Global payroll providers not only help businesses compliantly process salary payments for a global workforce but also offer tools to automate basic HR processes. See our top picks for the best international payroll services.
6 Best International Payroll Services
This article is part of a larger series on Payroll Services.
The best international payroll services provide you with online solutions for managing and paying workers located in other countries. Using these tools and services, you can be assured that your company complies with local tax and hiring laws. Some even let you pay contractors, while others offer employer of record (EOR) solutions—allowing them to handle your international employment needs. Most also provide or connect companies with professional employer organizations (PEOs) to hire, onboard, and manage foreign employees on-site.
In this guide, we evaluated 14 of the most popular global payroll providers and narrowed our list down to the six best.
- Papaya Global: Best overall and for those needing affordable global payroll services
- Remote: Best international payroll with solid intellectual property (IP) protection
- Deel: Best for multiple payment options and immigration assistance
- Rippling: Best all-in-one HR, payroll, and IT solution
- OysterHR: Best for onboarding and payroll support
- Multiplier: Best multi-country hiring and payroll in Asia
At Fit Small Business, our mission is to provide small business owners with the best answers to their small business questions. We objectively assess each software based on a set of criteria, which includes features, pricing, ease of use, and customer support. We also apply our expert insights and consider real-world user feedback to help you make the best purchasing decision. Read more on how we evaluated the best international payroll services below.
Best International Payroll Services Compared
All of the global payroll providers we reviewed offer EOR services, international tax support, online onboarding, local benefits plans, time-off tracking, and payments for employees and contractors. They also have in-country experts who can guide you through the complexities of managing local laws and regulations. Here are some of each provider’s key features and pricing details.
Service Coverage | Other Tools & Services | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $12 per employee; | 160+ countries |
| |
 | $50 per employee; $29 per contract worker | $699 per employee | 180+ countries |
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 | Custom-priced for employees; $49 per contract worker | $599 per employee | 100+ countries |
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 | 150+ countries |
| ||
 | Payroll included in EOR; $29 per contract worker | $599 per employee | 180+ countries |
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 | Custom-priced for employees; $40 per contract worker | $400 per employee | 150+ countries |
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Looking for something else? If you only need an EOR solution for your global hiring and payroll needs, read our best employer of record guide. For US-only payroll, check out our best payroll services article, which contains our top recommendations for small businesses.
Papaya Global: Best Overall International Payroll Service
Overall Score:
4.60 / 5
Pros
- Intuitive platform with transparent pricing
- Responsive local support; offers 24/7 phone and email assistance
- Consolidated payroll reports
- Cross-border payroll payments in as fast as 72 hours
Cons
- Charges a setup fee
- Business intelligence reports and immigration services cost extra
- No check mailing support
- Lacks local entities; only has partners in countries that it services
Plans & Pricing
- Full-Service Payroll: Starts at $12 per employee monthly
- Employer of Record: Starts at $650 per employee monthly
- Contractor Management: Starts at $2 per worker monthly
- Payroll + compliance and contractor management
- Global Expertise Services: Starts at $190 per employee monthly
- Supplemental benefits plans and immigration support
- Payroll Platform License: Starts at $3 per employee monthly
- Platform access to manage employee data (no payroll services)
- Payments-as-a-Service: Starts at $3 per employee monthly
- Facilitate ad hoc workforce payments (e.g., insurance and pension payments)
- Data and Insights Platform License: Starts at $150 per location monthly
- Includes access to real-time headcount and payroll costs
What We Like
Papaya Global is a fast-growing, well-funded international payroll service that touts a 99% customer retention rate. It offers complete payroll services in over 160 countries and serves companies such as Microsoft, Toyota, Intel, and Wix. Aside from providing payroll and EOR services, the provider has affordable contractor payment and global payroll plans (costing $2 and $12 per worker monthly, respectively)—the cheapest among the international payroll providers we reviewed.
In our evaluation, Papaya Global earned perfect scores in many of our criteria. Solid HR features, ease of use, and advanced reporting options contributed to its high ratings. While it provides nearly any type of foreign payroll services you may need, it didn’t get a perfect score in payroll features since it lacks local entities in the countries that it services. It also scored lower on our popularity measure because it has very few reviews (fewer than 100) compared to Rippling’s 1,000+ reviews.
Key Features
- Money-back guarantee: Papaya Global and Remote are the only payroll providers in this guide that have this feature. New clients get a 60-day money-back guarantee if they are unsatisfied with its performance.
- Robust payroll and tax filings: Papaya Global will help you stay compliant with labor laws, file tax forms, and process payments with agencies like the IRS and national insurance. Its acquisition of Azimo, a digital money transfer service, also enables it to offer fast cross-border payments (guaranteed payouts in 72 hours) to more than 150 countries.
- Solid HR tools: Papaya Global handles hiring, onboarding, employment compliance support, benefits, and HR reporting. Aside from its built-in time tracking tools, it has employee management solutions for storing all staff information and forms. It even integrates with popular HRISes (SAP SuccessFactors and Workday), expense management tools (Expensify and SAP Concur), and ERP solutions (NetSuite). However, if you need robust integration options, consider Rippling, as it has a network of 500+ partner systems.
- Robust immigration services: Papaya Global can help you obtain visas, residence permits, and work permits for expatriates and employees on short-term assignments, as well as spouse and family permits. Remote may also have a strong immigrant program but it and Papaya’s services aren’t as robust as Deel, which handles the entire process, sponsors the visa, and offers one-on-one support.
Remote: Best Global Payroll Service With Solid IP Protection
Overall Score:
4.59 / 5
Pros
- Reasonably priced contractor management tools
- Offers a free HR information system (HRIS)
- Available in 180+ countries; local entities in countries that it services
- Solid intellectual property protection and stock option tracking tools
Cons
- Contact support by email, help widget, and live chat only
- Payroll cutoff deadline is the 11th of each month (except for Bulgaria, Germany, and countries that have semi-monthly payroll)
Plans & Pricing
- HRIS: Free tools for managing employee information, documents, and onboarding
- Contractor Management: $29 per contractor monthly
- Includes contractor payroll tools
- Global Payroll: $50 per employee
- Includes payroll services, invention and IP rights protection, and legal compliance management
- Employer of Record: Starts at $699 per employee monthly ($599 per employee monthly if billed annually)
- Includes automated employee payments, hiring and legal compliance management, employee benefits, invention and IP rights protection, and access to local HR/legal experts
What We Like
Remote offers international HR and payroll services across 180+ countries. Like Papaya Global, it has solid payroll functions plus provides compliance tools and assistance, customizable reports, and benefits options for international employees. Remote also has iron-clad IP and invention protection solutions to help you track IP transfers while ensuring that you retain ownership over your invention rights. It even provides stock option plans and a free HRIS solution for managing employee information and onboarding.
It offers solid HR and payroll tools, affordable contractor payroll tools, and transparent pricing—features that contributed to its overall high score. Its discounts for startup and Series A businesses Eligible startups get 15% off EOR (for annual plans only) and 15% off contractor services during their first year with Remote. , social purpose organizations Eligible organizations get co-marketing opportunities, including 15% off EOR (for annual plans only) and 15% off contractor services during their first year with Remote. , and companies that hire refugees Free EOR services for up to 10 employees when hiring refugees who have the legal right to work in any country where Remote has an entity. make Remote stand out from the rest on our list. However, its online support features are not as good as those of Deel and Papaya Global, as it doesn’t provide dedicated support to its clients.
Key Features
- Free HRIS: Similar to Deel, Remote offers a free HRIS for managing employee information, digital documents, and onboarding/offboarding processes. However, unlike Deel, this solution doesn’t have an employee limit (Deel HR is only free for up to 200 workers).
- Money-back guarantee: Papaya may have a 60-day money-back guarantee, but Remote’s program has a longer time period. It will refund all management fees for the first 90 days if you’re unhappy with its EOR services.
- EOR capability: As an EOR, it will onboard, pay, and manage contractors and employees. It provides HR support from local experts, as it has legal entities in every country it serves. Aside from offering competitive benefits, it tracks stock option plans and ensures your IP and invention rights are protected. Its platform even integrates with BambooHR, Greenhouse, Loom, GitLab, Bob, and Zapier.
- Multi-country payroll, one invoice: You can view and send employees’ salary payouts in their local currency with just one click. Remote supports over 100 currencies in 180+ nations—and it does not charge interchange fees. Workers employed through Remote can also choose to get a portion of their salary as cryptocurrency. It even handles your local taxes and ensures you stay compliant with local regulations.
Deel: Best for Multiple Payment Options & Immigration Assistance
Overall Score:
4.51 / 5
Pros
- Assigns a dedicated customer success manager (CSM) to its clients
- Built-in expense and time-off management tools
- Dedicated support with contractor misclassification protection services
- Multiple payment options (bank transfer, crypto, bitcoin, digital payment processors, and contractor card)
Cons
- Doesn’t offer a special plan or discount for hiring refugees
- Dedicated CSM is not provided to small business (only available to enterprises)
- Background checks, localized benefits, and company device management tools are paid add-ons
Plans & Pricing
- Deel HR: Free for up to 200 employees (call Deel for a quote if you exceed this limit)
- Online tools for managing staff information, documents, onboarding, time-off, and expense claims
- Contractors: Pricing starts at $49 per worker monthly
- Includes flexible payment options, locally compliant contracts, time-off tracking, invoicing and expense management, and access to HR support
- EOR: Starts at $599 per employee monthly
- Full-service EOR with localized benefits, IP protection, and HR/legal support
- Global payroll: Call for quote
- Run multi-country payroll where you have local entities
- Immigration: Call for quote
- Immigration and visa assistance in 25 countries plus support from local immigration experts
What We Like
What sets Deel apart from the other international payroll companies we reviewed is its 15 contractor payment options, which include payouts via digital payment processors, bank transfers, as cryptocurrency, and through a Deel contractor card. In addition to EOR and global contractor payments, it offers extensive immigration support that includes sponsoring work visas and tracking the application process for you.
Its ease of use, reporting tools, HR and payroll functionalities, and generally transparent pricing contributed to its high overall score. Deel would have ranked higher on our list if it offered time tracking tools that don’t require manual time data inputs and dedicated support for all clients (this is only available for large businesses). While that may be the case, users commended its helpful support team, easy-to-use contract generation tools, and user-friendly interface.
Key Features
- Multiple payroll payment options: Deel can pay employees and contractors in many different ways—it offers 15 options, such as payments through digital payment processors (like Wise and Payoneer). Apart from bank transfers, your workers can receive salary payouts via Binance and Coinbase (as cryptocurrency).
- Contractor payment card: With Deel, you can provide contract workers with a contractor card they can use to receive payroll and pay for personal purchases. It has virtual and physical versions—although the physical card doesn’t support ATM withdrawals. The other solutions on our list of best international payroll providers don’t offer a contractor payroll card.
- Adhoc global HR services: Aside from EOR and global payroll services, Deel offers a wide range of add-on HR solutions for managing work visa and immigration processes, including the issuance of company-assigned devices (like laptops) to your global workforce. Deel plugins for Slack are also available to help simplify onboarding and team communications. You can even connect Deel to business software like QuickBooks, Xero, BambooHR, Bob, and more.
- Contractor misclassification protection: With this program, Deel will cover costs of up to $25,000 in case there’s a misclassification issue. The amount covers all legal fees and tax penalties, as well as third-party indemnity costs. Apart from Oyster, none of the global payroll providers in this guide offer similar coverage.
Rippling: Best All-in-One HR, Payroll & IT Platform for International Workers
Overall Score:
4.46 / 5
Pros
- Integrates with over 500 business apps
- Offers modular HR, payroll, and IT solutions; can create a custom plan to fit your requirements
- Onboarding and document management
- Easy to use
Cons
- Pricing isn’t all transparent
- Doesn’t offer special discounts for startups and refugee hiring
- Benefits administration, IT tools, and HR advisory services are paid extras
- You can’t buy its payroll solution (and other modules) without purchasing its core workforce management platform first
Plans & Pricing
For multi-country payroll and hiring, Rippling offers the following services:
- Global payroll: $20 per employee monthly
- Global contractor payroll: $20 per worker monthly
- EOR services: $599 per employee monthly
Note that the above pricing is based on a quote we received. New users who sign up for a Rippling plan on or before Dec.1, 2023, get the first month free.
What We Like
Rippling offers HR payroll solutions, EOR and PEO services, and HR and IT support for businesses of all sizes. Its strength lies in its ease of use, robust automation tools, and supreme ability to work with other applications. Companies with international workers can use Rippling’s feature-rich platform to manage essential HR, payroll, and IT processes—from tracking employee attendance to monitoring the inventory of laptops assigned to employees across 150+ countries.
This provider’s robust reporting, automation, and wide range of HR features contributed to its high ratings. While it has efficient payroll processing tools, it lost several points because time tracking is a paid add-on, and pricing isn’t fully transparent for all of its products and services. You have to contact the provider to get pricing information. However, users who left feedback on G2 and Capterra said that they like using Rippling and find its platform easy to set up and navigate.
Key Features
- Automated payroll and tax filing: Rippling syncs hours worked, PTO, benefits deductions, and taxes and withholdings automatically to process payroll in 90 seconds. It calculates hours worked and deductions and processes employee payments in the appropriate currency via international wire. Rippling also automatically files payroll taxes for your employees.
- Robust reporting: Rippling offers HR, payroll, and tax reporting. You can either use its extensive library of pre-built reports or configure your own payroll report. It even has Excel-like formulas that you can add to custom reports, allowing you to generate data showing calculations for tenure, fixed bonus amounts, and more.
- Time and task management: Unlike Multiplier and Deel, Rippling can automatically track your employees’ time in/out, location, and activities in real time. You can also change employees’ pay rates as they move from one job to another.
- Device and app management: With Rippling’s device and app management tools, employers can remotely manage and protect international employees’ devices. It can also help you set up and disable all of your employees’ business apps, like Google Workspace, Slack, and Microsoft 365. This is another unique feature for Rippling, which is not present with the other providers in this guide. Further, Rippling integrates with over 500 apps, so it’s extremely versatile. No other software on our list has this breadth of flexibility.
Oyster: Best for Onboarding & Payroll Support
Overall Score:
4.41 / 5
Pros
- Reasonably priced plans
- Dedicated support for account and system setup; clients who plan to ramp up global recruitment get a hiring success manager to help them hire employees
- Offers online tools to calculate employment costs and analyze worker misclassification risk
Cons
- Pricing for EOR services varies, depending on country
- Limited third-party software integration options
- Benefits is a paid add-on
Plans & Pricing
- Contractor: Starts at $29 per contractor monthly
New clients who sign up for the contractor plan get the first month free. Note that this promo may change at any time. Visit Oyster's website to see that latest promotions on offer.
- Includes hiring, payroll, onboarding, invoicing, and expense management tools
- Employee: Starts at $599 per employee monthly (pricing varies, depending on country)
- Includes EOR services, payroll, compliance support, and IP protection
- Scale: Call for quote
- Lets you pre-purchase and reuse annual seats for hiring five and more employees
- Includes custom global compliance assistance and access to a dedicated hiring success team
What We Like
With Oyster, you can hire, onboard, pay, and provide benefits to employees in more than 180 countries. It supports more than 120 currencies, offers invoicing and expense management tools, and provides access to locally compliant contracts. Onboarding employees is a breeze with Oyster’s easy-to-use platform, although new clients also get system setup and initial onboarding assistance from a dedicated customer success manager (CSM). In addition to its support team, it offers the services of hiring success managers if you need recruiting and onboarding assistance.
In our evaluation, Oyster earned high marks in nearly all criteria given its ease of use, HR and payroll functionalities, and reporting capabilities. It lost points because while it has a built-in time tracking solution, it is limited to specific countries (as of this writing). It also received a low score in our popularity criterion because the average number of user reviews in third-party sites like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot is fewer than 500.
Oyster’s dashboard not only shows the number of employees you have and the online tools you can use, but also flags overdue tasks that require immediate attention. (Source: Oyster)
Key Features
- Solid customer support: Oyster prides itself on the type of support it provides to customers. It assigns dedicated customer success managers to new clients and offers access to a team of experts to ensure that you remain compliant with country regulations and labor laws. For those planning to recruit several employees in one go, Oyster will even offer the services of a dedicated hiring success manager to help business owners find and hire candidates that best fit their requirements.
- Access to global HR and employment tools: Oyster’s online platform and website are filled with free-to-use tools to help you navigate global hiring and manage a distributed workforce. Aside from an online calculator that shows your total employment cost, it has a “benefits advisor” tool that provides you with a list of statutory and best-in-class benefits plans that local benefits advisors recommend. It even has an employee misclassification risk analyzer, which is helpful if you are unsure whether to hire a worker as an employee or a contractor.
- Special plans for nonprofits and refugee hiring: Similar to Remote, it offers discounts for qualified nonprofit organizations and B-corp businesses. Hiring refugees in countries where Oyster has direct entities is also free (up to 10 refugee hires per company only).
Multiplier: Best for Multi-country Hiring & Payroll in Asia
Overall Score:
4.34 / 5
Pros
- Hiring solution covers 150+ countries
- Supports payments in 120 currencies, including cryptocurrency payouts for contractors
- 24/5 assistance from local HR and legal experts
- Owns legal entities across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region
Cons
- Lacks time tracking features (only monitors leave accruals)
- Only integrates with BambooHR, as of this writing
- Has a fixed payroll cut-off date (every 10th of the month)
Plans & Pricing
- Hire Employees: Starts at $400 per employee monthly
- Includes EOR services, multi-country and multi-currency payroll, onboarding, expense and leave management, benefits administration, and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) management tools
- Pay Freelancers: $40 per worker monthly
- Instant contracts with multi-currency and crypto payments
- Run Global Payroll: Call for a quote
- Includes multi-country payroll, benefits and ESOP administration, expense management, and multi-currency payments
- Immigration: Call for a quote
- Visa support in more than 140 countries
What We Like
Out of all the providers on our list of best international payroll software, Multiplier has the least expensive EOR package. For a monthly fee of $400 per employee, you can compliantly hire and pay international employees. The other providers in this guide have EOR services that cost anywhere from $599 to $699 per employee monthly. It also owns legal entities across Asia, making it a great choice for recruiting and paying employees in APAC.
Its generally transparent pricing, efficient payroll tools, reporting functionalities, and HR solutions contributed to its high scores. However, limited integration options and the low number of average user reviews on third-party review sites (like G2 and Capterra) cost it some points.
Multiplier’s main dashboard provides easy access to hiring, onboarding, and user management tools. (Source: Multiplier)
Key Features
- Cryptocurrency contractor payments: Similar to Deel and Remote, Multiplier can handle crypto payments if your workers chose this currency.
- Instant employment contracts: Multiplier claims that it can quickly generate online employment contracts that are multilingual and regionally compliant. You simply have to provide the new hire’s basic information (such as full name, email address, job title, and compensation details), and its system will create an online contract for you. You can also upload your own contract format into its platform or have the Multiplier team create a custom one for you.
- Laptop and IT asset management: Managing company-assigned laptops and IT accessories can be challenging, especially for companies with a distributed global workforce. Multiplier can help take the stress away from handling all that with its onboarding solution that lets you issue laptops directly from its platform. This is similar to Rippling and Deel’s device management tools that enable you to provide IT assets to overseas employees.
Methodology: How We Evaluated the Best International Payroll Services
We started our research by comparing 14 reputable payroll providers for criteria such as transparency in pricing, PEO services, HR support, customer support, and payment options. After thoroughly exploring each provider’s offerings, we scored and ranked the services to narrow our list to the six best global payroll providers.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria:
25%
Payroll Features
20%
Pricing
15%
HR Features
15%
Ease of Use
10%
Reporting
10%
Expert Review
5%
Popularity
25% of Overall Score
20% of Overall Score
We highly favored providers that showed straightforward pricing with multiple plan options. In addition to each software’s per-employee pricing, we checked if any required setup fees. We also gave more points to providers that offer a separate plan for contractor payments.
15% of Overall Score
The best global payroll service includes essential HR features, such as onboarding, self-service portals, and benefits. We favored companies that offered tools to help with legal compliance issues. We also considered PEO services and benefit and deduction assistance.
15% of Overall Score
We considered providers that offer setup assistance and a dedicated account manager to their clients. We gave more points to those with online platforms that are intuitive and easy to use. We also looked for live phone support, how-to guides, and data export options.
10% of Overall Score
In addition to the number of payroll reports, we considered whether they are customizable or if you could create special reports for your specific need.
10% of Overall Score
Sometimes, a service can check all the boxes but not be the best fit for a small business. The expert review is our opinion on how well a service meets SMB needs for payroll and HR, including its general value for the dollar.
5% of Overall Score
We took the average review ratings from third-party sites like G2 and Capterra, which are also based on a 5-star scale. Any option with an average of 4+ stars is ideal. We also favored software with 1,000+ reviews on any third-party site.
*Percentages of overall score
How to Choose the Best International Payroll Providers
In choosing the right payroll solution to handle your international pay processing needs, consider the following factors:
- Size of your workforce: Aside from your current headcount, consider your company’s growth plans. Do you plan to add more workers in the near future? Will those be employees or contractors? Knowing the answer to these questions will help you gauge whether a payroll provider can handle your growing global pay processing needs.
- Location and number of countries where your business operates: Check whether the countries where your business is located are covered by the provider’s international payroll services. Don’t forget your growth plans. Look for providers who can handle payroll in countries where you plan to expand business operations.
- Your budget: Once you’ve identified your headcount and location, calculate whether the provider’s monthly fees meet your budget. If you have a large team, consider international payroll companies that offer volume discounts.
- HR and payroll features: Take stock of the functionalities that your business needs. Ask yourself questions—such as which part of the international payroll process do you find most challenging, and can the provider help you with that? Do you require integration options so you can connect the provider’s platform with the software that you use (like accounting systems)?
- Support services: Check whether the global payroll service includes access to compliance experts, in-country payroll professionals, 24/7 assistance, and dedicated support. Also, ask the provider if they offer system setup and data migration assistance. This will help save you time from doing all the initial setup yourself.
Global Payroll Services Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A global payroll service helps you manage pay processing functions for all of your business locations across the world. It ensures that you pay international workers (either employees or contractors) correctly and on time, while keeping you compliant with country tax and labor laws. Its services also involve calculating the applicable wages and deductions, remitting payroll tax payments, generating and filing tax forms, and providing pay slips to employees.
Just as with finding and hiring workers in the US, you need to decide what types of employees to get for your business locations. Besides that, you will also need to consider the local employment laws of countries where you’re planning on hiring.
When it comes to paying distributed teams, it’s important to understand the method of payment, labor laws and tax regulations, and operational considerations you must comply with. This will prevent you from facing penalties and fines because of worker misclassification (e.g., you hired independent contractors, but if you direct their work, they are considered employees).
If you choose to hire international employees to manage day-to-day operations, you can control their work schedules, oversee how the work is completed, and even implement performance management measures.
On the other hand, when working with foreign independent contractors to complete specific projects, you are not legally allowed to direct how and when contract workers can do the job—they can set deadlines and define the output of the project. Note, however, that the definition of a contractor can vary in different countries. We recommend you consult with hiring and compliance experts to avoid potential worker misclassification issues.
Bottom Line
The best international payroll services can help businesses that are expanding their workforce by keeping companies out of legal trouble and ensuring that local tax and employment laws are followed. If needed, they will also provide PEO, EOR, and outsourced HR services locally.
If you are looking to expand your business beyond the US, consider partnering with Papaya Global. It is affordable, offers an EOR solution, and has solid payroll services. In addition to providing local tax filing assistance and compliance support, it can help you manage and administer benefits plans for your global workforce.
