Best Employer of Record · small businessBest EOR for small business: cash to start
For a small business hiring two people in Mexico at $36,000 each, RemoFirst needs the least cash to start: $8,188 for the first month all-in, with no deposit stated and no annual contract. Rivermate follows at $8,428 and Multiplier at $8,788. Playroll's fee is lower than Multiplier's, but its refundable deposit of one month's salary per employee adds $6,000 at signature, so it ranks last among priced providers on this rule.
Prices checked 2 Sept 2026 · updated 2026-09-05 · methodology
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The ranking · 2 hires in Mexico at $36,000 gross / yr
8 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 | RemoFirstEOR in 185+ countries from $199 per employee per month, no annual contract. | from $199 | $8,188 | Deposit not stated | No minimum commitment stated | 185+ | Get a quote from RemoFirst· $8,188/mo |
| 2 | RivermateEOR in 180+ countries from $319 to $639 per employee per month. | from $319 | $8,428 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Rivermate· $8,428/mo |
| 3 | MultiplierEOR from $459 (annual) or $499 (monthly) per employee, plus mandated add-ons. | from $499$459 annual | $8,788 | Deposit not stated | Monthly or annual billing | 150+ | Get a quote from Multiplier· $8,788/mo |
| 4 | Papaya GlobalEOR starting from $499 per employee per month, quote-based, 160+ countries. | from $499 | $8,788 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 160+ | Get a quote from Papaya Global· $8,788/mo |
| 5 | DeelEOR in 130+ countries, starting at $599 per employee per month. | from $599 | $8,988 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 130+ | Get a quote from Deel· $8,988/mo |
| 6 | OysterEOR in 120+ countries at USD 699 per employee per month; refundable deposit. | $699 | $9,188 | Refundable deposit, amount not stated | Monthly or annual billing, annual discount not published | 120+ | Get a quote from Oyster· $9,188/mo |
| 7 | RemoteEOR in 90+ countries at $699 per employee per month, no deposit. | $699 | $9,188 | No deposit stated | Monthly billing | 90+ | Get a quote from Remote· $9,188/mo |
| 8 | PlayrollEOR in 180+ countries from $399 per employee per month; deposit of one month's salary. | from $399 | $14,588 | One month's salary, refundable≈ $6,000 for these 2 hires | No minimum commitment stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Playroll· $8,588/mo |
| — | RipplingEOR bundled with the Rippling platform; custom quote only. | Quote only | $7,790 + quote | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | — | Get a quote from Rippling |
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 page. Providers without a published price are listed last, unranked. Fees are the prices printed on each pricing page on 2 Sept 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 (no published EOR price).
Cost engine · preset to this scenario
Change the country, the salary or the headcount; the order may change too.
≈ MXN 612,028 gross / year · MXN at ECB reference rate, 2 Sept 2026
| Per employee | Rate | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $3,000 | |
| IMSS — Sickness & maternity, fixed quota (cuota fija) | flat | $43 |
| IMSS — Sickness & maternity, excess quota (cuota adicional) | 1.10% | $26 |
| IMSS — Medical expenses for pensioners | 1.05% | $32 |
| IMSS — Sickness & maternity, cash benefits (en dinero) | 0.70% | $21 |
| IMSS — Disability & life insurance | 1.75% | $53 |
| IMSS — Daycare & social benefits | 1% | $30 |
| IMSS — Retirement (Retiro) | 2% | $60 |
| IMSS — Old-age & unemployment-in-old-age (Cesantia y Vejez, CEAV) | 7.51% | $225 |
| IMSS — Occupational risk insurance (prima de riesgo) | 0.54% | $16 |
| INFONAVIT — Housing fund contribution | 5% | $150 |
| State payroll tax (impuesto sobre nominas) | 3% | $90 |
| Aguinaldo (13th-month bonus) | flat | $125 |
| Vacation premium (prima vacacional) | 0.82% | $25 |
| Employer on-cost | +29.8% | $895 |
| Cost of employment, before EOR fee | $3,895 |
$8,188/ month · 2 employees
- Fee / mo
- from $199
- Per year
- $98,260
- Fee share
- 4.9%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a RemoFirst quote$8,428/ month · 2 employees
- Fee / mo
- from $319
- Per year
- $101,140
- Fee share
- 7.6%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Rivermate quote$8,788/ month · 2 employees
- Fee / mo
- from $499
- Per year
- $105,460
- Fee share
- 11.4%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Multiplier 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
$8,188/ month, 2 hires in Mexico
- Fee
- from $199 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 4.9% of the invoice
- Deposit
- Deposit not stated
- Terms
- No minimum commitment stated
Choose RemoFirst if cash and exit terms come first: $199 starting price per employee, no setup, onboarding or termination fees, no annual contract, no minimums, and optional RemoHealth insurance from $55 per person. The pricing FAQ says the price may vary by country, so confirm Mexico's figure.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from RemoFirst· $8,188/mo -
#2
Rivermate
$8,428/ month, 2 hires in Mexico
- Fee
- from $319 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 7.6% of the invoice
- Deposit
- Deposit not stated
- Terms
- Billing period not stated
Choose Rivermate if you want a second quote from a low-price provider: from $319 to $639 per employee per month depending on country, headcount and expat or local hire, in 180+ countries. Deposit and billing period are not stated, so ask for both before comparing.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from Rivermate· $8,428/mo -
#3
Multiplier
$8,788/ month, 2 hires in Mexico
- Fee
- from $499 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 11.4% of the invoice
- Deposit
- Deposit not stated
- Terms
- Monthly or annual billing
Choose Multiplier if you would rather pay $459 a month on annual billing or $499 monthly for a provider that publishes both, with no minimum headcount, and you accept country-specific compliance add-ons and an implementation fee billed as applicable.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from Multiplier· $8,788/mo
Same hire, every country
One employee at each country's example salary, all-in through the three picks.
| Country | Salary | Employer on-cost | RemoFirst / mo | Rivermate / mo | Multiplier / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IN India | $30,000 | +5.6% | $2,840 | $2,960 | $3,140 |
| PH Philippines | $20,000 | +14.3% | $2,104 | $2,224 | $2,404 |
| CA Canada | $70,000 | +8.1% | $6,504 | $6,624 | $6,804 |
| MX Mexico | $36,000 | +29.8% | $4,094 | $4,214 | $4,394 |
| NL Netherlands | $65,000 | +26.0% | $7,023 | $7,143 | $7,323 |
| SG Singapore | $70,000 | +17.2% | $7,033 | $7,153 | $7,333 |
| GB United Kingdom | $60,000 | +16.4% | $6,019 | $6,139 | $6,319 |
| IE Ireland | $65,000 | +12.8% | $6,306 | $6,426 | $6,606 |
| DE Germany | $75,000 | +22.3% | $7,840 | $7,960 | $8,140 |
| AU Australia | $65,000 | +18.0% | $6,588 | $6,708 | $6,888 |
| ES Spain | $45,000 | +32.2% | $5,155 | $5,275 | $5,455 |
| IT Italy | $55,000 | +37.4% | $6,497 | $6,617 | $6,797 |
| PL Poland | $45,000 | +21.0% | $4,736 | $4,856 | $5,036 |
Statutory employer charges are identical whichever provider employs the person: from +5.6% in India to +37.4% in Italy at these example salaries. The country moves the total far more than the provider does; the fee gap between the three picks is the same $300 a month everywhere.
Why cash to start, not the fee
A small business rarely has a treasury to absorb deposits. This ranking therefore sorts providers on the money that leaves the account in month one: gross salaries, Mexico’s statutory employer charges, the published fee, plus any deposit the pricing page quantifies. Only Playroll quantifies one (one month’s salary per employee, refundable); Remote states none; Oyster states one without an amount; the others say nothing. Unquantified deposits are flagged in the table rather than guessed.
What two hires in Mexico cost before any provider
At $36,000 each, Mexico adds about 30% in statutory employer charges: IMSS in its several branches, the retirement and INFONAVIT contributions, and the state payroll tax, each line sourced on the Mexico page. That is $7,790 a month for the two people before the fee. The fee then ranges from $398 (RemoFirst) to $1,398 (Oyster, Remote) for both, which is why the fee share of the invoice runs from 5% to 15%.
The contractor question
Most small businesses arrive here with a contractor they want to employ properly. RemoFirst ($25 per contractor to process payments), Deel ($49), Remote ($29), Multiplier ($40) and Papaya Global (from $5) publish contractor prices next to their EOR fee, so the same platform can carry both until the conversion. The contractors-to-employees ranking prices that switch line by line.
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
- How much does an EOR cost a small business per month?
- Published fees run from $199 (RemoFirst) to $699 (Oyster, Remote) per employee per month, checked 2 September 2026. Salary and statutory employer charges come on top: in Mexico they add about 30% of salary (IMSS, retirement, INFONAVIT, payroll tax, aguinaldo), so two $36,000 hires cost $7,790 a month before any fee.
- Which EOR has no deposit?
- Remote's pricing FAQ states no deposit, with reserve payments only in rare, high-risk circumstances. Oyster requires a refundable deposit without publishing the amount. Playroll requires a fully refundable deposit equal to one month's salary per employee. Deel, Multiplier, Papaya Global, RemoFirst and Rivermate do not state a deposit policy on their pricing pages.
- Is the cheapest EOR risky for a small company?
- The salary and the statutory charges are the same whoever employs the person; the fee pays for the local entity, payroll and compliance. This page shows the fee as a share of the invoice (5% at RemoFirst, 15% at Remote for this scenario) so you can decide what the extra buys. Check the country-specific price and the exit terms in writing.
- Can a small business pay month to month?
- RemoFirst (no annual contracts), Playroll (no minimum commitments) and Remote (monthly billing) state it. Oyster and Multiplier offer monthly or annual billing. Deel, Papaya Global and Rivermate do not state the billing period on their pricing pages.