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

Pick Remote if

• Fits if you're hiring your first employee in another country
• Works for paying freelancers in many countries and being billed only for active ones

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if your hire is somewhere outside its 90+ EOR countries, which the pricing page doesn't list
• Not for you if you want to buy without a demo, as every plan goes through sales
• Tight if cash is short, as Remote may ask for a refundable reserve
• Watch out: every price is shown as 'and up', and the PEO needs US dollars and a US bank account
• Pricey if you hire abroad, at $599 a person a month and up for EOR

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

Remote

• Every price is shown as a starting figure, and each plan is bought by booking a demo with Remote's sales team.
• EOR covers 90+ countries, contractor payments 190+ and the PEO the US only; the pricing page does not list the countries.
• Remote may ask for a refundable reserve to cover employment obligations, though it charges no standard deposit or setup fee.

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.

Remote

Employer of record

Hire in 90+ countries without a local entity, with a dedicated onboarding specialist, local payroll and localized benefits.

Global Payroll

Pay staff of your own entities with local gross-to-net calculation and tax filings, and report by country, entity and cost center.

Contractor payments

Onboard and pay contractors in 190+ countries from approved invoices, with localized contracts and optional misclassification cover.

US PEO

Hire employees in any US state without a separate entity, with payroll and federal, state and local compliance support.

Payments in 70+ currencies

Remote sets one exchange rate per monthly billing cycle and shows it on the invoice before payment, absorbing moves during the cycle.

Integrations and self-service

Connects to HR and finance tools such as BambooHR, HiBob, Workday, Xero and NetSuite; workers manage time off and expenses themselves.

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.

Remote

• Contractor Management$29

  per contractor / month and up

  Localized contracts, invoice approval and payments in 190+ countries, compliance screening, expenses and 1099-NEC forms. Only active contractors are billed.

• Global Payroll$29

  per employee / month and up

  Local gross-to-net pay, tax filings and statutory payments where you own the entity, self-serve or managed by a specialist.

• Contractor Management Plus$99

  per contractor / month and up

  Adds misclassification cover of up to $100,000 per contractor ($1M per company) and Remote-drafted contracts and statements of work.

• PEO$99

  per employee / month and up

  Hire and pay employees across the US without an entity in each state. Billed in US dollars and needs a US bank account.

• Contractor of Record$325

  per contractor / month and up

  Remote holds the contract with and pays the contractor directly, with uncapped indemnity and IP transfer handled.

• Employer of Record$599

  per employee / month and up

  Remote employs your hire in 90+ countries without a local entity, running payroll, benefits and 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.

Remote

• Startups

  15% off for early-stage startups

  Startups that have raised pre-seed, seed or Series A funding get 15% off Employer of Record and Contractor Management for their first 12 months.

Rise

• Startups

  Discounts for startups and nonprofits

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