The 5 Best Global Payroll Solutions for 2024

4.13

Best overall

185

Papaya Global

4.06

Best for international compliance

$25

160

Deel

4.04

Best for scalability

$29

150

Oyster HR

3.73

Best for global contractor management

$25

180*

Remote

3.64

Best for new international employers

$29

*Oyster’s EOR service is available in 180 countries, but its global payroll service for direct hires is in beta and only supports 24 countries as of 10/14/2024.

Rippling: Best overall global payroll software

Overall score

4.13/5

User reviews

4.77/5

Pricing

2.63/5

Support

3.13/5

Platform

4.74/5

HRIS

4.44/5

Reporting

5.00/5

Global payroll

4.29/5

Pros

Payroll support in more than 185 countries.
Expansive built-in reporting tools.
Easy-to-navigate employee portal where employees can access pay stubs, time tracking, and more.
Support for global HR processes like benefits administration and performance management.
More than 500 third-party integration options.

Cons

Newer to the global payroll market compared to many of the other vendors on this list.
No true pricing transparency.
Advanced reporting capabilities may be confusing for non-technical users.

Why I chose Rippling

Rippling earned the highest score on our rating system, largely due to its well designed platform and expansive feature options. Additionally, the platform offers some of the most comprehensive and customizable reporting and analytics tools out of the software options I reviewed.

Rippling’s support options are also impressive. Rippling offers 24/7 chat support for EOR customers and email support for payroll customers with quick response times. If a tech problem arises or you need help processing payroll, you won’t want to wait hours for the support in another time zone to log on, especially if you’re approaching a timesheet or payroll processing deadline where a delay could impact employee payments.

Rippling is a well-rounded HR software solution that has recently expanded its global reach and capabilities. Its global payroll services include an intuitive payroll platform, tax filing, payroll compliance, benefits deductions, and advanced reporting. Employers can pay global workers through Ripling’s global EOR service, contractor management platform, or through local entities with its payroll service.

One important thing to keep in mind with Rippling is that the vendor is a bit newer to the global payroll software industry than many of the other providers on this list. During our last round of global payroll software reviews, the company only provided support in around 50 countries but has now expanded to more than 185.

The more recent expansion of the service may be a concern for employers who prefer working with a provider with many years of experience in global payroll. Though Rippling has been around since 2016 offering HR, EOR, and domestic payroll services. However, the platform also benefits from this freshness as it genuinely feels like a platform built for managing global payroll and HR in the 2020s, as opposed to legacy software that has undergone modernization attempts.

Compared to other vendors I reviewed, Rippling offers stronger global benefits support and more well-rounded HR support for processes such as performance management and recruiting. The platform’s automation features also support greater efficiency for onboarding, payroll approvals, and other common HR and payroll tasks.

Reporting and analytics

Rippling earned a perfect 5 in the reporting and analytics rating thanks to its expansive and highly customizable reporting tools. Rippling offers the three main reporting tools I look for; customizable reports, country-specific payroll templates, and global labor cost reporting. I also liked how well the platform displayed these reports.

On the reports screen, it’s very easy to adjust the chart style, data period, and data columns. Keeping a close eye on your labor costs and payments can get more complicated as you expand globally and need to track several teams and payments made in different currencies, so good reporting tools are key for international businesses.

Customizations and integrations

Rippling offers a high level of customization within its platform thanks to its extensive integration marketplace. The integrations enhance your user experience by providing a unified app experience while using tools such as Zoom or Google Drive. You can also customize your setting in Rippling to trigger automatic workflows across apps like automating a Slack message when a help desk ticket comes in. You can even use these integrations to further enhance your reporting by pulling in third party data from integrated apps.

Global contractor payments

Rippling supports contractor management and payments in more than 185 countries and more than 50 currencies. Like Oyster, my top pick for managing global contractors, Rippling offers an easy-to-navigate and efficient contractor onboarding and payment processes. Compliance tools such as identity verification are also built-in to the onboarding process. Though one thing to note is that Rippling supports significantly fewer currencies than Oyster HR.

The invoice submission process and approval workflows are quite intuitive and only take 5-10 minutes. The payment turnaround time after approval is fairly quick. Funds should arrive in the contractor’s account in 2-4 days after payment is approved.

Rippling’s home dashboard with modules available to support a variety of HR functions.

A compensation report within the Rippling payroll platform with line charts displayed and a summary of compensation broken down by month and department.

A payroll report generated in Rippling featuring a circular graph breaking down the payments made by the department.

Rippling offers custom price quotes based on your organization’s needs. Pricing starts at $8 PEPM. Due to the lack of price transparency, Rippling scored a 2.63 in pricing, which was its lowest score in any category. Most of the other global payroll providers that I reviewed, including Papaya Global, Remote, and Oyster HR, offer publicly available pricing tiers.

One other pricing issue to keep in mind is that you’ll need to buy a Ripping Platform subscription first (previously Rippling Unity), then subscribe to an add-on for global payroll. This does make Rippling a potentially more expensive option for businesses expanding internationally.

Papaya Global: Best for international compliance

Overall score

4.13/5

User reviews

4.06/5

Pricing

3.04/5

Support

4.19/5

Platform

3.74/5

HRIS

4.44/5

Reporting

3.25/5

Global payroll

4.65/5

Pros

Offers an employee mobile app.
Provides compliance experts to review contracts and classifications.
Clear pricing structure, with discounts for larger businesses.

Cons

Service hours are limited in certain time zones.
The user interface has a steeper learning curve, particularly for advanced features like reporting.
Integration options are a bit limited compared to competitors.

Why I chose Papaya Global

Papaya Global has a wide network of compliance and legal experts to help with payroll, benefits, immigration, etc. Compliance is also built-in to the company’s tech platform with an AI compliance tool and advanced data security. As you go through processes like payroll or timekeeping, compliance alerts will pop up if there are any potential concerns. The compliance alerts provide very clear information and are built into the interface well compared to other platforms I reviewed.

Employee misclassification is one of the most common compliance mistakes, so I also appreciate how thorough Papaya Global is in that area. All employment contracts and employee classification are verified by local experts and Papaya Global’s legal department.

Papaya Global is a global payroll solution that offers well-rounded support to employers in over 160 countries. Papaya Global offers an Employer of Record option as well as a global payroll platform so that you can choose which model works best for your company’s needs. Both solutions have strict data security and strong compliance tools.

Papaya Global’s platform and services are built for global payroll and HR, rather than global capabilities being an add-on or secondary service. Papaya Global offers well-rounded support options with a global team of experts and support staff. Customers have access to a dedicated customer success manager, 24/7 chat support, employee-facing support, legal expertise, and access to designated country experts.

Another standout feature is Papaya Global’s mobile app, which provides a simple platform where employees can easily check pay stubs or time cards. Rippling, my top overall pick, also has a mobile app and Deel just launched one in August 2024, so mobile accessibility is quickly becoming a more common feature. However, I found Papaya Global’s app to be more user-friendly and intuitive.The reporting and analytics features were also well rounded, making it easy for employers to access HR and payroll data.

AI payment validation and compliance

Papaya Global earned a 4.65 out of 5 on global payroll features, and part of the reason it scored so high is its enhanced transaction security and compliance. Papaya Global’s platform includes a unique AI-powered validation and compliance engine for an extra layer of compliance verification. Utilizing these AI-based tools, Papaya Global screens and verifies each transaction while making global payments.

Time tracking

Papaya Global offers a time tracking tool with built-in compliance alerts and tracking. This feature is configured to flag compliance concerns like breaks and overtime for over 160 countries. This is really helpful as understanding these requirements is complex even between different US states and even more challenging when you expand globally and need to manage remote payroll in multiple countries.

Employees can clock in and out on the mobile app or on the desktop platform. Payroll and time-tracking go hand in hand, so including these features simplifies the timecard and approval process for employees and managers.

A dashboard in Papaya Global displaying the recent contractor invoices and their payment status.

A dashboard in Papaya Global with details on the ongoing global projects and current employees.

An analytics dashboard in Papaya Global featuring numerous charts and graphs showcasing payroll datta.

Papaya Global earned a 4.19 on pricing for its transparent pricing tiers and reasonably priced services. You can sign up for the EOR service for $599 per month or the contractor management plan for $30 per month.

The Papaya Global Payroll Plus service has three tiers based on your business size. There is also a per-transaction option that starts at $2.50 per transaction. Papaya Global’s base pricing is competitive compared to the other services I reviewed, and the discounted pricing structure based on size is something none of the other vendors on the list offer.

Plan

Number of Employees

Entities Included

Starting Price

Grow Global

101-500

$25

Scale Global

501-1,000

$20

Enterprise

1,000+

$15

Deel: Best for scalability

Overall score

4.04/5

User reviews

4.09/5

Pricing

3.81/5

Support

4.13/5

Platform

3.93/5

HRIS

4.44/5

Reporting

4.13/5

Global payroll

3.94/5

Pros

24/7 live chat support.
Wide range of features available to support all HR processes.
Able to support both small businesses and enterprises.
Quick onboarding process for businesses and new hires.
Can run payroll in over 150 countries.

Cons

Contractor management pricing is a bit higher than competitors.
Offers fewer pre-built report templates than the other platforms I reviewed.

Why I chose Deel

Deel is able to support businesses of all sizes from start-ups to enterprises. The company offers support for setting up local entities, handling mergers, and other international growth opportunities.

The ability to add optional capabilities like engagement and performance management is also great for scalability. After using Deel’s core HR and payroll tools to expand internationally, you can shift to focus on employee retention and development without needing to switch platforms. Other helpful add–ons from Deel include immigration and remote IT management.

Rippling, my top overall pick, is the only other vendor on this list that offers solid tools for learning management, performance tracking, and employee engagement. However, Deel offers many of these tools for free, while Rippling requires a base subscription and global add-ons to manage all of these processes for international teams.

Note: Deel released its new mobile app for Android and iOS in August 2024 after I completed my initial software evaluation. As such, Deel will retain its original score until I can thoroughly review the app’s capabilities. Stay tuned!

Out of the competitors reviewed here, Deel is one of the more well rounded options. Pairing the free HRIS with the paid global payroll service will give you solid PTO tracking, document management, onboarding, and other essential functions.

Perhaps more importantly, Deel’s platform is highly intuitive and customizable. During testing, I found that it was very easy to customize the payroll dashboard to adjust the widgets displayed, and the payroll workflow was easy to work through without a significant learning curve.

If remote device management is part of your employee onboarding, you’ll be happy to learn that Deel recently acquired Holy for expanded IT and equipment management. This added capability will help you keep up with the complex administrative demands that come with expanding your international workforce. The performance management and engagement add-on is also excellent for large and growing businesses.

HRIS

Deel offers its HRIS product for free as a standalone product that you can bundle with global payroll and other add-ons. The HRIS has compliance tools built-in to handle things like international minimum wage and break requirements and a clear activity tracking log.

It’s fairly rare to see global payroll and HR software providers offer a free trial, let alone a fully free service. As such, this is a really great tool for small businesses that don’t have the budget for both a payroll platform and an HRIS software subscription. However, that doesn’t mean that you’ll outgrow the platform as you scale.

The free HRIS offers well rounded features including time off requests and attendance tracking, analytics dashboards, document management, and an employee directory. The platform also has an open API and tons of pre-built integrations to choose from, so you can build it out further as you scale your business and your needs expand.

Immigration

As you scale your international business, you may need to move employees between locations and sponsor visas. Deel offers Immigration expertise in more than 40 countries for visas and immigration processing. There is an immigration case tracker built into the platform to easily track status and to-do items for immigration matters. This is a feature that many competitors do not offer, though Papaya Global’s platform does include a similar display

In my testing, I found Deel’s immigration tools particularly easy to navigate and appreciated how clearly the case tracker displayed key information. There is also a pre-hire assessment tool that shows potential costs and eligibility issues when hiring or relocating employees globally.

A webpage labeled “Apps & Integrations” showcasing Deel’s integration options.

The Deel immigration case tracker dashboard displaying the employees with pending immigration cases and their current status.

A list of report options displayed as cards on a dashboard. Report options include detailed payment report and invoice summary.

A web page welcoming the user and displaying their recent pay stubs within the Deel payroll system’s employee self-service portal.

Deel’s EOR and payroll services are about average for each market, and the contractor management package is slightly above average in cost. However, the HR package is free and offers well-rounded HRIS, compliance, time-tracking, and process automation tools, so the overall value of the service is still very good.

Contractor management: $49 per contractor per month
EOR: $599 PEPM
Global payroll: $29 PEPM
US payroll: $19 PEPM
US PEO: $79 PEPM
Deel engage: $20 PEPM
Deel HR: Free
Immigration: Custom pricing

Oyster HR: Best for managing global contractors

Overall score

3.73/5

User reviews

2.72/5

Pricing

4.13/5

Support

2.25/5

Platform

3.63/5

HRIS

4.19/5

Reporting

3.69/5

Global payroll

4.10/5

Pros

Quick contractor onboarding process.
Uses a transparent pricing model.
Supports contractor payments 180+ countries and 120+ currencies.

Cons

Mixed reviews on customer support.
The benefits administration tools have room for improvement.

Why I chose Oyster HR

Through the testing and review process, I found Oyster HR’s contractor onboarding and payment workflows to be very quick and intuitive. Onboarding a new contractor can be done in minutes and there is expert support available to help you onboard compliantly. The Oyster HR system and experts can help employers craft compliant contractor agreements for international contractors.

Oyster HR’s service overall is excellent on the technology side, but right now its contractor management tools are better developed than its payroll offerings. The global contractor tools are also free to use for 30 days, so you can try the platform out for yourself before you commit to paying for the service.

Oyster HR offers a wide range of options for hiring and paying workers. If you don’t need full-time staff, the contractor management capabilities are well-rounded, including contract compliance help and streamlined invoice management. Meanwhile, the EOR service provides support for hiring, onboarding, benefits administration, payroll, and other essential employer functions.

Contractor management is available in 180+ countries, and EOR payroll is available in 130+ countries, but its standalone payroll services for direct hires are limited — only 24 countries right now. Oyster is actively expanding direct payroll to more countries, so it’s quickly becoming more competitive in this area. For now, though, Oyster HR’s offerings are stronger in the contractor management area.

The platform itself and its payroll workflows are easy-to-use and feel very modern. During our last global payroll software roundup, Oyster HR hadn’t introduced payroll as a standalone option yet, so it’s a very new service and is currently in beta right now.

Contractor onboarding

Oyster HR can help you generate compliant contractor paperwork and set up new hires compliantly. It is an incredibly intuitive process from both the employer and employee side.

There is an employee classification tool to help prevent misclassifications and an identity verification tool to make sure your new contractor is who they say they are. One unique offering is the contractor conversion capabilities which allow you to easily transition contractors to direct employees. That is a feature that I did not see offered by other global payroll vendors.

Contractor payments

With Oyster HR, you can pay contractors in more than 180 countries and 140 different local currencies. Oyster HR’s contractor payment approval workflow is very seamless and automated. Throughout my testing, I found it very easy to work through. One added tool that I enjoyed is the expense tracking and reimbursement feature.

The ending screen of Oyster HR’s employee classification tool with a red box indicating that there is a high risk of misclassification based on the answers provided.

Oyster HR’s benefits advisor tool with a drop down menu to select the desired country and benefit approach.

A dashboard showing different software integrations available in Oyster HR including Xero and QuickBooks.

Oyster HR earned a 4.13 rating for pricing. Its services are competitively priced and align with the costs of other top providers in the market. At $25 PEPM, it is tied with Papaya Global for the cheapest provider on my list (not counting Rippling which does not openly publish its pricing).

Plan

Features

Cost

Contractor

Hire and pay global contractors.

$29 PEPM

Global Payroll

Pay direct employees across the globe

$25 PEPM

Employer of Record

Hire, pay, and manage full-time staff as the employer of record

Not sold on Oyster yet? See our full roundup: Top Contractor Payroll Solutions

Remote: Best for new international employers

Overall score

3.64/5

User reviews

4.06/5

Pricing

2.94/5

Support

3.00/5

Platform

4.18/5

HRIS

3.75/5

Reporting

4.56/5

Global payroll

3.36/5

Pros

Great global benefits options for EOR clients.
Very efficient onboarding process.
Global expansion planning tools and training available.
Dashboard is easy to customize.

Cons

Remote’s payroll service is more costly than many competitors I reviewed.
Benefits are not available for contractors.
Supports fewer countries than most others on this list.

Why I chose Remote

Remote provides global expansion planning support with hands-on guidance for new international employers that may need added assistance. Businesses can get help with anticipating the costs to hire employees in a new region. Remote provides training to help employers develop global recruitment plans, learn about global contractor management, and more.

The company offers 24/7 live chat support, which is very helpful for those that are new to global payroll and may run into more questions. Remote also provides global hiring guides that provide an overview of key information and compliance concerns for each of the countries that it supports.

Remote offers a card-based dashboard that is easy to customize and navigate. It’s more intuitive than legacy platforms like ADP, and the overall simplicity is ideal for new global employers. The integration ecosystem and API also provide a lot of opportunities to customize and expand the platform to meet your needs as your international business grows.

Payroll runs are organized by country and you can set different payroll schedules for each country. There is also an in-platform communication tool where you can comment on items and ask payroll experts questions — a handy safety net to have on standby as you’re navigating payments in a new country or territory.

Automated onboarding

Getting new hires or new contractors set up in the system is quick and easy with Remote’s automated onboarding workflow. This streamlines the process and provides a better onboarding experience for your new hires.

The platform also has a built-in classification tool for contractors and employees. This is an excellent resource for new international businesses as determining proper employee classifications can be complicated, especially when you’re new to a region and don’t have a lot of experience navigating local classification requirements. Papaya Global, my top choice for compliance, also offers misclassification tools, but Remote’s tool is very user friendly and may be easier to use for someone new to global onboarding and payroll.

Employer of Record

Remote’s EOR service is great for new international employers looking to get up and running, as its Remote Watchtower feature provides clear, actionable advice and compliance alerts to guide you through complex international employment aws as you expand to new countries. The platform also includes a compensation explorer tool to help you understand what to pay new employees in different regions, which is helpful when you’re newly expanding and not familiar with the market yet.

EOR clients also have great global benefits options that aren’t included in the contractor or standard payroll tiers. You can choose from a range of localized benefits, including health insurance, pension and 401(K) plans, disability and life insurance, dental insurance, and sick leave. There is also a mental health benefit that functions kind of like an employee assistance program — employees get access to self-guided mental health resources, 24/7 personalized support, and access to therapists and coaching. Offering benefits is a great way to attract top talent when you’re first diving into global hiring and need to build a strong foundation.

The home dashboard of Remote with a welcome message at the top and numerous widgets detailing upcoming events, employee data, and tasks,

The remote payment details dashboard with a breakdown of recent payments

A page from Remote’s onboarding workflow prompting the employer to provide the new hire’s name and information.

Remote’s contractor and EOR services are in line with what I saw from other global payroll companies. The payroll service is notably pricier though, as most companies charge about $20 less than Remote. Remote offers the following services and pricing tiers:

Employer of record: $599 PEPM, paid annually.
Contractor management: $29 per contractor, per month.
Contractor management plus: $99 per contractor, per month.
Global payroll: $29 PEPM

Remote also offers a 30-day free trial for its contractor management plan, which is not something that many global payroll providers offer.