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Teamed vs Gusto

Teamed vs Gusto, an honest guide to global hiring

Gusto leads US payroll and HR, with global EOR as a Remote-powered bolt-on covering roughly 12 countries. Teamed is a dedicated global EOR across 180+ countries at $599 flat, FX absorbed at zero markup. For serious multi-country employment, they're not the same product.

Trusted by 1,000+ growing teams

180+
countries covered by Teamed EOR. Gusto Global EOR covers roughly 12.
$599
Teamed flat rate, FX absorbed at zero markup. Gusto Global EOR reported at $699.
4.8
Teamed rated 4.8 on G2 for service. Real HR and legal experts on every plan, no bot wall.
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By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

Teamed vs Gusto: which is right for hiring internationally?

Gusto leads US payroll and HR, with global EOR as a Remote-powered bolt-on covering roughly 12 countries. Teamed is a dedicated global EOR across 180+ countries at $599 flat, FX absorbed at zero markup. For serious multi-country employment, they're not the same product.

At a glance

Teamed

Rated 4.8 on G2

Best for: fast-growing companies that hire across multiple countries and want a dedicated EOR with full coverage, a real HR or legal expert on every plan, transparent FX, and a path to their own managed entity.

Gusto

Rated 4.6 on G2

Best for: US-first businesses that run most of their team on US payroll and only occasionally need to hire or pay a handful of international employees across a small set of markets.

Shared by both: EOR and contractor management on one platform · self-serve hiring flows · compliance handled by the provider

Where it mattersWho leadsWhy
Global EOR coverageTeamedTeamed covers 180+ countries. Gusto Global EOR covers roughly 12 via Remote. If any of your target markets fall outside that set, Gusto cannot deliver the employment.
Cost and FX transparencyTeamedTeamed is $599 flat with FX absorbed at zero markup and the applied rate shown on every invoice. Gusto Global EOR is reported at $699, and FX is baked into the exchange rate with no published margin.
EOR specialization and legal depthTeamedTeamed is a dedicated EOR with in-house HR and legal experts. Gusto's EOR runs on Remote's infrastructure; the legal-employer relationship and employment-law expertise sit one vendor removed from the client.
Human support and escalationTeamedTeamed gives direct access to real HR and legal experts on every plan. Gusto's global support runs through a two-layer chain (Gusto interface, Remote compliance behind), with no dedicated global account team promised at standard tiers.
US payroll, benefits and HRGustoGusto is a category leader for US payroll, benefits administration and HR for SMBs. Teamed is a global EOR specialist and not a US HRIS replacement.
Self-serve platform depthGustoGusto has deep self-serve tooling for US payroll, onboarding, benefits and time tracking. Teamed is advisory-led and integrates with your existing HRIS rather than replacing it.
Path to your own managed entityTeamedTeamed models the crossover and can set up and manage your own entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) in 90+ countries, on the same system, no re-onboarding. Gusto has no published entity transition path.
International contractor paymentsDrawBoth support international contractor payments. Gusto reaches 120+ countries. Teamed adds Guard and Protect misclassification cover alongside EOR on the same system.

Teamed on G2

G2 High Performer, Europe, Summer 2026G2 High Performer, EMEA, Summer 2026G2 High Performer, Winter 2026G2 Easiest To Do Business With, Summer 2025G2 Users Love Us

Who Teamed is for

Teamed is built for fast-growing companies with a serious international footprint: teams hiring across multiple countries where coverage depth, legal expertise and FX honesty matter. Gusto is the right choice for US-first businesses that manage almost all their team on US payroll and only occasionally need to pay a small number of people internationally. When international employment is central to how you operate, you want a dedicated provider.

Not the right fit if

  • Not sure Teamed is your fit?. The router below shows you honestly where Gusto, G-P, Papaya or another provider may be the better call.

Find your pick in 20 seconds

If you are…Start withWhy
US-first, mostly domestic, with 1 to 5 international hires in markets Gusto coversGusto Global EORIt's a convenient bolt-on inside a platform you're already running for US payroll. The two-layer support and limited coverage aren't a constraint at that scale.
Hiring across more than a handful of countries, or in markets outside Gusto's ~12TeamedTeamed covers 180+ countries, prices at $599 flat with FX at zero markup, and gives real HR and legal experts on every plan.
Growing international team with plans for your own entityTeamedGEMO sets up and manages your own entity in 90+ countries on the same platform, no re-onboarding. Gusto has no entity transition path.
1,000-plus seat enterpriseG-P or Papaya GlobalWidest owned-entity footprint and enterprise governance at scale.

What is the Teamed vs Gusto comparison for international hiring?

An Employer of Record legally employs your people in a country through its own entity or a vetted local partner. It issues the contract, runs payroll, remits income tax and statutory contributions, and carries the obligations of the local employer while you direct the day-to-day work. It lets you hire compliantly in a market before you've set up a legal entity there.

Teamed and Gusto serve different buyers. Gusto is a US payroll, benefits and HR platform built for American businesses, with global EOR added as a bolt-on via a partnership with Remote, covering roughly 12 countries. Teamed is a dedicated global EOR: 180+ countries, $599 flat, FX absorbed at zero markup and shown on every invoice. For a US-first company that rarely hires internationally, the Gusto bolt-on is convenient. For a company with a growing international team across multiple markets, coverage, legal depth and FX honesty are where the two products diverge significantly.

1

Country coverage, does Gusto actually operate where you need to hire?

Coverage is the first test for any EOR, and the gap here is stark. Gusto Global EOR covers roughly 12 countries through Remote's entity network. Teamed covers 180+ through a mix of its own 57 legal entities and vetted in-country partners. If you need to hire in Japan, Poland, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, or almost anywhere outside a handful of major OECD economies, Gusto is not currently an EOR option. International contractor payments from Gusto reach 120+ countries, but that's a separate product and a different legal arrangement.

DetailTeamedGusto
EOR coverage180+ countries via a mix of 57 owned entities (including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Australia, Canada and Singapore) and vetted in-country partners.Around 12 countries via Remote's entity network: United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, India, Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, Portugal. Expanding through 2025-2026.
Owned entitiesTeamed owns legal entities in 57 countries. Employees in those countries are employed directly through Teamed.No owned EOR entities. Remote is the legal employer of record across all supported countries.
Contractor payments180+ countries for EOR. Guard and Protect misclassification cover for contractors, on the same system as EOR.120+ countries for international contractor payments. Strong US 1099 contractor tooling.

The practical test

Before comparing pricing or support, confirm the provider can legally employ your people in the specific countries where you need to hire. Gusto's roughly 12-country EOR footprint covers a London engineer and a Toronto product manager. It won't cover a team across Japan, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.

2

Cost and FX, what you actually pay per international hire

Gusto Global EOR is reported at $699 per employee per month at the standard rate, up from a $599 promotional price that ended in March 2026. Teamed is $599 flat. The FX treatment is the bigger variable. Gusto bakes the currency-conversion margin into the exchange rate with no published markup figure. Teamed absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the applied rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice. If you're paying international salaries in sterling, euros or yen, the difference is visible on the Teamed invoice and invisible on the Gusto one.

DetailTeamedGusto
EOR fee$599 USD / £479 GBP per employee per month, flat.Reported at $699 per employee per month (standard rate). India and Philippines at $399. Medium confidence from secondary sources; re-verify before signing.
FX on salary conversionsZero markup. Applied rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice.FX margin baked into the exchange rate. No published markup percentage.
Other feesA refundable one-month salary deposit to start. No onboarding or offboarding fees. An early-exit fee may apply if you leave within 3 months, set out in the contract.Billed via Gusto's standard monthly invoicing. Deposit terms and additional fees were not found on primary sources; re-verify before signing.

Why the FX line matters

An undisclosed FX margin on salary conversions is invisible on the invoice. Industry estimates put EOR currency margins at 1.5 to 3% of salary. On a £70,000 annual salary that range is £1,050 to £2,100 per employee per year you cannot forecast or account for. Teamed absorbs it entirely and shows you the number.

3

EOR specialization, who is actually your legal employer?

For EOR, the legal structure matters. With Teamed, Teamed is the legal employer in every country it covers, and its in-house HR and legal experts handle the employment-law side directly. With Gusto Global EOR, Remote is the legal employer of record across all supported countries, and Gusto provides the interface on top. Your employment-law expertise and the legal-employer relationship sit one vendor removed from the product you buy. That two-layer structure is fine for a straightforward hire, but it becomes a constraint when something complex happens.

DetailTeamedGusto
Legal employerTeamed is the legal employer in every country it covers.Remote is the legal employer of record across all Gusto Global EOR countries. Gusto provides the interface. Confirmed on Remote's partnership page.
Who handles a legal questionReal HR and legal experts, in-house, on every plan. Direct access, no AI bot wall.Employment-law expertise sits with Remote. Gusto's global support runs through a two-layer chain: Gusto interface, Remote compliance behind.
German employment lawTeamed owns a German entity and has in-house HR and legal experts handling Betriebsrat consultations and KSchG terminations directly.Handled by Remote through its German entity.

What two layers means in practice

When something goes wrong, you want to reach people with employment-law expertise fast. With a two-layer structure, you contact Gusto, Gusto contacts Remote, Remote responds. For a simple hire, that's rarely a problem. For a contested termination in Germany or a tax-authority query in the Netherlands, every layer adds time.

4

Human support, who picks up when it goes wrong?

Gusto's support depth scales with your domestic plan tier and EOR support runs through Remote behind the scenes. No dedicated global account team is publicly promised at standard tiers. Teamed gives direct access to real HR and legal experts on every plan, with no AI bot wall and a real escalation contact who knows your account. For international employment, where a contested termination or a tax-authority question needs real employment-law expertise, the access model matters as much as the capability.

DetailTeamedGusto
Human support accessReal HR and legal experts on all plans. No AI bot wall, no tiered queue.Self-serve led. Priority support and HR adviser access gated to higher domestic tiers. EOR support mediated through Remote.
Service ratingRated 4.8 on G2 for service.Rated 4.6 on G2 (reflecting the full US payroll and HR product, not specifically EOR).
Escalation routeA real escalation contact who knows your account, with a clear path on every plan.Escalations for EOR run through the Gusto/Remote chain. The specific escalation route for complex international issues is not clearly detailed on primary pages.

The test question

Ask before you sign: if one of my international employees faces a contested termination, who specifically handles it, what is their employment-law background, how do I reach them, and is that access on my current plan?

5

US payroll and HR, where Gusto genuinely wins

Gusto is a genuine category leader for US payroll, benefits and HR. It runs payroll, benefits administration, onboarding, time tracking and HR tools in a single self-serve platform for US SMBs, with a broad integration marketplace and a 4.6 G2 rating. Teamed is a global EOR specialist: it integrates with the HRIS you already run rather than replacing your stack. If you run Gusto for your US team, you can add Teamed for the international side without tearing out the domestic system.

DetailTeamedGusto
US payroll and HRNot a US HRIS. Teamed integrates with your existing US payroll and HR platform and plays nicely with your stack.Category leader: payroll, benefits, time tracking, onboarding and HR tools in one platform for US SMBs.
HRIS postureAdvisory-led EOR specialist. Connects to the major HRIS and payroll platforms. No rip-and-replace.A full HRIS and system of record for US teams, with a broad integration marketplace.
Self-serve depthLighter, advisory-led for international hires. Built to support your global team, not to replace your tools.High self-serve depth for US payroll and HR. EOR hiring also initiated self-serve in-app.

Using both

Many growing companies run Gusto for their US team and add a dedicated EOR for international hires. Teamed integrates with the platforms you already run, so you can add it without disrupting your domestic setup.

6

Path to your own entity when EOR is no longer the right model

EOR is a stage, not the destination. As you scale headcount in a country, the cumulative per-seat EOR fee approaches the fixed cost of running your own entity. Teamed models when you reach that crossover, helps you set up your own entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) in 90+ countries, and can keep managing it on the same system with no re-onboarding. Because Teamed earns either way, on EOR or managing your entity, its advice isn't tied to keeping you on EOR. Gusto has no published entity transition path; because it doesn't own EOR entities, any such capability would sit with Remote.

DetailTeamedGusto
Crossover modellingTeamed models when your own entity becomes the better structure, proactively, per country.Not a published Gusto offering.
Entity setup and managementGlobal Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up your entity in 90+ countries and keeps managing it on the same system. No re-onboarding.Not a published Gusto offering. Any entity capability would sit with Remote.
Incentive alignmentTeamed earns on EOR or by managing your own entity. Its advice isn't tied to keeping you on EOR.Gusto positions global EOR as an add-on. No published crossover service.

Why it matters

A provider that earns only while you stay on EOR has an incentive not to tell you when the crossover approaches. Teamed publishes the model and helps you make the move. At a small international headcount, EOR stays the simpler structure. As you grow, the per-seat fee approaches the fixed cost of your own entity.

Why the comparison 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 the comparison worth running.

Barcelona
Rome
Paris

What each stakeholder evaluates

CriterionLegalFinancePeople OpsSecurity
Country coverage and complianceConfirm the provider can legally employ your people in the specific countries where you hire before comparing anything else. Gusto's EOR covers roughly 12 countries via Remote. Teamed covers 180+. In each country, ask whether delivery is via an owned entity or a vetted partner.Coverage constraints are a hard cost. If Gusto can't operate in your target market, you need a second provider. Two providers mean two invoices, two contracts, two support relationships. Model the total cost before assuming a bolt-on is convenient.Your international employees need compliant contracts, local payroll and statutory benefits from day one. Confirm coverage and compliance depth for each country before the hire.In a two-layer EOR model, confirm where your employee data sits, under which jurisdiction, and under whose data-processing agreement. With Gusto and Remote, the data-controller relationship involves both vendors.
FX and cost transparencyAsk for the FX policy in writing before signing. Teamed shows the applied rate against mid-market at zero markup on every invoice. Gusto bakes FX into the exchange rate with no published margin.An undisclosed FX margin on international salary conversions is invisible on the invoice. Industry estimates put EOR currency margins at 1.5 to 3% of salary. That's a variable you can't forecast unless it's shown.A transparent FX line means your employees see a clean record of what they were paid and why. You have no surprise reconciliation at year-end.A timestamped applied rate against a public reference is an auditable record. An undisclosed spread in the exchange rate is not.
Path to your own entityEOR is a transitional model. Ask whether the provider will tell you when your own entity becomes the better structure and whether it can set it up without re-onboarding your employees. Teamed offers this; Gusto doesn't.Teamed models the crossover and flags it proactively. Because Teamed earns on EOR or on your own entity, the advice isn't tied to keeping you on EOR. A provider that earns only while you stay on EOR has the opposite incentive.A managed transition via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) means your employees keep their contracts and employment history. No re-onboarding, no gap in coverage.Your own entity gives you full data residency and employment-contract control in that country. GEMO sets it up in 90+ countries on the same platform you already use.

How to add Teamed alongside or instead of Gusto Global EOR

Many growing companies run Gusto for their US team and move their international hires to a dedicated EOR for broader coverage and FX transparency. Others switch from Gusto Global EOR entirely as their international footprint grows. Either way, Teamed maps the plan.

  1. Step 1

    Map your international footprint

    Share which countries you hire in now and where you plan to scale. Teamed confirms coverage per country, whether delivery is via an owned entity or a vetted partner, and where the compliance depth sits.

  2. Step 2

    Model the true cost

    Teamed unbundles your current EOR invoicing: management fee, FX on salary conversions, any additional charges. You see the like-for-like comparison before you commit.

  3. Step 3

    Issue new contracts

    New compliant employment contracts issue under Teamed per country. Your US team can stay on Gusto; Teamed handles the international layer.

  4. Step 4

    Stay on one system as you scale

    When a country reaches the crossover point, Teamed models it and can set up and manage your own entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO), on the same platform with no re-onboarding.

Dyke Yaxley · UK chartered accountancy

100% audit capacity added. Zero entity setup.

Audit capacity in 2024
+100%
Compliance issues across the engagement
0
South Africa hires, both retained
2
Entity setup required
None

Challenge

Dyke Yaxley, a UK chartered accountancy with over a century of history, was turning down audit work in 2024. Local UK talent supply for qualified auditors had not kept pace with client demand. Cross-border hiring felt too legally complex for a firm whose brand rests on compliance.

Approach

Dyke Yaxley partnered with Teamed to hire two qualified audit professionals in South Africa via EOR. Teamed handled the South African employment-law side end-to-end: compliant contract, local payroll, statutory tax obligations and onboarding logistics. No entity setup, no South African legal counsel on retainer, no permanent-establishment exposure.

Result

Both hires exceeded expectations on technical work, client satisfaction and cultural fit. Audit capacity doubled in 2024. Zero compliance issues across the engagement. The firm went from declining new audit work to confidently taking on additional clients.

Read the full case study →

Interactive tool

Model the real cost of your international hires

Enter your headcount and salary mix. The unbundling calculator shows the FX variable on your current EOR invoice and what it looks like absorbed at zero markup. Most teams find a meaningful difference they weren't tracking.

Decision checklist

  • Choose Teamed if you need to hire in more than a handful of countries. Teamed covers 180+; Gusto Global EOR covers roughly 12.
  • Choose Teamed if FX transparency matters to you. Teamed shows the applied rate against mid-market at zero markup. Gusto bakes FX into the exchange rate with no published margin.
  • Choose Teamed if you want to reach real HR and legal experts directly on every plan, without routing through a two-layer support chain.
  • Choose Teamed if you want a path to your own managed entity. Teamed models the crossover and runs Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) in 90+ countries, on the same system, no re-onboarding.
  • Stay with Gusto if you're US-first with only occasional international hires in the specific countries Gusto covers, and the convenience of a single platform outweighs specialist EOR depth.
  • Look elsewhere if you're a large enterprise: G-P or Papaya Global for the widest owned-entity footprint and enterprise governance at scale.

Honest take

When Gusto is the better choice

  • Choose Gusto if you're a US-first business that runs almost all your team on US payroll and only occasionally needs to hire a small number of international employees in the markets it covers. For US domestic operations, Gusto is a category leader.
  • Choose Gusto if you already run it for your US team and need to add one or two international hires quickly in a market it supports. The convenience of a single platform beats switching costs at small scale.
  • Choose Gusto for international contractor payments to 120+ countries, especially if you're already a Gusto payroll customer and want to pay contractors without adding a new vendor.

Teamed leads global coverage, FX honesty, dedicated legal depth and the entity path. Gusto leads US payroll and HR. They solve different problems. A US-centric company with minimal international hiring gets real value from the Gusto bolt-on; a company hiring seriously across multiple international markets needs a dedicated provider.

Questions to ask any EOR before you sign

  1. 1Does your EOR cover the specific countries where I need to hire, and in each one am I employed through an owned entity or a vetted partner?
  2. 2If Gusto's EOR runs on Remote's infrastructure, who is my primary contact when something goes wrong?
  3. 3Will you show me the FX rate on every salary conversion, against the mid-market reference, in writing?
  4. 4What deposit, setup, offboarding or minimum-term fees are in the contract? Read it line by line before you sign.
  5. 5Is my international employment support routed through a dedicated global team or through the same queue as domestic US payroll questions?
  6. 6When my own entity becomes the better structure, will you model the crossover and help me set it up?
  7. 7Which of my existing HR and payroll platforms do you integrate with?
  8. 8What happens to my international employees if the EOR provider changes infrastructure partners?

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Gusto an EOR?
    Gusto offers an EOR product, but it's not Gusto's primary business. Gusto is a US payroll, benefits and HR platform for American businesses. Its Gusto Global EOR product runs on Remote's infrastructure, covering roughly 12 countries, with Remote as the legal employer of record across those markets. Gusto provides the interface on top. For US-first companies with occasional international needs in those markets, it's a convenient bolt-on. For companies hiring seriously across multiple international markets, the coverage and the two-layer structure are real constraints.
  • Does Gusto support employees outside the United States?
    Yes, with limitations. Gusto Global EOR covers roughly 12 countries for full employment, running on Remote's infrastructure (United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, India, Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, Portugal). International contractor payments reach 120+ countries. Outside those EOR markets, Gusto isn't an employment option. Teamed covers 180+ countries for employment.
  • Is Teamed cheaper than Gusto for global hiring?
    Teamed is $599 flat per employee per month, with FX absorbed at zero markup. Gusto Global EOR is reported at $699 per employee per month at the standard rate (a promotional $599 ended in March 2026; India and Philippines are $399). We don't claim to be the cheapest EOR overall, but on published numbers Teamed is $100 less per employee than the Gusto standard rate, and the FX treatment is more transparent. The full cost comparison also depends on whether currency conversion is shown: Gusto bakes its margin into the exchange rate with no published figure. Teamed shows it at zero.
  • Can I use Gusto for US payroll and Teamed for international EOR?
    Yes, and many growing companies do exactly this. Gusto is a strong US payroll and HR platform; Teamed is a dedicated global EOR. Teamed integrates with the HR platforms you already run rather than replacing them, so your US team stays on Gusto and your international hires run through Teamed. You get specialist depth for international employment without disrupting the domestic setup.
  • What is Gusto Global EOR powered by?
    Gusto Global EOR runs on Remote's infrastructure. Remote is the legal employer of record across all supported countries and provides the underlying entities; Gusto provides the interface and US payroll layer on top. This is confirmed on Remote's partnership page. It means the employment-law expertise and the legal-employer relationship sit one vendor removed from the product you buy from Gusto.
  • When should I choose Teamed over Gusto for international hiring?
    Choose Teamed when international hiring is a serious, ongoing part of how you operate: you hire in more than a handful of countries, you want to see the FX on every salary invoice at zero markup, you want real HR and legal experts on every plan without a two-layer support chain, and you want a path to your own entity as you scale. Choose Gusto's bolt-on when international hiring is an occasional edge case, your team is mostly US-based, and your target markets are in the roughly 12 countries Gusto already covers.

Common questions

  • Teamed vs Gusto for international hiring, which is better?
    They serve different buyers. Gusto is the right choice for US-first businesses that run most of their team on US payroll and occasionally need to hire or pay a small number of international people in the roughly 12 countries it covers via Remote. Teamed is the right choice for companies where international employment is a serious, ongoing need: 180+ countries, $599 flat with FX at zero markup, real HR and legal experts on every plan, and a path to your own entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO). The coverage gap is the starting point. If you need to hire in a country Gusto doesn't cover, the comparison ends there.
  • Is Gusto good for hiring internationally?
    Gusto Global EOR is a convenient option if you're already a Gusto customer, hire only occasionally internationally, and your target countries are in the roughly 12 Gusto covers via Remote. It's not well-suited for companies hiring seriously across multiple international markets: the country count is limited, the legal-employer relationship sits with Remote one step removed, the FX is baked into the exchange rate with no published margin, and there's no path to your own entity. For those needs, a dedicated EOR like Teamed is a stronger fit.

For the buying committee

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