Deel at $599 and RemoFirst at $199: what the $400 a month is buying
Summary
Two companies sell the same nominal thing, employing one person on your behalf in a country where you have no entity, and one charges three times the other. Either the cheaper one leaves something out or the more expensive one adds something. Here is what the two pricing pages and help centers actually say, and where they go quiet.
$4,800 a year, and heavier the lower the salary
Twelve months of Deel is $7,188; twelve months of RemoFirst is $2,388. Because both fees are flat, the share they take of a salary rises as the salary falls. Running the numbers through this site's US formula:
| US salary | Statutory employer cost | Deel fee, year | Share of salary | RemoFirst fee, year | Share of salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $2,337 | $7,188 | 24.0% | $2,388 | 8.0% |
| $90,000 | $6,927 | $7,188 | 8.0% | $2,388 | 2.7% |
| $180,000 | $13,812 | $7,188 | 4.0% | $2,388 | 1.3% |
On the $30,000 row Deel's fee is more than three times the statutory cost. On the $180,000 row both fees are smaller than the statutory cost. Who you are hiring changes the answer before either provider does.
The word before $199
RemoFirst's page says "Starts at $199" and adds that the fee "may vary based on local country requirements." This site records that as a starting price, not a list price, after a re-read on 2026-09-28. Deel's $599 is a list price; its FAQ says every cost is "included in your quoted price."
So $199 is a floor that rises in some countries, by an amount the page does not give. When you ask for a quote, name the country and ask first whether it is a $199 country.
Who signs the employment contract
Deel announced owned entities in more than 100 countries in a September 2025 blog post and now mentions 150+ on its hiring-guide index; its pricing page says "130+ countries," a different count again. RemoFirst's pricing page says 185+ countries and, on the same page, explains that it delivers through vetted in-country partners.
A partner model is not a lesser model. It does mean the company signing your employee's contract is a local firm rather than RemoFirst, and that who you deal with when something goes wrong changes by country. It is also how Hire with Columbus can resell RemoFirst's infrastructure at $179.
One deposit is documented, one is not
Deel's help center specifies its deposit: one to one and a half months of all monthly charges as standard, more if probation is removed or notice is extended.
RemoFirst's page promises "no setup, onboarding, or termination fees" and "no minimum contract terms or number of employees," and says nothing about a deposit either way. This site tried to check its knowledge base and could not open it on 2026-10-01 (HTTP 403). Third-party reviews mention one month's salary; that is not a primary source, so no figure appears here. It goes on the list of things to have written into the quote.
Leaving
Deel says month to month, cancel any time. Its master service agreement also asks for 30 days' notice to Deel before a termination, after which the local notice period runs, and its Work Order Form gives Deel exclusivity as your employer of record. If you intend to use a cheaper provider in some countries and Deel in others, that clause speaks first.
RemoFirst's page says "no termination fees." Whether it asks for notice before an offboarding, and whether it has an exclusivity clause, cannot be read off the page.
What the $400 buys, and what is still unknown
On the published record, Deel's extra $400 covers employment through Deel's own entity in many countries, a list price rather than a starting one, and deposit and exit rules spelled out in public. RemoFirst's $199 covers employment through a local partner, a starting price, and a promise of no fees around the edges.
The deposit amount and the exit notice at RemoFirst are the two things this site could not confirm. Ask for both in writing. If the quote comes back without them, that silence is itself a data point.
| Deel | RemoFirst | |
|---|---|---|
| Published EOR fee | $599, list price | From $199, starting price, varies by country |
| One employee, 12 months | $7,188 | $2,388 |
| Employing entity | Owned entities in 100+ countries (Deel's figure) | Vetted in-country partners |
| Deposit | From 1 to 1.5 months of all charges | Not stated on the page; unconfirmed |
| Setup or termination fees | Not stated | None |
| Minimum term | Month to month | None |
| Checked | 2026-10-01 | 2026-10-01 |
| Provider site | See Deel EOR pricing | See RemoFirst EOR pricing |
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Sources
- https://www.remofirst.com/price
- https://www.deel.com/pricing
- https://help.letsdeel.com/hc/en-gb/articles/15574494993297-About-EOR-Deposit-Calculations
- https://help.letsdeel.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4407745339281-EOR-Terms-Explained-WOF-IPP-and-more
- https://www.deel.com/blog/deels-owned-infrastructure-and-entities-are-now-available-in-over-100-countries/
- Employer cost of hiring in United States, on this site
- Method, on this site
Related on this site
- What does Deel's EOR cost once you look past the $599?
- Who actually employs your hire when you sign up with Hire with Columbus at $179 a month?
- Who employs your hire in a country where the EOR has no entity of its own?
- RemoFirst's $199: what the page promises, what it leaves open, and who signs the contract
Related on this site
- Deel or Remote for one hire: $599 against $699, and the deposit that decides it
- Remote and Oyster both charge $699. The year's bill is still different
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the providers named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Page last updated 2026-10-02. Sources are listed per figure and labeled statutory or payroll reference. Rates last verified 2026-08-21. This is not legal, tax or payroll advice and we do not file anyone's payroll.
Every formula on this site is written out in full on Method. Ordering is by computed cost, never by what a provider pays us.
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