Best Employer of Record · a single hireBest EOR for one employee: the first hire
For one employee in Spain at $45,000, the first month costs $5,155 all-in through RemoFirst (fee $199, no annual contract), $5,305 through Rivermate and $5,355 through Pebl. Spain's statutory employer charges add 32% of salary, so the fee is only 4% to 12% of the invoice. Playroll prints the same $399 as Pebl, but its refundable deposit of one month's salary ($3,750) makes it the more cash-hungry start of the two.
Prices checked 2 Oct–3 Nov 2026 · updated 24 Sept 2026 · methodology
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The ranking · 1 hire in Spain at $45,000 gross / yr
12 providers with a published price, in the order the numbers put them.
| # | Provider | EOR fee / employee / mo | cash to start | Deposit | Commitment | Countries | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RemoFirst | from $199 | $5,155 | Deposit not stated | No minimum commitment stated | 185+ | Get a quote from RemoFirst· $5,155/mo |
| 2 | Rivermate | from $349 | $5,305 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Rivermate· $5,305/mo |
| 3 | Pebl | from $399 | $5,355 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 185+ | Get a quote from Pebl· $5,355/mo |
| 4 | Multiplier | from $499$459 annual | $5,455 | Refundable deposit, amount not stated | Monthly or annual billing | 150+ | Get a quote from Multiplier· $5,455/mo |
| 5 | Papaya Global | from $499 | $5,455 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 160+ | Get a quote from Papaya Global· $5,455/mo |
| 6 | Atlas HXM | from $599 | $5,555 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 160+ | Get a quote from Atlas HXM· $5,555/mo |
| 7 | Deel | from $599 | $5,555 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 130+ | Get a quote from Deel· $5,555/mo |
| 8 | G-P | from $599 | $5,555 | Deposit not stated | No minimum commitment stated | 180+ | Get a quote from G-P· $5,555/mo |
| 9 | Remote | from $599 | $5,555 | No standard deposit stated | 12-month minimum | 90+ | Get a quote from Remote· $5,555/mo |
| 10 | Oyster | $699 | $5,655 | Refundable deposit, amount not stated | Monthly or annual billing, annual discount not published | 120+ | Get a quote from Oyster· $5,655/mo |
| 11 | Playroll | from $399 | $9,105 | One month's salary, refundable≈ $3,750 for this hire | No minimum commitment stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Playroll· $5,355/mo |
| 12 | Borderless AI | $579 | $13,837 | At least 1.5 months' fully loaded cost by ACH (3 by wire), refundable≈ $8,302 for this hire | No minimum commitment stated | — | Get a quote from Borderless AI· $5,535/mo |
| — | Rippling | Quote only | $4,956 + quote | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | — | Get a quote from Rippling |
| — | Safeguard Global | Quote only | $4,956 + quote | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 187+ | Get a quote from Safeguard Global |
Rule. Sorted by the cash needed to start the hires in the scenario: the first month all-in plus any deposit the provider quantifies on its pricing or help pages. Providers without a published price are listed last, unranked. Fees are the prices printed on each pricing page, read 2 Oct–3 Nov 2026; "from" prices vary by country. Deposits, FX margins and add-ons are shown as stated and are not added to the totals except the deposit column. Unranked: Rippling, Safeguard Global (no published EOR price).
Cost engine · preset to this scenario
Change the country, the salary or the headcount; the order may change too.
≈ EUR 40,279 gross / year · EUR at ECB reference rate, 30 Oct 2026
| Per employee | Rate | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $3,750 | |
| Common contingencies (contingencias comunes) | 23.60% | $885 |
| Unemployment insurance (desempleo) | 5.50% | $206 |
| Wage Guarantee Fund (FOGASA) | 0.20% | $8 |
| Vocational training (formacion profesional) | 0.60% | $23 |
| Intergenerational Equity Mechanism (MEI) | 0.75% | $28 |
| Occupational accidents and diseases (AT y EP) | 1.50% | $56 |
| Employer on-cost | +32.2% | $1,206 |
| Cost of employment, before EOR fee | $4,956 |
$5,155/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $199
- Per year
- $61,856
- Fee share
- 3.9%
Checked 3 Nov 2026
Get a RemoFirst quote$5,305/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $349
- Per year
- $63,656
- Fee share
- 6.6%
Checked 3 Nov 2026
Get a Rivermate quote$5,355/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $399
- Per year
- $64,256
- Fee share
- 7.5%
Checked 3 Nov 2026
Get a Pebl quoteEmployer charges from official sources; provider fees are list prices on the dates shown; deposits, FX margins and add-ons are not included. Not legal or tax advice. Methodology
Three picks, three situations.
-
#1
RemoFirst
$5,155/ month, 1 hire in Spain
- Fee
- from $199 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 3.9% of the invoice
Choose RemoFirst if you want the smallest cheque and the freedom to stop after one month: $199 starting price, no setup, onboarding or termination fees, no annual contract, no minimums. Ask for the Spain-specific price, which RemoFirst says may vary by country.
Checked 3 Nov 2026
Get a quote from RemoFirst· $5,155/mo -
#2
Rivermate
$5,305/ month, 1 hire in Spain
- Fee
- from $349 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 6.6% of the invoice
Choose Rivermate if you want a second quote without a deposit surprise you can see coming: from $349 per employee per month in 180+ countries, price varying by country and hire type. Rivermate does not state a deposit or billing period, so get both in writing.
Checked 3 Nov 2026
Get a quote from Rivermate· $5,305/mo -
#3
Pebl
$5,355/ month, 1 hire in Spain
- Fee
- from $399 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 7.5% of the invoice
Choose Pebl if you are minimising what leaves the account at signature for a single hire. On cash to start, Pebl's $399 with no published deposit beats Multiplier's $499 and beats Playroll's identical $399, which asks for a refundable $3,750 on this Spanish salary. For one person the monthly difference is small; the difference at signature is not.
Checked 3 Nov 2026
Get a quote from Pebl· $5,355/mo
The first hire is a cash question
With one employee the fee is a small share of the invoice: 4% at RemoFirst, 12% at Oyster for a $45,000 hire in Spain, because Spain’s statutory employer charges (social security at 23.6% plus unemployment, FOGASA, training, MEI and accident insurance, each sourced on the Spain page) already add 32%. What separates providers at this scale is the cash needed at signature, which is why the table is sorted on first month plus quantified deposit.
Deposits, as each pricing page states them
Playroll asks for one month’s salary per employee, fully refundable; at $45,000 that is $3,750 parked until offboarding. Oyster requires a refundable deposit “to initiate the engagement and to ensure on-time payments” without publishing the amount. Remote states it charges no standard deposit or deposit fee, though it may require a refundable reserve payment in certain circumstances and confirms the amount during onboarding, and Borderless AI, in its support centre, a refundable deposit due before the start date: 1.5 months of the employee’s fully loaded cost by ACH, 3 months by wire. The other providers do not state a deposit policy on their pricing pages; the table shows them as not stated rather than as zero.
What changes when the salary changes
The fee is flat; the charges are a percentage. Move the salary slider in the engine above and the fee share falls as the salary rises, so a senior hire narrows the gap between providers in relative terms while the absolute $500-a-month spread between RemoFirst and Oyster stays put. Change the country and the order can change too: Playroll’s deposit is one month of salary, so it hurts more where salaries are high.
Send the same scenario to the three picks.
Same country, salary and headcount to each; ask for the deposit, the FX rule, the minimum term and any mandatory add-on in writing. The fee is the only line that differs between their invoices.
Disclosure Some provider links are affiliate links; they never change the numbers on this page. Details
Questions people ask before booking a demo
- Can I use an EOR for just one employee?
- Every provider on this page that states a minimum states none: RemoFirst (no minimums), Playroll (no minimum commitments), G-P (no minimum contract length for EOR hires), Borderless AI (no long-term commitments), Oyster and Multiplier (no minimum headcount). Remote states no minimum number of employees, but its $599 price is for annual contracts. The other providers do not mention a minimum on their pricing pages.
- How much does an EOR cost for one employee?
- The published fee is $199 to $699 per employee per month (checked 2 September 2026). Add the salary and the country's statutory employer charges: for one $45,000 hire in Spain that is $4,956 a month before the fee, so $5,155 to $5,655 all-in depending on the provider.
- Which EOR requires a deposit for a single hire?
- Playroll: a fully refundable security deposit equal to one month's salary when onboarding an employee, $3,750 at this salary. Oyster: a refundable deposit whose amount is not published. Remote states no standard deposit, only a refundable reserve in certain cases, with the amount confirmed at onboarding. Borderless AI: a refundable deposit due before the start date, 1.5 months of the employee's fully loaded cost by ACH or 3 months by wire. The other providers do not state a deposit policy.
- Is an EOR cheaper than opening an entity for one employee?
- For one hire the fee, $2,388 to $8,388 a year, is almost always below the cost of incorporating, registering as an employer and running local payroll. The the EOR vs your own entity page page lets you enter your adviser's entity quote and find the headcount where the lines cross.