Remote Review (2026): Pricing, Features & Honest Verdict
TLDR
Remote is a global employment platform that handles Employer of Record, payroll, and contractor management so you can hire across borders without local entities. Honest verdict: one of the most compliant, infrastructure-owned options out there. Best for: companies hiring full-time staff internationally. Price: From $29/mo, free HR plan yes. Rating: 7.9/10.
What is Remote?
Remote lets you legally hire, pay, and manage employees and contractors in countries where you have no legal entity. It acts as the Employer of Record (EOR), meaning Remote becomes the legal employer on paper in the worker’s country, handling local contracts, payroll, taxes, statutory benefits, and offboarding, while you direct the person’s day-to-day work.
Founded in 2019 and now operating in over 70 countries, Remote built its reputation on owning its local legal entities end-to-end rather than renting capacity from third-party partners like many rivals do. That owned-infrastructure approach, combined with SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certification and strong IP-protection clauses, is why it’s become a default pick for startups and scale-ups that need to hire globally without taking on legal landmines.
What Are Remote’s Key Features?
Employer of Record
This is the flagship. Remote employs your worker through its own local entity, issuing a compliant contract, running payroll, filing employer taxes, administering statutory benefits, and handling severance. You get a dedicated onboarding specialist and the worker is legally employed within days instead of the months it takes to open your own entity.
Global Payroll and Contractor Management
If you already have entities, Remote’s Global Payroll consolidates compliant pay runs at $29 per employee/month. For freelancers, Contractor Management at $29 per contractor/month covers localized contracts, invoice approval, and international payments, with a Plus tier adding misclassification coverage up to $100,000 per contractor.
Contractor of Record
For teams worried about misclassification lawsuits, Contractor of Record makes Remote the legal contracting party, transferring that liability off your books. It starts at $325 per contractor/month, which is pricey but cheaper than a misclassification penalty.
Free HR Management and Integrations
Remote offers a free HR Management tier for your direct employees covering onboarding, profiles, contracts, time-off, and expenses. It also ships native integrations with Workday, BambooHR, and HiBob, plus an API-first design for teams that want to automate.
How Much Does Remote Cost?
Remote’s EOR costs $699 per employee/month on monthly billing or $599 on annual billing. Contractor Management is $29 per contractor/month, Global Payroll is $29 per employee/month, and Contractor of Record starts at $325 per contractor/month. There’s a free HR Management tier and no setup or platform fees.
Compared to competitors, Deel’s EOR sits around $599/month and frequently runs promotions, Rippling bundles EOR with IT and US payroll at competitive rates, and Oyster lands in a similar $599-699 band. Remote isn’t the cheapest, but its flat-rate transparency and owned-entity model are part of what you’re paying for.
| Plan | Price | Plan Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR Management (Free) | Free | Onboarding/offboarding, employee profiles, contract templates, time-off tracking, expense management for direct employees | Teams managing their own direct employees with basic HRIS needs |
| Contractor Management | $29/contractor/mo | Localized contracts, invoice approval, international contractor payments, HR Core included | Companies paying global freelancers and contractors compliantly |
| Global Payroll | $29/employee/mo | Compliant multi-country payroll for businesses with their own legal entities | Businesses with existing entities consolidating payroll |
| Contractor Management Plus | $99/contractor/mo | Adds stronger compliance protection and misclassification coverage up to $100,000 per contractor | Teams wanting added legal protection on contractor relationships |
| Contractor of Record | From $325/contractor/mo | Remote becomes the legal contracting party, taking on misclassification liability | Companies needing full misclassification risk transfer |
| Employer of Record (EOR) | $599-699/employee/mo | $599 annual / $699 monthly per employee; legal employment via Remote's owned entity, payroll, taxes, benefits, compliance, severance | Hiring full-time employees abroad without opening a local entity |
Who Is Remote Best For?
Use Remote if you’re hiring full-time employees in countries where you have no entity and you care about getting compliance and IP rights airtight. It’s also a strong, cheap choice for managing global contractors at $29 each per month.
Skip Remote if you only need to pay a handful of contractors occasionally and don’t need localized contracts, or if your budget is extremely tight and you’d rather chase a discounted EOR promotion from a rival. For pure US payroll, a domestic specialist will be cheaper.
What Are the Best Remote Alternatives?
Deel
Deel offers the broadest country coverage and aggressive EOR pricing, often around $599/month with promotions. It’s the most direct competitor and a better fit if raw country breadth or the lowest sticker price is your priority.
Rippling
Rippling combines EOR with IT management, device provisioning, and US payroll in one system. Pick it if you want global hiring plus unified employee IT and domestic payroll rather than a global-employment specialist.
Oyster
Oyster is a leaner, EOR-focused platform with pricing in the same $599-699 range. It’s a good option for smaller teams that want a simpler product without the wider payroll and COR catalog Remote offers.
Final Verdict: Is Remote Worth It?
Remote is one of the most trustworthy global employment platforms you can buy. The owned-entity infrastructure genuinely lowers compliance risk, the pricing is transparent with no hidden fees, and the free HR tier plus cheap contractor management make it accessible even before you commit to full EOR.
The catch is cost: at $599-699 per employee/month, EOR is a premium line item, and Contractor of Record at $325 is steep for narrow needs. But if you’re hiring real employees abroad and want to sleep at night on compliance and IP, Remote is worth the price. Recommended for serious global hiring; look at Deel or Oyster first only if budget is the deciding factor.
Remote Pros & Cons
What We Like
- Owns local legal entities end-to-end in most markets, reducing compliance risk vs partner-reliant competitors
- Transparent flat-rate pricing with no setup, onboarding, or platform fees
- Free HR Management tier and cheap $29/contractor/mo contractor management
- Strong IP and invention-rights protection plus SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certification
What Could Be Better
- EOR at $599-699/employee/mo is more expensive than budget-tier rivals like Deel or Rippling promotions
- Contractor of Record starting at $325/contractor/mo is steep for teams that only need misclassification cover
Remote FAQ
What is Remote?
Remote is a global employment platform that lets companies hire, pay, and manage full-time employees and contractors in other countries without setting up local legal entities. It offers Employer of Record (EOR), global payroll, contractor management, and HR tools through entities it owns directly.
How much does Remote cost?
Remote's EOR is $699 per employee/month on monthly billing or $599 on annual billing. Contractor Management is $29 per contractor/month, Contractor Management Plus is $99, Global Payroll is $29 per employee/month, and Contractor of Record starts at $325 per contractor/month. HR Management has a free tier.
Is Remote worth it?
Yes, if you are hiring full-time staff internationally and want low compliance risk. Remote owns its local entities end-to-end rather than relying on third-party partners, which reduces legal exposure. The EOR price is higher than some rivals, but the compliance and IP protection are strong.
What are the best Remote alternatives?
The top alternatives are Deel (broadest country coverage and frequent EOR discounts), Rippling (best if you also want unified IT and US payroll), and Oyster (a lean EOR-focused option). Each competes on price and coverage depending on your needs.
Does Remote offer a free plan?
Yes. Remote's HR Management product has a free tier that covers onboarding and offboarding, employee profiles, contract templates, time-off tracking, and expense management for your direct employees. The EOR, payroll, and contractor products are paid.
Who is Remote best for?
Remote is best for startups and growing companies hiring full-time employees and contractors across borders who want to avoid the cost and complexity of opening local entities while keeping compliance and IP protection tight.
