Best EOR Providers for Hiring Internationally Without Setting Up Local Entities

You've found a software engineer overseas who looks perfect for your team. They've passed the technical assessment, interviewed with the engineering manager, and agreed on compensation. Now you have a problem - your company doesn't have a legal entity in their country.

For businesses recruiting internationally, this situation raises questions that rarely come up during the interview process. Who signs the employment contract? How will payroll taxes be calculated? What benefits does local employment law require?

An employer of record can take care of the legal employment side of hiring abroad. The company still manages the person's work, but the EOR signs the employment contract and handles local payroll and other employment obligations.

There are plenty of EOR providers to choose from, and the differences aren't always obvious from their websites. We've looked at five options, including what they offer, who they're suited to, and what they charge.

Best EOR providers at a glance

These are published platform rates, not the total cost of employing someone internationally. Salaries, employer taxes, statutory contributions, and benefits vary by country. Providers may also offer negotiated rates depending on the agreement.

1. G-P (Globalization Partners)

Best for companies hiring and managing employees across multiple countries

Hiring one employee overseas is manageable with the right local employment arrangement, but the process becomes complicated when a company expands into several markets. Coordinating different payroll systems, employment requirements, and HR processes becomes a bigger operational challenge.

Globalization Partners offers global employment services through its Employer of Record platform, enabling companies to hire, onboard, and manage employees in more than 180 countries without establishing their own local entities.

The platform brings employment administration into one environment, including locally compliant contracts, onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also provides HR system integrations, reporting capabilities, and access to local employment expertise.

One of its distinguishing features is the approach to combining automation with employment compliance. G-P's platform includes a Global Compliance Engine for identifying potential legal risks during employment workflows, while G-P Assist provides AI-supported guidance and reporting.

For a technology business expanding the engineering team across several countries, having these processes connected matters. HR can monitor international employees centrally, while local employment arrangements still reflect the requirements of each market.

G-P also supports businesses whose international operations are changing, which includes companies moving employees from existing entities to EOR arrangements or reorganizing their employment structure during expansion.

Pricing: G-P EOR starts at $599 per employee per month. The company also offers volume pricing for larger international teams.

Companies evaluating G-P should request a country-specific employment cost breakdown, including statutory employer contributions and benefits, before making a final comparison.

2. Deel

Best for businesses that want international employment and HR administration in one platform

Deel offers EOR services for companies hiring employees in countries where they don't operate their own legal entities. The platform combines international employment administration with broader HR and payroll functionality.

EOR service covers employment contracts, onboarding, payroll processing, tax administration, and benefits. Deel advertises EOR coverage across more than 130 countries and operates its own employment infrastructure in many markets. This approach suits businesses that want to manage international employees through a common system while maintaining visibility over employment records and payments.

Consider a growing SaaS company with an engineering team based in the United States and new employees joining from Europe. The hiring managers remain responsible for technical work and team performance, while the EOR handles the local employment administration.

Deel's broader platform may also appeal to companies that already use its HR products. Keeping employment records within the same environment can reduce the number of disconnected administrative processes.

Pricing: Deel EOR starts at $599 per employee per month.

Before committing, employers should confirm how employment is delivered in each target country, which services are included in the quoted fee, and how additional local employment expenses are calculated.

3. Remote

Best for companies that prefer an owned-entity employment model

Remote provides employer-of-record services through its own legal entities in supported countries. The company emphasizes direct control over its local employment infrastructure, alongside support from employment and HR specialists.

They manage employment contracts, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and related HR administration.

The owned-entity model is an important distinction for employers who want clarity around the organization legally employing their international staff.

For example, a software company hiring a product manager in France would still direct that person's work and manage their responsibilities. Remote would handle the employment arrangement through its applicable local entity, subject to French employment requirements.

Remote also provides country-specific information that employers can use when evaluating employment costs and local requirements before making an offer.

Pricing: Standard EOR price is $699 per employee per month, although commercial agreements may include different terms or discounts.

Companies should confirm that Remote supports their intended country and employment arrangement, particularly when hiring in markets with more specialized requirements.

4. Oyster

Best for distributed companies focused on employee benefits and ongoing support

Hiring employees internationally introduces differences in local benefits, leave policies, and employment expectations. A compensation package that works well in one country doesn’t mean it doesn’t require changes in the other country.

Oyster provides EOR services for companies employing staff abroad without setting up local entities. Its platform supports international onboarding, payroll, employment administration, and localized benefits.

The company places considerable emphasis on the employee experience, with access to local specialists and support for benefits arrangements across different markets, which makes Oyster relevant for remote-first organizations that want to build consistent internal processes while accommodating country-specific employment requirements.

An engineering team might operate under one company-wide leave policy, for instance, while employees in individual countries remain entitled to different statutory benefits, so the employer must account for those local requirements when designing the overall package.

Oyster provides employment guidance and tools for evaluating international employment costs, which can support those decisions before a new hire joins.

Pricing: Oyster EOR starts at $699 per employee per month.

Companies comparing Oyster with other providers should examine the benefits included in each proposed arrangement and establish which costs are additional to the advertised platform fee.

5. RemoFirst

Best for startups and smaller businesses looking for affordable international employment

For a startup hiring its first employee overseas, the recurring cost of an EOR service can influence whether international recruitment is financially practical. A business employing one engineer abroad may have a very different budget from a company managing dozens of international employees.

RemoFirst provides employer-of-record services across more than 185 countries, allowing businesses to employ international workers without establishing local entities. Its platform covers employment contracts, onboarding, payroll administration, and benefits, with support for country-specific employment requirements.

The company emphasizes affordable pricing and flexible arrangements. It doesn't require annual contracts or a minimum number of employees, which makes it a great option for businesses that want to begin with a single international hire.

An early-stage company recruiting a worker in another country could use RemoFirst to arrange employment while keeping its initial platform expenses relatively low. Then, when the business expands, additional employees can be managed through the same service.

Pricing: RemoFirst EOR starts at $199 per employee per month. The actual fee may vary by country, and employers still need to account for salaries, statutory contributions, and benefits.

Before choosing RemoFirst primarily on price, businesses should confirm the employment arrangement available in their target country and request a complete cost breakdown. The lowest advertised platform fee doesn't necessarily mean the lowest total employment cost.

Finding international talent before arranging employment

An employer of record handles the employment arrangement, but businesses still need to find and evaluate the people they want to hire.

Recruiting in unfamiliar markets can be challenging. A company may know exactly which technical skills it needs but have little experience evaluating local candidates or understanding salary expectations.

International recruitment providers address that earlier stage by sourcing, screening, and shortlisting suitable candidates. Businesses looking to hire international talent can use these services to find vetted remote professionals in regions such as Latin America, Southeast Asia, and South Africa.

Once a candidate has been selected, the next step is determining the appropriate employment arrangement. If an EOR is required, businesses should confirm which organization will legally employ the worker, what local employment requirements apply, and how ongoing administration will be handled.

What to compare before choosing an EOR

The right EOR provider depends on where you're hiring, how much support you need, and the total cost of employment. Before making a decision, focus on a few important details:

Employment responsibilities

Confirm which organization will legally employ the worker and handle local employment requirements. Some providers use their own legal entities, while others work with local partners. For technology roles, also check how employment contracts address intellectual property ownership and confidentiality.

Total employment costs

The advertised monthly EOR fee doesn't include everything. Employer taxes, mandatory benefits, and other local expenses can significantly increase the total. Request a country-specific breakdown to compare providers using realistic figures.

Country coverage and local support

Check that the provider supports your target country and employment arrangement. Ask about local expertise, payroll support, and how changes to employment contracts are handled. If you eventually establish your own entity, find out whether the provider can support transferring employees to direct employment.

Choosing the right provider for your next international hire

The strongest EOR option for a business depends on where it intends to hire and how it plans to manage those employees over time.

A company making a first overseas hire may place considerable value on straightforward onboarding and responsive local guidance, while an organization already operating across several markets may care more about consolidated reporting and employment administration.

Before choosing a provider, request a realistic cost estimate and review the proposed legal employment arrangement. Confirm the support available in the employee's country and understand what happens when employment terms change.

One final consideration is how the company expects its international workforce to develop. If a small overseas engineering team could eventually become a permanent local office, the initial EOR agreement should leave a workable path for that transition.

That conversation is far easier to have before signing the first employment contract than after several employees have joined.