Skuad vs Globalization Partners: which EOR is better?

Neither wins every column. G-P leads owned-entity depth and certifications. Skuad (now Payoneer Workforce Management) leads platform and onboarding with the lowest base (~$199). Neither publishes FX terms. If cost transparency and a path to your own entity matter, Teamed is the alternative to evaluate alongside both.

Is Skuad cheaper than Globalization Partners?

On the published headline, Skuad (~$199) is lower than G-P (from $599). But neither discloses its FX terms, and the currency-conversion spread is where the real cost difference often sits. Ask both for the FX policy in writing before comparing.

Did Skuad get acquired by Payoneer?

Yes. Skuad is now Payoneer Workforce Management after being acquired by Payoneer. The EOR and contractor products continue inside a larger payments business. We use the Skuad name here for clarity since that is what most buyers still search.

Does Globalization Partners own its entities?

Largely. G-P employs through a large owned-entity network across 180-plus countries, its main differentiator. No EOR is all-owned, so ask whether your specific country is owned or partner-served, and who carries the employer obligations.

How does Teamed compare to Skuad and Globalization Partners?

Teamed is the publisher of this page. It matches G-P's $599 flat, shows FX at zero markup, and publishes its three-layer compliance. It leads cost transparency and the path to your own entity, and concedes owned-entity breadth to G-P and platform/onboarding to Skuad.

Skuad vs Globalization Partners · scored on one rubric · 2026

Skuad vs Globalization Partners: which EOR for global hiring?

Neither wins outright. Globalization Partners (G-P) leads on compliance and owned-entity depth, the choice for regulated, enterprise-grade hiring. Skuad, now Payoneer Workforce Management, leads on platform and onboarding speed, with the lowest published base here. Teamed, the publisher of this page, leads on cost transparency and the path to your own entity. There is no overall winner; the right pick depends on which of those matters most.

Talk to an expert

1,000+ companies advised

3
Providers scored on one rubric. Skuad, Globalization Partners and Teamed.: ~$199
Skuad published base, the lowest headline on this page.: 0%
FX markup on the Teamed fee, shown against the mid-market reference.

Disclosure

This page was produced by Teamed, a global EOR scored below on the same rubric as Skuad and Globalization Partners. We score all three honestly. G-P leads compliance and entity depth, Skuad leads platform and onboarding, and we say plainly where each is the better fit. We don't claim to win every column or to be the lowest-cost option.

Last reviewed 22 July 2026By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

Skuad vs Globalization Partners: which is better?

What is the Skuad vs Globalization Partners question?

Skuad and Globalization Partners (G-P) are both global Employer of Record platforms: each legally employs your team in countries where you have no entity, runs local payroll, remits statutory contributions, and carries the employer obligations while you direct the work. They sit at different ends of the market, which is why the comparison is worth running.

G-P is the enterprise-grade, compliance-first option. It employs through a large network of owned entities across 180-plus countries and carries the deepest certification stack on this page, which is why regulated buyers and larger companies shortlist it. Skuad, now Payoneer Workforce Management, is the self-serve, lower-base option: a modern platform reaching 160-plus countries through a mix of owned and partner entities, with the lowest published headline here, from around $199 per employee per month. Teamed, the publisher of this page, is the advisory alternative: flat at $599 with FX shown against the mid-market reference at zero markup, a three-layer compliance structure it publishes, and advice on the right model wherever you start. The decision usually comes down to three things: whether owned-entity compliance depth, a low self-serve base, or cost transparency and a managed path to your own entity matters most.

Methodology

How we scored this comparison

Skuad and Globalization Partners are the two subjects; Teamed is the disclosed publisher and scored third. All three are rated 1 to 5 on the same five criteria. There is no weighted total and no overall winner. G-P leads compliance and entity depth, Skuad leads platform and onboarding, and Teamed leads cost transparency and the path to your own entity.

Compliance and entity depth: Owned-entity network and the certification stack behind it, plus real HR and legal experts who handle contested terminations, consultations and audits directly across the countries you hire in.
Cost and FX transparency: Whether the headline fee is the real bill. Currency conversion disclosed and itemised, no undisclosed spread, and the all-in cost visible before you sign. Rewards transparency, not the lowest sticker.
Platform and self-serve: Dashboard depth, self-serve flows and API surface for teams that want to run global hiring themselves.
Onboarding and speed: Speed to first payroll and how well the product keeps up with a fast-growing team adding people quickly.
Path to your own entity: Whether the provider advises you on the right model wherever you start, and moves you from EOR to your own entity on one system when the crossover arrives.

How we gathered evidence

Pricing and certification facts came from each provider's own pricing and trust pages, accessed 22 July 2026, plus Teamed's published pricing. Where a provider does not publish an owned-entity count, we say so rather than estimate. Skuad's rebrand to Payoneer Workforce Management is reflected. FX policies are sourced to each provider's pricing page.

Considered & excluded

We scored the two providers most often compared by companies weighing enterprise-grade owned-entity depth (G-P) against a lower-base self-serve platform (Skuad), plus Teamed as the publisher and the advisory alternative.

Deel, Remote, Multiplier, Oyster, Papaya, Velocity Global: Covered on the dedicated best-of and head-to-head pages; this page focuses on the Skuad-vs-G-P matchup.

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 and entity depth	Cost and FX transparency	Platform and self-serve	Onboarding and speed	Path to your own entity
Skuad			Leads	Leads
Globalization Partners	Leads
Teamed(us)		Leads			Leads

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.

Skuad

Best for: fast-scaling teams that want a modern self-serve platform, quick onboarding and the lowest published base, once the currency-conversion terms are confirmed in writing.

Skuad, now Payoneer Workforce Management, is the self-serve, lower-base option here. Its EOR base starts from around $199 per employee per month, the lowest published headline on this page, with contractor management from $19. The platform is modern and quick to onboard, which earns it the platform and onboarding columns on this rubric.

Reach is 160-plus countries through a mix of owned and partner entities. The owned-only count is not published, so for markets where the employer identity matters, ask whether your country is served by an owned entity or a partner. Since the Payoneer acquisition the product sits inside a larger payments business, which suits teams already in that ecosystem.

The value is real for a fast-growing team if the FX and total-cost question gets an honest answer in writing before you sign. A modern platform, fast onboarding and the lowest published base are a genuine combination. Make the currency-conversion line the deciding question, not the headline number.

Countries: 160-plus via a mix of owned and partner entities
Entity model: Owned and partner entities; owned-only count not published
Onboarding: Very fast, self-serve; days
Contractors: Yes, contractor management from $19
Pricing: From ~$199 / employee / month (EOR); currency-conversion terms not clearly published · verified 2026-07-22

Strengths

The lowest published EOR base on this page, from around $199 per employee per month, with a clear headline that makes the first-pass cost comparison straightforward.
A modern, self-serve platform that earns the platform column on this rubric, suited to teams that want to run hiring themselves.
Fast onboarding measured in days, which earns the onboarding column and works well for teams adding headcount quickly.
Now part of Payoneer, so contractor payments and EOR sit inside a larger payments ecosystem that some teams already use.

Watch-outs

Currency-conversion terms are not clearly published, so the low base may not be the real bill. Confirm the FX policy in writing on your salary corridors.
The owned-versus-partner split is not published. Ask which of your countries are served by an owned entity before you weight the price.
A lighter path from EOR to your own entity than a lifecycle-focused provider, and less advisory depth on when the crossover makes financial sense.

Source: skuad.io/pricing

Globalization Partners

Best for: regulated and enterprise-grade buyers that want the deepest owned-entity network and the fullest certification stack, and will pay a flat premium base for it.

Globalization Partners is the compliance-first, enterprise-grade option. It employs through a large network of owned entities across 180-plus countries and carries the deepest certification stack on this page, which is why regulated buyers and larger companies shortlist it. It leads the compliance and entity-depth column on this rubric.

Pricing is a published flat rate, starting at $599 per employee per month, with contractor management from $39. That is a premium base against Skuad's headline, and the trade is owned-entity depth and certification breadth for a higher sticker. For a company that needs enterprise-grade governance, that trade is often the point.

The watch-outs are cost transparency and agility. G-P publishes a base but not its currency-conversion terms, so model the FX line before you commit. And the enterprise-grade process that makes it strong on governance can feel heavier than a self-serve platform for a small, fast-moving team.

Countries: 180-plus via a large owned-entity network
Entity model: Large owned-entity network across most markets
Onboarding: Structured, enterprise-grade; can run longer than self-serve
Contractors: Yes, contractor management from $39
Pricing: From $599 / employee / month (EOR), published flat; FX terms not published · verified 2026-07-22

Strengths

A large network of owned entities across 180-plus countries, the deepest owned-entity coverage on this page. It leads the compliance and entity-depth column.
The fullest certification stack here: ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 42001 and SOC 2 Type II. Strong for a regulated or enterprise vendor-risk review.
A published flat rate from $599 per employee per month, so the base itself is predictable even before you model the FX line.
Enterprise-grade governance and a large in-house legal and compliance function, suited to larger, regulated hiring programmes.

Watch-outs

Does not publish its currency-conversion terms, so the salary-conversion cost is not visible on the pricing page. Ask for the FX policy in writing.
A premium base against Skuad's headline. You are paying for owned-entity depth and certification breadth, so weigh that against your actual compliance needs.
The enterprise-grade process can feel heavier than a self-serve platform for a small, fast-moving team hiring in a handful of countries.

Source: globalization-partners.com/pricing

Teamed

Us, scored on the same rubric

Best for: rapidly growing companies with an international footprint that want the FX shown on every invoice, real HR and legal experts to reach, and advice on the right model wherever they start.

Teamed is the advisory alternative to both, built for rapidly growing companies with an international footprint. The difference starts with cost clarity: Teamed shows the applied FX rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice and absorbs it at zero markup on the fee. G-P and Skuad both publish a headline base without disclosing what happens to the salary-conversion line. That is the column Teamed leads.

Compliance is delivered in layers, and Teamed publishes how: its own entities in 57 countries, DLA Piper as global counsel for cross-border consistency, and the best in-country partners on top where a jurisdiction needs them. Real HR and legal experts handle the hard moments directly, with no support tier to unlock and no chatbot in the way. On raw owned-entity breadth, Teamed concedes to G-P and says so.

Teamed is not trying to be a self-serve dashboard. It connects to the tools you already run and advises you on the right model wherever you start, contractor, EOR or your own entity, then builds and runs that entity on the same system when the crossover arrives. Those are the two columns it leads: cost transparency and the path to your own entity.

Countries: 187+ reach (owned entities in 57 countries + best in-country partners)
Entity model: Owned entities in 57 countries; best in-country partners elsewhere; GEMO entity setup in 100+
Onboarding: 24 to 48 hours to first payroll in straightforward markets
Contractors: Yes, with misclassification cover (Guard / Protect)
Pricing: $599 USD / £479 GBP / employee / month, flat, FX absorbed at zero markup · verified 2026-07-22

Strengths

Every invoice shows the applied FX rate against the mid-market reference, absorbed at zero markup on the fee. The column Teamed leads on this rubric.
Compliance in three published layers: own entities in 57 countries, DLA Piper as global counsel, and the best in-country partners on top.
Real HR and legal experts on the hard cases, with no support tier to unlock and no chatbot in the way.
Advice on the right model wherever you start, then a managed path to your own entity on the same system, with no re-onboarding.

Watch-outs

Concedes owned-entity breadth to G-P. G-P owns entities in more countries, so if the deepest owned-entity network is the priority, G-P leads.
Not certified today. Teamed's ISO 27001 and SOC 2 controls are in place with the audit underway, so if your review needs a certificate in hand, G-P's deeper stack is ahead.
Advisory-led rather than a self-serve platform. A team that mainly wants a dashboard and the lowest base may find Skuad the faster fit.

Source: teamed.global/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
Owned entity vs partner	For each provider, ask whether your specific country is served by an owned entity or a local partner. It changes who is the accountable employer. G-P leans heavily owned; Skuad and Teamed both publish or will confirm the split per country.	An owned entity removes a partner margin layer in that country. G-P's premium base buys owned-entity depth; Skuad's low base leans more on partners in some markets. Ask for a per-country breakdown, not a headline number.	Ownership affects accountability on a contested exit or statutory dispute. One accountable employer in the loop matters when you need a fast answer.	An owned entity means one data-processing chain rather than a partner sub-processor in the employment record.
FX on salary conversion	Ask each provider for its FX policy in writing. Neither G-P nor Skuad publishes its currency-conversion terms. Teamed shows the rate against the mid-market reference and absorbs it at zero markup on the fee.	An undisclosed FX spread of 1.5 to 3% on a $5,000 monthly salary is $75 to $150 per month, on top of the headline fee. A low base with an undisclosed spread can cost more than a higher base that shows the rate. Model it on your actual salary volumes.	An itemised FX line on the invoice removes the reconciliation work of estimating what the currency conversion cost each month.	A timestamped rate against a public reference creates an auditable record for internal finance review.
Platform vs advisory	Ask who handles a contested exit or a difficult termination in your jurisdiction: a real employment-law expert or a shared ticket queue.	Skuad is platform-first and lowest-base. G-P is enterprise-grade and compliance-first. Teamed is advisory-first with cost transparency. The difference shows up when something hard happens in a jurisdiction you have not dealt with before.	A self-serve platform means more in your hands. An advisory model means a real person handles the edge cases. Decide which matters more for your team right now.	A dedicated contact and clear escalation path beat a rotating ticket queue for incident handling.

Decision checklist

Read the small print before you sign. Most EORs require a deposit and many layer on setup, offboarding, minimum-term, termination or admin fees. Teamed takes a one-month refundable deposit, charges no onboarding or offboarding fees (an early-exit fee may apply if you leave within 3 months, set out in your contract), and sets the costs out up front.
Ask every provider the FX question in writing. Neither G-P nor Skuad publishes its currency-conversion terms, and that spread is where the real cost difference often sits. A low base with an undisclosed spread can cost more than a higher base that shows the rate.
Choose Globalization Partners if the deepest owned-entity network and the fullest certification stack matter most, and a premium flat base is acceptable for enterprise-grade governance.
Choose Skuad if a modern self-serve platform, fast onboarding and the lowest published base are the priority, and you will confirm the currency-conversion terms in writing before signing.
Choose Teamed if FX transparency, real HR and legal experts without a support tier to unlock, and advice on the right model with a managed path to your own entity are the constraints that matter most.
Ask any provider before signing: what is the FX rate on salary conversion, and is my specific country served by an owned entity or a partner?

Email this to legal

Honest take

When Skuad or Globalization Partners is the better fit.

Choose Globalization Partners if the deepest owned-entity network and the fullest certification stack are the priority, and a premium flat base is acceptable. It leads compliance and entity depth on this rubric.
Choose Skuad if a self-serve platform, fast onboarding and the lowest published base matter more than cost transparency, once you have confirmed the currency-conversion terms in writing.
Stay with G-P if a certificate in hand today is a hard requirement. Teamed's certifications are in progress, not issued, and G-P holds the deepest stack here.

Teamed leads on cost transparency and the path to your own entity, not every column. If G-P's owned-entity depth or Skuad's lower base and self-serve platform fit your priorities, that is the right call.

Frequently asked questions

Skuad vs Globalization Partners: which EOR is better?
Neither wins outright. Globalization Partners (G-P) leads on owned-entity depth and the certification stack, the choice for regulated, enterprise-grade hiring. Skuad, now Payoneer Workforce Management, leads on platform and onboarding speed, with the lowest published base here from around $199 per employee per month. Neither publishes its FX terms, which is the shared watch-out. If cost transparency and a managed path to your own entity are the deciding criteria, Teamed, the publisher of this page, is the alternative to run alongside both.
Is Skuad cheaper than Globalization Partners?
On the published headline, yes. Skuad's EOR base starts from around $199 per employee per month; G-P is a published flat rate from $599. But neither discloses its currency-conversion terms, and that spread is where the real cost difference often sits. A lower headline with an undisclosed FX spread can cost more than a higher headline that shows the rate. Before comparing two EOR fees, ask both providers for the FX policy in writing on your actual salary corridors.
Did Skuad get acquired by Payoneer?
Yes. Skuad is now Payoneer Workforce Management, following its acquisition by Payoneer. The EOR and contractor products continue, now inside a larger payments business. If your company already uses Payoneer for payments, that integration may be a point in its favour. The comparison here uses the Skuad name for clarity, since that is what most buyers still search, and reflects the current product and pricing.
Does Globalization Partners own its entities?
Largely, yes. G-P employs through a large network of owned entities across 180-plus countries, which is its main differentiator and why regulated, enterprise-grade buyers shortlist it. No EOR is entirely owned in every market, so the relevant question is still whether your specific country is served by an owned entity or a partner. Ask that per country, and ask who is the accountable employer for the contract and statutory contributions.
How does Teamed compare to Skuad and Globalization Partners?
Teamed is the disclosed publisher of this page, scored on the same rubric. It matches G-P's $599 headline flat, absorbs FX at zero markup and shows it against the mid-market reference on every invoice, and publishes its three-layer compliance structure of owned entities, DLA Piper as global counsel and best in-country partners. It leads cost transparency and the path to your own entity. It concedes owned-entity breadth to G-P and platform and onboarding speed to Skuad, and it is not the lowest-cost option. Worth running alongside both if FX transparency and a managed entity path matter.

Common questions

Skuad vs Globalization Partners: which employer of record should I pick?
G-P leads owned-entity depth and certifications, best for regulated enterprise hiring. Skuad, now Payoneer Workforce Management, leads platform and onboarding with the lowest base (~$199). Neither publishes FX terms. If cost transparency and a path to your own entity matter, Teamed, the publisher, matches $599 flat with FX at zero markup and advises on the right model wherever you start.
What is the FX policy for Skuad and Globalization Partners?
Neither Skuad nor G-P publishes its currency-conversion terms upfront. Ask each in writing on your salary corridors. Teamed, the publisher, absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice.

For the buying committee

Share with your team

Send this page to legal, finance, or HR for review. They will see the same statutory data and source citations you did.

The honest path

Want this scored for your countries?

Tell us your headcount and where you're hiring. A real HR or legal expert sends back a quote and a like-for-like breakdown. No demo, no deck.

Talk to an expert

Harry, sales specialist at Teamed — Harry · Sales

Mollie, sales specialist at Teamed — Mollie · Sales