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Blog

The 7 best international payroll providers in 2025

Author

Published

October 21, 2025

Updated

October 22, 2025

Read time

12 MIN

[Blog - Hero Image] Global payroll

Hiring internationally is exciting until it's time to process payroll. 

The moment you bring on your first international worker, you’re responsible for navigating a labyrinth of local payroll regulations, tax and labor laws, currency conversions, and deciding whether to set up local entities or lean on EOR services.

Thankfully, there's software for all that. And in this guide, I'll walk you through nine of the best international payroll providers, comparing how each platform handles payroll processing, compliance, benefits administration, and integrations so you can onboard and pay your global workforce with ease.

Quick comparison: Best global payroll providers at a glance

Before we dive into full reviews, here’s an at-a-glance view that shows you the providers on my list, and how wide their global payroll coverage really is.

Platform

Best For

Choose This If

Global Reach

Rippling Global Payroll

Best all-in-one platform

You want global payroll, HR, IT, and spend management in one

185+ countries

ADP GlobalView/Celergo

Enterprises with legacy systems

You need a well-known payroll giant with compliance expertise

140+ countries

Deel

Contractors

You hire contractors globally and want quick onboarding

100+ countries

Papaya Global

Mid-market scaling globally

You want cloud-native payroll outsourcing + analytics

160+ countries

Remote

Distributed teams and startups

You need global payroll with EOR + basic HR functionality

You need global payroll with EOR + basic HR functionality

Paylocity Global Payroll

Mid-size companies

If you’re on Paylocity domestically and want global expansion

100+ countries

Oyster HR

Global hiring startups

You need a user-friendly platform for hiring + paying overseas

180+ countries

Methodology: How I chose these providers

To find the best international payroll providers, I looked at the same things you’d care about if you were about to expand overseas. My criteria:

  • Global coverage: How many countries do they actually support for payroll, EOR, or contractor payments?

  • Payroll accuracy and compliance automation: Whether they help you stay ahead of tax and labor laws instead of reacting after mistakes.

  • Employee + contractor support: Can you process payroll for full-time international employees and contractors in one system?

  • Integrations with HR, finance, and IT systems: You don’t want payroll data siloed. You want it flowing into HR systems, accounting systems, and even IT provisioning.

  • Transparency and scalability: How pricing works, and whether the platform is scale-friendly.

  • Implementation time and customer support: How fast you can get up and running, and whether there’s a dedicated point of contact or just a ticket queue.

Rippling editorial policy: Rippling puts our customers (and prospective customers!) first. The Rippling team is committed to providing information supported by product data, expert insights, and real customer feedback to inform all of our content. All of our content is reviewed by product experts for accuracy and freshness.

Deep dive: My full review of each provider

1. Rippling Global Payroll

G2 Rating: 4.8/5 stars (#1 software solution for Core HR and Workforce Management)

Why Rippling stands out

With Rippling, you can run global payroll, manage HR data, handle IT provisioning, and track spend in the same dashboard. That means that whether you hire an employee in Nigeria or a contractor in Singapore, their information flows through onboarding, payroll processing, benefits, and even device management automatically.

Rippling supports:

  • Contractor management in 185+ countries with compliant contracts and one-click local currency payments.

  • Employer of Record (EOR) services in 80 countries.

  • Multi-currency payroll in 50+ currencies.

  • Automated compliance checks for local payroll regulations and tax laws.

  • In-house payroll engines in premium countries for instant gross-to-net, 5-day payroll timelines, and unlimited free off-cycles.

  • Infinitely customizable reporting across your full employee dataset, not just a subset.

Extra benefits

Because payroll, HR, IT, and expense management are on one platform, you won’t need brittle integrations or manual uploads. If an employee changes their address, Rippling updates payroll taxes automatically and syncs it to your HR and accounting systems. That saves you time and reduces compliance risk.

Where Rippling can fall short

You can’t buy Rippling as just a payroll tool. The payroll feature comes as part of the full platform. You get maximum value when you use it as an all-in-one system for HR, payroll, global benefits, and spend management.

Is Rippling right for you?

If you’re scaling fast and want one system to unify your global workforce and operations, Rippling is the best pick. 

Feature snapshot

Feature

Available?

Global payroll coverage

Yes – 185+ countries (contractors)

Contractor payments

Yes

Multi-currency support

Yes – 50+ currencies

Local tax compliance automation

Yes

In-house HR, IT, and Spend Management

Yes

Rippling logo
Everything you need to run a global team

2. ADP GlobalView/Celergo 

Why ADP stands out

ADP is one of the most trusted names in global payroll services. When I dug into ADP GlobalView and ADP Celergo, I found they solve different global payroll needs but are often bundled together.

  • GlobalView centralizes payroll data in a few countries where you already have scale.

  • Celergo is designed for smaller companies, with multi-country payroll across 140 countries, connecting ADP’s and partners’ local payroll engines into one hub.

Enterprises typically use GlobalView for 40 short-tail countries and Celergo to handle the rest, which is why ADP markets them as a combined solution — ADP Global Payroll.

Extra benefits

If you’re running payroll operations alongside benefits and compliance reporting, ADP delivers. Their brand is also well-known to auditors and regulators.

Where ADP can fall short

ADP has grown through 100+ acquisitions, which leaves modules disjointed and limits automation. The result is a clunkier user experience compared to newer platforms.

Celergo also has restrictions and workflow issues:

  • To qualify, you need to be headquartered in the U.S. and operate in at least two other countries.

  • Celergo is not a true payroll engine. It runs gross-to-net calculations, then sends that data to a local payroll provider to actually produce the paychecks, before bouncing it back into Celergo for payslips.

  • That round trip can take 10–14 days, which may work for monthly cycles but creates problems if you pay more frequently.

  • Integrating Celergo also costs extra, adding to your total setup expense.

Is ADP right for you?

If you’re an enterprise already running on ADP for U.S. payroll or HR, extending into GlobalView + Celergo makes sense. You’ll get proven payroll solutions with strong compliance management, but you’ll sacrifice the speed and UX you’d find in newer platforms.

Feature snapshot

Feature

ADP

Rippling

Global payroll coverage

Yes — 140+ countries

Yes — 185+ countries (contractors)

Contractor payments

Limited — not core strength

Yes

Multi-currency support

Yes

Yes — 50+ currencies

Local tax compliance automation

Yes

Yes

In-house HR, IT, and Spend Management

Limited

Yes

3. Deel

Why Deel stands out

You can hire through Deel's local entities in 150+ countries, and pay contractors in just as many.

Extra benefits

Deel integrates with popular accounting systems and HR services (like QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and BambooHR). It also bakes in features like visa support, equity management, and localized benefits.

Where Deel can fall short

  • Deel grows by acquisition, which means you’re relying on a stack of disconnected systems. Rippling, by contrast, builds everything in-house on a unified employee graph, so workflows and reporting are tighter.

  • Additional fees apply for off-cycle modifications or re-runs.

  • YTD payroll reports are not readily available within the platform, but must be manually requested by customers and prepared by Deel.

  • Deel's reviews consistently reflect complaints of inconsistent support.

Is Deel right for you?

If you’re a startup or mid-market company hiring contractors or employees abroad, Deel gives you a fast, compliant way to get started. If you have more complex global payroll management needs or want to manage your entire workforce in one system, Rippling may fit better.

Feature snapshot

Feature

Deel

Rippling

Global payroll coverage

Yes — 170+ countries (contractors)

Yes — 185+ countries (contractors)

Contractor payments

Yes

Yes

Multi-currency support

Yes

Yes  — 50+ currencies

Local tax compliance automation

Yes

Yes

In-house HR, IT, and Spend Management

No

Yes

I felt like I couldn’t trust Deel’s compliance. It felt like asking ChatGPT.

Jisselle Baldwin-Todd

Head of HR at Crate

4. Papaya Global

Why Papaya Global stands out

Papaya Global supports 160+ countries and can fund payroll in 15 currencies, giving you flexibility to manage payroll across multiple regions. It also offers an owned payment infrastructure, which means faster cross-border transfers.

Extra benefits

Papaya Global provides detailed analytics dashboards, which are useful if you want to forecast costs across your global operations. 

Where Papaya Global can fall short

  • Setup and add-on service fees can add up.

  • Not SMB-friendly; best fit for companies with 100+ employees.

  • Relies on third parties for parts of its global payroll and EOR delivery.

  • Lacks the advanced HR features you’d get in an all-in-one like Rippling, so you may need to connect it to other HR systems.

Is Papaya Global right for you?

If you want a global payroll provider that emphasizes analytics and centralized payments across international employees and contractors, Papaya is worth considering. If your pain point is deeper HR functionality or a more SMB-friendly platform, the gaps might be frustrating.

Feature snapshot

Feature

Papaya Global

Rippling

Global payroll coverage

Yes — 160+ countries

Yes — 185+ countries (contractors)

Contractor payments

Yes

Yes

Multi-currency support

Yes — 15 funding currencies, 130+ payout currencies

Yes — 50+ currencies

Local tax compliance automation

Yes

Yes

In-house HR, IT, and Spend Management

No

Yes

5. Remote.com

Why Remote stands out

Remote built its reputation on making hiring simple for startups and distributed teams. You can hire and pay full-time employees through Remote’s entities in 80+ countries and access payroll infrastructure in over 100 countries.

Extra benefits

I like how Remote bundles compliance management and benefits administration into its payroll package. The interface is clean, and onboarding flows are straightforward, which helps if you don’t have a dedicated payroll manager.

Where Remote can fall short

  • No direct accounting integrations. Remote exports general ledger journal entries as PDFs, leaving finance teams to manually retype data into their systems.

  • There are only 10 pre-built reports available, compared to Rippling's 100+.

  • Some reviewers note billing transparency issues and slower response times during high-volume onboarding.

  • Remote’s Zero Deposit model holds about a month of salary up front as “pre-funding” collateral, then reconciles at the end of the month. That creates painful reconciliation work and ties up cash.

  • Like other EOR-first providers, its broader HR and IT integrations are lighter than what you’d get in Rippling.

Is Remote right for you?

If you’re a startup or mid-market company building only an international team, Remote works. You may outgrow it if you need unified payroll across your entire global workforce with deeper payroll management and analytics.

Feature snapshot

Feature

Remote

Rippling

Global payroll coverage

Yes — 100+ countries

Yes — 185+ countries (contractors)

Contractor payments

Yes — 80+ countries

Yes

Multi-currency support

Yes

Yes — 50+ currencies

Local tax compliance automation

Yes

Yes

In-house HR, IT, and Spend Management

No

Yes

Rippling logo
Keep your whole workforce in one system

6. Paylocity Global Payroll

Why Paylocity Global Payroll stands out

Through a partnership with Blue Marble, Paylocity supports payroll in 100+ countries, giving mid-size companies a way to expand internationally without leaving the Paylocity ecosystem.

Extra benefits

You can see your U.S. and international payroll data in one place, which is a step up if you’re used to digging through PDFs from local vendors. Its platform also ties into Paylocity’s HCM features, so you get payroll, time tracking, and benefits data in one system.

Where Paylocity can fall short

  • Paylocity relies on Blue Marble to run its global payroll engine. That extra layer can make support and service feel more fragmented than native platforms.

  • Reviewers say international payroll setup and expansion can be slower compared to more modern cloud-native providers.

  • You can combine data across a few modules, but not all at once. For example, you can’t create a single report that ties together payroll, benefits, and time tracking.

Is Paylocity right for you?

Paylocity Global Payroll makes sense if you’re already invested in Paylocity for U.S. operations and want to avoid introducing another vendor. If you’re evaluating platforms from scratch or need advanced analytics, customizable reporting, and granular permissions, you’ll likely get more value from a unified provider like Rippling.

Feature snapshot

Feature

Paylocity Global Payroll

Rippling

Global payroll coverage

Yes — 100+ countries (via Blue Marble)

Yes — 185+ countries (contractors)

Contractor payments

Limited

Yes

Multi-currency support

Yes

Yes — 50+ currencies

Local tax compliance automation

Yes

Yes

In-house HR, IT, and Spend Management

Limited

Yes

7. Oyster HR

Why Oyster HR stands out

Oyster HR is built for startups and scaleups that want to hire quickly across borders. It offers EOR services in 180+ countries, plus contractor management, localized benefits, and IP protection.

Extra benefits

The interface is easy to navigate. Oyster also offers country-specific hiring cost calculators and localized contract templates, which help you plan before expanding into a new market.

Where Oyster HR can fall short

  • Limited local depth; reliance on third-party vendors in some regions.

  • Smaller integration ecosystem compared to Rippling; may force manual HR or finance workflows.

  • Very basic HR functionality: no applicant tracking, learning management, performance management, or time management.

  • Like other EOR-first providers, Oyster doesn’t offer a unified system for domestic and international payroll.

  • Accounting integrations are limited to QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite, and none are bi-directional.

  • Timesheets are disconnected from payroll, so hours don’t flow directly into pay runs.

Is Oyster HR right for you?

A fit if you're about to make your first international hire as a startup, and you want a compliance-first experience. If you need robust reporting, deep integrations, or a single system to run both domestic and international payroll, you’ll outgrow Oyster HR quickly.

Feature snapshot

Feature

Oyster HR

Rippling

Global payroll coverage

Yes

Yes — 185+ countries (contractors)

Contractor payments

Yes

Yes

Multi-currency support

Yes

Yes — 50+ currencies

Local tax compliance automation

Yes

Yes

In-house HR, IT, and Spend Management

Limited — no core IT or spend management module

Yes

International payroll provider features to look out for

From my research, these are the features that separate basic vendors from true global payroll cloud solutions.

Local tax compliance and automated filings

Every country has its own payroll laws and labor regulations. If your provider doesn’t stay on top of them, you’ll be the one liable for errors. To avoid this, look for payroll providers that automate filings, tax updates, compliance, and reporting.

Multi-currency and treasury management

Your international workers expect to be paid accurately. Your payroll provider should handle currency conversions, support local bank rails, and have treasury tools to simplify payment processing.

Unified payroll cycles

If you’re running payroll in ten different countries, you don’t want ten siloed systems. Your global payroll software should consolidate payroll cycles into a one predictable schedule, so your global employees get their payments on time.

Rippling logo
Juggling vendors? Not with Rippling

Contractor and employee payments

Most global businesses start with contractors before they hire employees. Your provider should be able to handle both, so you don't end up outsourcing payroll to multiple vendors. This could increase costs and compliance risks.

Benefits administration

Offering competitive benefits is part of hiring employees abroad, but what works in one country may be borderline illegal in another. The right payroll partner makes sure your international workers get benefits packages that are compliant and aligned with local employment laws.

Workforce analytics

Payroll is one of your biggest expenses, so don’t settle for static reports. Instead, look for an all-in-one solution that gives you customizable analytics across teams, locations, and currencies. That way, you can tie payroll processing directly into workforce planning, HR operations, and your broader HCM strategy.

Which international payroll provider is best for your business?

The right fit depends on where you are today and how fast you’re planning for global growth. Here’s how I’d break it down:

Best international payroll providers based on your company's size

Company Stage

Worker Count

Best Fit

Key Considerations

Early-Stage Startup

1-25

Deel, Oyster HR

Fastest for contractors; localized contracts; intuitive dashboard. Best for testing markets before hiring employees

Growth Stage

25-200

Rippling, Paylocity Global Payroll

Easy extensions of U.S. payroll. Works if you need your first international worker, but don’t want a new system yet

Fast-Scaling Company

50-5,000

Rippling

Handles both domestic + international payroll in one platform. Automates payroll processing, compliance, and analytics. Future-proof to avoid painful migrations

Established SMB

500-10,000

Rippling, Papaya Global, Paylocity

Strong for outsourcing payroll across multiple countries. Good dashboards, compliance guardrails, and contractor support

Enterprise

10,000+

ADP, Paylocity

Deep regulatory compliance expertise, local experts. Built for complex operations across dozens of time zones

Based on your primary payroll needs

Payroll Need

Best Fit

Why

Unified global + domestic payroll

Rippling

One all-in-one solution with HR, IT, finance, and payroll connected. Fewer systems, fewer compliance errors

Finance-first (accuracy + integrations)

Rippling, Papaya Global

Rippling syncs payroll directly into accounting systems with no manual work. Papaya adds visibility into cash flow and payroll variance.

Contractor-first hiring model

Deel, Oyster HR

Quick onboarding, compliant contracts, fast payment processing for global freelancers

Analytics and cost forecasting

Papaya Global, Rippling

Centralized dashboards, real-time visibility into payroll cycles, and labor costs

HR-first (compliance + employee experience)

Rippling, Remote

Rippling unifies HR, IT, and payroll for a seamless onboarding/offboarding experience. Remote emphasizes employee benefits and IP protection.

First international hires for SMBs

Paylocity Global Payroll

Extensions of existing U.S. payroll tools; low lift but limited long-term scalability

Why Rippling is the #1 international payroll provider in 2025

Most payroll platforms ask you to make trade-offs: do you want compliance guardrails or speed? Contractor payments or employee payroll? Local expertise or real-time analytics on global workforce costs? With Rippling, you don’t have to choose.

Rippling connects payroll, HR, IT, and Finance in a single system. That means when you hire in a new country, you’re not bolting on yet another vendor, just extending the same platform you already use. Employees and contractors in 50+ countries get paid accurately, tax filings and labor laws are handled automatically, and onboarding is as simple in Berlin as it is in Boston.

That’s why I put Rippling at #1. It isn’t just another payroll service; it’s the OS for your global workforce.

It’s just easy. Payroll is really quick — I just compare pay runs and it takes me 10 minutes, where it used to take hours.

Dan Giancola

CFO at Double Good

Rippling logo
Onboard international workers in days, not months
What’s the difference between global payroll and EOR?

Global payroll handles payroll processing: calculating pay, deductions, benefits, and employee payments across multiple countries. An Employer of Record (EOR) goes further to become the legal employer in-country, taking on contracts, compliance, and benefits administration.

How do international payroll providers ensure compliance?

Legacy vendors rely on local partners and manual checks, which means gaps. Modern systems like Rippling build compliance into the workflow: automated tax updates, built-in guardrails, and direct filing.

Can I pay contractors and employees with the same system?

Yes, but not every vendor supports it. Platforms like Rippling allow you to handle global contractor payments and full-time employee payroll together, without re-entering data or losing history.

What are the costs of global payroll software?

Pricing varies. SMB-focused tools might charge under $50 per head, while enterprise outsourcing payroll models (like ADP) can top $600 per employee per month. Some vendors also add setup fees, entity fees, or markups on FX. With Rippling, you pay only for what you use, and you avoid layering multiple vendors as you grow.

What are the hidden costs of global payroll software no one talks about?

Migration is one of the hidden costs. Many businesses start with “good enough” vendors, but once they scale, they’re forced to rip everything out. Rippling prevents that by letting you start small but scale payroll, HR, and IT together to prevent painful re-platforming later.

What’s the real risk if I get payroll wrong abroad?

Beyond unhappy employees, the bigger problem with getting payroll wrong is regulatory compliance. Miss a filing or underpay contributions, and you could face audits, back taxes, or even blocked hiring in that market. Automated tax updates and compliance requirements help you avoid that.

Which provider is best for fast-growing companies expanding overseas?

If you’re scaling fast, you need more than just a payroll service. Rippling is built to unify managing payroll, HR, IT, and Finance in one platform. That means you can add new international workers in days, automate compliance, and see global costs in real time. Competitors like Deel or Oyster HR can help if you’re only hiring contractors, but once you cross borders with employees in multiple countries, you’ll outgrow them quickly.

One system for HR, IT, and Payroll

Disclaimer

Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.

Hubs

Author

The Rippling Team

Global HR, IT, and Finance know-how directly from the Rippling team.

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