Alternatives to Remote: who charges less than $699 and what you give up
Summary
Remote is one of the two most expensive providers in this site's table, so a search for a Remote alternative almost always starts from the price. Paying less is easy: eleven providers publish a fee under $699. The harder part is that Remote's page states three things in plain words, no deposit in normal cases, owned entities only, twelve billing currencies, and most cheaper pages state none of them.
What Remote puts in writing
- Reserve payments only "in rare, high risk circumstances"; no extra deposits for leave above the minimum, removed probation, incentive plans or severance accruals
- Entities owned and operated by Remote, "no handoffs to third-parties"
- Twelve billing currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, SGD, CHF, JPY, SEK, NOK, DKK), with payslip currencies converted at the Remote FX Rate
- No setup, platform or onboarding fees, no minimum headcount
- The $599 annual figure lives in an Order Form, where a missed minimum becomes a true-up invoice
Eleven providers under $699
| Provider | Published fee | One person, 12 months | Against Remote, per year | Which of 1 to 3 the page states | Checked | Provider site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native Teams | $99, starting | $1,188 | $7,200 less | none | 2026-09-28 | See Native Teams EOR pricing |
| RemoFirst | $199, starting | $2,388 | $6,000 less | partners, the opposite of 2 | 2026-09-28 | See RemoFirst EOR pricing |
| Skuad | $199, starting | $2,388 | $6,000 less | none | 2026-09-06 | See Skuad EOR pricing |
| Horizons (RemotePeople) | $199, list, Flex | $2,388 | $6,000 less | EOR Plus ($399, annual, five or more) states no deposit | 2026-09-06 | See Horizons EOR pricing |
| Velocity Global (Pebl) | $399, starting | $4,788 | $3,600 less | none | 2026-09-06 | See Velocity Global EOR pricing |
| Playroll | $399, starting | $4,788 | $3,600 less | deposit of about one month, the opposite of 1 | 2026-09-06 | See Playroll EOR pricing |
| Multiplier | $499 list, $459 annual | $5,988 | $2,400 less | deposit sized on notice; a "network of owned entities," not all | 2026-09-06 | See Multiplier EOR pricing |
| Papaya Global | $499, starting | $5,988 | $2,400 less | none | 2026-09-06 | See Papaya Global EOR pricing |
| Deel | $599, list | $7,188 | $1,200 less | deposit from 1 to 1.5 months; owned entities in 100+ countries | 2026-09-06 | See Deel EOR pricing |
| Globalization Partners (G-P) | $599, starting | $7,188 | $1,200 less | none | 2026-09-06 | See Globalization Partners (G-P) EOR pricing |
| Atlas | $599, starting, plus country rate | $7,188 | $1,200 less | none | 2026-09-28 | See Atlas EOR pricing |
Oyster charges the same $699 and always takes a deposit first; Rippling publishes nothing. Neither is a cheaper alternative, so neither is in the table.
Reading it
If you want to keep "no deposit," the only cheaper provider that says so on its page is Horizons' EOR Plus, and only on an annual contract for five or more people. Everyone else either takes one or does not say. For the ones that do not say, have the quote say.
If you want to keep owned entities, no cheaper provider states it the way Remote does. Deel publishes a large count of owned entities, but it is a country-by-country check. RemoFirst states the opposite.
If you want to keep twelve currencies, no other page in the table offers billing in yen. Oyster bills in four currencies; the rest do not say. For a Japanese company that wants to pay in yen, this condition comes before the fee.
What gets cheaper and what does not
Moving from Remote to RemoFirst cuts the fee by $6,000 a year. For a $90,000 hire in the United States, the year goes from $105,315 to $99,315, a 5.7% difference.
The $6,927 of statutory employer cost in that total stays where it is. In Germany it is €12,780; in France, €21,371 on a €60,000 salary. A Remote alternative lowers the fee line, and how much of the year's total that line is depends on the salary and the country, not on the provider.
Links on this page currently go directly to providers without affiliate tracking.
Sources
- https://remote.com/pricing
- https://support.remote.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407227685005-What-conversion-rates-are-used-when-invoicing
- https://support.remote.com/hc/en-us/articles/47842035392909-What-is-a-true-up-invoice-and-when-will-you-receive-one
- EOR pricing per employee, by published price, on this site (14 pricing pages, check dates per row)
- https://www.oysterhr.com/pricing
- https://www.deel.com/pricing
- https://www.usemultiplier.com/pricing
- https://www.playroll.com/pricing/employer-of-record
- https://remotepeople.com/pricing/
- https://www.remofirst.com/price
Related on this site
- Can you pay Remote less than $699 a month, and what's the catch?
- 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
- If your overseas employee is paid in local currency, who absorbs the exchange-rate swings?
Related on this site
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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