Best Global Payroll Software Today: EOR Pricing and Providers Compared
Global payroll and EOR (Employer of Record) software lets a company legally employ and pay people in countries where it has no registered entity, using the provider’s own local infrastructure instead. For Indian companies hiring remote talent abroad, or global companies wanting to hire in India without setting up a local entity, this is what actually makes it possible without months of legal setup.
How Global Payroll Software Actually Works
Hiring across borders runs into the same problems every time: local tax withholding, statutory benefits that vary by country, employment contracts that have to match local labour law, and the sheer cost of setting up a legal entity just to hire one or two people somewhere new.
There’s an important distinction most buyers miss early on. A pure global payroll platform pays people correctly in multiple countries but doesn’t take on the employment relationship itself, you’re still the legal employer everywhere. An EOR (Employer of Record) or PEO (Professional Employer Organization) goes further: the provider becomes the legal employer on paper, handling local compliance, tax filings, and statutory benefits, while the worker still reports to you day-to-day. Almost every major provider today offers both, but the pricing and what you’re actually buying differ a lot between the two, so it’s worth knowing which one a quote is for.
Comparing the Major Providers
| Provider | Countries | EOR Starting Price | Contractor Pricing | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | 130+ | $599/employee/month | $49/contractor/month | Fast hiring, broad feature set, no long-term contracts |
| Papaya Global | 160+ | $650 to $770/employee/month | $25 to $30/contractor/month | Enterprise-grade payroll analytics and reporting depth |
| Oyster HR | 120+ | $699/employee/month | $29/contractor/month (free first 30 days) | Startups, plus discounted pricing for nonprofits and B-corps |
| Multiplier | 150+ | $400/employee/month | $40/contractor/month | Cost-conscious mid-market hiring |
| Payoneer Workforce Management (formerly Skuad) | 160+ | From $199/employee/month | From $19/contractor/month | Lower entry price point, backed by Payoneer’s payments network |
Pricing above is list price for the core EOR or contractor product as published by each vendor; actual cost usually includes FX spread on payments and, for some providers, per-country implementation fees on top. Confirm both directly with the vendor before comparing quotes.
Deel
Founded in 2019, Deel has grown into one of the broadest platforms in the category, covering EOR, contractor management, a US PEO option, and even talent sourcing under one roof.
Strengths: Month-to-month pricing with no long-term contract requirement, transparent published pricing that most competitors don’t offer, and a genuinely wide feature set beyond pure payroll.
Consider: At $599/employee/month for EOR, it’s not the cheapest option if cost is the primary driver and you don’t need the extra platform features.
Papaya Global
Founded in 2016, Papaya was one of the earlier movers in this space and is generally positioned toward larger, more complex organizations that need deep payroll analytics across many entities.
Strengths: Strong reporting and workforce intelligence dashboards, coverage in 160+ countries, and a payroll-plus option for companies that already have local entities but want centralized processing.
Consider: The highest EOR pricing in this comparison, and per-country implementation fees that aren’t publicly disclosed upfront, worth asking about explicitly before signing.
Oyster HR
Founded in 2020, Oyster has positioned itself around ease of use and support quality rather than being the cheapest or broadest option.
Strengths: No setup, onboarding, or offboarding fees on top of the subscription, a free 30-day contractor trial, and meaningful discounted pricing for nonprofits, B-corps, and companies hiring refugees.
Consider: Narrower country coverage than Papaya or Multiplier, and EOR pricing sits at the higher end of this group.
Multiplier
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Singapore, Multiplier has built a strong presence across Asia specifically, including India, alongside its broader 150-plus-country coverage.
Strengths: The lowest EOR starting price among the established providers here, no setup or offboarding fees, and solid regional depth in Asia-Pacific markets.
Consider: Less brand recognition globally than Deel or Papaya, worth verifying references for the specific countries you’re hiring in.
Payoneer Workforce Management (formerly Skuad)
Skuad was acquired by Payoneer in 2024 and now operates as Payoneer Workforce Management, worth knowing if you come across the older name in a comparison elsewhere, since it’s the same underlying platform under a new name and backed by Payoneer’s existing payments infrastructure.
Strengths: The lowest published entry pricing in this comparison, and integration with Payoneer’s payment rails, useful if you already use Payoneer for other cross-border payments.
Consider: As the newest rebrand in the group, it’s worth confirming current service continuity and support quality directly, since a recent acquisition can mean a transition period.
EOR, PEO, or Just Global Payroll: Which Do You Need?
If you’re hiring one or two people in a new country and don’t plan to build a large team there, EOR is almost always the right call, since setting up your own entity for a handful of hires rarely makes financial sense. If you’re already hiring at meaningful scale in a country and have or plan to have a legal entity there, pure global payroll processing is usually cheaper than paying ongoing EOR fees per employee. PEO specifically applies to co-employment arrangements, most relevant for US hiring, where the distinction between EOR and PEO carries specific legal meaning.
What This Actually Costs
The published per-employee price is the start, not the end, of the real cost. FX spread on cross-border payments adds a real percentage on top of every payroll run. Several providers, Papaya in particular, charge separate implementation fees per country you add, which aren’t always published upfront, budget in the thousands of dollars per new country if you’re expanding into several markets at once. Ask directly what a fully loaded monthly cost looks like for your specific headcount and countries before comparing two vendors’ headline prices against each other.
Considerations for Indian Companies
For an Indian company hiring internationally, using an EOR doesn’t remove your obligations at home. The EOR handles compliance in the country where the new hire is based, but your own entity in India still has its normal statutory obligations, PF, ESI, and TDS, for your India-based employees, entirely separate from the international EOR arrangement. Don’t assume signing up for global EOR software changes anything about domestic payroll compliance; the two run in parallel, not as one system, unless the specific platform explicitly offers India payroll as part of its service.
For global companies looking to hire in India through an EOR, this is usually the fastest route to a compliant India hire without setting up a wholly owned subsidiary, though for teams beyond a handful of people, setting up an Indian entity and using our payroll software guide to evaluate domestic options directly often becomes more cost-effective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is global payroll software?
A: Global payroll software manages paying employees and contractors across multiple countries from one system, handling currency conversion, local tax compliance, and centralized reporting. Some providers add Employer of Record services, becoming the legal employer in countries where the client has no entity.
Q: What’s the difference between EOR and global payroll software?
A: Global payroll software pays people correctly across countries, but the hiring company remains the legal employer everywhere. An Employer of Record (EOR) becomes the legal employer on paper in each country, handling local compliance and statutory benefits, while the worker still reports to the hiring company day-to-day.
Q: Which is the cheapest global payroll or EOR provider?
A: Among established providers, Multiplier and Payoneer Workforce Management (formerly Skuad) currently publish the lowest EOR starting prices, though the fully loaded cost depends on FX spread, per-country fees, and the specific features included at each tier.
Q: Does using an EOR affect our India payroll compliance?
A: No. An EOR only handles compliance in the country where your new international hire is based. Your India entity’s own PF, ESI, and TDS obligations for India-based employees continue separately and aren’t affected by an international EOR arrangement.
Q: When should a company use EOR instead of setting up its own entity?
A: EOR makes sense when hiring a small number of people in a new country, since entity setup and ongoing compliance rarely justify the cost for one or two hires. Once headcount in a country grows large enough, setting up a local entity and using standard payroll processing usually becomes cheaper than ongoing per-employee EOR fees.
Q: Are there hidden costs with global payroll or EOR providers?
A: Often, yes. FX spread on cross-border payments and per-country implementation fees, which some providers don’t disclose upfront, can add meaningfully to the published per-employee price. Ask for a fully loaded monthly estimate before comparing vendors.
Q: What happened to Skuad?
A: Skuad was acquired by Payoneer in 2024 and now operates as Payoneer Workforce Management. It’s the same underlying platform under a new name, backed by Payoneer’s existing payments infrastructure.
Q: Can an EOR help a global company hire employees in India?
A: Yes, this is one of the most common use cases, letting a foreign company hire in India compliantly without setting up a subsidiary. For hiring beyond a handful of people, setting up an Indian entity and using domestic payroll software directly often becomes more cost-effective than ongoing EOR fees.
For domestic India payroll specifically, rather than the international EOR use case covered here, our broader HR software comparisons cover the leading local options.
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