Papaya Global and Multiplier both list $499. Which $499 is actually $499?
Summary
Summary
Multiplier's, with conditions. Its $499 is a monthly list price, and the annual price, $459, is on the page too. Under the card sit two lines without amounts, "compliance mandated add-ons" and "implementation fee as applicable," and about 11% of its countries are priced differently. Papaya's $499 is a "starting from" price, and this site read the same page from $650 two weeks before. Both take deposits; Multiplier publishes how it sizes one and when it refunds it, Papaya publishes nothing. $499 is really $499 only at Multiplier, only when the implementation fee is zero and your country is not among the 11%.
The two $499s, page against page
| Multiplier, Core | Papaya Global | |
|---|---|---|
| What $499 is | List price, monthly | Starting price |
| Annual | $459, 8% off, stated on the page | Not stated; "volume discounts at the time of sale when appropriate" |
| Caveats | Add-ons and implementation fee, unpriced; about 11% of countries adjusted | Varies by country and headcount, range not stated |
| This site's previous reading | Same $499 (only the contractor price was corrected) | The figure was $650 on 2026-08-21 |
| Contractors | $49 ($40 annual); contractor of record $400 | $5; contractor of record $199 |
| Checked | 2026-09-06 | 2026-09-06 |
Papaya's move from $650 to $499 sits in this site's change log as "changed or misread," because no copy of the page exists between the two readings and the question cannot be settled. A re-read of both pages was attempted on 2026-10-01; both refused the request (HTTP 403).
One deposit has a formula
Multiplier: an interest-free, refundable deposit sized on employment costs, service fees and notice periods, refunded within 60 days of the employee's last working day. Its terms add a penalty of 15% of the final invoice if the client breaches the termination process.
Papaya's page does not mention a deposit. Third-party reviews put it at two months' salary; without a primary source this site does not carry the figure.
The year, both ways
| Multiplier monthly | Multiplier annual | Papaya at $499 | Papaya from $650 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One employee, 12 months | $5,988 | $5,508 | $5,988 | $7,800 |
| US $90,000 hire, with statutory cost | $102,915 | $102,435 | $102,915 | $104,727 |
The $1,812 between Papaya's two columns is nearly four times Multiplier's $480 annual discount. Whether the quote comes back at $499 or from $650 decides the comparison.
What makes $499 real
Multiplier: no implementation fee charged, zero compliance add-ons, and a hiring country outside the 11%. Get all three in the quote and $499 is the number on the invoice.
Papaya: a quote at $499, with the deposit amount and refund terms written in. Without that, $499 is a figure that was on a web page.
The same number produces three questions for one provider and two for the other. Multiplier asks more of you, but because it publishes the basis for each line, "none, zero, not adjusted" is an answer you can reasonably expect. Papaya's silence makes no answer more likely than another.
See Papaya Global EOR pricing See Multiplier EOR pricing
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Sources
- https://www.usemultiplier.com/pricing (as read 2026-09-06 and 2026-09-29))
- https://www.usemultiplier.com/legal/eor-terms
- https://help.usemultiplier.com/en/articles/7958203
- https://www.papayaglobal.com/pricing/ (as read 2026-08-21 and 2026-09-06))
- https://seatbill.com/employer-of-record/changes
Related on this site
- Papaya Global's EOR price: from $650 in August to $499 in September
- What does Multiplier's EOR cost, and what do you get for the extra $60 on Growth?
- Multiplier against Deel
- Is the price on an EOR pricing page the price you'll actually pay?
Related on this site
- G-P and Deel both say $599. Why isn't that the same price?
- Skuad and RemoFirst both start at $199. What tells them apart?
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the providers named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Page last updated 2026-10-05. 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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