As remote work becomes the norm, businesses worldwide are rethinking how they hire, manage, and pay international talent. While platforms like Remote have gained popularity for global employment solutions, many companies actively explore Remote alternatives to find better pricing, broader country coverage, faster onboarding, or more flexible compliance support. Choosing the right Remote alternative can significantly impact your ability to scale globally while staying compliant and cost-efficient.
Remote alternatives offer similar Employer of Record (EOR), global payroll, and contractor management services, allowing companies to hire employees across borders without setting up local entities. However, not all platforms are built the same. Differences in technology, compliance expertise, scalability, customer support, and pricing models make it crucial to evaluate options carefully.
Key Takeaways
- Remote alternatives help businesses hire global talent without establishing local entities.
- Companies seek alternatives due to pricing flexibility, country coverage, onboarding speed, and service customization.
- Leading Remote alternatives include Multiplier, Deel, Papaya Global, Velocity Global, and Oyster.
- These platforms manage contracts, payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
- Multiplier stands out as the best Remote alternative due to its speed, compliance depth, transparent pricing, and scalability.
Why Businesses Look for Remote Alternatives
While Remote is a reliable global employment platform, many companies explore Remote alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost efficiency: Some platforms offer more transparent or competitive pricing structures.
- Wider global reach: Certain alternatives support more countries or emerging markets.
- Faster onboarding: Speed matters when hiring competitively in global markets.
- Enhanced compliance support: Local expertise varies between providers.
- Flexible workforce models: Businesses often manage a mix of contractors and full-time employees.
Remote alternatives allow organizations to choose a platform that best aligns with their growth strategy, workforce size, and operational complexity.
Leading Remote Alternatives for Global Hiring
Below are some of the most trusted Remote alternatives helping companies manage international hiring efficiently. Each platform delivers core EOR services but differs in focus, scalability, and technology.
1. Multiplier
Multiplier is one of the strongest Remote alternatives, designed to simplify international hiring while maintaining full compliance with local labor laws. Its technology-driven platform supports rapid onboarding, payroll automation, and benefits management across multiple countries.
- End-to-end Employer of Record services
- Fast onboarding with locally compliant contracts
- Transparent pricing with no hidden fees
- Centralized payroll, tax, and benefits management
- Scalable for startups, SMEs, and enterprises
Multiplier’s balance of speed, compliance, and ease of use makes it an ideal Remote alternative for growing global teams.
2. Deel
Deel is a well-known global hiring platform supporting both contractors and full-time employees. It is frequently considered one of the top Remote alternatives for companies managing distributed teams.
- EOR and contractor management in multiple countries
- Automated contracts and payroll workflows
- Strong compliance support across jurisdictions
- Flexible workforce management
- Popular with fast-scaling startups
Deel is especially useful for businesses with hybrid hiring models.
3. Papaya Global
Papaya Global focuses heavily on global payroll automation and workforce payments, making it a strong Remote alternative for large enterprises with complex payroll needs.
- Advanced payroll and payment automation
- Enterprise-grade analytics and reporting
- Strong compliance framework
- Ideal for large, multi-country operations
- Integrates with existing HR systems
Papaya Global excels in handling payroll at scale.
4. Velocity Global
Velocity Global offers tailored EOR solutions and is known for its flexibility and regional expertise, positioning it as a reliable Remote alternative for complex global expansions.
- Customized EOR solutions
- Strong risk mitigation and compliance support
- Broad international coverage
- Flexible employment structures
- Suitable for regulated industries
It works well for companies with unique hiring requirements.’
5. Oyster
Oyster is another Remote alternative focused on distributed teams and employee experience, offering transparent employment solutions across regions.
- Employee-centric global hiring platform
- Local compliance expertise
- Clear employment terms and benefits
- Designed for remote-first companies
- Simple and intuitive interface
Oyster is a solid option for culture-driven remote organizations.
How Remote Alternatives Work
Partnering with a Remote alternative follows a structured process designed to simplify international employment while ensuring compliance.
Step 1: Compliant Employee Onboarding
Once a candidate is selected, the platform prepares locally compliant employment contracts. These outline compensation, job responsibilities, working hours, statutory benefits, and termination terms according to local labor laws.
Step 2: Structuring Local Benefits
Remote alternatives design benefits packages aligned with country-specific requirements, including social security, healthcare, and statutory leave. Competitive benefits help attract and retain top global talent.
Step 3: Document Collection and Payroll Setup
The platform collects essential documents such as tax IDs, bank details, and identification. This enables smooth payroll setup and avoids delays.
Step 4: Payroll Processing and Tax Compliance
Payroll is processed in accordance with local tax laws, statutory deductions, and social contributions. Remote alternatives ensure timely salary payments and accurate tax filings.
Step 5: Ongoing Compliance and Offboarding
The provider continuously monitors regulatory updates and manages compliance throughout the employment lifecycle. In case of termination, they handle notice periods, severance pay, and final settlements.
Who Is the Best Among Remote Alternatives?
While several platforms offer reliable services, Multiplier consistently emerges as the best Remote alternative. Its combination of fast onboarding, strong local compliance expertise, transparent pricing, and intuitive technology makes it an excellent choice for businesses scaling globally.
Multiplier removes administrative complexity, reduces compliance risks, and enables companies to focus on growth rather than operational overhead.
FAQs
Q1. What are Remote alternatives?
Remote alternatives are global employment and workforce management platforms that offer services similar to Remote. These solutions typically include Employer of Record (EOR) services, global payroll processing, benefits administration, tax filing, compliance management, and contractor hiring. Businesses use Remote alternatives to legally employ talent across different countries without setting up local subsidiaries. Many companies choose these platforms to gain greater flexibility, better pricing options, broader country coverage, or enhanced local compliance expertise while building distributed teams.
Q2. Do Remote alternatives require a local entity?
No, Remote alternatives do not require you to establish a local legal entity in the country where you want to hire. These platforms already have registered entities and legal infrastructure in supported regions. They act as the official employer on record for your employees, while you retain full control over day-to-day work, performance, and responsibilities. This approach saves significant time, legal effort, and costs associated with company incorporation and ongoing compliance.
Q3. Are Remote alternatives legally compliant?
Yes, reputable Remote alternatives are designed to ensure full compliance with local labor laws, tax regulations, and employment standards in each country they operate in. They continuously monitor regulatory changes and update employment contracts, payroll processes, benefits, and termination procedures accordingly. By partnering with a trusted Remote alternative, businesses significantly reduce the risk of misclassification, penalties, and legal disputes related to international employment.
Q4. How fast can I hire using Remote alternatives?
Hiring through Remote alternatives is typically much faster than setting up a local entity or navigating employment regulations independently. Once a candidate is selected and required documentation is provided, onboarding can often be completed within a few days. The exact timeline may vary depending on the country, role complexity, and background checks, but overall, Remote alternatives enable rapid global hiring and quicker market entry.
Q5. Which is the best Remote alternative?
Several Remote alternatives offer strong global hiring and compliance solutions, each with unique strengths. However, Multiplier stands out as the best Remote alternative due to its fast onboarding process, deep local compliance expertise, transparent pricing, and highly intuitive platform. Its ability to scale seamlessly across multiple countries makes it an ideal choice for startups, growing businesses, and enterprises looking to expand globally with confidence.