Deel vs Rise (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Deel if

• Fits if you pay contractors in several countries and currencies
• Works for hiring abroad without setting up a local company

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if your whole team is in the US: Deel's payroll is $145 a month for five, against $79 at Gusto
• Skip it if you want to try before committing, as there's a demo but no trial
• Not for you if you want a firm PEO price, as the pricing page shows $125 on one tab and $110 to $147 on others
• Pricey if you hire abroad without a local company, as employer of record is $599 a person a month
• Watch out: the pricing page doesn't list the 130+ countries, and contractors on the $49 plan are yours to classify

Pick Rise if

• Fits if you pay contractors in several countries and some want crypto
• Works for teams that want contractor pay and a US payroll under one provider

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you pay many people, since every price is per worker per month
• Watch out: Direct Payroll covers the US only, and the page does not say what its $49 scales with
• Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
• Skip it if you want integrations or an API, because none is listed

Deel

• Employer of record costs $599 per employee a month, against $29 for payroll where you have your own entity.
• Deel's US PEO is shown at $125 per employee a month on one tab and $110 to $147 on others, depending on the plan and health benefits.
• Pricing is month to month with no long-term contract; Deel offers a demo rather than a free trial.
• Covers 130+ countries for EOR and payroll and the US for PEO; the pricing page does not list the countries.

Rise

• The $49 Direct Payroll price is shown as a starting price; the page does not say what it scales with.
• Direct Payroll covers US payroll only.
• The $399 EOR and $299 AOR prices are per worker per month.
• Rise Works Inc. says it is registered as a Money Service Business in the United States.

Deel

Contractor payments

Pay contractors in 120+ currencies from automatically created invoices, with compliant contracts and tax form collection.

Employer of record

Hire full-time staff in 130+ countries without a local entity; Deel employs them and runs their payroll, benefits and compliance.

US and global payroll

Run US payroll in all 50 states yourself or have Deel manage it, and run payroll for your own entities in 130+ countries.

US PEO

Co-employment for US companies with an entity: Deel handles payroll, tax, HR and state registrations, with or without its health benefits.

Payroll add-ons

Global benefits management and treasury at $10 per employee a month, expenses from $8, and Payroll Connect at $5 to view other payroll vendors.

Integrations

Connects to QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite for accounting, and to BambooHR, Greenhouse, Ashby and Slack.

Rise

Fiat and crypto payouts

Contractors can be paid in 90+ local currencies or in crypto, and the site cites support for 100+ cryptocurrencies.

Global contractor pay

Compliant contracts, compliance checks and annual tax reporting for contractors.

Agent and employer of record

Rise can act as the contracting entity for contractors or as the legal employer for employees, with coverage the vendor states for 190+ countries.

Direct US payroll

Payroll for US employees with tax payments, new hire onboarding and year-end forms.

Deel

• Deel Payroll: US$29

  per employee / month, self-service, billed monthly

  Payroll in all 50 states with federal, state and local tax filing, W-2s and new-hire reporting. A managed option adds a Deel payroll manager.

• Deel Payroll: Global$29

  per employee / month, billed monthly

  Payroll in 130+ countries where you have an entity, with local tax filings, run by Deel's experts; your own team can run it in the US and Canada.

• Contractors$49

  per contractor / month, billed monthly

  Contracts, automated invoicing, tax form collection and payments to contractors in 120+ currencies. You classify the contractors yourself.

• Contractor of Record$325

  per contractor / month, billed monthly

  Deel takes on the contractor relationship and the classification liability.

• Employer of Record$599

  per employee / month, billed monthly

  Deel legally employs your hire in 130+ countries, handling contracts, payroll, taxes, benefits and local compliance.

Rise

• Global Contractor$49

  per contractor / month

  Fiat and crypto payments, compliance checks, annual tax reporting and compliant global contracts. The page mentions discounts for startups and nonprofits.

• Direct Payroll$49

  per month and up

  US payroll with same-day paychecks in all 50 states, payroll taxes paid, unlimited payrolls and year-end W-2s and 1099s. Priced as starting at.

• Agent of Record$299

  per contractor / month

  Rise acts as the legal contracting entity to reduce misclassification risk.

• Employer of Record$399

  per employee / month

  Hire employees without local entities, with payroll, benefits, insurance and HR support.

Deel

• Other savings

  3 months of PEO platform fees free

  New PEO order forms signed between July 15 and December 31, 2026 with a term of at least two years get 3 months of platform fees credited at the end of the term.

Rise

• Startups

  Discounts for startups and nonprofits

  The pricing page lists discounts for startups and non-profits on the contractor plan without giving terms.