Best HR Software for Remote Teams 2026
HR software for remote teams has to handle people the company may never meet in person, often in several countries: onboarding without an office, self-service time off and documents, payroll in more than one jurisdiction, and a compliant way to hire contractors or full-time employees where the company has no legal entity.
We ranked six platforms on that remote-team fit. Deel, Remote and Oyster publish their prices: Deel HR starts at $5 per employee per month, contractor management costs $29 per contractor per month at Remote and Oyster ($49 at Deel), and Employer of Record (EOR) runs $599 per employee per month at Deel, from $599 at Remote and $699 at Oyster. Gusto publishes US payroll prices; HiBob and Paylocity are quote-only. Every price was checked on the vendor's own site on October 13, 2026.
The best HR/HRIS tools in 2026 are Deel (from $5/mo), Remote (from $29/user/mo), and Oyster HR (from $29/mo). Deel is the best HR software for remote teams in 2026: HR plans from $5 per employee per month, global payroll at $29 per employee per month in 130+ countries, and EOR at $599 per employee per month, all on one platform with month-to-month pricing. Remote is the best choice if you mostly hire contractors, since it bills $29 per contractor only in months they're active.
Deel is the best HR software for remote teams in 2026: HR plans from $5 per employee per month, global payroll at $29 per employee per month in 130+ countries, and EOR at $599 per employee per month, all on one platform with month-to-month pricing. Remote is the best choice if you mostly hire contractors, since it bills $29 per contractor only in months they're active.
Compare the top 3 side-by-side
Drag the seat slider, lock a tier per product, see Vendr median pricing and hidden costs for Deel, Remote, Oyster HR.
Our Rankings
Deel
Deel covers the full remote-team lifecycle on one platform with published prices: Deel HR Core at $5 per employee per month, global payroll at $29 per employee per month in 130+ countries, contractors at $49 per contractor per month and EOR at $599 per employee per month. Pricing is month-to-month.- Cheapest paid
- Deel HR Core, $5 per employee per month (month-to-month)
- Verified
- 2026-10-13 · vendor source
- Published: HR Core $5, Advanced $19, Elite $29 per employee per month
- Add global payroll ($29), contractors ($49) or EOR ($599) on the same platform
- Month-to-month with no long-term contract required, per Deel's pricing FAQ
- The free HRIS tier was discontinued; HR now starts at $5 per employee per month
- Costs stack quickly once you add contractors, EOR and add-ons
- Performance reviews and OKRs require HR Advanced ($19/employee/month)
Remote
Remote bills Contractor Management at $29 per contractor only in months you actively work with them, pays contractors in 190+ countries, and adds EOR from $599 per employee per month in 90+ countries. There are no setup or platform fees, which suits remote teams that hire across borders in stages.- Cheapest paid
- Contractor Management, from $29 per contractor per month (only for contractors active that month)
- Verified
- 2026-10-13 · vendor source
- Contractor Management from $29/contractor/month, billed only for contractors active that month
- EOR from $599/employee/month; Global Payroll from $29/employee/month for your own entities
- No setup, onboarding or platform fees
- No standalone HRIS plan is listed on Remote's pricing page
- Misclassification indemnity requires Contractor Management Plus ($99/contractor/month)
- A refundable reserve payment may be required in some cases
Oyster HR
Oyster lets you create an account for free, makes Global Contractors free for 30 days and then $29 per contractor per month in 180+ countries, and offers EOR at $699 per employee per month in 120+ countries with annual discounts available. It suits remote teams converting contractors into full-time hires.- Cheapest paid
- Global Contractors, free for 30 days then $29 per contractor per month
- Verified
- 2026-10-13 · vendor source
- Free account; Global Contractors free for 30 days, then $29/contractor/month
- EOR in 120+ countries with multi-country payroll in 120+ currencies
- No extra charges for setup, onboarding or terminations, per Oyster's FAQ
- Requires a refundable deposit for each EOR team member
HiBob
HiBob is a full HR platform built around Core HR, with native US payroll across all 50 states, UK payroll, and a Payroll Hub that syncs data from other payroll providers. That suits remote teams with employees in several countries, but pricing is a custom per-employee quote.- Cheapest paid
- Not published: custom per-employee quote (Core HR plus modules)
- Verified
- 2026-10-13 · vendor source
- Native US (all 50 states) and UK payroll modules
- Payroll Hub centralizes data from other payroll providers through integrations
- Modules for performance, hiring, learning and workforce planning
- No published prices; custom quote per employee, based on headcount and modules
- Pricing page is a demo-request form; no self-serve trial
- No EOR; you need a separate provider to employ people where you have no entity
Gusto
Prices are published and month-to-month.- Cheapest paid
- Simple, $49/month + $6/month per person (one state); Plus $80/month + $12/person for multi-state
- Verified
- 2026-10-13 · vendor source
- Global contractor payments in 120+ countries with no monthly per-contractor fee (service and FX fees per payment)
- Unlimited payrolls and automatic tax filings on every plan
- Simple runs payroll in one state only; distributed US teams need Plus
- No EOR for hiring full-time employees abroad
Paylocity
Paylocity's HR & Payroll module includes global payroll in 100+ countries alongside US payroll with 30+ automated audits, and it adds finance (expenses, AP automation) and IT modules. It suits remote teams that want one back-office vendor, but everything is quoted.- Cheapest paid
- Not published: quote by employee count and modules
- Verified
- 2026-10-13 · vendor source
- Global payroll in 100+ countries within the HR & Payroll module
- Optional finance modules: expense management, corporate cards, AP automation
- Quotes available from the 1–30 employee band up to 5,000+
- No published prices; quote through a sales form
- Final price depends on which modules you add
- No EOR; no free plan or trial
Evaluation Criteria
- Global Compliance
For remote teams, the platform must support compliant payroll, contractor agreements or EOR in every country where people work, not just the company's home country.
- Employee Self Service
Remote employees need to manage time off, documents and pay information without HR intervention, which reduces async back-and-forth.
- Published, Per Head Pricing
Per-employee or per-contractor list prices let a growing remote team forecast cost before talking to sales.
- Contractor to Employee Path
Many remote teams start with contractors; the platform should let you convert them to employees through payroll or EOR without switching vendors.
- Async Onboarding
New hires should be able to complete contracts, documents and profile setup on their own, across time zones.
How We Picked These
We evaluated 9 products and ranked the top 6 (last researched 2026-10-13).
Payroll, contractor payments and EOR across countries, with the vendor's stated country coverage
Whether per-employee or per-contractor prices are published on the vendor's site, checked 2026-10-13
Self-service time off and documents, async onboarding, org chart
Native payroll or integrations that keep HR and payroll data in sync
Ability to grow from a small remote team to a global workforce without switching platforms
Frequently Asked Questions
01 What is the best HR software for remote teams?
Deel is our top pick: HR plans from $5 per employee per month, global payroll at $29 per employee per month in 130+ countries, contractors at $49 per contractor per month and EOR at $599 per employee per month, with month-to-month pricing. Remote and Oyster are the main alternatives for contractor-heavy teams.
02 Is there free HR software for remote teams?
Not among the platforms ranked here. Deel's free HRIS tier was discontinued and Deel HR now starts at $5 per employee per month. Oyster lets you create an account for free and makes Global Contractors free for 30 days, then $29 per contractor per month. Remote's pricing page lists no free plan.
03 How much does HR software cost for a remote team?
Deel HR costs $5, $19 or $29 per employee per month (Core, Advanced, Elite). Contractor management costs $29 per contractor per month at Remote and Oyster and $49 at Deel. EOR costs $599 per employee per month at Deel, from $599 at Remote and $699 at Oyster. Gusto charges $49/month + $6 per person (Simple) or $80/month + $12 per person (Plus). HiBob and Paylocity are quote-only.
04 Do I need an Employer of Record to hire remote employees abroad?
If your company has no legal entity in the employee's country, an EOR such as Deel ($599/employee/month), Remote (from $599) or Oyster ($699) employs them for you and runs local payroll, benefits and compliance. If you already own the entity, global payroll is cheaper: Deel and Remote charge $29 per employee per month.
05 Which option is best for a US-only remote team?
Gusto is the simplest: Plus ($80/month + $12 per person) runs payroll across multiple states, while Simple covers one state only. Gusto can also pay contractors in 120+ countries through a global contractor payments add-on with no monthly per-contractor fee.
06 Can remote teams use HiBob or Paylocity?
Yes. HiBob offers native US and UK payroll plus a Payroll Hub that syncs other payroll providers; Paylocity includes global payroll in 100+ countries. Neither offers EOR, and both price by custom quote.