If you’re reading this, you’re probably exploring expanding your global workforce or simplifying your international hiring process. You’ve heard about Employer of Record (EOR) services and are considering Remote and Remofirst as potential solutions for your business needs.
But you’re also probably uncertain about:
- How Remote and Remofirst compare in terms of features, pricing, and global reach
- Which platform offers better compliance management and risk mitigation across multiple countries
- The user experience and ease of implementation for each service
- Whether Remote or Remofirst is the right fit for your specific business size and industry
- The potential drawbacks or limitations of using either platform as your EOR
If that sounds familiar, this comprehensive comparison will provide the insights you need to make an informed decision. This detailed analysis could save you significant time in research and help you avoid potentially costly mistakes in your global expansion journey.
The key to choosing between Remote and Remofirst lies in understanding their unique strengths and how they align with your specific business needs:
TLDR: Extensive Features vs Cost Efficiency
- Remote: Unlock global growth with a robust payroll solution, and the tools and integrations you need to manage an international workforce. Start your Remote journey today
- Remofirst: Perfect for small businesses and startups looking for an easy and affordable way to hire internationally, and handle the essentials like payroll and compliance. Take a look at Remofirst’s offering
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Overview of Remote and Remofirst (the essentials you need to know)
- Key features and benefits of each platform (what sets them apart)
- Pricing structures and value propositions (is the investment worth it?)
- User experiences and platform interfaces (because ease of use matters)
- Security and compliance measures (crucial for global operations)
- Pros and cons of each service (the good, the bad, and the noteworthy)
- Recommendations for different business types (who should choose which)
By the end of this comparison, you’ll understand the strengths and limitations of both Remote and Remofirst, enabling you to choose the EOR solution that best fits your company’s global hiring needs and budget.
Remote
Country Coverage: 180+ Countries
G2 Rating: 4.6/5
EOR Pricing: $599 per employee/month
Contractor Pricing: $29 per contractor/month
RemoFirst
Country Coverage: 185+
G2 Rating: 4.5/5
EOR Pricing: $199 per employee/month
Contractor Pricing: $25 per contractor/month
Overview of Remote and Remofirst
Remote and Remofirst are leading Employer of Record (EOR) providers that help companies manage global payroll and remote employees by taking on legal employer responsibilities.
Overview of Remote
Remote offers a comprehensive solution for managing remote employees globally, with services available in over 180 countries. Their platform includes:
- Global payroll processing
- Compliance and risk management
- Employee benefits administration
- Integrations with popular HR platforms like BambooHR, Workday, and ADP
Company Information
Overview of Remofirst
Remofirst simplifies international hiring, operating in over 180 countries. Their services cover:
- Automated payroll management
- Benefits and perks administration
- Compliance support
- Integrations with systems like Gusto, Rippling, and QuickBooks
Company Information
| Feature | Remote | Remofirst |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Starting at $599/month for EOR, $29/month for contractors | Starting at $199/month for EOR |
| Coverage | 180+ countries | 180+ countries |
| Key Features | Payroll, compliance, benefits, risk management | Payroll, benefits, compliance, local expertise |
| Integrations | BambooHR, Workday, ADP | Gusto, Rippling, QuickBooks |
Key Features of Remote
Remote platform offers several key features designed to streamline international employment. Here’s a detailed look at what the service provides:
- Global employment solutions: Enables hiring in over 180 countries without establishing local entities, supporting rapid international expansion. The platform handles all employment documentation, contracts, and compliance requirements through their owned legal entities in each country.
- Owned entity model:Operates its own legal entities in each country rather than partnering with local providers. This approach gives them greater control over billing, employee experience, and data protection, resulting in stronger compliance management and IP protection.
- Transparent pricing: Offers flat-rate pricing starting at $599 per employee per month for annual plans, with no hidden fees or minimum commitments across all countries. The consistent pricing structure makes budgeting predictable for finance teams.
- Comprehensive HR services: Manages the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, payroll, benefits, and compliance with local regulations. Remote handles document collection, background checks, tax registration, and ongoing employment administration.
- Intellectual property protection: Provides Remote IP Guard to ensure strong intellectual property protections for clients across all jurisdictions. The system includes specialized IP clauses in all employment contracts, tailored to each country’s legal framework.
- User-Friendly platform: Features an intuitive interface for managing both employees and contractors globally with minimal training required. The onboarding workflow guides users through country-specific requirements without overwhelming them with complexity.
- Flexible benefits administration: Offers competitive, localized benefits packages with multiple tiers in most markets, including health insurance and pension plans. The system allows for some customization while ensuring compliance with local requirements.
- Global payroll solution: Recently introduced Remote Global Payroll for companies with existing entities, streamlining multi-country payroll management. The system handles tax calculations, deductions, and compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
- Compliance and security: Incorporates built-in compliance features like Remote Watchtower and adheres to global data protection regulations. The platform automatically handles tax filings, statutory requirements, and employment law compliance across all countries.
- Equity incentives support: Provides compliant equity incentives support, including withholding and reporting. This feature helps companies offer stock options and other equity compensation to international employees while maintaining compliance with local tax laws.
Key Features of Remofirst
RemoFirst platform offers several key features designed to streamline international employment. Here’s a detailed look at what the service provides:
- Global employment services: RemoFirst functions as the legal employer in 180+ countries, handling all the paperwork and compliance so companies don’t have to establish foreign entities. They generate compliant employment contracts, register employees with local authorities, and ensure adherence to local labor laws. RemoFirst maintains consistent pricing across all supported countries.
- Multi-Currency payroll processing: RemoFirst calculates and processes payroll in 100+ currencies, handling tax withholdings, social contributions, and mandatory deductions based on local requirements. The system supports monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly payment cycles, with monthly being the standard for most countries.
- Global contractor management: For $25 per contractor monthly, RemoFirst provides compliant contractor agreements, handles invoicing, and manages payments in local currencies. The contractor dashboard is separate from the employee section but follows a similar workflow.
- Benefits administration:RemoFirst’s RemoHealth program offers standardized health plans across all countries, with options to add dental and vision coverage. The platform also supports equipment provisioning, allowing companies to purchase and ship laptops and other tools to remote team members.
- Compliance management: The platform automatically handles tax filings, statutory requirements, and employment law compliance across all countries. This includes managing paid time off policies, parental leave, termination requirements, and other country-specific regulations.
- Time off management: Employees can request time off through the platform, with automatic calculations based on local entitlements. Managers receive notifications and can approve/deny requests directly in the system. The calendar view makes it easy to see team availability.
Benefits of Using Remote
The benefits of using Remote are:
- Extensive Global Coverage: Enables hiring in over 180 countries, facilitating rapid international expansion.
- Compliance Assurance: Minimizes legal risks with comprehensive management of local labor laws and regulations.
- IP Protection: Ensures robust safeguarding of company intellectual property across all jurisdictions.
- Time and Cost Efficiency: Streamlines global hiring and management processes, reducing administrative burdens.
- Scalability: Supports business growth with flexible solutions for both small teams and large enterprises.
- Transparent Pricing: Offers clear, upfront pricing without hidden fees or long-term commitments.
- Local Expertise: Provides access to in-country specialists for navigating complex employment issues.
- Simplified Global Operations: Centralizes management of international workforce in a single platform.
Benefits of Using Remofirst
The benefits of using RemoFirst are:
- Cost savings: Companies typically save 60-75% on international employment costs compared to premium EOR providers. A 10-person international team costs $1,990 monthly with RemoFirst versus $5,990 with other providers—saving nearly $48,000 annually.
- Reduced global expansion costs: Companies avoid the $15,000-$50,000 typically spent establishing each foreign entity, plus the ongoing compliance costs of maintaining those entities (approximately $20,000-$40,000 annually per country).
- Accelerated market entry: Rather than spending 3-6 months setting up legal entities, companies can hire talent in new countries within a week. This rapid deployment capability helps businesses respond quickly to market opportunities.
- Minimized compliance risk: Companies avoid potential penalties and legal issues through continuous monitoring of changing regulations across all countries. Employment law violations typically cost $10,000-$100,000 per incident, not including potential business disruption.
- Simplified global payroll: By automating payroll calculations and tax withholdings across multiple currencies, RemoFirst eliminates one of the most complex aspects of international employment. Companies save approximately 15-20 hours per pay period of manual calculation work.
- Operational flexibility: he pay-as-you-go model with no minimum commitments lets businesses scale their international workforce up or down as needed. This flexibility is particularly valuable for project-based businesses, seasonal operations, or companies testing new markets.
- Benefits Administration: Companies can offer comprehensive health benefits to employees worldwide through a single platform, enhancing recruitment competitiveness without the complexity of navigating multiple local providers.
Pricing and Plans
Remote and Remofirst offer comprehensive global employment solutions, including payroll processing, tax management, and benefits administration. However, their pricing structures differ significantly, catering to different market segments.
Remote Pricing
Remote’s pricing model is transparent and designed to accommodate businesses of various sizes, from startups to large enterprises:
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Employer of Record (EOR) Pricing | $599 per employee/month |
| Contractor Management Pricing | $29 per employee/month |
| Payroll Pricing | $29 per employee/month |
| Annual Discount | Available |
Remote’s higher pricing reflects its full-service approach, including features like its proprietary IP Guard and owned-entity model in all countries. It offers volume discounts for companies hiring multiple employees, and its annual plans come with additional savings. Remote also provides custom enterprise solutions for large-scale operations.
Remofirst Pricing
Remofirst positions itself as a more cost-effective solution, particularly appealing to startups and small to medium-sized businesses:
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Employer of Record (EOR) Pricing | $199 per employee/month |
| Contractor Management Pricing | $25 per employee/month |
| Annual Discount | Not available |
Remofirst’s competitive pricing doesn’t compromise on essential EOR services. It maintains a straightforward pricing model without hidden fees, making it easier for businesses to budget their global employment costs. While it doesn’t offer an annual discount, its monthly rates are significantly lower than many competitors’.
Pros and Cons of Remote
Pros
- Own-entity model in 180+ countries: Remote maintains its own legal entities rather than using third-party partners, giving them direct control over employment processes and compliance in every location they serve.
- Superior IP protection: Remote’s IP Guard feature provides stronger intellectual property safeguards than most competitors, with clear ownership documentation and protection mechanisms across all jurisdictions.
- Transparent flat-rate pricing: Remote charges $599 per employee monthly with no hidden fees, setup costs, or minimum commitments, making budgeting predictable for finance teams.
- Extensive HR service coverage: The platform handles everything from onboarding to offboarding, including benefits administration, global payroll, and compliance management through a single dashboard.
- Localized benefits packages: Remote offers competitive, country-specific benefits that help companies attract top talent globally while remaining compliant with local requirements.
- Recently launched global payroll solution: Companies with existing international entities can now use Remote’s payroll services separately, simplifying multi-country payroll management.
Cons
- Premium pricing structure: At $599 per employee monthly, Remote costs significantly more than budget-friendly alternatives like Remofirst ($199/month), making it expensive for smaller companies.
- Limited customization options: The platform’s standardized approach works well for most situations but offers less flexibility for companies with unique employment arrangements or non-standard benefits needs.
- Basic reporting capabilities: Remote’s analytics and reporting functions lack the depth found in some enterprise HR platforms, offering limited customization for complex workforce insights.
Pros and Cons of Remofirst
Pros
- Lowest EOR pricing available:RemoFirst charges just $199 per employee monthly, making it 60-75% cheaper than competitors like Deel ($599) and Remote ($599). This price difference makes global hiring accessible even for companies with tight budgets.
- Rapid employee onboarding: RemoFirst typically completes employee setup within 5-7 business days across all countries, compared to the 3-6 months needed to establish your own local entities. According to user reports, most employees are fully onboarded within a week.
- Comprehensive compliance handling: The platform manages all local employment regulations, tax filings, and statutory requirements in every country, eliminating compliance risks that typically cost companies $10,000+ in penalties per violation.
- Budget-friendly contractor management: Beyond EOR services, RemoFirst offers contractor payments and management for just $25 monthly per contractor, significantly undercutting Deel ($49) and most other providers by 40-50%.
- No hidden cost surprises: Unlike many competitors who charge different rates by country or add unexpected fees, RemoFirst maintains consistent global pricing with no setup fees, deposits, or minimum commitments. What you see is what you pay.
- Global benefits administration: Companies can provide employees standardized health insurance (including vision and dental) across all countries through the RemoHealth program, boosting recruitment competitiveness without navigating multiple local providers.
- Easy-to-learn interface: The platform has a clean, minimal design that requires little training for HR staff, with most users able to navigate core functions within their first session. This saves countless hours on tool adoption.
Cons
- Basic reporting capabilities: RemoFirst’s analytics tools lack the depth found in enterprise options like Rippling, offering only fundamental workforce data without customizable dashboards or visualization options. Companies need separate tools for advanced workforce analytics.
- Limited integration ecosystem: The platform supports fewer third-party integrations than established competitors, potentially creating manual work when connecting with popular HRIS, accounting, and payroll systems. Users report difficulties connecting with some project management software.
- Early-stage platform limitations: As a newer EOR provider founded in 2021, RemoFirst is still developing features that established competitors already offer, including multi-country payroll consolidation and advanced tax planning tools.
- Minimal country-specific customization: The platform offers limited localization options for employment contracts and policies, potentially creating challenges for companies with highly specialized regional requirements or those operating in highly regulated industries.
User Data Security and Compliance
Both Remote and Remofirst prioritize user data security and compliance:
| Feature | Remote | Remofirst |
|---|---|---|
| Data Encryption | Strong encryption methods | Utilizes encryption to protect user data |
| Regulatory Compliance | Complies with GDPR, CCPA | Adheres to GDPR and other regulations |
| Audits | Regular audits and certifications | Frequent audits and robust policies |
| Certifications | Wide range of certifications | Emphasis on internal policies |
Customer Reviews and Ratings
When comparing Remote and RemoFirst’s ratings across G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot, the following scores and review volumes provide insight into user satisfaction levels:
| Review Platform | Remote | RemoFirst |
|---|---|---|
| G2 | 4.6/5 (2068 reviews) | 4.5/5 (147 reviews) |
| Trustpilot | 4.7/5 (1639 reviews) | 4/5 (10 reviews) |
| Capterra | 4.5/5 (46 reviews) | 5/5 (2 reviews) |
Remote vs. Remofirst: Summary
A detailed summary of the comparison of Remote and RemoFirst:
| Feature | Remote | RemoFirst |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Companies Prioritizing Risk-Free International Hiring | Cost-Conscious and Tight Budgets |
| EOR Pricing | $599 per employee/month | $199 per employee/month |
| Contractor Pricing | $29 per employee/month | $25 per employee/month |
| Country Coverage | 180+ Countries | 185+ |
| Support Channels | Email, Live Chat | Email, Live Chat |
| Support Availability | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| G2 Rating | 4.6/5 (2068 reviews) | 4.5/5 (147 reviews) |
| Capterra Rating | 4.5/5 (46 reviews) | 5/5 (2 reviews) |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.7/5 (1639 reviews) | 4/5 (10 reviews) |
| Partnership Discount | 20% Off | 1 Month Free |
| Visit Website | Visit Website |
Recommendations
When choosing between Remote and Remofirst, weighing their advantages and disadvantages is important. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, from invoicing to compliance and user experience.
Who I recommend using Remote to?
I recommend Remote for enterprises and growing startups that need a comprehensive global payroll solution. It’s ideal for:
- Managing international contractors
- Companies requiring strong support for remote teams
- Businesses needing robust compliance features
- Employers of record looking to scale across different countries quickly
Remote’s extensive feature set and global coverage make it suitable for complex international operations.
For more information, read our Remote Review.
Who I recommend using Remofirst to?
Remofirst is an excellent choice for smaller businesses and startups on a budget. It’s particularly suitable for:
- New companies needing a cost-effective international hiring solution
- Small teams requiring a straightforward platform
- Businesses that prioritize essential tools for global payroll and compliance
Remofirst’s user-friendly interface and competitive pricing make it an attractive option for companies with simpler needs or limited HR resources.
For more information, read our Remofirst review.
When to consider another EOR provider?
While popular options like Remote and Remofirst offer robust solutions, the diverse landscape of EOR providers means there’s likely a perfect fit for your unique business needs. Consider exploring alternatives when your requirements extend beyond the standard offerings of major players.
For instance, if you’re expanding into niche markets with intricate local regulations, a provider with specialized regional expertise might be invaluable. Similarly, if your organization has industry-specific compliance needs or requires seamless integration with a particular tech stack, you may find more tailored solutions among lesser-known EOR providers.
| EOR Provider | Best For | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Deel | Global hiring across multiple countries | Extensive international compliance expertise |
| Papaya Global | Large enterprises with complex global payroll needs | Advanced payroll automation and analytics |
| Multiplier | Fast-growing companies expanding in Asia-Pacific | Streamlined compliance in APAC region |
| Rippling | Tech-savvy businesses seeking integrated HR and IT | Unified employee systems management |
| Atlas HXM | Companies prioritizing customizable HR solutions | Flexible platform with strong advisory services |
| Oyster HR | Organizations focusing on building distributed teams | User-friendly global employment platform |
| Omnipresent | Businesses emphasizing employee experience | Comprehensive benefits and perks management |
| Gusto | U.S.-based SMBs with primarily domestic operations | All-in-one domestic payroll and benefits solution |
Each provider offers unique features that may better suit your organization’s requirements. When exploring these alternatives, consider global coverage, integration capabilities, and specific HR needs.
By carefully evaluating your priorities and comparing the features of different EOR providers, you can find the platform that best supports your global workforce management goals.