Best Employer of Record · startupsBest EOR for startups: three hires priced
For a startup hiring three engineers in India at $30,000 each, the cheapest published route is RemoFirst at $8,519 a month all-in (fee $199 per person), then Rivermate from $319 and Playroll from $399. The most expensive listed fee, $699 at Oyster and Remote, adds $1,500 a month for the same three people. Statutory employer charges are only 5.6% in India, so the provider fee is 7% to 21% of the invoice depending on the pick.
Prices checked 2 Sept 2026 · updated 2026-09-05 · methodology
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The ranking · 3 hires in India at $30,000 gross / yr
8 providers with a published price, in the order the numbers put them.
| # | Provider | EOR fee / employee / mo | all-in / mo | Deposit | Commitment | Countries | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RemoFirstEOR in 185+ countries from $199 per employee per month, no annual contract. | from $199 | $8,519 | Deposit not stated | No minimum commitment stated | 185+ | Get a quote from RemoFirst· $8,519/mo |
| 2 | RivermateEOR in 180+ countries from $319 to $639 per employee per month. | from $319 | $8,879 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Rivermate· $8,879/mo |
| 3 | PlayrollEOR in 180+ countries from $399 per employee per month; deposit of one month's salary. | from $399 | $9,119 | One month's salary, refundable≈ $7,500 for these 3 hires | No minimum commitment stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Playroll· $9,119/mo |
| 4 | MultiplierEOR from $459 (annual) or $499 (monthly) per employee, plus mandated add-ons. | from $499$459 annual | $9,419 | Deposit not stated | Monthly or annual billing | 150+ | Get a quote from Multiplier· $9,419/mo |
| 5 | Papaya GlobalEOR starting from $499 per employee per month, quote-based, 160+ countries. | from $499 | $9,419 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 160+ | Get a quote from Papaya Global· $9,419/mo |
| 6 | DeelEOR in 130+ countries, starting at $599 per employee per month. | from $599 | $9,719 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 130+ | Get a quote from Deel· $9,719/mo |
| 7 | OysterEOR in 120+ countries at USD 699 per employee per month; refundable deposit. | $699 | $10,019 | Refundable deposit, amount not stated | Monthly or annual billing, annual discount not published | 120+ | Get a quote from Oyster· $10,019/mo |
| 8 | RemoteEOR in 90+ countries at $699 per employee per month, no deposit. | $699 | $10,019 | No deposit stated | Monthly billing | 90+ | Get a quote from Remote· $10,019/mo |
| — | RipplingEOR bundled with the Rippling platform; custom quote only. | Quote only | $7,922 + quote | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | — | Get a quote from Rippling |
Rule. Sorted by the all-in monthly cost of the scenario (gross salary + statutory employer charges + published EOR fee). 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. 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.
≈ INR 2,849,249 gross / year · INR at ECB reference rate, 2 Sept 2026
| Per employee | Rate | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $2,500 | |
| EPF employer contribution (Employees' Provident Fund) capped | 3.67% | $6 |
| EPS employer contribution (Employees' Pension Scheme) capped | 8.33% | $13 |
| EDLI employer contribution (Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance) capped | 0.50% | $1 |
| EPF administrative charges (employer-borne) capped | 0.50% | $1 |
| ESIC employer contribution (Employees' State Insurance) n/a | — | — |
| Gratuity accrual (Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 / Code on Social Security, 2020) | 4.81% | $120 |
| Employer on-cost | +5.6% | $141 |
| Cost of employment, before EOR fee | $2,641 |
$8,519/ month · 3 employees
- Fee / mo
- from $199
- Per year
- $102,232
- Fee share
- 7.0%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a RemoFirst quote$8,879/ month · 3 employees
- Fee / mo
- from $319
- Per year
- $106,552
- Fee share
- 10.8%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Rivermate quote$9,119/ month · 3 employees
- Fee / mo
- from $399
- Per year
- $109,432
- Fee share
- 13.1%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Playroll 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
$8,519/ month, 3 hires in India
- Fee
- from $199 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 7.0% of the invoice
- Deposit
- Deposit not stated
- Terms
- No minimum commitment stated
Choose RemoFirst if the fee is the line you are minimising and you want to leave without notice: $199 starting price in 185+ countries, no setup, onboarding or termination fees, no annual contract, $25 per contractor for the people you have not converted yet. RemoFirst says the price may vary by country, so get your countries' figures in writing.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from RemoFirst· $8,519/mo -
#2
Rivermate
$8,879/ month, 3 hires in India
- Fee
- from $319 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 10.8% of the invoice
- Deposit
- Deposit not stated
- Terms
- Billing period not stated
Choose Rivermate if you want a second low quote to negotiate against: Rivermate lists $319 to $639 per employee per month in 180+ countries and says the price varies by country, headcount and expat versus local hire. Billing period and deposit are not stated on its pricing page, so ask for both.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from Rivermate· $8,879/mo -
#3
Playroll
$9,119/ month, 3 hires in India
- Fee
- from $399 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 13.1% of the invoice
- Deposit
- One month's salary, refundable
- Terms
- No minimum commitment stated
Choose Playroll if you can park one month of each salary as a refundable deposit: Playroll lists $399 per month in 180+ countries with no minimum commitments and no onboarding or offboarding fees, but requires a fully refundable security deposit equal to one month's salary per employee, about $7,500 for these three hires.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from Playroll· $9,119/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 | Playroll / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IN India | $30,000 | +5.6% | $2,840 | $2,960 | $3,040 |
| PH Philippines | $20,000 | +14.3% | $2,104 | $2,224 | $2,304 |
| CA Canada | $70,000 | +8.1% | $6,504 | $6,624 | $6,704 |
| MX Mexico | $36,000 | +29.8% | $4,094 | $4,214 | $4,294 |
| NL Netherlands | $65,000 | +26.0% | $7,023 | $7,143 | $7,223 |
| SG Singapore | $70,000 | +17.2% | $7,033 | $7,153 | $7,233 |
| GB United Kingdom | $60,000 | +16.4% | $6,019 | $6,139 | $6,219 |
| IE Ireland | $65,000 | +12.8% | $6,306 | $6,426 | $6,506 |
| DE Germany | $75,000 | +22.3% | $7,840 | $7,960 | $8,040 |
| AU Australia | $65,000 | +18.0% | $6,588 | $6,708 | $6,788 |
| ES Spain | $45,000 | +32.2% | $5,155 | $5,275 | $5,355 |
| IT Italy | $55,000 | +37.4% | $6,497 | $6,617 | $6,697 |
| PL Poland | $45,000 | +21.0% | $4,736 | $4,856 | $4,936 |
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 $200 a month everywhere.
How the ranking is built
Every provider that prints an Employer of Record price is run through the same scenario: three software engineers in India at $30,000 gross each. The engine adds India’s statutory employer charges (EPF and EPS on a capped basic wage, EDLI, the administrative charge and gratuity accrual, each with its official source on the India page) and then each provider’s published fee. The table is sorted on that monthly total. Rippling publishes no EOR price and is listed unranked.
What the fee buys at startup scale
At $30,000 the statutory charges are small, so the fee is the biggest controllable line: $597 a month for three people at RemoFirst against $2,097 at Oyster or Remote. Over a twelve-month runway that is an $18,000 difference for the same three employees, before deposits, FX margins and add-ons. Playroll’s refundable deposit of one month’s salary per employee ties up about $7,500 of cash at signature; Remote states it collects reserve payments only in rare, high-risk circumstances; Oyster requires a refundable deposit without publishing the amount.
When a higher fee is the right call
Deel ($599), Multiplier ($459 on annual billing, $499 monthly) and Papaya Global (from $499) publish more products around the hire: contractors, contractor of record, US PEO or global payroll on the same login. A startup that will run a US PEO, contractor payments in ten countries and EOR employees in three may prefer one vendor to three. The ranking does not weigh that: it only sorts what is printed. Read the head-to-head comparisons before you choose on features.
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
- What is the cheapest EOR for a startup?
- Of the nine providers this site tracks, RemoFirst publishes the lowest starting price, $199 per employee per month, followed by Rivermate from $319 and Playroll from $399 (prices checked 2 September 2026). All three are 'starting at' prices that vary by country. Deel starts at $599; Oyster and Remote list $699; Rippling quotes only.
- Does the EOR fee matter more than the country?
- Rarely. The fee gap between the cheapest and the most expensive published price is $500 per person per month everywhere. The statutory employer charges move far more: +5.6% of salary in India against +37.4% in Italy at the example salaries on this site. Pick the country first, then the provider.
- Which EORs let a startup cancel without an annual contract?
- RemoFirst states no annual contracts and no minimums; Playroll states no minimum commitments; Remote bills monthly with no minimum number of employees; Oyster and Multiplier state no minimum headcount and offer monthly or annual billing. Deel, Papaya Global and Rivermate do not state a billing period on their pricing pages.
- Can a startup mix contractors and EOR employees on one platform?
- Yes with RemoFirst ($25 per contractor to process payments, free tier to manage), Deel ($49 per contractor), Remote ($29), Multiplier ($40) and Papaya Global (from $5 for management only). Oyster, Playroll and Rivermate do not list a contractor management price on the pages read; Rivermate lists a contractor of record from $149.