Hiring internationally is a bureaucratic nightmare. Every country has different employment laws, tax requirements, payroll systems, and compliance rules. You either set up legal entities in every country (expensive, slow, complicated) or you use an Employer of Record (EOR) platform that handles it for you (also expensive, but way less complicated).

Remote.com is one of the major EOR platforms that lets you hire employees in 75+ countries without setting up local entities. They handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and employment contracts while you focus on managing your team.

It's not cheap, and it's not perfect, but for companies hiring global remote teams, it's significantly better than the alternative of navigating international HR law solo.

What Remote.com Actually Does

Remote.com is an Employer of Record (EOR) and global HR platform. Here's what that means in practice:

Employer of Record (EOR): Remote.com becomes the legal employer of your international workers. They hire your employees on their local entities in each country, handle all the employment law compliance, process payroll in local currency, manage benefits, and take on the legal liability. You manage the employee's day-to-day work, but Remote.com handles all the administrative and legal stuff.

Global payroll: Remote.com runs payroll for your international team in 75+ countries, handling local tax withholdings, social security contributions, retirement plans, and direct deposits in local currencies. You don't need to figure out Dutch social insurance or Brazilian labor law - Remote.com's in-country experts handle it.

Benefits administration: Remote.com manages health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other statutory benefits required by local law. They also offer supplementary benefits packages so your international employees get competitive benefits, not just the legal minimum.

Compliance management: Employment law varies wildly by country, and screwing it up can result in massive fines or lawsuits. Remote.com stays on top of changing regulations, ensures employment contracts meet local requirements, and handles terminations according to local labor laws (which in some countries are extremely complex).

Contractor management: Remote.com also manages contractors globally, handling invoicing, payments, contracts, and compliance classification. If you're worried about contractor misclassification risk (see: IRS crackdowns), Remote.com's platform helps ensure contractors are legitimately independent.

IP and data protection: Remote.com's employment contracts include IP assignment clauses and data protection agreements that comply with local laws, which matters if you're hiring engineers or employees with access to sensitive data.

What It Costs (Spoiler: Not Cheap, But Competitive)

Remote.com's pricing:

Employer of Record (EOR): Starting at $599 per employee per month. This includes payroll, benefits, compliance, employment contracts, and legal support. Some high-complexity countries (e.g., Brazil, Japan) cost more.

Contractor Management: Starting at $29 per contractor per month for basic contract and payment management. Goes up to $79/month per contractor for advanced features like compliance classification support and risk mitigation.

Global Payroll (for your own entities): Custom pricing if you have your own legal entities but want Remote.com to run payroll across countries.

Cost comparison: Traditional EOR platforms like Deel, Velocity Global, and Globalization Partners charge $400-$800+ per employee per month. Remote.com sits in the middle of that range. It's expensive compared to domestic payroll ($50-$150/month per employee), but way cheaper than setting up entities yourself ($20K-$50K+ per country).

The math makes sense if you're hiring 5+ international employees. If you're hiring one person in one country, you might be better off with a local payroll provider or partnering with a local accounting firm. But if you're building a distributed team across multiple countries, Remote.com scales efficiently.

What Remote.com Does Well

Country coverage: Remote.com operates in 75+ countries, including difficult markets like Brazil, Japan, India, and most of Europe. User reviews on G2 and TrustRadius consistently praise their coverage compared to competitors.

Speed of onboarding: Remote.com can onboard new employees in most countries within 2-5 business days, according to user reviews. That's fast compared to traditional entity setup (3-6 months) or some slower EOR competitors (1-3 weeks).

Compliance expertise: Remote.com employs in-country HR and legal experts in each market they operate in, which matters when you're dealing with complex labor laws. User reviews frequently mention that Remote.com's compliance team catches issues that companies wouldn't have known about until they got fined.

Self-service platform: Remote.com's platform is actually usable, unlike some EOR competitors that feel like they were built in 2005. You can onboard employees, run payroll, manage contracts, view analytics, and handle benefits through a relatively intuitive dashboard. User reviews rate the platform experience 4.3/5 stars on G2.

Transparent pricing: Remote.com publishes pricing on their website, which is rare in the EOR industry. Most competitors require you to "contact sales" for pricing, which usually means 3 sales calls and a custom quote. Remote.com's transparency is appreciated by users.

Equity support: Remote.com helps manage stock options and equity grants for international employees, including tax implications and compliance. This matters if you're a startup offering equity compensation to international team members.

What Remote.com Does Poorly (Or Just Doesn't Do)

Let's talk about the problems, because no EOR platform is perfect.

Expensive for small teams: At $599/month per employee, Remote.com gets expensive fast. If you're hiring 10 international employees, you're paying $72K/year just for EOR services before payroll and benefits. For early-stage startups, that's a significant cost. User reviews on Capterra note that pricing is a common complaint for smaller companies.

Benefits packages vary by country: Remote.com offers benefits in every country, but quality varies. In some countries (e.g., US, UK, Germany), benefits are competitive. In others, you're getting the legal minimum plus modest supplementary options. User reviews report that some international employees feel their benefits packages are less competitive than domestic employees'.

Customer support inconsistency: User reviews on G2 report mixed experiences with customer support. Some users praise Remote.com's responsiveness; others complain about slow response times or difficulty reaching knowledgeable support reps. Support quality seems to depend on which country you're operating in and how complex your issue is.

Not ideal for contractors at scale: If you're managing dozens or hundreds of contractors, Remote.com's contractor management platform is functional but basic. Competitors like Deel have more robust contractor-focused features. Remote.com is better suited for EOR employee hiring than contractor management at scale.

Limited integrations: Remote.com integrates with some HRIS and accounting platforms, but integration options are more limited than competitors like Deel or Oyster. If you need deep integration with your existing HR stack, check compatibility before committing.

Contract amendments can be slow: User reviews report that making changes to employment contracts (salary adjustments, role changes, etc.) can take longer than expected, especially in countries with strict labor laws requiring government filings. This is partly a regulatory issue, not just Remote.com's fault, but it's frustrating when you need to move quickly.

How Remote.com Compares to Competitors

The EOR space is crowded. Here's how Remote.com stacks up against major competitors:

Remote.com vs. Deel: Deel has stronger contractor management features and more integrations. Remote.com has slightly better EOR compliance reputation and more transparent pricing. User reviews suggest Deel is better for contractor-heavy teams; Remote.com is better for EOR employee hiring.

Remote.com vs. Oyster: Oyster focuses more on distributed team culture and employee experience features. Remote.com focuses more on compliance and payroll accuracy. Oyster is slightly more expensive but offers better onboarding experience for employees, according to user reviews.

Remote.com vs. Velocity Global: Velocity Global is more enterprise-focused with higher touch service and higher prices. Remote.com is more SMB/mid-market friendly with self-service platform emphasis. User reviews suggest Velocity Global is better for large enterprises; Remote.com is better for startups and scaling companies.

Remote.com vs. Globalization Partners: Globalization Partners is one of the oldest EOR providers with strong compliance but dated platform and higher prices. Remote.com has better platform UX and pricing. User reviews favor Remote.com for tech companies; Globalization Partners for traditional enterprises.

Who Should Use Remote.com

Startups and scale-ups hiring globally: If you're a tech startup building a distributed team and need to hire employees in 5+ countries without setting up entities, Remote.com is a strong option. User reviews from startups rate it highly for speed, ease of use, and compliance support.

Companies hiring their first international employees: If you've been US-only and want to hire your first international team members, Remote.com handles the complexity so you don't have to learn employment law in 6 countries. Remote.com's knowledge base and support is helpful for companies new to global hiring.

Remote-first companies: If your entire company is distributed and you're hiring globally by default, Remote.com's platform is built for this model. User reviews from remote-first companies consistently rate it 4+ stars for fitting their workflow.

Companies scaling from 10-200 employees internationally: Remote.com's pricing and platform work well in this range. You're big enough that entity setup is cost-prohibitive but small enough that you need self-service tools rather than high-touch enterprise service.

Who Should NOT Use Remote.com

Companies hiring 1-2 international employees in one country: At $599/month per employee, Remote.com is expensive for very small international hiring. You might be better off partnering with a local payroll provider or using a local accountant/lawyer to set up a simple arrangement. The EOR model makes sense at scale, not for single hires.

Companies with massive contractor populations: If you're managing 100+ contractors across countries, Remote.com's contractor platform is functional but not the best option. Deel or Papaya Global have stronger contractor-focused features.

Large enterprises needing high-touch service: If you want a dedicated account team, custom SLAs, and enterprise-level support, Remote.com might feel too self-service. Competitors like Velocity Global or Safeguard Global offer more hands-on service (at higher cost).

Companies with existing entities wanting only payroll: If you already have legal entities in every country and just need global payroll software, Remote.com's EOR pricing is overkill. Look at Papaya Global or CloudPay for global payroll without EOR services.

The Bottom Line

Remote.com is a solid EOR platform for startups and mid-market companies hiring international teams. It's expensive ($599/month per employee), but significantly cheaper and faster than setting up legal entities in every country you hire in.

User reviews rate Remote.com 4.3/5 stars on G2, with praise for country coverage, compliance expertise, platform usability, and transparent pricing. Complaints focus on cost for small teams, inconsistent support quality, and benefits variation by country.

If you're building a distributed team and need to hire employees across multiple countries, Remote.com is worth evaluating. If you're hiring 1-2 people in one country or managing mostly contractors, other options might be more cost-effective.

Pricing: $599/month per employee (EOR), $29-79/month per contractor

Best for: Startups and mid-market companies hiring globally, remote-first companies, first-time international employers

Not for: Very small international teams (1-2 people), large enterprises needing high-touch service, contractor-heavy operations

User rating: 4.3/5 stars on G2

Try it: remote.com