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Deel Alternatives in 2026: 10 EOR and Payroll Providers, Every Price Dated

Deel's EOR is $599 an employee a month. Here are 10 alternatives, from Skuad at $199 to Playroll and Pebl at $399, with contractor fees and deposits dated.

By Engineer Foodie Desk ✓ Sources checked Oct 20, 2026

9 min read

Prices checked Oct 15, 2026 on each provider’s official pricing page (Remote and Oyster deposit rules checked Oct 19, 2026; Rippling and Multiplier rechecked Oct 20, 2026). Every page is linked under Sources. This page has no affiliate links (how we work).

Deel’s EOR costs $599 per employee a month. That’s the number your finance person circled in red. Good news: on list price, five of the ten providers below start lower. Less good news: the cheapest sticker isn’t always the cheapest bill, because deposits, country pricing and annual-only rates do quiet work.

We haven’t run payroll through any of these platforms; everything below comes from their own pricing pages, measured against Deel’s list prices.

TL;DR: the best Deel alternative by situation

  • Cheapest EOR on paper: Skuad, now Payoneer Workforce Management, from $199 per employee a month, $400 under Deel. Get your country’s quote.
  • Mid-price EOR: Playroll and Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) both list $399. Playroll wants a refundable deposit of one month’s salary.
  • Contractors only: Papaya Global lists contractor management from $5, Skuad from $19, and Remote and Oyster at $29. Deel charges $49.
  • US payroll plus HR in one tool: Rippling, from $8 per employee a month plus an unpublished base fee. EOR is quote-only.
  • Pre-seed to Series A startup: Remote’s startup offer is 15% off EOR and Contractor Management for 12 months; Oyster’s says “save up to $1,200 on EOR subscription fees”.
  • Lots of countries: G-P lists 180+ countries from $599. Same price, wider map.

For the whole field on its own terms, see our best employer of record guide. This page starts from Deel.

What Deel costs

From Deel’s pricing page, checked Oct 15, 2026:

  • EOR: $599 per employee a month, in “130+ countries”.
  • Contractors: $49 a month; Contractor of Record (COR): $325.
  • Global Payroll: $29 per employee a month.
  • Terms: month-to-month, cancel anytime, per Deel’s FAQ.

Deel’s US PEO shows $125 on one card and $110 (Starter) or $120 (Pro) on another tab of the same page, so we report both. The full menu is in our Deel pricing breakdown. That month-to-month line is why switching is even on the table.

Deel alternatives compared

USD per person per month, checked Oct 15, 2026 unless marked. “vs Deel EOR” is the plain dollar difference from Deel’s $599 list price.

ProviderEOR fromContractorsvs Deel EORSource
Deel (baseline)$599$49; COR $325n/adeel.com
Skuad / Payoneer$199AOR $99; CMS $19$400 lesspayoneer.com
Playroll$399From $35$200 lessplayroll.com
Pebl$399Not published$200 lesshellopebl.com
Multiplier$499 monthly; $459 annual (Oct 20)$40 annual; COR $400 (Oct 20)$100 less ($140 annual)usemultiplier.com
Papaya Global$499From $5; COR from $199$100 lesspapayaglobal.com
Remote$599$29; Plus $99; COR $325Sameremote.com
G-P$599From $39SameG-P site
Atlas HXM$599 (NGO $399)AOR $199Same (NGO $200 less)atlashxm.com
Oyster$699$29 (30 days free)$100 moreoysterhr.com
RipplingQuote onlyQuote onlyn/arippling.com

Multiplier’s monthly prices ($499 Core) were visible on Oct 15, 2026; on Oct 20, 2026 only the billed-annually figures showed. Atlas’s $399 is for eligible NGOs and nonprofits.

The 10 Deel alternatives

Remote

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR from $599 in 90+ countries, no setup fee. Contractor Management $29 (Plus $99), COR $325, Global Payroll $29, US PEO $99 (remote.com/pricing). vs Deel: Same EOR start, $20 less per contractor, and US PEO under both of Deel’s figures. Startup offer: 15% off EOR and Contractor Management for 12 months, pre-seed to Series A. The catch: “From $599” is a floor. See Deel vs Remote and Remote pricing.

Oyster

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR $699 (“Annual discounts available”, no percentage printed). Contractors $29 after 30 days free (oysterhr.com/pricing). vs Deel: $100 more on EOR, $20 less per contractor. Refundable deposit (see below). The catch: The only provider here pricier than Deel on EOR. See Oyster pricing.

Rippling

Price: “Rippling plans start at $8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee” (rechecked Oct 20, 2026). The base fee amount isn’t published. EOR, contractor, global payroll and PEO prices are quote-only: “Tell us what services you need, and we’ll send you a custom quote” (rippling.com/pricing, Oct 15, 2026). Startup offer: six months free for eligible US VC-backed startups. The catch: You learn the price after the sales call. See Rippling vs Deel.

Multiplier

Price: EOR Core $459 and Growth $519 a month billed annually (Oct 20, 2026); monthly showed $499 and $559 on Oct 15, 2026. Contractors $40, COR $400, payroll from $20, all billed annually (Oct 20, 2026) (usemultiplier.com/pricing). vs Deel: $100 less on monthly Core, $140 less on annual. COR is $75 more. The catch: The best numbers need an annual commitment; Deel’s don’t. The live site is usemultiplier.com (multiplier.com was down on Oct 15, 2026).

Papaya Global

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR from $499 per employee a month. COR from $199, contractor management from $5, payroll from $29 per employee (papayaglobal.com/pricing). vs Deel: $100 less on EOR, $126 less on COR. The catch: Every number is a “from”. Ask what the $5 tier includes.

Pebl (formerly Velocity Global)

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR $399 per employee a month (hellopebl.com/eor-pricing). velocityglobal.com now redirects to hellopebl.com. vs Deel: $200 less on EOR. The catch: No published contractor or payroll prices.

G-P

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR from $599 in 180+ countries. Contractors from $39 a month, lower above 10 contractors (globalization-partners.com/pricing). vs Deel: Same EOR start, $10 less per contractor, 180+ countries against 130+. You’d switch for coverage, not price.

Playroll

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR from $399 per employee a month, “No Minimum Commitments”. Contractor management from $35 a month (the page doesn’t say “per contractor”) (playroll.com/pricing). vs Deel: $200 less on EOR. The catch: No onboarding or offboarding fees, but “a fully refundable security deposit … equivalent to 1 month’s salary.” Month one costs a lot more than $399.

Skuad (Payoneer Workforce Management)

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR from $199. AOR (contractors with classification support) from $99; contractor payments only (CMS) from $19 (payoneer.com/workforce-management; skuad.io shows the same). vs Deel: $400 less on EOR. $30 less on contractor payments. The catch: Payoneer’s own caveat: “Fees may change. Please check our current fee schedule.” This is the Moneyball pick, the undervalued player on paper. Billy Beane still checked the stats, so get the quote for your country.

Atlas HXM

Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): EOR from $599, with volume pricing for larger teams; eligible NGOs from $399. AOR $199 per contractor, monthly, cancel anytime (atlashxm.com/en/pricing). vs Deel: Same EOR start; $200 less for eligible nonprofits. The catch: For a regular company, it’s a tie. (Atlas’s page also lists competitors’ prices; we use each provider’s own page instead.)

Deposits and fees to check before you switch

The monthly fee is the headline. The deposit is the plot twist.

  • Oyster: a refundable deposit, normally one month of “Total Cost of Services” (monthly salary share, recurring bonuses and allowances, employer taxes or VAT, plus Oyster’s fee), sometimes more. Payment is due at Service Agreement signature (Oyster help center, Oct 19, 2026).
  • Playroll: a fully refundable security deposit equal to one month’s salary, per employee (Oct 15, 2026).
  • Remote: no standard deposit or deposit fee, but a possible refundable reserve, confirmed during onboarding if it applies (Oct 19, 2026). Remote for Startups says “No deposit or setup fees”.
  • Everyone else: no published deposit rule in our notes. Ask in writing before you sign.

Everybody screenshots $599 vs $199. Nobody screenshots the one-month-of-salary deposit. The cheaper fee still wins eventually, but your bank balance in month one will disagree.

How to switch EOR without breaking payroll

Switching EOR is the Indiana Jones idol swap: replace the gold idol with the bag of sand before the temple notices. This checklist isn’t legal advice; run anything contract-shaped past your own counsel.

  1. Read your Deel terms. Deel’s FAQ says plans are month-to-month and you can cancel anytime. A signed PEO order form is the exception: leave early and you pay list price for the whole order.
  2. Get a country quote, not a “from” price. Ask the new provider for the full monthly cost in your hire’s country, including employer taxes and benefits.
  3. Ask about the deposit before you sign. Amount, when it’s due, and how and when it comes back.
  4. Pick a cut-over date tied to a payroll cycle. Ask both providers which payroll run will be the last on Deel and the first on the new provider, so nobody misses a payday or gets paid twice.
  5. Ask the new provider what your employee has to do. New paperwork, bank details, benefits enrolment, and the dates for each.
  6. Tell your team early. Nobody wants a surprise on payday.
  7. Only paying contractors? Our guide on how to pay international contractors covers the options.

Here’s what I’d do

With one or two employees at $599 each, get three quotes for your exact country: Skuad ($199 from), Playroll or Pebl ($399), and Papaya or Multiplier ($499). Then take them to Deel and make it an offer it can’t refuse, Godfather-style: match, or lose you.

Mostly contractors? Deel’s $49 is the expensive end. Remote or Oyster at $29 is the easy move; Papaya from $5 or Skuad from $19 is worth a sales call.

Early stage? Ask Remote about its 15% startup offer first; it covers 12 months.

And if Deel’s quote is close to the rest, stay. Saving $100 a month isn’t worth a missed payday.

FAQ

What is the best Deel alternative? On list price, Skuad (Payoneer Workforce Management) has the lowest EOR start at $199 a month; for contractors, Remote and Oyster are $29 against Deel’s $49 (Oct 15, 2026).

Is there a cheaper alternative to Deel? Yes: Skuad ($199), Playroll and Pebl ($399), and Papaya Global and Multiplier monthly ($499) all list EOR below Deel’s $599 (Oct 15, 2026).

Deel vs Remote? Both start EOR at $599, but Remote lists contractors at $29 against Deel’s $49 and offers startups 15% off for 12 months; see our Deel vs Remote page.

Is Rippling cheaper than Deel? Rippling doesn’t publish EOR or global payroll prices, only “$8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee”, so you need a quote to compare.

Do EOR providers charge a deposit? Some do: Oyster usually asks for about one month of Total Cost of Services, Playroll one month’s salary, and Remote has no standard deposit but may ask for a refundable reserve.

Sources

  1. Deel pricing: https://www.deel.com/pricing/ (verified 2026-10-15)
  2. Remote pricing: https://remote.com/pricing (verified 2026-10-15; deposit and reserve wording verified 2026-10-19)
  3. Oyster pricing: https://www.oysterhr.com/pricing (verified 2026-10-15; deposit wording verified 2026-10-19)
  4. Oyster help center, deposit: https://support.oysterhr.com/hc/en-us/articles/34221683638289-Why-is-a-deposit-required (verified 2026-10-19)
  5. Rippling pricing: https://www.rippling.com/pricing (verified 2026-10-15; “$8 per employee” line verified 2026-10-20)
  6. Multiplier pricing: https://www.usemultiplier.com/pricing (monthly prices verified 2026-10-15; annual prices verified 2026-10-20)
  7. Papaya Global pricing: https://www.papayaglobal.com/pricing/ (verified 2026-10-15)
  8. Pebl EOR pricing: https://hellopebl.com/eor-pricing/ (verified 2026-10-15)
  9. G-P pricing: https://www.globalization-partners.com/pricing/ (verified 2026-10-15)
  10. Playroll pricing: https://www.playroll.com/pricing and https://www.playroll.com/pricing/contractor-management-software (verified 2026-10-15)
  11. Payoneer Workforce Management (Skuad): https://www.payoneer.com/workforce-management/ and https://www.skuad.io/pricing (verified 2026-10-15)
  12. Atlas HXM pricing: https://www.atlashxm.com/en/pricing (verified 2026-10-15)

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