Deel vs Remote in 2026: EOR, Contractor and Payroll Prices Compared
October 28, 2026
Deel and Remote both list employer of record (EOR) from $599 per employee per month, but Remote's $599 is labeled for annual contracts and its help center gives $699 as the standard monthly price, while Deel says its pricing is month to month (pricing pages, October 28, 2026). For contractors, Remote starts at $29 a month and Deel at $49. If you have not found the person yet, a remote staffing agency that places Latin American professionals on US hours (e.g., Virtustant) recruits the hire for you, from $7/hr all-in with $0 placement fees.
This page compares the two platforms plan by plan, works out what the EOR commitment costs if a hire ends early, and says when each one fits. Virtustant is a remote staffing agency and one of the routes mentioned, so we use only published facts and show every calculation; sources are at the end. For each platform in depth, see Deel pricing and Remote.com pricing.
| Plan | Deel (checked Oct 28, 2026) | Remote (checked Oct 28, 2026) | Difference per worker per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer of record | From $599 per employee per month; pricing is month to month | From $599 per employee per month "for annual contracts"; help center standard price $699 per month, billed monthly | $0 on Remote's annual contract; $1,200 more on Remote's monthly price |
| Contractor management | From $49 per contractor per month | From $29 per contractor per month | $240 less on Remote |
| Contractor management with indemnity | Not listed as a separate plan | Contractor Management Plus from $99, with a $100,000 indemnity per contractor (up to $1M per company) | Not comparable |
| Contractor of record | From $325 per contractor per month | From $325 per contractor per month | $0 |
| US PEO | From $125 per employee per month | From $99 per employee per month | $312 less on Remote |
| Global payroll | No price on the pricing page | From $29 per employee per month | Not comparable |
| Sourcing | Find talent from $14 per worker per month | Not listed on the pricing page | Not comparable |
| Who finds and vets the person | You | You | Same |
Every price on both pages is labeled "starting at", so a quote can be higher. Neither price includes the worker's pay or, on EOR, the employer contributions of the worker's country.
It depends on the plan. On published prices:
So the EOR question is not the headline price. It is how long the hire lasts, which is what the next test measures.
The Commitment Gap Test asks: if this EOR hire ends after a given number of months, how much did the platform fee cost under each pricing option? It uses three published inputs: Deel's $599 month to month, Remote's $599 for annual contracts, and Remote's $699 standard monthly price. Remote's help center also says annual EOR credits are invoiced up front, last 12 months and are non-refundable, and that a fee is not prorated in the month a hire ends.
| Hire lasts | Deel EOR at $599 a month | Remote EOR, annual contract at $599 | Remote EOR at $699 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months | $1,797 | $7,188 (12 × $599, invoiced up front) | $2,097 |
| 6 months | $3,594 | $7,188 (12 × $599, invoiced up front) | $4,194 |
| 9 months | $5,391 | $7,188 (12 × $599, invoiced up front) | $6,291 |
| 12 months | $7,188 | $7,188 (12 × $599, invoiced up front) | $8,388 |
Fees only. Salary, employer contributions and any severance or notice under local law are owed on top under all three options, because both platforms apply local labor law when an EOR contract ends. Remote's annual credits can be moved to another hire inside the 12 months; if they are not used, the full $7,188 is spent.
Read the table this way: Remote's annual price only matches Deel when the seat, or a replacement hire that uses the same credits, runs the full year. Against Remote's own monthly price, the annual contract pays off above about 10.28 employee-months ($7,188 ÷ $699).
The rule. If you are confident the hire lasts a year, the two platforms cost the same in EOR fees. If you are not, price the fee for a hire that ends at month six before you sign, and compare it with a route that carries a replacement guarantee.
On EOR, the platform fee is the smaller part of the bill. Each platform publishes its own estimate of employer contributions by country, and they do not always match because each sums different lines:
| Country | Deel's employer cost estimate | Remote's employer contribution rate |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 19.75% to 29.45% of salary | 11 separate lines, no combined total published |
| Costa Rica | 27.64% | 26.5% (sum of 10 listed lines) |
| Argentina | 28.35% | 26.4% (20.4% + 6%) |
| Colombia | 31.1% to 52.45% | 29.848% to 36.2% (Remote's stated total) |
Both read October 23, 2026, from Deel's country cost guides and Remote's Country Explorer pages; the full calculations are in Deel pricing and Remote.com pricing. At an example gross salary of $1,500 a month in Costa Rica, Remote's own rates give $2,621.50 a month at the $599 fee, including the year-end bonus, so the fee is about a fifth to a quarter of the bill.
Deel tends to fit when you want EOR without an annual commitment, you also want sourcing tools on the same platform (Find talent, from $14), or your hires may not last a full year.
Remote tends to fit when you pay many contractors (a $20 lower monthly fee per contractor), you want contractor indemnity (Contractor Management Plus, $99), you run US PEO, or you are confident enough in a hire to sign the annual EOR contract at $599.
Neither fits when you have not found the person yet. Both are platforms for a worker you already chose; recruiting, vetting and replacing the hire stay with you.
Virtustant is a remote staffing agency. We recruit a dedicated, bilingual professional from Latin America who works your US hours and is directed by you, at one all-in hourly rate. Starting rates: virtual assistants from $7/hr; executive assistants and bookkeepers from $8.50/hr (Virtustant pricing). The median client-side rate for a virtual assistant was $10.10/hr (n=24) in the 2026 Nearshore Rate Report (441 placement starts, January to June 2026).
Shortlist in 48 hours. Start in 72 hours. You get 3 to 5 vetted candidates within 48 hours of your first call. The vetting funnel: 100% apply, 22% clear the recruiter screen, 9% pass cognitive (IQ), skills and English testing, 3% reach a live interview, 1% are hired, which is what we mean by the top 1%. Terms are month to month, with zero placement fees, a lifetime replacement guarantee and one weekly invoice per placement. Virtustant handles payroll, contracts and the paperwork on the professional's side; you direct the work. How Virtustant makes money: if you pay your agent $10/hr, we give them $9 and keep the dollar in the middle.
Virtustant is not an EOR and does not act as the employer; if you need local employment with statutory benefits, an EOR such as Deel or Remote fits better. For the break-even between Deel's EOR and an agency rate, see Virtustant vs Deel; for every model on one page, see compare agencies. Ready to price a role? Book a discovery call.
For contractors, Remote is cheaper: $29 a month per contractor against $49 on Deel. Contractor of record costs $325 on both. For EOR, both list $599 a month, but Remote's $599 is for annual contracts and its standard monthly price is $699, while Deel's $599 is month to month, as of October 28, 2026.
Deel lists EOR from $599 per employee per month, month to month. Remote lists EOR from $599 per employee per month for annual contracts, and its help center gives a standard price of $699 billed monthly. Salary and the employer contributions of the worker's country are paid on top on both.
In platform fees, six months costs $3,594 on Deel at $599 a month and $4,194 on Remote at $699 a month. On Remote's annual contract the full $7,188 is invoiced up front and is non-refundable, though the credits can be used for another hire within the 12 months. Severance and notice under local law apply on both.
Remote. Its Contractor Management plan starts at $29 per contractor per month, against $49 on Deel, a $240 difference per contractor per year. Remote also sells Contractor Management Plus at $99, which adds a $100,000 indemnity per contractor.
Both are platforms for a worker you have already chosen. Deel sells a Find talent plan from $14 per worker per month with sourcing tools; Remote's pricing page does not list a recruiting price. Vetting the person and replacing them if they leave stay with you on both.
A remote staffing agency recruits and places the professional for you. Through Virtustant, Latin American virtual assistants on US hours start at $7/hr all-in, with a shortlist of 3 to 5 vetted candidates in 48 hours, $0 placement fees and a lifetime replacement guarantee. Virtustant is not an EOR; for local employment with statutory benefits, use an EOR.
