Rise review (2026): is it worth $49 a month?
Global contractor, EOR and US payroll paid in fiat or crypto
Black Friday: is there a Rise sale?
Rise report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for paying contractors worldwide in fiat or crypto
Rise pays contractors around the world in fiat or crypto, and also acts as agent or employer of record and runs US direct payroll. It starts at $49 per contractor a month, and direct payroll covers the US only.
Who Rise is for
- 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
Who Rise is not for
- 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
Why Rise gets a 1.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$49 per contractor a month, $299 for agent of record and $399 per employee for employer of record. Those are far above plain payroll software, but this is a different kind of service, and the EOR price is below Toku's $599.
- FFree plan and trialNothing is free: no free plan and no trial are listed, so the way in is paying.
- CFeaturesGlobal contractor pay, agent and employer of record, and US direct payroll. Direct payroll is US only, and its $49 starting price does not say what it scales with.
- CEase of useNo store rating is on record, and paying across countries means setting up contracts and payout methods.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no apps and no integrations on the listing.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Rise's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Rise? Put this grade on your site
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/rise-works#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/rise-works.svg" alt="Rise: 1.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Rise stands among payroll services
Rise's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 0 of the 61 other payroll services we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on value for money (C, above 3 of 61) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $49 a month for each person, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 22 of the 32 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 18 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 62 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Rise’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 61, level with 43
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 61, level with 43
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 61, level with 28
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 61, level with 46
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 61, level with 27
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 33 payroll services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Rise, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Rise you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 52 of the 61 other payroll services grade higher. It costs $588 a year.
What you could make
- Employee records: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- Payouts to partners in many countries, with their tax forms.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
What this rests on. Rise’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Rise?
Rise is a payroll and workforce platform that pays global contractors, acts as agent of record or employer of record, and runs direct payroll in the US. Workers can be paid in fiat or crypto. The company is based in Ohio.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Rise pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Rise is a paid product, starting at $49 per contractor / month.
- Starts at
- $49 per contractor / month
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Global Contractor | $49per 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 | $49per 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 | $299per contractor / month | Rise acts as the legal contracting entity to reduce misclassification risk. |
| Employer of Record | $399per employee / month | Hire employees without local entities, with payroll, benefits, insurance and HR support. |
Read from riseworks.io on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Rise before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- StartupsDiscounts for startups and nonprofits
The pricing page lists discounts for startups and non-profits on the contractor plan without giving terms.
Stated on riseworks.io
Rise alternatives
- Rise vs Deel
From $29/mo
- Rise vs Toku
From $19/mo
- Rise vs Remote
From $29/mo
- Rise vs Niural
From $29/mo
Common questions
Does Rise have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Rise is listed for Web.
Does Rise have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Rise is listed for Web.
Is Rise open source?
Rise is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.