Decision · EOR or PEOEOR vs PEO: what the fee gap buys
A US PEO costs $99 (Remote) or $125 (Deel) per employee per month and co-employs staff of a US entity you own. An Employer of Record costs $199 to $699 per employee per month and needs no entity. For five US employees the gap is $2,370 a month with Deel ($599 EOR against $125 PEO) or $3,000 with Remote ($699 against $99): the price of not owning the entity. Outside the United States no tracked provider publishes a PEO price, so the choice there is EOR or your own entity.
Prices checked 2 Sept 2026 · updated 2026-09-05 · methodology
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Threshold instrument
PEO fee or EOR fee: the gap for your headcount.
$495fees / month · 5 employees
- Fee
- from $99 / employee / mo
- Per year
- $5,940
- Employer
- you (co-employment)
Checked 2026-09-02
Get a Remote quote$2,995fees / month · 5 employees
- Fee
- from $599 / employee / mo
- Per year
- $35,940
- Employer
- the provider's entity
Checked 2026-09-02
Get a Deel quote| Fees only, 5 US employees | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| EOR fees exceed PEO fees by | $2,500 | $30,000 |
Salaries and US employer taxes are the same under both models and are not in this ledger. The gap is what the EOR charges for being the legal employer instead of you; it is only a saving if you already own, or will run, the US entity the PEO requires.
Employer charges from official sources for the country chosen; provider fees are the prices printed on their pricing pages on the dates shown; deposits, FX margins and add-ons are not included. Not legal or tax advice. Methodology
Verdict by situation
Not a winner for everyone: the case for each route.
- Choose a PEO if
- you already have a US entity (or will have one anyway) and the people are in the United States: the PEO fee is $99 to $125 per employee per month, a quarter or less of the EOR fee at the same provider, and you keep the employment relationship.
- Choose an EOR if
- you have no entity in the country, the hire is outside the United States, or you want to test a market before incorporating: the fee ($199 to $699 per employee per month) replaces the entity, the registrations and the local payroll, and you can stop when the hire ends.
Published fees
PEO and EOR fees per employee, and the yearly gap by headcount.
| Provider | US PEO / employee / mo | EOR / employee / mo | Gap / employee / yr | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | from $125 | from $599 | $5,688 | 2026-09-02 |
| Multiplier | not listed | from $499 | — | 2026-09-02 |
| Oyster | not listed | $699 | — | 2026-09-02 |
| Papaya Global | not listed | from $499 | — | 2026-09-02 |
| Playroll | not listed | from $399 | — | 2026-09-02 |
| RemoFirst | not listed | from $199 | — | 2026-09-02 |
| Remote | from $99 | $699 | $7,200 | 2026-09-02 |
| Rippling | not listed | quote only | — | 2026-09-02 |
| Rivermate | not listed | from $319 | — | 2026-09-02 |
| US headcount | Deel PEO fees / yr | Remote PEO fees / yr | Deel EOR fees / yr | Remote EOR fees / yr | Cheapest EOR (RemoFirst) / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500 | $1,188 | $7,188 | $8,388 | $2,388 |
| 3 | $4,500 | $3,564 | $21,564 | $25,164 | $7,164 |
| 5 | $7,500 | $5,940 | $35,940 | $41,940 | $11,940 |
| 10 | $15,000 | $11,880 | $71,880 | $83,880 | $23,880 |
| 20 | $30,000 | $23,760 | $143,760 | $167,760 | $47,760 |
Fees only. A PEO co-employs staff of your own US entity; salaries, US employer taxes and benefits are outside this ledger and identical under both models. Only Deel and Remote publish a US PEO price among the providers tracked.
Two fees, two legal set-ups
The Employer of Record is the legal employer through its own entity in the country; you pay a fee per employee per month for that entity, its payroll and its compliance. The PEO co-employs people who are already on your own entity’s books: it runs payroll, benefits and HR administration for a much smaller fee, because the entity, the registrations and the ultimate liability stay with you. That is why the fee gap on this page is not a saving until the entity exists.
The gap, in dollars
Deel prints $599 per EOR employee and $125 per US PEO employee; Remote prints $699 and $99. The yearly gap per employee is therefore $5,688 (Deel) or $7,200 (Remote). For a US team of ten that is $56,880 or $72,000 a year of fees that only an entity owner can avoid. Whether that beats the cost of running the entity is your accountant’s number, not the provider’s; the EOR vs your own entity instrument takes that quote.
Where the PEO option does not exist
None of the nine providers tracked publishes a PEO price outside the United States. For a hire in Germany, India or Mexico the practical choice is an EOR fee of $199 to $699 a month, or your own entity with the statutory employer charges of the country on top either way: +22.3% in Germany, +5.6% in India, +29.8% in Mexico at the example salaries on the country pages.
Get the PEO and the EOR quote from the same provider.
Same country, pay and headcount to each provider; ask for the deposit, the FX rule and the minimum term in writing.
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 more does an EOR cost than a PEO?
- At the two providers that publish both prices (checked 2 September 2026): Deel charges $599 per EOR employee against $125 per US PEO employee, a $474 monthly gap; Remote charges $699 against $99, a $600 gap. Over a year that is $5,688 and $7,200 per employee. Salaries and US employer taxes are identical under both models.
- What is the downside of a PEO?
- It only works where you already employ people through your own entity: the PEO co-employs, it does not replace the entity. Among the providers tracked, PEO prices are published for the United States only. If the hire is abroad and you have no entity there, a PEO is not an option and the comparison is EOR against opening an entity.
- Is a PEO worth it over an EOR for a US team?
- On fees, yes once the entity exists: five US employees cost $7,500 a year in Deel PEO fees against $35,940 in Deel EOR fees. The instrument above runs the gap for your headcount and the two providers that publish both prices. Set-up and running costs of the entity are yours to add.
- Can I use the same provider for PEO in the US and EOR abroad?
- Deel and Remote both publish a US PEO price ($125 and $99) and an EOR price ($599 and $699) on the same pricing page, so one platform can carry US co-employed staff and foreign EOR employees. The other seven providers tracked publish no PEO price.