Which EOR is best for a recruitment agency in 2026?

Depends on your priorities. Oyster leads onboarding speed (published SLA). Deel leads platform and integrations. Teamed leads cost transparency and the contractor-to-EOR lifecycle, zero FX markup on every invoice, real experts on every plan. G-P leads compliance depth. Remote leads owned entities with a disclosed FX rate. Ask any provider: will you show me the FX on the invoice, and who handles a contested exit?

Why does FX transparency matter for a recruitment agency using an EOR?

A recruitment agency bills at cost plus margin. An undisclosed FX spread is a cost the agency cannot see or recover, eating directly into placement margin. Industry analysis puts undisclosed EOR FX margins at roughly 1.5 to 3% of salary. On a GBP 60,000 placement, a 2% spread is GBP 1,200 per year per candidate, invisible on the invoice. Teamed absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the applied rate against mid-market.

How does a recruitment agency handle a contractor-to-EOR conversion?

Many placements start as fixed-term contractors and convert to permanent EOR. Teamed, Deel and Rippling all carry contractor and EOR on one system; Oyster requires a manual step. Ask any EOR whether conversion triggers a new deposit or new right-to-work check, and whether the employment record is continuous across the conversion.

Can a recruitment agency use an EOR to employ candidates on behalf of an end client?

Yes. The EOR is the legal employer of record on the employment contract, carries payroll and statutory obligations, and takes on employment-law liability. The agency arranges the engagement and earns a management or placement fee. Ask any EOR whether its contract accommodates a three-party arrangement, whether it reflects the end client as the directing party, and how the employment relationship is presented in the local jurisdiction.

What are the key questions a recruitment agency should ask an EOR?

Ask before the first placement: Will you put the actual senior job title on the contract? What is the FX rate and where does it appear on the invoice? Who handles a contested termination? What is the deposit amount? How is a contractor-to-EOR conversion handled? What is the all-in price including deposit, FX and any minimum term?

How current is this comparison, and how was it scored?

Competitor facts verified 18 June 2026 from each provider's own pricing and product pages. Eight providers scored 1 to 5 on five recruitment-agency-focused criteria, no overall winner. Where pricing is not published we say so. Reviewed quarterly, pricing monthly.

Best EOR for recruitment agencies · 2026

The best EOR providers for recruitment agencies in 2026

Eight providers scored on a rubric built for agencies: speed to first payroll, FX clarity for client invoicing, contractor-to-EOR lifecycle, platform volume and compliance depth. Deel and Oyster lead onboarding speed. Teamed leads cost transparency and the lifecycle. Rippling and Deel lead platform. G-P leads compliance. Pick the column that fits your brief.

Talk to an expert

Rated 4.8 on G2 for service

8
EOR providers scored on one recruitment-agency rubric: $599
Teamed flat fee, FX absorbed at zero markup, shown on every invoice: 5
Rubric criteria, no overall winner

Disclosure

This guide was produced by Teamed, which is one of the eight providers scored below on the same rubric as the rest. We don't crown an overall winner, we don't claim to be the cheapest, and we say plainly where Deel, Oyster or another provider is the better fit for your agency's placements.

Last reviewed 18 June 2026By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

Which EOR provider is best for recruitment agencies in 2026?

What is the best EOR for a recruitment agency?

An Employer of Record (EOR) for a recruitment agency legally employs the candidates the agency places, in markets where neither the agency nor the end client has a legal entity yet. The EOR issues the local contract, runs payroll, remits income tax and statutory contributions, and carries the obligations of the legal employer while the placed candidate gets on with the job. For a recruitment agency, speed is not optional. A delayed start date costs a placement fee or a month of management margin.

Two questions land hard for agencies beyond speed. Agencies invoice end clients for the total employment cost plus their margin, so an undisclosed FX spread is a cost they cannot see or pass on. It eats directly into margin. The second is contractor-to-EOR conversion. Many placements begin as fixed-term contracts and convert to permanent EOR employment. An EOR that handles that transition on one system, without re-papering the candidate, protects the agency's revenue timeline and its client relationship. The providers below differ on all three of these axes.

Methodology

How we scored this comparison

Each provider is scored 1 to 5 on five criteria relevant to how a recruitment agency chooses and uses an EOR. There's no weighted total and no overall winner. Different providers lead different columns. Teamed is scored on exactly the same criteria as the rest.

Onboarding speed: Time from signed contract to first payroll. For a recruitment agency, a delayed start date means a delayed placement fee or a lost month of management margin. Includes both the technical onboarding flow and the responsiveness of the human team guiding it.
Cost & FX transparency: Whether the headline fee is the real bill. FX margin on salary conversion disclosed and itemised, no undisclosed spread, no surprise deposit or setup fees. Especially material for agencies that invoice end clients at total employment cost plus a management margin: an invisible FX spread is a margin leak they cannot see or recover.
Contractor to EOR lifecycle: Whether the provider moves a placed candidate from fixed-term contractor to EOR employee on one system, without re-papering the engagement. Contractor misclassification cover, smooth conversion tooling and a clear path to the end client setting up their own entity all sit here.
Platform & volume management: Dashboard depth, API access and the ability to manage many active placements simultaneously across multiple clients and countries. Integrations with the agency ATS and the end client HRIS. Self-serve reporting and bulk payroll runs matter for a busy placement desk.
Compliance & employment law depth: Accuracy on contracts, payroll and statutory contributions across every country an agency places into. Depth of in-house HR and legal experts for the edge cases that affect an agency directly: a contested exit, a misclassification claim, a notice-period dispute, or a complex hire whose job title the end client needs on the contract. The agency carries reputational risk if the EOR gets it wrong.

How we gathered evidence

Competitor facts come from the Teamed competitor fact-cache, last verified 18 June 2026 against each provider's own pricing, product and trust pages. Where a provider does not publish pricing (G-P is quote-only; Papaya Global requires a demo for EOR pricing), we say so rather than presenting a third-party estimate as the provider's own number. Teamed's claims come from teamed.global and KERNAL. G2 ratings are read from each provider's own G2 profile; where G2 blocked an automated read, the rating carries a caveat.

Considered & excluded

We scored the eight providers a growing recruitment agency or staffing firm would realistically evaluate when adding EOR capability for the first time or reviewing a current provider.

Multiplier, Skuad, Atlas: Capable, but with a thinner public track record for the volume-placement model of a recruitment agency.
Remofirst, Native Teams: Lowest-price positioning suits a different buyer profile; the contractor and onboarding tooling is a better match for individual hires than a multi-client placement desk.

How they score, criterion by criterion

There’s no overall winner. Each column is a different priority. Pick the ones that matter to you, then read the write-ups below.

Provider	Onboarding speed	Cost & FX transparency	Contractor to EOR lifecycle	Platform & volume management	Compliance & employment law depth
Teamed(us)		Leads	Leads
Deel	Leads			Leads
Remote
Oyster
Rippling
Papaya Global
G-P (Globalization Partners)					Leads
Velocity Global (now Pebl)

Scored 1–5 on each criterion from the published rubric above. The highlighted cell leads that column. Teamed is scored on exactly the same criteria as every other provider.

Teamed

Us, scored on the same rubric

Best for: recruitment agencies that need the real cost of a placement visible on every invoice, real HR and legal experts to handle the edge cases a placed candidate can create, and one system from the first fixed-term contractor through EOR to the end client setting up their own entity.

Teamed is the advisory EOR for agencies that need honesty. It shows the applied FX rate against a mid-market reference on every invoice and absorbs it at zero markup on the fee. For a recruitment agency billing an end client at total employment cost plus a management margin, that means the cost line you pass on is the cost line you actually paid. An undisclosed FX spread in the typical industry range of 1.5 to 3% of salary is a margin leak that compounds across every active placement you run.

Real HR and legal experts are included on every plan with no support tier to unlock and no AI bot wall. That matters when a placed candidate raises a notice-period dispute, when a job title the end client needs on the contract is a senior one that some EORs quietly dilute, or when a misclassification question lands during a contractor-to-EOR conversion. Teamed owns entities in 57 countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Singapore, and covers 180+ countries through a mix of those owned entities and vetted local partners.

Teamed isn't trying to be the end client's HRIS. It connects to the HRIS and payroll tools they already run and is the partner the agency chooses for its global placements, from the first contractor through EOR to the end client's own entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO). GEMO sets up and runs a legal entity in 90+ countries on the same system, with no re-onboarding of the EOR employees already placed. Teamed models the month the end client's own entity gets cheaper than EOR, so the agency can advise proactively.

Countries: 180+ (owned entities in 57 markets including the UK, Germany, France, Singapore and the US; vetted partners cover the rest)
Entity model: Owned entities in 57 countries, vetted partners elsewhere; sets up end-client entities via GEMO in 90+
Onboarding: As little as 24 to 48 hours for a straightforward hire
Contractors: Yes, Guard and Protect misclassification cover on the same system as EOR
Pricing: $599 USD / £479 GBP / employee / month, flat, FX absorbed at zero markup · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

Zero FX markup on the fee, with the applied rate shown against mid-market on every invoice. For an agency billing clients at cost plus margin, the cost line on the invoice is the cost line actually paid.
Real HR and legal experts on every plan with country-specific depth, no AI bot wall and no Enterprise tier to unlock. Rated 4.8 on G2 for service. Handles edge cases such as a contested exit or a senior job title that other EORs quietly reclassify.
One system from first fixed-term contractor through EOR to the end client setting up their own entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) across 90+ countries. Contractor misclassification cover (Guard / Protect) is included alongside EOR.
Proactive crossover modelling. Teamed models the point at which the end client’s own entity makes more sense than EOR and alerts the agency early, so the agency can advise its client before the question is asked.

Watch-outs

Lighter self-serve platform and shallower API than Deel or Rippling. Agencies running a high volume of concurrent placements may find the dashboard less equipped for bulk operations than the platform-led alternatives.
ISO 27001 and SOC 2 are aligned with accreditation in progress, not yet held the way Deel, Remote and Rippling hold them. An end client with a hard security-certification gate may note this during vendor review.
The advisory model earns its weight across multiple placements in multiple countries. A single one-off placement in one market for an agency not yet planning further international work may suit a lighter self-serve platform better.

Source: teamed.global/pricing

Deel

Best for: recruitment agencies that want the broadest all-in-one platform, the deepest integration catalogue and the strongest brand in the category, and can manage the FX line and the support tier gap separately.

Deel is the market-leading all-in-one global payroll, EOR and HR platform, with the deepest self-serve product and one of the broadest native integration catalogues in the category. For a recruitment agency with a high volume of placements, the speed column is where Deel shines: self-serve onboarding flows are fast, the platform can run many concurrent engagements, and a new employee can be set up in a matter of days. The market-leading brand also clears a procurement shortlist at a large end client without the conversation a newer provider still needs to have.

The cost transparency gap is consistent. Deel does not publish its FX terms, so for an agency billing an end client at total employment cost plus a management margin, the salary-conversion cost is built into the rate rather than shown as a line on the invoice. The dedicated Slack or Teams support channel for compliance questions sits on the Enterprise tier, from $899, while Standard support runs through a shared queue. Buyers tell us the headline can rise once FX is added and that, in one case, a six-month salary deposit was required for a long-notice UK hire, though these are buyer accounts rather than published Deel terms.

The choice for a recruitment agency is between platform breadth and a readable invoice. Deel leads the self-serve and speed columns on this rubric, and it carries mature contractor management and misclassification tooling alongside EOR, which suits an agency running a contractor-and-permanent placement desk side by side. If the FX line on the invoice needs to be visible for the agency to know its margin per placement, that's where the trade-off sits. It holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications today.

Countries: 150-plus reach, full legal employment in 110+
Entity model: Mix of owned entities and vetted partners; per-country owned split not published
Onboarding: Days, deep self-serve
Contractors: Yes, mature contractor management and misclassification tooling
Pricing: From $599 Standard, from $899 Enterprise / employee / month · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

The fastest and deepest all-in-one self-serve onboarding in the category. An agency placing candidates across many markets simultaneously can run the whole desk from one dashboard.
One of the broadest native integration catalogues here, covering most HRIS and ATS stacks without custom build. The integration depth means a recruitment agency can plug Deel into the end client's preferred tools.
The market-leading brand and the longest enterprise track record. A large end client's procurement or legal team recognises Deel on the shortlist and clears it quickly.
Holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications today, plus mature equity, IP and contractor tooling alongside EOR. Relevant for an agency that also places contractors and needs misclassification cover.

Watch-outs

Does not publish its FX terms. For a recruitment agency billing an end client at cost plus margin, the salary-conversion cost is built into the rate rather than shown, making the real margin per placement hard to calculate.
The dedicated Slack or Teams support channel sits on the Enterprise tier (from $899). A compliance question, a contested termination or an edge-case hire on the Standard plan goes to a shared queue.
Buyers report add-on charges and, in one case, a large upfront salary deposit for a long-notice hire, though these are buyer accounts rather than published Deel terms. Read the contract before signing.

Source: deel.com/pricing

Remote

Best for: recruitment agencies that want a polished self-serve platform, a disclosed FX rate on the invoice after the fact, and strong contractor and IP tooling alongside EOR, with annual billing acceptable.

Remote is the product-led alternative for agencies that want a clean self-serve experience and want the FX line to appear on the invoice. It markets a 100%-owned entity network across its 90+ EOR countries, so an agency placing into Germany, France or Singapore routes through a Remote-owned entity rather than a local partner in those markets. It holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2, and it runs a polished product with a dedicated onboarding specialist and a named CSM on the EOR plan.

On FX, Remote is more transparent than most providers here. It discloses that a variable Remote FX rate applies to cross-currency lines, and that rate is shown on the monthly invoice breakdown in-platform. No percentage is published, so the rate is visible after the fact rather than modelled in advance. That is ahead of the providers that show nothing at all, but it is not a zero-markup or mid-market-anchored line. For an agency that bills clients monthly and reconciles FX each period, the post-facto disclosure is a workable model. The $599 headline requires annual billing; month to month is $699.

The fit for a recruitment agency is a team that wants product polish, owned entities in its core placement markets and a disclosed FX approach, and is comfortable managing the variable rate. Strong IP protection and stock-option administration sit alongside EOR, relevant if the agency places senior tech hires who receive equity. Against Deel you trade integration breadth and speed for owned entities and a more visible FX line.

Countries: 190+ locations, 90+ via a 100%-owned EOR entity network
Entity model: Markets a 100%-owned entity network across its core 90+ EOR countries; local partners and other products extend total reach to 190+
Onboarding: Dedicated onboarding specialist and a named CSM on the EOR plan
Contractors: Yes, tiered, with indemnity options up to and beyond $100,000 per contractor
Pricing: $599/mo on annual billing ($699 month to month) · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.6/5 (591)

Strengths

Markets a 100%-owned entity network across its 90+ core EOR countries. An agency that needs a single, auditable employer chain in those markets avoids a partner layer in most of the placements it is likely to make.
The Remote FX rate is visible per line item on the monthly invoice in-platform, which is ahead of the providers that disclose nothing. An agency billing clients monthly can reconcile the FX each period rather than estimating.
A polished, well-reviewed self-serve product with strong IP protection and stock-option administration, both relevant to an agency placing senior hires with equity packages. Published pricing: $599 on annual billing, $699 month to month.
A dedicated onboarding specialist and a named CSM on the EOR plan, backed by in-house HR, legal and tax experts. The contractor tier includes indemnity options up to and beyond $100,000 per contractor.

Watch-outs

The $599 rate requires annual billing. An agency placing a candidate on a shorter engagement may pay $699 month to month, so the comparable price depends on commitment length.
The Remote FX rate is a variable spread shown after the fact on the invoice, with no published percentage. It is not a zero-markup or mid-market-anchored line, so the real cost of a placement cannot be modelled in advance.
The model is product-led rather than advisory. An agency that wants a real HR or legal expert available for a complex termination or misclassification question may find the self-serve flows are the primary support channel.

Source: remote.com/pricing

Oyster

Best for: recruitment agencies that need the fastest and most predictable onboarding for placed candidates, a published SLA they can quote to end clients, and a flat published price.

Oyster leads the onboarding speed column on this rubric. A dedicated Hiring Success Manager is a consistent highlight in reviews, and it is the only provider here to publish a committed SLA: 24-hour response and resolution guaranteed within 72 hours. For a recruitment agency placing a candidate with a start date already agreed with the end client, a published SLA is a commitment you can quote to the client. The flat published price of $699 per employee per month means the finance team can budget each placement before the sales call ends.

The watch-outs are in the extras. Oyster requires a refundable deposit to start an EOR engagement, with no amount published on its pricing page. It also charges a currency-conversion fee on any currency mismatch, again with no rate published. For an agency billing an end client at total employment cost plus margin, both of those undisclosed items need to be confirmed in writing before the agency can know its margin per placement. White-glove HR advisory is billed separately at $300 per hour rather than included.

On the contractor-to-EOR lifecycle, Oyster has a strong contractor product at $29 per contractor per month, but no productised path from a fixed-term contract to a permanent EOR engagement on one system. An agency converting a contractor placement to a permanent EOR hire will need to handle that transition manually. It is a certified B-Corp with SOC 2 Type II and GDPR posture, though it does not list ISO 27001 on its own pages. Against Deel you trade platform breadth for speed, a committed SLA and a flat published price.

Countries: 180+ all products, 120+ for EOR
Entity model: Hybrid: owns or partners with local entities across its EOR countries; no owned-versus-partner split published
Onboarding: Published 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution SLA; dedicated Hiring Success Manager
Contractors: Yes, $29 per contractor per month, strong tooling and payments in 120+ currencies
Pricing: $699 / employee / month, flat (annual discounts available, no rate published) · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.4/5 (1447)

Strengths

The only provider here with a published onboarding SLA: 24-hour response and resolution guaranteed within 72 hours. For an agency that has told an end client a candidate will start by a specific date, that commitment is the point.
A flat published EOR price of $699 with no setup, onboarding, HR-expert-access or termination charges stated. Agencies can price a placement margin before the contract is signed.
A certified B-Corp with SOC 2 Type II and GDPR posture. An end client that screens suppliers on values gets an easy yes, and the certification base passes most mid-market vendor review requirements.
Strong contractor product at $29 per contractor per month with payments in 120+ currencies, misclassification protection and country-specific IP agreements. Suits an agency running a contractor and a permanent placement desk in parallel.

Watch-outs

Requires a refundable deposit for EOR engagements, with no amount published, and charges a currency-conversion fee on any currency mismatch, also with no rate published. An agency billing at cost plus margin needs both confirmed in writing.
No productised contractor-to-EOR conversion path on one system, and white-glove HR advisory is billed separately at $300 per hour. Converting a contractor placement to permanent EOR is a manual step.
No ISO 27001 listed on its own pages, which some end-client procurement teams flag as a hard requirement. SOC 2 Type II and GDPR posture cover most mid-market reviews but not all enterprise ones.

Source: oysterhr.com/pricing

Rippling

Best for: recruitment agencies that want a unified HR, IT and payroll platform for their own staff alongside EOR capability, or that are helping an end client consolidate their people stack and add EOR as a module.

Rippling is the HRIS-first choice if the goal is consolidation rather than a standalone EOR. Every Rippling customer sits on the same employee graph, and it publishes 600+ integrations on that graph, giving an agency or its end client the broadest integration surface of any provider here. For an agency whose end clients run Rippling already, adding EOR as a module on the same platform is a natural step, and the agency placement sits alongside the client's other headcount on one system.

EOR is the newer part of the Rippling product, and it covers 80 countries via a hybrid of Rippling-owned subsidiaries and partners, materially lower than the 180+ reach of the dedicated EOR providers. A recruitment agency placing into markets outside that 80-country set will find the coverage a hard constraint. It does not publish EOR pricing on its primary product pages; a starting figure of $499 per employee per month surfaces on Rippling's own blog, and a base HR-platform fee sits on top. Buyers tell us a Rippling EOR engagement in Germany can hit a statutory employment cap with no foreign-direct-employment fallback.

The consolidation thesis is the point. If an agency is also evaluating an HRIS, device management and payroll for its own internal team, EOR rides the same employee record. Rippling publishes a live entity-versus-EOR cost calculator, which is useful when advising an end client who is close to the crossover point. Get the all-in monthly number in writing, platform base plus EOR fee plus any FX terms, before you commit. For an agency that just needs a standalone EOR for placed candidates without a broader stack migration, a pure-play EOR usually starts cleaner.

Countries: 80 for EOR via owned subsidiaries and partners; 185+ for contractor payments
Entity model: Hybrid of Rippling-owned subsidiaries and partners across 80 EOR countries; split not published
Onboarding: Fast self-serve; white-glove reserved for enterprise customers
Contractors: Yes, Contractor-of-Record product that takes on misclassification liability
Pricing: Not published on primary pages; starting from $499 on Rippling blogs, plus an HR-platform base fee · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

Rippling publishes 600+ integrations on one employee graph, the broadest integration catalogue of any provider here. For an agency whose end clients already run Rippling, EOR slots into the same system with no parallel onboarding.
A live entity-versus-EOR cost calculator on the same platform, plus a distinct Global Payroll product for companies running their own entities. Useful when advising an end client on when to graduate off EOR.
Fast, deeply automated self-serve onboarding once the platform is set up. Published live support metrics: median live-chat first response of 29 seconds and a 95.34% CSAT over a rolling 90-day window.
Holds SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, with a Contractor-of-Record product that takes on misclassification liability. Relevant for an agency placing a mix of contractors and permanent hires.

Watch-outs

EOR covers 80 countries, materially lower than the 180+ reach of the dedicated EOR providers. An agency placing into markets outside that set will hit a hard coverage gap.
Does not publish EOR pricing on its primary pages. The starting figure appears only on Rippling-owned blogs, and a base HR-platform fee sits on top of the per-employee EOR charge. Get the all-in number in writing.
Built to replace the whole people stack rather than sit alongside it. For an agency that needs a focused EOR for placed candidates without a broader HRIS migration, the platform overhead is more than the job requires.

Source: rippling.com/eor

Papaya Global

Best for: large recruitment agencies or staffing groups running multi-country payroll at enterprise scale across many clients and currencies, where a finance-grade reporting backbone matters more than advisory agility.

Papaya Global is the payroll-at-scale alternative, built for Fortune-500-scale buyers. It reaches 160+ countries, runs a strong data and payroll backbone with 130+ payment currencies, and adds a licensed payments arm. For a large staffing group consolidating payroll across many employer-client relationships, the consolidation saving is the draw: one reporting layer, 130+ payment currencies and audit-ready filings across all of them. HRIS integrations with Workday, SAP SuccessFactors and Oracle HCM mean it slots into the enterprise stacks that large end clients already run.

Most of its EOR footprint is partner-delivered. Papaya owns full EOR entities in 40 of its 160+ country reach, with the majority covered by vetted in-country accounting-firm partners. An FX processing fee applies on currency conversion with no percentage published and country-variable margins supplied via account manager, and the wallet must be pre-funded with a buffer ahead of payroll. For a recruitment agency that needs to know its margin per placement, those undisclosed costs need to be modelled explicitly.

The EOR base starts from $499 per employee per month on its own pricing page. It is built for enterprise procurement, and the G2 review base of roughly 53 reviews reflects that. A recruitment agency at series-A scale or running a smaller international placement desk will find Papaya is usually the wrong fit: the onboarding is enterprise-paced and the engagement model is built for volume, not agility. Against Deel you trade self-serve speed for finance-grade payroll consolidation at scale.

Countries: 160+ reach, owned full EOR entities in 40
Entity model: Hybrid: owned full EOR entities in 40 countries, certified accounting-firm partners elsewhere
Onboarding: Weeks, enterprise-paced
Contractors: Yes, Contractor of Record and a pay-only contractor tier
Pricing: From $499 / employee / month (EOR); FX processing fee variable, not published · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.5/5 (53)

Strengths

A strong enterprise payroll and data backbone across 160+ countries and 130+ payment currencies with a licensed payments arm. Ideal for a large staffing group consolidating multi-client payroll onto one reporting layer.
Deep HRIS and ERP integrations: Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM and NetSuite. Built to slot alongside an enterprise finance stack rather than replace it.
Holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II, a deep certification stack that passes most enterprise vendor security frameworks. ISO 27701 (privacy information management) is notable for staffing groups handling large employee data volumes.
Mature automation and audit reporting for finance teams running complex multi-country payroll, with audit trails built in. Relevant for a large agency that needs clean reconciliation across many client accounts and currencies.

Watch-outs

Most EOR delivery is partner-led: owned full EOR entities in only 40 of its 160+ country reach. An agency placing into the majority of Papaya’s coverage map goes through a local accounting-firm partner, not an owned entity.
FX processing fee applies with no rate published and country-variable margins supplied via account manager; wallet must be pre-funded with a buffer. A recruitment agency billing at cost plus margin cannot model the real per-placement cost without a sales call.
Built for Fortune-500 scale, enterprise-paced and quote-heavy. Not the choice for a mid-sized agency that needs to onboard a placed candidate quickly and move on to the next placement.

Source: papayaglobal.com/pricing

G-P (Globalization Partners)

Best for: large recruitment agencies placing into highly regulated or unusual markets, or servicing enterprise end clients whose procurement and legal teams require a provider with the widest owned-entity-led footprint and the deepest compliance certification stack.

G-P leads the compliance column on this rubric. It runs over 100 legal entities of its own plus a 200+ partner network across 180+ countries, with one of the deepest compliance and security certification stacks in the category: ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 and 42001 plus SOC 2 Type II, all on a self-serve trust portal. For a recruitment agency placing into unusual markets or servicing a large enterprise end client whose procurement team requires analyst-recognised vendor names, G-P has one of the most complete answers on compliance and reach. It markets itself as the market leader by analyst recognition; we report that as its own claim, not ours.

For a growing recruitment agency with a fast-moving placement desk, G-P is usually the wrong speed. EOR pricing is quote-only and gated behind a demo, so a like-for-like comparison with the flat-fee providers takes a full sales cycle. Base-tier support runs through the G-P Assist AI assistant; a dedicated customer success manager and direct access to G-P's HR and legal teams are reserved for the higher EOR Prime tier. Buyers report a pre-funding model of roughly one to two months' salary, though G-P does not publish that. Onboarding is enterprise-governed.

The case for G-P in a recruitment agency context is governance at scale. When an agency is placing into a genuinely unusual or highly regulated market, or when the end client is a large enterprise whose board requires a recognised name on the approved-vendor list, G-P clears the procurement gate quickly and comprehensively. Most recruitment agencies will weigh whether that governance overhead suits the pace of a placement desk that needs to move fast. Against Deel you trade published pricing, speed and base-tier human support for enterprise depth and analyst recognition.

Countries: 180+ via 100+ owned entities and 200+ partners
Entity model: Owned-entity-led (100+ entities) plus an extensive partner network; per-country owned-versus-partner split not published
Onboarding: Enterprise-governed; AI-led base support
Contractors: Yes, self-serve contractor product at $39 per contractor per month
Pricing: Quote-only; no per-employee EOR price published · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.4/5 (1028)

Strengths

Leads the compliance column on this rubric. One of the deepest security certification stacks here: ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 and 42001 plus SOC 2 Type II, on a self-serve trust portal. Passes every enterprise procurement security gate.
Over 100 legal entities of its own plus 200+ partners across 180+ countries, one of the widest owned-entity-led footprints in the category. For unusual or highly regulated markets, the compliance depth is genuine.
Strong analyst recognition and a large in-country legal team. An enterprise end client whose board requires a recognised name on the approved-vendor list clears G-P through procurement quickly.
A transparent, self-serve contractor product at $39 per contractor per month with AI misclassification checks, alongside the full EOR offering. Relevant for agencies placing a mix of contractors and permanent hires.

Watch-outs

Publishes no EOR per-employee price on any of its own pages. A like-for-like comparison with the flat-fee providers requires a full sales cycle. Not the model for an agency that wants to quote a client the same day.
Base-tier support runs through the G-P Assist AI assistant. A dedicated CSM and direct HR and legal team access are reserved for the higher EOR Prime tier. A recruitment agency placing a candidate with a complex termination clause or a contested exit needs to know which tier it is on before the situation arises.
Enterprise-paced onboarding and a governance-first model make it a poor fit for a placement desk where a candidate has a start date already in the diary. The quote-only pricing model compounds the timeline.

Source: globalization-partners.com

Velocity Global (now Pebl)

Best for: recruitment agencies placing into a broad set of markets at a low published headline, or handling workforce carve-out and complex immigration engagements, and comfortable with an AI-first day-to-day support model.

Velocity Global rebranded to Pebl in September 2025 and repositioned as an AI-first global hiring platform. It brings broad reach across 185+ countries, owned entities in 65 of them, and a simple published flat fee of $399 per employee per month, the lowest headline here. It holds ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type 2, and is backed by Baker McKenzie for in-house legal work. For a recruitment agency placing into markets where immigration complexity or workforce carve-outs are in scope, the Baker McKenzie backing and the owned-entity breadth are genuine differentiators.

The undisclosed costs and the post-rebrand settling period are the watch-outs. Pebl does not publish FX terms or a contractor price, and buyers and reviewers report an undisclosed FX spread and a refundable security deposit not shown on its pages. Most of its 185+ country reach is partner-served: 65 owned entities against 185+ countries. Day-to-day support is AI-first through the Alfie assistant, routing to a human specialist when needed. For a recruitment agency whose placed candidates need a fast, direct compliance answer, the AI-first model needs explicit confirmation of how quickly a real employment-law expert responds.

Customer experience is still settling after the September 2025 rebrand. The $399 headline is the most straightforward comparison point on this page, but the all-in number needs to include the FX spread and the deposit before an agency can compare it with the flat-fee providers. For a placement desk that needs a fast, clear bill and a real person on the phone when something goes wrong, confirm those terms in writing before committing. Against Deel you trade a settled product experience and base-tier human support for the lowest flat headline and broad reach.

Countries: 185+ reach, owned entities in 65
Entity model: Owned entities in 65 markets, in-country partners for the rest; ask whether your specific markets are owned
Onboarding: AI-led; claims onboarding in as little as 24 hours
Contractors: Yes, 180+ countries; no price published
Pricing: $399 / employee / month, flat (FX terms not published) · verified 2026-06-18
G2: 4.6/5

Strengths

The lowest published headline here, $399 per employee per month flat, easy to compare at a glance. For an agency managing margin across many concurrent placements, the starting point matters.
One of the widest footprints in the category, 185+ countries including 65 owned entities, backed by Baker McKenzie for in-house legal work. Real depth for workforce carve-outs and complex cross-border immigration.
Holds ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type 2, plus a broad integration catalogue across HRIS and finance. The Global Work Platform includes a full contractor and global equity offering.
AI-first hybrid support via the Alfie assistant, with 200+ in-country legal and hiring experts behind it. The AI-first model suits high-volume, lower-complexity placements where most queries are routine.

Watch-outs

Publishes no FX terms and no contractor price; buyers and reviewers report an undisclosed FX spread and a refundable security deposit not shown on its pages. An agency billing at cost plus margin needs both confirmed in writing.
Most reach is partner-served: 65 owned entities against 185+ countries. For an agency placing into markets outside those 65, confirm whether the hire is owned or partner-served before quoting the end client.
Day-to-day support is AI-first via the Alfie assistant, and the customer experience is still settling after the September 2025 rebrand to Pebl. Confirm escalation speed to a human employment-law expert before a complex placement is live.

Source: hellopebl.com/eor-pricing

Why the shortlist matters

Behind every line item is a real person, in a real place.

The fee, the FX and the support model are not abstractions. They decide whether the person you hired in Barcelona or Rome is paid right, on time, by someone who knows their employment law. That is what the ranking is really measuring.

What each stakeholder evaluates

Criterion	Legal	Finance	People Ops	Security
Cost visibility per placement	Ask for the FX policy in writing before signing. Confirm whether salary conversion uses a mid-market reference or an undisclosed rate, and whether the applied rate appears on the invoice.	An agency billing a client at total employment cost plus a management margin needs to see the full cost before billing. Teamed shows the applied FX rate against mid-market and absorbs it at zero markup. Remote shows a variable rate on the invoice after the fact with no published percentage. Deel, Rippling, Papaya, Oyster and Velocity Global do not publish their FX terms; ask for the rate in writing before the first payroll run.	A line-itemised invoice for salary conversion means reconciliation is one step rather than three. Ask the EOR whether the rate on the invoice is the same rate you will be billed at or a rate calculated after the fact.	A timestamped mid-market reference on every invoice is an auditable cost record. Relevant if an end client requires cost transparency on their employment invoices as a condition of the engagement.
Onboarding speed against a start date	Ask the EOR to confirm its typical time from signed contract to first payroll in writing, per country. A published SLA (Oyster: 24-hour response, sub-72-hour resolution) is enforceable; a marketing claim is not.	A delayed start date is a delayed first invoice. Oyster and Deel are the fastest here on self-serve and committed SLA respectively. Teamed targets 24 to 48 hours for a straightforward hire. G-P and Papaya are enterprise-paced and not suited to a placement with a start date already in the diary.	Ask whether the EOR will reflect the job title the end client wants on the employment contract. Some EORs quietly dilute a senior title for compliance-risk reasons; a recruitment agency placing a CFO or a Chief Compliance Officer needs the right title on the contract.	A fast onboarding flow that skips due diligence steps is a risk, not a feature. Ask the EOR how it verifies right-to-work in each market before the contract is issued.
Contractor-to-EOR conversion	Ask whether the EOR can convert a placed contractor to a permanent EOR employee on the same system, without re-issuing a new contract from scratch. Confirm that the contractor misclassification cover carries over during the conversion window.	A manual contractor-to-EOR conversion adds time and admin between the fixed-term end date and the permanent start date, which can create a gap in the placement revenue line. Ask how long the conversion takes and whether it triggers any additional fees.	For a placed candidate converting from contractor to permanent employee, a smooth transition on one system avoids a gap in payroll and a break in the employment record. Teamed, Deel and Rippling all carry contractor and EOR products on one system; Oyster requires a manual step between the two.	A contractor-to-EOR conversion is a change of legal employer in some jurisdictions. Ask the EOR whether a new right-to-work check or local registration is required at the point of conversion.

Decision checklist

Read the contract before you sign. Most EORs require a deposit, and many add setup, offboarding, minimum-term, no-exit or termination fees. Teamed takes a one-month refundable deposit and charges no onboarding or offboarding fees (an early-exit fee may apply if you leave within 3 months, set out in your contract). Ask every provider for a full list of fees before the first payroll.
Ask about FX before you quote the end client. If you are billing a client at total employment cost plus a management margin, an undisclosed FX spread is a cost you cannot see and cannot recover. Teamed shows the applied rate against mid-market and absorbs it at zero markup. Remote shows a variable rate on the invoice after the fact. Every other provider here publishes no rate or spread.
Choose Oyster if the start date is fixed and the end client needs a committed SLA. It is the only provider here with a published 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution guarantee. Get the deposit amount and the FX fee confirmed in writing before you commit.
Choose Deel if you need the fastest self-serve platform, the broadest integration catalogue and the strongest brand for end-client procurement. Confirm whether the support level you need sits on the Standard or Enterprise tier before signing.
Choose Teamed if you want the full cost visible on every invoice, real HR and legal experts on every plan with no tier to unlock, and one system from your first contractor placement through EOR to the end client setting up their own entity.
Choose Remote if you want a polished self-serve product, owned entities in the markets where you place most often, and a disclosed FX approach on the invoice, with annual billing acceptable.
Choose Rippling if the end client already runs Rippling and wants EOR as a module on the same employee graph. Confirm the EOR country coverage matches the markets you are placing into.
Choose Papaya Global if you are a large staffing group consolidating multi-client payroll across many countries and currencies at enterprise scale. Get the FX processing fee and the pre-funding buffer confirmed before comparing it with the flat-fee providers.
Choose G-P if you are placing into highly regulated or unusual markets, or if the end client is a large enterprise whose board requires analyst-recognised provider names and the widest owned-entity-led footprint. Expect a full sales cycle before you can compare the price.
Choose Velocity Global (Pebl) if the $399 flat headline and a broad footprint appeal, and you have immigration or carve-out complexity in scope. Confirm the FX terms and the deposit amount in writing before committing.
Ask every EOR three questions before you place the first candidate. Will you put the actual job title, including a senior one such as CFO or Chief Compliance Officer, on the employment contract? What is the exact FX rate, and where does it appear on the invoice? And who handles a contested termination on my placement: a real HR or legal expert, or an AI assistant and a ticket queue?
Ask about the contractor-to-EOR conversion process if any of your placements begin as fixed-term contracts. A smooth transition on one system with no re-papering protects the placement revenue timeline and the end client relationship.

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Honest take

When another provider here is the better choice.

Choose Deel if platform breadth, one of the broadest native integration catalogues and the market-leading brand outweigh the need to see the FX line on your invoice.
Choose Oyster if a published 24-hour response SLA and a flat published price are the top priorities, and you have confirmed the deposit amount and the FX fee in writing.
Choose Rippling if the end client runs Rippling and wants EOR on the same employee graph, or if you are consolidating your own HR, IT and payroll stack alongside the placement business.
Choose G-P if you are placing into highly regulated markets, or if enterprise end clients require the widest owned-entity-led footprint and a deep compliance certification stack, and the quote-only model is acceptable.
Choose Velocity Global (Pebl) for the lowest flat headline and broad reach, if you have confirmed the FX terms and the deposit, and an AI-first support model suits the type of placements you run.

Teamed leads cost transparency and the contractor-to-EOR lifecycle, and includes real HR and legal experts on every plan. It does not lead on self-serve platform depth, onboarding speed against a published SLA, or the widest integration catalogue. A recruitment agency whose priorities sit in those columns should pick accordingly. We would rather lose the deal than mismatch the engagement.

Frequently asked questions

Which EOR is best for a recruitment agency in 2026?
It depends on your priorities. Oyster leads onboarding speed with a published 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution SLA. Deel leads on self-serve platform depth and the broadest integration catalogue. Teamed leads on cost transparency and the contractor-to-EOR lifecycle, with real HR and legal experts on every plan and zero FX markup shown on every invoice. G-P leads on compliance depth and owned-entity-led reach for unusual or regulated markets. Remote leads on owned entities in core markets with a disclosed FX rate. The most useful single question to ask any provider: will you show me the FX on my invoice, and who handles a contested exit on a placed candidate?
Why does FX transparency matter for a recruitment agency using an EOR?
A recruitment agency typically bills an end client for the total employment cost of the placed candidate plus a management margin. If the EOR applies an undisclosed FX spread when converting the salary from the billing currency to the local payroll currency, that spread is a cost the agency cannot see and cannot pass on. It eats directly into the placement margin, invisibly. Industry analysis puts undisclosed EOR FX margins at roughly 1.5 to 3% of salary. On a GBP 60,000 placement in Germany, a 2% undisclosed spread is GBP 1,200 per year per placement, invisible on the invoice. Across a desk of 20 active placements, that is GBP 24,000 per year that cannot be reconciled. Teamed absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the applied rate against a mid-market reference on every invoice. Remote shows a variable rate on the invoice after the fact with no published percentage. All other providers here publish no rate or spread.
How does a recruitment agency handle a contractor-to-EOR conversion?
Many placements start as fixed-term contractor engagements and convert to permanent EOR employment when the end client is ready to commit to the hire. The quality of that transition depends on whether the EOR carries both contractor and EOR products on the same system. Teamed runs contractor misclassification cover (Guard and Protect) alongside EOR on one platform, with no re-papering required at conversion. Deel, Rippling and Native Teams also carry both products on one system. Oyster has a contractor product at $29 per contractor per month, but the conversion to permanent EOR requires a manual step. Remote has a tiered contractor product with indemnity options up to and beyond $100,000. Ask any EOR whether a contractor-to-EOR conversion triggers a new deposit, a new right-to-work check or any additional fees, and whether the employment record for the placed candidate is continuous across the conversion.
Can a recruitment agency use an EOR to employ candidates on behalf of an end client?
Yes. An EOR legally employs the placed candidate in the local market, meaning the EOR is the legal employer of record on the employment contract, carries the payroll and statutory obligations, and takes on the employment-law liability. The recruitment agency arranges the engagement and typically manages the relationship with the end client. The EOR is not a direct employer of the agency itself in this model; it is a service provider to the agency. The practical effect is that the end client can have a hired candidate in a new market without a legal entity there, and the agency earns a management fee or placement fee on the engagement. Ask any EOR whether its standard contract model accommodates a three-party arrangement of this type, whether it will reflect the end client as the directing party in the contract, and how the employment relationship is presented in the local jurisdiction.
What are the key questions a recruitment agency should ask an EOR?
Ask these before the first placement is live. First: will you put the actual job title, including a senior one such as CFO or Managing Director, on the employment contract, or will you dilute it for compliance-risk reasons? Second: what is the FX rate, where does it appear on the invoice, and is it fixed at the start of the month or calculated after the fact? Third: who handles a contested termination on a placed candidate, a real HR or legal expert or an AI assistant and a ticket queue? Fourth: what is the deposit, and is it per placement or per EOR engagement? Fifth: how do you handle a contractor-to-EOR conversion, and does it trigger any new fees or a new deposit? Sixth: what is the all-in price, including the deposit, FX spread and any minimum term, before you sign?
How current is this comparison, and how was it scored?
Competitor facts come from the Teamed competitor fact-cache, last verified 18 June 2026 against each provider's own pricing page, product pages and G2. Each of the eight providers is scored 1 to 5 on five recruitment-agency-focused criteria with no weighted total and no overall winner. Where a provider does not publish pricing (G-P is quote-only; Papaya Global requires a demo for EOR pricing), we say so rather than using a third-party estimate. We review the page quarterly and re-verify pricing monthly. The last-verified date is shown at the top.

Common questions

Which EOR provider is best for a recruitment agency placing candidates internationally?
Depends on your priorities. Teamed: zero FX markup on every invoice so you know the margin per placement, real experts on every plan, one system from contractor through EOR to the end client's own entity. Oyster: the only provider with a published onboarding SLA. Deel: the deepest self-serve platform and integration catalogue. G-P: compliance depth for unusual markets. Remote: owned entities in core markets with a disclosed FX rate.
How do recruitment agencies bill clients when using an EOR?
A recruitment agency typically bills the end client for the total employment cost, including the EOR fee, salary, employer taxes and statutory contributions, plus the agency's own management margin. An undisclosed FX spread on the salary conversion is a cost invisible on the invoice, eating directly into the agency's margin. Teamed absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the applied rate against mid-market on every invoice.

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