What is the real cost of an EOR, beyond the headline fee?

The headline fee is only the first layer. Most providers embed an FX spread of roughly 1.5 to 3% of salary in conversions, unlabelled on the invoice. Many require a deposit. Some add per-employee admin charges. To compare honestly, ask every provider for their FX policy, deposit terms and add-on charges in writing before you sign.

Should I choose an EOR that owns entities or one that uses partners?

All EOR providers use a mix of owned entities and partners. Remote and G-P are the most owned-entity-led. Teamed owns entities in 57 markets. Papaya owns only 40 EOR entities. Ask per country: is this country served by an owned entity or a partner? That changes accountability, response time and whether a partner margin is in the cost.

How do I compare EOR support quality before I sign?

Ask a jurisdiction-specific question during the sales process and time the response. Check whether real support is gated behind a higher plan: Deel gates its dedicated channel at $899 Enterprise, G-P gates a dedicated CSM at EOR Prime. Oyster publishes a 24-hour response SLA on all plans. Teamed gives real HR and legal experts on every plan, no tier to unlock.

When does EOR stop making sense and what happens next?

EOR makes sense while the management fee is less than the fixed cost of your own entity. At roughly five to ten employees in a country, that often flips. Most providers don't model this. Teamed does, and offers GEMO for entity setup in 90+ countries. Ask any shortlisted provider: do you model the crossover point?

How current is this comparison and how was it scored?

Every figure is from the Teamed competitor fact-cache, verified 26 June 2026 against each provider pricing page and G2. Eight providers scored 1 to 5 on five criteria. No overall winner. Reviewed quarterly, pricing monthly.

How to choose an EOR · 2026

How to choose an EOR in 2026

Q: What is an Employer of Record (EOR) and how does it work?

An EOR legally employs your workers abroad through its own local entity, issues the contract, runs payroll, remits taxes and statutory contributions, and carries the employer obligations while you direct the work. You pay a monthly management fee plus the actual employment costs passed through at cost.

Start with your countries, not your shortlist. Then price the full stack: management fee, salary-conversion FX and deposit. We scored eight EOR providers on five buying criteria. No overall winner. Different providers lead different columns. Read the write-ups.

Talk to an expert

Rated 4.8 on G2 for service

8
EOR providers scored on one published rubric: 5
buying criteria that actually move the needle: Zero
FX markup on the Teamed fee, shown on every invoice

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 another provider is the better fit for your priorities.

Last reviewed 26 June 2026By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

How do you choose the right EOR provider in 2026?

What is how to choose an EOR?

An Employer of Record (EOR) legally employs your workers abroad through its own local entity, issues the contract, runs payroll, remits taxes and statutory contributions, and carries the employer obligations while you direct the work. You need no entity of your own in that country to hire compliantly.

Choosing the right one is where most buyers go wrong. The headline fee is rarely the whole cost. Most salary conversions go through an undisclosed FX spread of roughly 1.5 to 3% that never appears as a line item on the invoice. Real legal and HR expertise on a hard question is often gated behind an enterprise support tier. And the provider that handles your first hire may not model when your own entity starts to beat EOR on cost. This guide scores eight providers on five buying axes: jurisdiction depth, cost clarity, human support, platform self-serve, and the path to your own entity.

Methodology

How we scored this comparison

Each provider is scored 1 to 5 on five criteria. 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.

Compliance & entity depth: Does the provider own an entity in your target country, or deliver through a local partner? Real HR and legal experts available for edge cases, including complex terminations, works council questions, and tax-residency splits? Human response speed on the hard questions is part of the score alongside entity structure.
Cost & FX clarity: Is the headline fee the real fee? Whether salary-conversion FX is disclosed and itemised against a mid-market reference, or built into the conversion rate without a published percentage. Deposits, pre-funding, and admin fees included or explicitly excluded.
Human support access: Can you reach a real HR or legal expert on every plan, or is that gated behind an enterprise tier or routed through an AI assistant? Published SLA, dedicated contact from day one, and how fast you get an answer on a live payroll or termination question.
Platform & self-serve: Dashboard depth, integrations and API surface for teams that want to run hiring themselves without a dedicated ops person in the loop for routine tasks.
Lifecycle to entity: Whether the provider moves you from contractor to EOR to your own legal entity on one system, models the month your own entity starts to beat EOR on cost, and removes the need to re-onboard when you make that transition.

How we gathered evidence

Every competitor figure on this page is drawn from the Teamed competitor fact-cache, last verified on 26 June 2026 against each provider's own pricing page and G2. Where a provider does not publish pricing, or only on its own blog, we say so. Where G2 blocked an automated read, the rating carries a caveat. Owned-entity or partner status comes from each provider's own pages. Teamed's claims come from teamed.global and KERNAL.

Considered & excluded

We scored eight providers a fast-growing company evaluating EOR for the first time, or moving away from an existing provider, would realistically shortlist across a range of priorities.

Multiplier, Native Teams: Capable, but represent the lower-price and single-segment end of the market; the eight scored cover the range buyers encounter most often.
Skuad, Atlas, Remofirst: Thinner public track records and smaller G2 footprints than the eight scored.

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	Compliance & entity depth	Cost & FX clarity	Human support access	Platform & self-serve	Lifecycle to entity
Teamed(us)	Leads	Leads			Leads
Deel				Leads
Remote
Oyster			Leads
Papaya Global
Globalization Partners (G-P)
Rippling
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: fast-growing companies with an international footprint that want cost transparency on every invoice, a real HR or legal expert on every plan, and one partner from first contractor through EOR to their own entity.

Teamed is the advisory EOR, built for fast-growing companies with an international footprint. The wedge is honesty: it shows the applied FX rate against a mid-market reference on every invoice and absorbs it at zero markup on the fee, and it models the month your own entity starts to beat EOR on cost. Neither fact appears on a Deel or Remote invoice.

Real HR and legal experts with country-specific employment-law depth handle the hard moments directly, a Betriebsrat consultation, a KSchG termination in Germany, an exit in a jurisdiction you have never touched before. Access is on every plan, with no AI bot wall and no support tier to unlock. Teamed is rated 4.8 on G2 for service.

Teamed isn't trying to be your HRIS. It plugs into the major HRIS and payroll platforms you already run, and is the advisory partner you choose for your global team, from your first contractor through EOR to your own legal entity. GEMO sets up and runs your own entity in 90+ countries on the same system, with no re-onboarding.

Countries: 180+ (owned entities in 57 markets, plus vetted partners)
Entity model: Owned entities in 57 markets, vetted partners elsewhere; separately sets up your own client entity via GEMO in 90+
Onboarding: Fast, with real expert support through the transition
Contractors: Yes, with misclassification cover (Guard / Protect)
Pricing: $599 USD / £479 GBP / employee / month, flat, FX absorbed at zero markup · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

Tells you the truth about cost. The applied FX rate sits next to the mid-market reference on every invoice, absorbed at zero markup on the fee, and Teamed models the month your own entity beats EOR. No other provider on this list does both.
Real HR and legal experts on every plan, with country-specific employment-law depth on edge cases, no AI bot wall and no enterprise tier to unlock. Rated 4.8 on G2 for service.
One partner from first contractor through EOR to your own entity, on one system, with no re-onboarding. GEMO sets up and runs your own entity in 90+ countries. Built to plug into your stack, not replace it.
Proactive advisory, not just payroll processing. Teamed models the point where your own entity makes more financial sense than EOR, so there is no incentive to keep you on a model that no longer fits.

Watch-outs

Lighter self-serve platform and shallower API than Deel or Rippling. The model is advisory, not dashboard-first.
Smaller brand and review base than Deel or Remote. Less recognition with a procurement team that wants the market leader, and ISO 27001 and SOC 2 are aligned with accreditation in progress, not yet held the way Deel holds them.
The advisory model earns its weight across multiple countries or a growing headcount. One hire in one country with no plans to scale may suit a lighter self-serve platform better.

Source: teamed.global/pricing

Deel

Best for: teams that want the broadest all-in-one platform and the deepest integration catalogue in the category, and will trade a visible FX line for that breadth and brand recognition.

Deel is the market-leading all-in-one global payroll, EOR and HR platform. It has the deepest self-serve product, the broadest native integration catalogue in the category, and the strongest brand recognition. For most buyers it is the default shortlist entry before any other provider is considered.

The reasons companies look past it are consistent. Deel does not publish its FX terms, so the salary-conversion cost is built into the rate rather than shown on the invoice. Its dedicated Slack or Teams support channel sits on the Enterprise tier, from $899, while Standard support runs through a shared queue. Buyers also report add-on charges for items other providers include, though we frame those as buyer accounts rather than published Deel terms.

Against Deel you keep the broadest platform and the longest enterprise track record, and you give up a visible invoice and a real person not gated behind Enterprise. Deel holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 today, which a procurement team will note. The fit is a team that wants a self-serve platform above all else.

Countries: 150-plus reach, full legal employment in 110+
Entity model: A mix of owned entities and vetted partners
Onboarding: Fast, deep self-serve
Contractors: Yes, mature contractor and misclassification tooling
Pricing: From $599 Standard, from $899 Enterprise / employee / month · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

The deepest all-in-one platform and self-serve depth in the category, the bar the rest are measured against.
The broadest native integration catalogue of any provider here, covering most stacks without custom work.
The market-leading brand and the longest enterprise track record, clearing a procurement shortlist on recognition alone.
Holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications today, plus mature equity, IP and contractor tooling alongside EOR.

Watch-outs

Does not publish its FX terms, so the salary-conversion cost is built into the rate rather than shown on the invoice.
Reserves its dedicated Slack or Teams support channel for the Enterprise tier (from $899); Standard support runs through 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.

Source: deel.com/pricing

Remote

Best for: teams that want a polished self-serve platform, strong benefits and IP protection, and owned entities across the core countries where they hire most.

Remote is the strongest product-led option on this list. It markets a 100%-owned entity network across its 90+ EOR countries, runs a polished self-serve platform with a dedicated CSM and onboarding specialist on the EOR plan, and publishes its pricing in full. Local partners and other products extend total reach to 190+ locations, so the owned-entity story applies to the EOR core, not the whole map.

On FX, Remote is more transparent than Deel, but only after the fact. It applies a variable Remote FX rate to cross-currency lines and shows the rate on the monthly invoice, with no published percentage. The $599 headline requires annual billing; $699 month to month. Buyers report a support experience that can run to a multi-day SLA on the standard plan, and one regulated buyer chose Remote over Teamed specifically because it owns its entities outright.

The fit is a team that wants to run global hiring as a product rather than a service, with a strong benefits and IP story. Against Deel you trade integration breadth for owned entities and a published, readable base price. Against Teamed you trade zero FX markup and real expert access on every plan for Remote's polished self-serve experience.

Countries: 190+ locations, 90+ for full owned-entity EOR
Entity model: Owned-entity led in its core EOR countries, partners and other products beyond
Onboarding: Dedicated onboarding specialist plus a named CSM on the EOR plan
Contractors: Yes, tiered, with indemnity options up to $100,000
Pricing: $599/mo on annual billing ($699 month to month) · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.6/5 (591)

Strengths

A polished, well-designed self-serve platform with strong benefits administration, IP-protection tooling, and a dedicated onboarding specialist plus named CSM on the EOR plan.
A 100%-owned entity network across its core 90+ EOR countries, with fewer partner hand-offs in the markets you are most likely to hire in.
Pricing published in full: $599 on annual terms, $699 month to month. You can budget it without a sales call.
Mature contractor tiers, equity administration and IP-protection product alongside EOR, for teams that want everything in one platform.

Watch-outs

The $599 rate requires annual billing; month to month is $699, so the comparable price depends on the commitment you can make.
The Remote FX rate is variable, shown on the invoice after the fact with no published percentage, not a zero-markup or itemised mid-market line.
Owned entities cover the core 90+ EOR markets; beyond them delivery runs through partners and other products, so ask which of your countries are owned.

Source: remote.com/pricing

Oyster

Best for: smaller and fast-scaling teams that want automation, a flat published price, a published support SLA and a B-Corp supplier, with strong contractor tooling alongside.

Oyster is the automation-first option and a certified B-Corp. Onboarding is fast and clean, support is human and expert-led with a published SLA (24-hour response, resolution guaranteed under 72 hours), and the EOR price is a flat published $699 per employee per month. It earns the support column lead on this rubric because it is the only provider here that publishes a response SLA. Most do not.

The watch-outs are in the fine print. Oyster requires a refundable deposit to start an EOR engagement, with no amount published, and charges a currency-conversion fee on any currency mismatch, again with no rate published. White-glove HR advisory is billed separately at $300 an hour rather than included. There is no productised path from EOR to your own entity.

For a first-time EOR buyer or a fast-scaling team, the predictable price, the published SLA and the B-Corp certification can tip the choice. Against Deel you trade platform breadth for speed and a human support relationship. Against Teamed you trade zero FX markup and the entity growth path for a lower base fee and a stronger onboarding experience.

Countries: 180+ all products, 120+ for EOR
Entity model: Hybrid, owns or partners with local entities; no published split
Onboarding: Fast, automated, with a dedicated hiring success manager
Contractors: Yes, $29/contractor/month, strong tooling
Pricing: $699 / employee / month, flat (annual discounts noted, not published) · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.4/5 (1447)

Strengths

Human, expert-led support with a published SLA: 24-hour response and resolution guaranteed under 72 hours. The only provider here to publish a response SLA, which is why it leads the support column.
A certified B-Corp with a flat published EOR price of $699 and no setup, onboarding, HR-expert-access or termination fees. Procurement teams that screen on values get an easy yes.
Strong contractor tooling at $29 per contractor per month, with payments in 120+ currencies, a free misclassification test and country-specific IP agreements.
A large social-proof base on G2 (roughly 1,447 reviews) plus SOC 2 Type II and GDPR posture.

Watch-outs

Requires a refundable deposit to start an EOR engagement, with no amount published, and charges a currency-conversion fee on any currency mismatch, with no rate published.
White-glove HR advisory is billed separately at $300 an hour rather than included, and there is no productised path from EOR to your own entity.
Most of its EOR map runs through partners, with no owned-versus-partner split published, so ask about the chain in your specific countries.

Source: oysterhr.com/pricing

Papaya Global

Best for: enterprises that need payroll automation at scale across many countries and currencies, with one reporting layer and a licensed payments arm across all of it.

Papaya Global is the payroll-at-scale option, built for Fortune-500 buyers. It reaches 160+ countries through a mix of its own entities (40 full EOR) and certified accounting-firm partners, runs a strong data-and-payroll backbone with 130+ payment currencies, and adds a licensed payments arm. The platform is payments infrastructure as much as HR software.

The EOR base starts from $499 per employee per month on its own pricing page. An FX processing fee applies on conversion, with no percentage published and country-variable margins supplied through your CSM, and the wallet must be pre-funded with a buffer. Most of the EOR footprint is partner-delivered: owned entities in only 40 of its 160+ countries, so edge-case questions route through a vetted in-country accounting firm.

For a finance team consolidating payroll across many countries, the backbone is the draw: one reporting layer, 130+ payment currencies and audit-ready filings. Price the full stack before comparing the headline. Against Deel you trade self-serve simplicity for finance-grade payroll consolidation. Against Teamed you trade advisory depth and cost transparency for enterprise payroll scale.

Countries: 160+ reach, owned full EOR entities in 40
Entity model: Hybrid, owned entities in 40 EOR countries, certified accounting-firm partners elsewhere
Onboarding: Weeks, enterprise-paced
Contractors: Yes, COR/AOR plus AI-assisted classification
Pricing: From $499 / employee / month (EOR); FX processing fee not published · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.5/5 (53)

Strengths

A strong enterprise payroll and data backbone across 160+ countries and 130+ payment currencies, plus a licensed payments arm. Few providers consolidate multi-country payroll data at this scale.
Mature automation and reporting for finance teams running multi-country payroll, with audit trails built in rather than assembled.
A broad named-connector catalogue for enterprise stacks (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, NetSuite) and a self-serve integration and mapping layer.
A deep certification stack for procurement gates: ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II and GDPR, plus global equity administration through payroll.

Watch-outs

Most of its EOR footprint is partner-delivered: owned full EOR entities in only 40 of its 160+ countries, so edge cases run through an accounting-firm partner.
An FX processing fee applies on conversion with no percentage published and country-variable margins supplied via your CSM, and the wallet must be pre-funded with a buffer.
Built for Fortune-500 scale rather than smaller fast-growing teams, with a thin G2 review base of about 53 reviews and a higher-end EOR price quoted on request.

Source: papayaglobal.com/pricing

Globalization Partners (G-P)

Best for: large enterprises where reach, a deep certification stack and analyst recognition matter more than published pricing or speed to hire.

G-P is the analyst-decorated enterprise incumbent, marketing 180+ country reach, 100+ legal entities and 200+ global partners, with a long track record in the category. It positions EOR as the alternative to running your own entities and brings one of the broadest compliance and security certification stacks here. It markets itself as the number-one EOR by analysts; we report that as its own claim, not ours.

For a fast-growing company it is usually heavyweight. EOR pricing is quote-only, with no per-employee figure on any of its own pages. Base-tier support leans on the G-P Assist AI assistant, while a dedicated CSM, quarterly reviews 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 disclose that publicly.

The case for G-P is governance at scale: a deep certification stack, a large in-country legal team and the procurement posture large organisations require. Against Deel you trade published pricing, speed and base-tier human support for enterprise breadth and analyst recognition. Against Teamed you trade advisory transparency and zero FX for global reach and procurement credentials.

Countries: 180+ reach, 100+ legal entities plus 200+ partners
Entity model: Owned entities plus an extensive partner network; no clean owned-only split published
Onboarding: Enterprise governance, AI-led base support
Contractors: Yes, self-serve contractor product at $39/contractor/month
Pricing: Quote-only; no per-employee EOR price published · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.4/5 (1028)

Strengths

Genuine enterprise-grade scale and reach: 180+ countries marketed, 100+ legal entities and 200+ global partners over a long track record.
One of the deepest compliance and security certification stacks here: ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 and 42001, plus SOC 2 Type II, on a self-serve trust portal.
A large in-country HR, legal and compliance team and strong analyst recognition, a trust signal for enterprise buyers.
A transparent, self-serve contractor product at $39 per contractor per month, with Wise-powered payments and AI misclassification checks.

Watch-outs

Publishes no EOR per-employee price on any of its own pages, only a demo request and Request a proposal, so a like-for-like comparison requires a sales call.
Base-tier support leans on the G-P Assist AI assistant; a dedicated CSM, quarterly reviews and direct HR and legal access 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 disclose deposit or pre-funding terms publicly.

Source: globalization-partners.com

Rippling

Best for: teams that want HR, IT and payroll on one platform and treat EOR as part of a bigger unified system rather than a standalone hiring tool.

Rippling is the alternative if you want to run HR, IT and payroll on one unified system. It is HRIS-first, with every customer on a single employee graph, and arguably the most powerful consolidated platform here. Rippling publishes 600+ integrations on that graph. EOR was added as a module rather than built as a pure-play, and is delivered through a hybrid mix of Rippling-owned subsidiaries and partners.

EOR is the newer part of the product, and its country coverage is materially lower than the rest: 80 countries against roughly 180 for the dedicated EOR providers. It does not publish EOR pricing on its primary pages; a $499 per employee per month figure surfaces on its own blog. Buyers report an undisclosed security deposit and, in one case, that an EOR hire hit a statutory employment cap with no foreign-direct-employment path beyond it.

The consolidation thesis is the draw. If you are buying an HRIS, device management and payroll anyway, EOR rides the same employee record. Rippling publishes a live entity-versus-EOR cost calculator, so the crossover is visible. Get the all-in monthly number in writing: platform base plus EOR fee. Against Deel you trade EOR maturity and country coverage for a unified people-and-IT system.

Countries: 80 for EOR (185+ for contractor payments)
Entity model: Hybrid, owned subsidiaries plus partners; split not published
Onboarding: Fast, heavy self-serve; white-glove reserved for enterprise
Contractors: Yes, contractor payments plus Contractor-of-Record
Pricing: Not published on primary pages; about $499 on its own blog, plus an HR-platform base fee · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

The most powerful unified HR, IT and payroll platform on this list. Rippling publishes 600+ integrations on one employee graph, and it leads the platform column on this rubric.
Fast, heavily automated self-serve: onboarding in minutes and payday in days, if you are standardising your whole people stack on one tool.
Published support transparency: live rolling 90-day metrics, human-staffed chat, email and video, plus SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II both held.
Entity-transition tooling: a distinct own-entity Global Payroll product plus a live entity-versus-EOR cost calculator on the same platform.

Watch-outs

EOR is less mature than the core product, and country coverage is materially lower at 80, against roughly 180 for the dedicated EOR providers.
Does not publish EOR pricing on its primary pages; the $499 figure surfaces only on its own blog, and a base HR-platform fee sits on top of the per-employee EOR charge.
Built to replace your HR stack, which is more than a focused global hire needs, and buyers report an undisclosed security deposit plus a coverage gap when an EOR hire hit a statutory employment cap.

Source: rippling.com

Velocity Global (now Pebl)

Best for: companies that want a wide published footprint, a low flat headline and are comfortable with an AI-first support model after the September 2025 rebrand.

Velocity Global rebranded to Pebl in September 2025 and repositioned as an AI-first global hiring platform. It has broad reach across 185+ countries, owned entities in 65 of them, a deep platform with a broad integration catalogue across HRIS and finance, and enterprise-grade compliance with an in-house legal team backed by Baker McKenzie.

On its own pricing page it publishes a single flat $399 per employee per month, branded its lowest standard pricing ever, with no published FX terms and no contractor price. Most of the reach is partner-served: 65 owned entities against 185+ countries. Buyers and reviewers report an undisclosed FX spread and a refundable security deposit, though neither appears on company pages, so we frame them as reports.

Day-to-day support is AI-first through the Alfie assistant, smart-routing to a human specialist when expertise is needed. The product experience is still settling after the rebrand. Against Deel you trade a settled product experience and base-tier human-first support for a low flat headline and broad reach. Against Teamed you trade zero FX markup and advisory depth for the lowest published standard price on this list.

Countries: 185+ reach, owned entities in 65
Entity model: Owned entities in 65 markets, in-country partners for the rest
Onboarding: AI-led, onboarding in as little as 24 hours claimed
Contractors: Yes, 180+ countries (no price published)
Pricing: $399 / employee / month, flat (FX terms not published) · verified 2026-06-26
G2: 4.6/5

Strengths

One of the widest published footprints in the category: 185+ countries including all 50 US states, with owned entities in 65.
The lowest flat published headline on this list at $399 per employee per month, easy to compare at a glance.
A deep platform and integration ecosystem, with a broad published integration catalogue across HRIS and finance and a centralised Global Work Platform.
Enterprise-grade compliance: ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR, plus an in-house legal team backed by Baker McKenzie.

Watch-outs

Publishes no FX terms and no contractor price, and buyers and reviewers report an undisclosed FX spread and a refundable security deposit not shown on its pages.
Most of its reach is partner-served: 65 owned entities against 185+ countries, so ask which of your countries are owned.
Day-to-day support is AI-first through the Alfie assistant, and the customer experience is still settling after the September 2025 rebrand to Pebl.

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
FX transparency	Ask for the FX policy in writing. Confirm whether salary conversion uses mid-market or a blended rate, and whether any percentage or basis-point spread is disclosed.	Deel, Rippling, Velocity Global and G-P do not publish FX terms. Remote shows the applied rate on the invoice after the fact, with no published percentage. Oyster charges a currency-conversion fee with no rate published. Teamed shows the applied rate against mid-market and absorbs FX at zero markup on the fee.	An itemised invoice avoids per-country reconciliation work and gives employees context on their net-to-gross.	A timestamped rate against a public reference is an auditable record for FX exposure.
Human support access	Ask who handles a contested termination: a real employment-law expert, or an AI assistant and a ticket queue.	Check whether real support is gated behind a higher plan. Deel reserves its dedicated channel for the $899 Enterprise tier; G-P reserves human relationship management for EOR Prime. Oyster publishes a 24-hour response SLA on all plans. Teamed gives real HR and legal experts on every plan.	You want a real person when it matters. Teamed is rated 4.8 on G2 for service, with expert access on every plan and no AI bot wall.	A dedicated contact and clear escalation path beat a rotating queue for incident handling.
Entity ownership in your countries	Ask whether the EOR owns the entity that signs the employment contract in each of your countries, or whether a local partner does.	An owned entity removes a partner margin layer in that country. Remote owns entities in 90+ EOR markets. G-P runs 100+ legal entities. Teamed owns entities in 57 markets. Papaya owns only 40 EOR entities. Rippling covers only 80 countries for EOR.	Owned entity means one accountable employer for the contract, payroll and statutory contributions, with no partner in the chain.	Owned entity means one data-processing chain rather than a partner sub-processor.

Decision checklist

Start with your countries, not the shortlist. Map each country to a provider and ask: is this an owned entity or a local partner? That question changes the accountability chain, the response time on a hard question, and whether there is a partner margin in the cost.
Price the full stack, not the headline. The management fee is only the first layer. Ask every provider: what is your FX policy on salary conversions, is there a deposit or pre-funding requirement, and are there any per-employee admin charges? Get the answers in writing before you compare.
Ask who handles a contested termination. A real HR or legal expert who knows your jurisdiction, or an AI assistant and a ticket queue? The answer tells you more about the provider than any pricing page.
Check what is gated behind a higher plan. Deel gates its dedicated support channel at $899 Enterprise. G-P gates a dedicated CSM and direct HR and legal access at EOR Prime. If you are on Standard, confirm what you actually get.
Test the support speed before you sign. Ask a jurisdiction-specific question during the sales process and time the response. A provider that takes two business days to answer a hypothetical question will take two business days on a live payroll or termination question.
Read the MSA before you sign. Look for minimum-term clauses, notice periods, deposit refund terms, and what happens if you want to move employees off the platform. A contract that is hard to exit is a structural risk, not a preference issue.
Match the tool to your stack. If you have an existing HRIS or payroll platform, ask what the integration looks like. Teamed and Remote integrate with the main HRIS platforms; Rippling aims to replace them. Know which model you want before you evaluate.
Model the crossover. Most EOR providers will not tell you when your own entity becomes cheaper. At roughly five to ten employees in a single country, the annual cost of EOR often exceeds the cost of running your own local entity. Ask the provider to run the numbers or use a crossover calculator.
Ask about the actual job title. Some providers will not put a senior title on an EOR contract for compliance-risk reasons, pushing to an alternative title that does not match the role. Confirm the exact job title that will appear on the employment contract.
Think about the path forward from day one. An EOR that can move you from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, with no re-onboarding, is worth more than a cheap first hire. GEMO lets Teamed do this in 90+ countries. Ask every shortlisted provider the same question.

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Honest take

When another provider on this list is the better choice.

Choose Deel if platform breadth, the deepest integrations and self-serve depth matter more than a visible FX line or a real expert on every plan.
Choose Remote if a polished self-serve product, a 100%-owned entity network in your core countries, and a mature benefits and IP story matter most.
Choose Oyster if fast automated onboarding, a published SLA and a flat published price are the deciders, and you have checked the deposit and currency-conversion fee.
Choose Rippling if you want HR, IT and payroll on one platform and can absorb a base platform fee on top of EOR.
Choose G-P or Papaya Global if you are a large enterprise where reach, certifications and analyst recognition matter more than published pricing or speed.

Teamed leads cost clarity, compliance advisory and the path to your own entity. It doesn't lead platform breadth or onboarding automation. A buyer with different priorities should pick differently. We'd rather lose the deal than mismatch the engagement.

Frequently asked questions

What is an Employer of Record (EOR) and how does it work?
An EOR legally employs your workers in a foreign country on your behalf. It issues the local employment contract, runs payroll, remits income tax and statutory contributions, and carries the employer obligations in that jurisdiction while you direct the day-to-day work. You do not need your own entity in that country. The EOR provides the entity, takes on the compliance liability, and bills you a monthly management fee plus the actual employment costs (salary, employer taxes and benefits) passed through at cost.
What is the real cost of an EOR, beyond the headline fee?
The headline management fee is only the first layer. Most providers also embed an FX spread in salary conversions. Industry analysis puts undisclosed EOR FX at roughly 1.5 to 3% of the employee's salary, which is never itemised on the invoice at most providers. Many require a refundable deposit or pre-funding. Some add per-employee charges for admin items other providers include. To price it honestly, ask every provider: what is your FX policy, is there a deposit or pre-funding requirement, and what add-on charges apply? Get the answers in writing, then model the total on your actual salary volumes.
Should I choose an EOR that owns entities or one that uses partners?
All EOR providers, Teamed included, use a mix. What differs is the share, and which of your specific countries fall on each side. An owned entity means the EOR is the legal employer itself; a partner means a local accounting or payroll firm is in the chain. Owned is generally lower-risk on accountability and response time. Remote markets a 100%-owned entity network across its 90+ EOR countries. G-P runs 100+ legal entities. Teamed owns entities in 57 markets. Papaya owns only 40 EOR entities across its 160+ reach. Ask the question per country, not per brand: is my country owned or partner-served?
How do I compare EOR support quality before I sign?
Ask a jurisdiction-specific compliance question during the sales process and time the response. A provider that takes two business days on a hypothetical question will take two business days on a live payroll or termination case. Check what is gated behind a higher plan: Deel reserves its dedicated support channel for the $899 Enterprise tier; G-P reserves a dedicated CSM and direct HR and legal access for EOR Prime. Oyster publishes a 24-hour response SLA on all plans. Teamed gives real HR and legal experts on every plan with no enterprise tier to unlock. The question to ask any provider: if my employee in Germany has a KSchG termination question tomorrow, who handles it and how fast?
When does EOR stop making sense and what happens next?
EOR makes sense while the cost of the management fee is lower than the fixed cost of your own local entity: legal setup, accounting, HR administration and benefits. At roughly five to ten employees in a single country, that calculation often flips, though it varies by country and employment costs. Most EOR providers will not tell you when this point is coming; their economics depend on you staying. Teamed models the crossover proactively and offers GEMO to set up and run your own entity in 90+ countries on the same system, with no re-onboarding. Remote offers a Global Entity Setup service. Rippling has a distinct Global Payroll product alongside EOR. If lifecycle matters to you, ask the provider at evaluation: do you model the crossover point, and what does the transition look like?
How current is this comparison and how was it scored?
Every competitor figure is drawn from the Teamed competitor fact-cache, last verified on 26 June 2026 against each provider pricing page and G2. Each of the eight providers is scored 1 to 5 on five criteria. There is no weighted total and no overall winner. Where a provider does not publish pricing, or only on its own blog, we say so. Where G2 blocked an automated read, the rating carries a caveat. We review the page quarterly and re-verify pricing monthly.

Common questions

How do I choose an EOR for my company?
Start with your countries: ask whether each is served by an owned entity or a local partner. Then price the full stack: management fee, FX spread and deposits. Check whether real support is gated behind a higher plan. Ask whether the provider models the crossover point. Teamed leads cost clarity, human support and the entity path. Deel and Remote lead platform. Oyster leads onboarding SLA. Rippling suits HR-IT-payroll consolidation. G-P and Papaya suit enterprise procurement.
What is the best EOR for a startup hiring internationally for the first time?
For a startup, the deciders are a compliant contract, a forecastable cost and fast local-law answers. Teamed fits: FX shown against mid-market at zero markup, real experts on every plan, a crossover model for when your own entity makes sense. Remote suits self-serve buyers with owned entities. Oyster offers fast onboarding and a flat price. Deel suits platform breadth. G-P, Papaya and Velocity Global are enterprise-oriented.

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