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Our verdict
Deel is a leading HR and Employer of Record (EOR) platform, supporting businesses through every stage of the employment lifecycle, in almost any country. Deel is suitable for businesses of any size who are looking for just one partner to handle their HR, payroll and compliance needs.
Pros
- Hire employees and manage payroll in 150+ countries
- The all-in-one Deel HR platform — say goodbye to multiple HR apps
Cons
- Has been accused of non-compliance on several occasions
- Expensive compared to some of its competitors
Visit Deel
How is this calculated?
We calculate the Overall Rating by combining the ratings of several testing categories.
Learn more by reading our testing and review methodology.
120 Currencies
From $599 per month
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As a seasoned HR professional and remote work expert, ‘Deel’ is a name I keep hearing, not just as a leader in the Employer of Record (space) but as a complete HR and payroll SaaS solution. I had no choice but to check out what makes Deel unique.
In this review, I break down Deel’s key service offerings and examine the pros and cons of going with Deel. Unlike some other reviewers, I will give the truth and do not shy away from the potential downsides of choosing Deel.
Overview
Deel is a leading international Employer of Record and HR SaaS. A so-called ‘decacorn’, most recently valued at $12 billion, Deel provides global employment solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes, from micro-businesses to large enterprises. The trust the market places in Deel is reflected in its prestigious client list, including Nike, Zapier, Dropbox, Reebok, Notion, Revolut, and Subway.
In my experience, Deel is the only provider that offers a selection of HR solutions as comprehensive. This includes:
- Employer of Record (EOR) solutions in 150+ countries, enabling companies to hire anyone, anywhere. This includes visa and compliance assistance for those companies that request it.
- A Global Payroll solution (outsourced payroll) in 90+ countries.
- Deel HR is a free HR platform that unites EOR, payroll, contractor solutions, and add-on services like equipment registration, background checks, and more. Deel HR has dozens of integrations and replaces 16+ HR apps.
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Deel AI, also known as ‘Deel IQ,’ is a new AI-powered service that responds immediately to global compliance and HR questions and key global hiring info such as local salaries and employer costs.
Key Features
So, what do you get when you sign up with Deel? I look at their products and solutions below.
1. Deel Employer of Record (EOR) and PEO
Deel is the legal employer for global and remote teams worldwide through its global EOR solution. The critical elements of the Deel EOR solution are set out below.
| Global Coverage | International hiring and onboarding in more than 150 countries through its network of owned entities and local partners. |
| Platform | Integration with the new (2023) full-stack Deel HR platform, meaning global enterprises can manage employees they directly employ (‘direct employees’), employees they hire through Deel EOR (‘EOR employees’), and contractors, all via the one interface. |
| PEO Services | For US employers, Deel also offers full PEO services with benefits sign-up and administration, compliance, reporting and other features. |
2. Deel Payroll and Payments
Processing payroll is a core component of Deel’s EOR and PEO solutions. However, for businesses that already have an entity but seek support with payroll only, they also offer a range of ‘payroll-only ‘support:
| Global Payroll Solution | The Deel global payroll solution means that the payroll of direct employees (i.e. employees for whom Deel is not the legal employer) in 90+ countries can be managed on the one Deel platform. This includes salaries/wages, benefits and deductions, and tax filing. |
| Payroll Analytics | Advance payroll analytics allow businesses to forecast payroll costs and compare the cost of employment around the world. |
| Payment Methods | Deel offers 15+ funding methods for clients, 7+ payments methods for contractors, and supports payment using local bank transfers, SWIFT, PayPal, Payoneer, Revolut, Wise, cryptocurrency and other mechanisms. |
| Payment Methods | The Deel card allows contractors to get paid and spend their funds virtually instantly. |
3. Deel HR
Deel now offers a complete Human Resource Information System (HRIS) solution, replacing the need for the 16+ HR apps and programs that make up some companies’ HR stacks. Functionality includes:
| HR Analytics | Deel HR reporting, allowing businesses to easily calculate their global HR costs, to benchmark costs in different countries, and forecast other key metrics like employee churn. |
| Paid Time Off (PTO) Tracking | Tracking employee time off and managing employee expenses to ensure an appropriate number or employees are available at all times. |
| Employee Directory | A People Directory, collating personnel information across the company with full enterprise-level security to ensure that employee personal data is protected. |
| Add-Ons | Numerous HR add-ons and integrations available on the HR platform including employee background checks. |
4. Deel Compliance
Compliance is at the heart of Deel’s business, dealing with clients (e.g., meeting the highest KYC standards) and dealing with employee data.
Key features of Deel’s compliance practices are set out below:
| Deel Shield | As an additional service, Deel offers ‘Deel Shield’ where it assesses workers for their correct classification as an employee or a contractor, and indemnifies the client for any misclassification liability. |
| Secure Platform | All contractors and employees are set up with the right documentation, secured on the Deel HR platform with enterprise-level security. All employee information is held securely and in full compliance with GDPR requirements. |
| SOC 2 Compliant | Deel is SOC 2 compliant, meaning that it meets the highest infrastructure standards for a cloud platform, including permissions management and data encryption. |
5. Deel Platform
‘Deel HR’ is a free global HRIS, saving client companies an estimated $20,000 on its tech stack.
It also enables companies to manage EOR, global payroll, and contractors, all from the same platform. Alongside Deel HR sits ‘Deel Engage,’ a set of HR Slack plugins to help distributed teams build culture and manage time off requests, 1-on-1 meetings, candidate referrals, and more.
Deel HR meets the highest level of enterprise security standards with full GDPR, SOC2, and ISO 27001 compliance and annual third-party audits to ensure platform and infrastructure security. Custom permissions ensure that employees only access the appropriate functions in the platform.
Video: The ‘Deel Engage’ Slack Plugins in Action with Org Charts
Deel Pricing
While I had heard that Deel was not one of the cheapest Employers of Record, I was surprised at how affordable Deel is as a total HR package, given that the Deel HR platform is free!
While Deel pricing depends on the type of worker that is engaged and the country they are based in, general prices are as follows:
| Deel EOR | Starting from $599 per month per employee, depending on the country of hire |
| Deel Contractors | $49 per month per contractor |
| Deel Global Payroll | Prices available by custom quote |
| Deel HR (HRIS) | Free |
| Deel Immigration | Prices available by custom quote |
Deel User Reviews
I scoured the internet to find as many reviews of Deel as possible — I read hundreds of user reviews.
Customers were almost universally pleased with Deel products, and the stellar scores on Capterra, Trustpilot, and G2 were as follows:
- Capterra = 4.7/5 (503 reviews)
- Trustpilot = 4.8/5 (3,233 reviews)
- G2 = 4.8/5 (2410 reviews)
Over the years, I have reviewed dozens of Employer of Record and HR platforms for RemotePad and other publications. I have never seen a provider with as high an average score across as many reviews as Deel.
Deel Pros and Cons
Now for the best bit: I want to address my favorite and not-so-favorite aspects of Deel’s services.
Pros
The things about Deel that impressed me the most were:
| ✓ SaaS Platform | Deel HR is a platform for “managing everything, everyone, anywhere”. It is an all-in-one global employment platform taking care of EOR, payroll, and contractors through one intuitive interface. Perhaps best of all, it’s free. |
| ✓ API and Integrations | Deel has dozens of integrations including key accounting packages (such as Xero and Intuit Quickbooks) and HR platforms (such as BambooHR). It also has an extensive range of Slack plugins (Deel Engage). |
| ✓ Payment Options | Deel has payment flexibility, including multiple payment methods for contractors and employees, as well as cryptocurrencies, and the Deel Card for contractors. It also boasts 15+ payment methods for clients. |
| ✓ Deel AI | Deel AI (Deel IQ) enables you to answer HR questions, and break down costs in 150+ countries with its legally-vetted chatbot. This gave me accurate answers to HR questions where a Google search kept sending me in the wrong direction. |
| ✓ Multiple HR Solutions | There is no other international EOR that boasts international payroll and US PEO coverage alongside its core EOR solutions. Deel is perhaps the most comprehensive HR solutions provider currently on the market. |
Cons
No product is perfect, and unfortunately, some things about Deel are not so great:
| ✗ Reputational Issues |
I was surprised to hear that Deel has faced several serious allegations over the past year. First came accusations from a California State Senator that Deel has been misclassifying contractors as employees in order to avoid payroll tax obligations. Next, Deel was the subject of an official complaint to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Florida, alleging that the company has been operating as a PEO in that state without a license to do so. Finally, there have been claims that Deel provided payment services to property trading firms that were acting improperly. Note, Deel vehemently denies all allegations of improper conduct and there have yet to be any adverse regulatory or legal findings against the company. |
| ✗ Expensive |
With EOR prices starting at $599 per employee per month, Deel is more expensive than many of its competitors. However, it is also worth noting that Deel provides a free HR platform and AI tool which outpeform the SaaS offerings of any of its competitors. |
The Deel ‘Wow Factor’
When I compared it with its competitors, I was blown away by Deel’s high level of service and pricing transparency. On its website and in its advertising, Deel provides detailed and evidence-backed descriptions of all its products and prices. By contrast, many of its competitors are vague or evasive about their offerings.
But for me, Deel’s biggest drawcard is its EOR platform. With its extensive integrations, strong security measures, and extensive analytics functionality, Deel is our pick for the Best EOR Platform.
RemotePad Score for Deel
9.3/10 Our expert score for Deel
After consulting with the RemotePad team, we came to this score by considering the following components in the following weightings:
| Employer of Record Features | 25% |
| Payroll Features | 10% |
| HR Features | 10% |
| Compliance Features | 10% |
| Platform Features | 10% |
| Pricing | 20% |
| User reviews | 15% |
For each component, we gave Deel the following score:
| Employer of Record features | 23/25 |
| Payroll features | 9/10 |
| HR features | 10/10 |
| Compliance features | 9/10 |
| Platform features | 10/10 |
| Pricing | 18/20 |
| User reviews | 14/15 |
Deel Competitors and Alternatives
Horizons vs Deel
Top provider for:
Global EOR
Read Horizons Review
Monthly fee per employee
From $299
Papaya vs Deel
Top provider for:
Payments and Payroll
Read Papaya Review
Monthly fee per employee
From $650
Deel — Final Thoughts
With such a powerful brand and reputation in the industry, I wasn’t sure that Deel would live up to the hype. However, with its state-of-the-art Deel HR platform, AI tool, and full suite of employment solutions, I can think of no better provider for a company that needs a complete HR and payroll platform.
No other platform allows for EOR employees, direct employees, and contractors to be managed together with the same level of ease and platform functionality.
FAQ
Deel headquarters is located in San Francisco, but is a fully remote company with employees located all over the world.
Deel provides a range of HR solutions including global Employer of Record (EOR), payroll and contractor hiring services.
Deel was founded in 2018.
Deel's valuation is $12 billion as of January 2023.
Deel has reported in 2023 an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of more than $340M.
Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang founded Deel.
Alex Bouaziz serves as the CEO of Deel.
Deel ensures compliance by providing standardized employment contracts tailored to each country's legal requirements. These contracts cover important aspects such as compensation, benefits, intellectual property rights, and confidentiality. By using Deel, businesses can navigate the complexities of international employment regulations with ease.
Yes, Deel offers a secure payment infrastructure that supports international transactions. It allows businesses to make payments to their global workforce in multiple currencies, while ensuring compliance with local tax regulations. Deel's payment system is designed to provide transparency, security, and efficiency, making it a reliable solution for managing international payments.
What is Deel?
Deel is a comprehensive platform that simplifies global hiring and payments for businesses. It enables companies to hire remote employees, contractors, and freelancers anywhere in the world, while managing compliance, contracts, and payments securely.
How does Deel ensure compliance with employment regulations?
Deel ensures compliance by providing standardized employment contracts tailored to each country's legal requirements. These contracts cover important aspects such as compensation, benefits, intellectual property rights, and confidentiality. By using Deel, businesses can navigate the complexities of international employment regulations with ease.
Can Deel handle international payments securely?
Yes, Deel offers a secure payment infrastructure that supports international transactions. It allows businesses to make payments to their global workforce in multiple currencies, while ensuring compliance with local tax regulations. Deel's payment system is designed to provide transparency, security, and efficiency, making it a reliable solution for managing international payments.
