Cheapest Employer of Record in 2026: 7 EOR Services Compared

Hiring someone overseas gets expensive fast, and not just because of salary.

If you're using an Employer of Record (EOR), there's also a monthly service fee on top — and depending on who you pick, that fee alone can differ by tens of thousands of dollars a year once you're hiring a handful of people.

We pulled the publicly listed prices from seven EOR providers. Hire with Columbus came in lowest at $179 per employee per month, with RemoFirst right behind it at $199.

That doesn't mean either one is the cheapest option in every country you might be hiring in — once local taxes, statutory contributions, benefits, exchange rates, deposits, and optional services get added, the math changes. But the advertised service fee is still a reasonable starting point for narrowing your options.

EOR Pricing at a Glance

Provider	Published EOR Fee	1 Employee / Year	5 Employees / Year
Hire with Columbus	From $179/month	From $2,148	From $10,740
RemoFirst	From $199/month	From $2,388	From $11,940
Rivermate	$319–$639/month	From $3,828	From $19,140
Papaya Global	From $499/month	From $5,988	From $29,940
Deel	$599/month	$7,188	$35,940
Remote	$699/month or $599/month paid annually	$8,388 monthly / $7,188 annual	$41,940 monthly / $35,940 annual
Oyster	From $699/month	From $8,388	From $41,940

These annual numbers are just the advertised EOR fee multiplied out. Salary, employer taxes, mandatory contributions, benefits, and country-specific charges aren't in there.

Which EOR Is Actually the Cheapest

Going strictly by advertised starting fees, Hire with Columbus wins at $179 per employee per month — about $2,148 a year for one employee, or $10,740 a year for five.

RemoFirst is only $20 more per employee per month, so the gap between the two cheapest providers barely matters in practice.

When comparing the lowest advertised monthly fees, the gap can become significant as a team grows. Five employees at $179 per month costs $10,740 a year in base EOR fees. At $599 per employee per month, the same team costs $35,940 a year. At $699 per employee per month, it rises to $41,940. These figures compare advertised management fees only, before salary, taxes, benefits, and other country-specific costs.

To be clear, these differences are based on advertised management fees only. Your actual invoice may change depending on the country, benefits, statutory costs, exchange rates, deposits, and contract terms. Once you're hiring more than one or two people internationally, the payment structure and full country-specific quote matter more than the headline monthly fee.

1. Hire with Columbus — from $179/employee/month

Columbus has the lowest advertised starting price in this group. It says it supports employment in 185+ countries, and — worth knowing — it runs on RemoFirst's EOR infrastructure rather than building its own from scratch. Columbus is upfront about this on its own site: lower overhead on their end is passed on as a lower price for you.

That arrangement is part of why the price is low, but it's also worth a second thought if entity ownership, direct local control, or accountability in a sensitive market matters to your hire. For a straightforward, low-risk hire, it's less of a concern.

Treat $179 as a starting point, not a guaranteed number — the country and specific requirements will move it.

Who it fits: companies mainly shopping on price, comfortable requesting a country-specific quote before committing.

2. RemoFirst — from $199/employee/month

Just above Columbus, and only by $20 a month per employee — small enough that price probably shouldn't be the deciding factor between the two.

RemoFirst also markets some flexibility around employee minimums and contract length, which might matter more to a small company making its first international hire than shaving off another $20.

Who it fits: startups and small teams wanting a low entry price without locking into a large international headcount.

3. Rivermate — $319–$639/employee/month

Rivermate is the odd one out here because it publishes a range instead of a flat number. Country, headcount, project type, and whether the hire is local or expatriate all affect where in that range you land.

So the lowest number on their site isn't the number you should plan around. If Rivermate's on your list, get a quote for the actual country you're hiring in and see where it falls in the range before comparing it to fixed-price competitors.

4. Papaya Global — from $499/employee/month

This is where the price jumps meaningfully — more than double RemoFirst's starting rate.

That's not automatically bad value. Papaya's pitch is a broader global workforce platform, and if payroll, workforce management, integrations, or reporting matter more to you than the lowest possible EOR fee, the extra cost might be justified. But if your question is purely "who employs this person for the least money," Papaya isn't near the top.

5. Deel — $599/employee/month

Deel is probably the best-known name on this list, but it's not one of the cheaper ones. $599/month works out to $7,188 per employee a year, or $35,940 a year for five people — before salary or anything else.

Most companies looking at Deel are weighing more than price; its broader HR and workforce tooling is usually the draw. If cost is your main concern, though, there are cheaper starting points.

6. Remote — $699/month, or $599/month paid annually

Remote’s standard month-to-month EOR price is $699 per employee per month. If you choose annual pricing, the advertised monthly equivalent drops to $599. That works out to $8,388 per employee per year on the monthly plan, or $7,188 per employee per year at the annual rate. For a team of five, the comparable base EOR fees are $41,940 and $35,940 a year.

Remote also offers other commercial arrangements through Order Forms, which may include committed terms or negotiated discounts. So if you’re hiring several people, it’s worth requesting a quote rather than assuming the public monthly rate will be your final price. 

7. Oyster — from $699/employee/month

Oyster’s published EOR price starts at $699 per employee per month. Its pricing page also notes that annual discounts are available, so the final rate may be lower depending on the agreement.

Same logic as the other higher-priced providers applies: the extra cost only makes sense if the country coverage, employee experience, or support is worth paying for. On headline price alone, Oyster isn't the first name that comes up.

The Cheapest EOR Isn't Always the Cheapest Way to Employ Someone

Here's where these comparisons tend to mislead people: a $199/month provider isn't necessarily cheaper in the end than one charging $499. It depends what's included.

Before signing anything, get a quote that spells out:

• EOR management fee
• Employer taxes
• Statutory contributions
• Mandatory benefits
• Optional benefits
• Currency conversion or FX charges
• Security deposits
• Setup fees
• Onboarding costs
• Termination or offboarding fees
• Visa or immigration costs
• Minimum employee requirements
• Contract length

Then line the quotes up next to each other. A headline price gets a provider onto your shortlist — a full quote tells you what you'll actually pay.

What We'd Look At First

If you're hiring one or two people internationally, start with Columbus and RemoFirst. The $20 gap between them is small enough that country coverage, contract flexibility, and support probably matter more than the price difference.

Rivermate is worth a look next, especially if its country-specific quote lands toward the bottom of its published range.

Deel, Remote, Oyster, and Papaya start making more sense once platform features, integrations, or scale are things you're willing to pay extra for.

How We Calculate the Numbers

We keep the EOR management fee separate from the total cost of employing someone. For the annual figures in this piece, the math is just:

Monthly EOR fee × number of employees × 12

A $199 monthly fee for five employees, for instance, comes to $199 × 5 × 12 = $11,940.

That's fine for comparing base fees, but it isn't an employment quote — your actual cost depends on the employee's country, salary, benefits, taxes, and the specific contract.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an Employer of Record cost? Among the providers we checked, advertised monthly fees run from about $179 to $699 per employee per month, with some providers offering lower effective monthly rates on annual plans. The full cost of employment is higher once you add salary, taxes, benefits, and statutory contributions.

What's the cheapest EOR? Based on published starting prices, Hire with Columbus is lowest at $179/employee/month, with RemoFirst close behind at $199.

Is the cheapest EOR always the best choice? Not necessarily. Price matters, but so does compliance support, payroll reliability, country coverage, contract terms, and whatever isn't in the advertised fee.

Does the EOR fee include salary? No — it's the provider's management or service charge. Salary and statutory employment costs come on top.

Should I compare EORs by monthly price alone? Use it to narrow your shortlist, then request full quotes for the same employee, salary, and country so you're actually comparing like with like.

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Pricing checked: August 12, 2026

EOR prices and contract terms can change. Always verify current pricing directly with the provider before signing an agreement.