized benefits packages make it a compelling software solution for global businesses. If your top priority is finding an all-in-one global payroll and HR service that simplifies not only hiring and paying employees but also tracking them after joining your company, Deel is your best choice.
However, Deel isn’t your only option. Since its starting price is higher than many compet
itors, Deel may be less cost-effective for businesses that are just barely breaking into the international workforce.
As you weigh the merits of choosing Deel or a leading competitor, focus on key factors beyond features and price. Ask yourself these questions:
- Availability. Can this payroll provider help you hire employees in the countries you’re most interested in? Does it support countries you might consider expanding to as your business grows?
- Integration. Will adding this payroll software to your tech stack simplify your work by easily integrating with your most-used software tools, or will it make things harder by requiring redundant data entry between disconnected systems?
- Customer service. Domestic payroll issues are frustrating enough, but global payroll mistakes can have even bigger legal ramifications that you can’t understand on your own. Does your preferred payroll service offer 24-hour support so you can get help quickly, regardless of time zone? Does its customer support include access to on-the-ground local HR and payroll experts to resolve compliance issues immediately?
Finally, while conducting online research by reading articles like ours is a fantastic start, there’s really no substitute for hands-on experience. Setting up a free account with Gusto Global, taking advantage of Oyster’s 30-day free trial, and booking a custom demo with Rippling or Multiplier will help you choose payroll software you don’t just tolerate but actively appreciate.
Our methodology
We rely on a proprietary in-house algorithm to calculate star ratings, which are based on the following criteria:
- International payroll features (weighted to 35% of the total score).
- Pricing and affordability (weighted to 25% of the total score).
- Ease of use and overall functionality (weighted to 15% of the total score).
- Customer service, experience, and reputation (weighted to 15% of the total score).
- Expert opinion, hands-on testing, and overall experience (weighted to 10% of the total score).
Our payroll software review methodology page has more information on our brand evaluation, research process, and star-rating criteria.
Deel alternatives frequently asked questions
Is Deel cloud-based?
Yes. Deel’s cloud-based payroll software enables employers to pay individuals in over 100 countries.
What companies are similar to Deel?
Global payroll companies like Deel include Multiplier, Oyster, Rippling, and Gusto, among others. Like Deel, each of these companies offers international contractor payroll plans and employer-of-record services, which enable U.S. businesses to hire workers in countries where they lack an established legal entity.
Is Deel a payroll company?
Yes. Deel is an international payroll company with EOR services that enable U.S.-based companies to hire and pay employees and contractors around the globe.
