Remote.com Pricing: Is It Worth the 53% Premium? (2025)

When choosing an Employer of Record (EOR) solution, it’s essential to have clarity in terms of pricing. Your budget directly impacts your selected platform, especially when planning international expansion.

Remote.com offers several pricing options, from a free HRIS plan to paid contractor management and EOR services.

This article examines Remote.com’s pricing structure and compares it with Tarmack. Find out if Remote.com provides good value for your investment or if alternatives better suit your needs.

Remote.com’s Pricing Structure

Remote.com uses a modular pricing approach similar to Rippling, letting you pay only for the specific services you need. Its pricing starts at $29 per contractor per month, which is 53% higher than the industry average of $19 for basic payroll software.

While Remote.com displays pricing for standard services on its website, complete pricing information for customized solutions requires contacting its sales team or booking a demo.

Here’s a breakdown of Remote.com’s main service categories:

Contractor Management: $29 Per Contractor/Month

• Work with contractors in 200+ countries.
• Create, edit, and sign tailored, localized contracts
• Approve invoices with one click or set up auto-pay
• Transparent payments with complete visibility
• Pay only for contractors you actively work with

Contractor Management Plus: $99 Per Contractor/Month

• Everything in standard Contractor Management
• Robust indemnity protection up to $100,000 per contractor
• Enhanced compliance with local laws
• Zero hidden fees

Global payroll: $29 Per Employee/Month

• Consolidated multi-country payroll
• Ensure local compliance for every country
• Direct support from in-house local payroll experts
• Automated tax and labor authority reporting

Employer of Record (EOR): $599 Per month

• Hire and pay global teams legally
• No deposits or hidden fees
• Zero onboarding or offboarding fees
• Compliant equity incentives support
• Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)
• Flexible, localized benefits

Remote Talent: $119 Per month

• Share open roles easily
• Get noticed by diverse, qualified candidates globally.
• Access transparent information for targeted recruitment

HR Management: Free

• Guided onboarding and offboarding
• Employee profile and document management
• Time and attendance tracking
• Expense management and reimbursement
• Employee self-service on the platform and mobile app

Remote.com Service Offerings and Features

Before we dissect the price, let’s see what each service includes.

Employer of Record ($599/month)

Remote.com’s EOR service lets you hire employees in countries where you don’t have a legal entity. At $599 per employee per month, you get:

• No deposits or hidden fees: Unlike competitors who charge setup fees or require deposits, Remote.com advertises a straightforward monthly fee. If you want to hire globally, you pay only the $599 monthly fee without additional setup costs or country-specific surcharges.
• Zero onboarding/offboarding fees: You won’t pay extra when adding new employees or when employees leave. When your Brazilian designer leaves the company, you simply stop paying the monthly fee, no termination costs or exit fees.
• Compliant equity incentives support: Remote.com handles equity compensation administration, including withholding and reporting. You can offer stock options to your Singapore-based marketing manager, and Remote.com ensures all local tax withholding and reporting requirements are met.
• Security and compliance features: Built-in systems to maintain compliance with local regulations. For example, when employment laws change in France, Remote.com automatically updates contracts and policies to maintain compliance.
• Fast onboarding (2-3 days average): Quick employee setup in international markets. Your new hire in Mexico can be legally employed and on the payroll within 3 days, rather than the weeks it might take to establish your own entity and then hire.
• Localized benefits administration: Country-specific employee benefits packages. Your UK employees receive statutorily required benefits plus locally competitive options, while your India-based team receives a package appropriate for that market.

Contractor Management Options

Standard ($29/month per contractor)

This service helps you work with international contractors while maintaining compliance:

• Support for 200+ countries: Hire contractors virtually anywhere. You can engage a UX designer in Poland, a copywriter in Argentina, and a developer in Vietnam, all managed through one platform.
• Contract creation and management: Generate and sign locally compliant contracts. Remote.com creates a contract for your new Spanish contractor with appropriate terms, intellectual property clauses, and payment terms in line with local regulations.
• Transparent payments: Clear payment processing with no hidden fees. Your Ukrainian contractor submits an invoice, you approve it with one click, and they receive payment in their local currency while you see exactly what exchange rates were applied.
• Pay only for active contractors: There are no charges for contractors not currently working with you. If your Australian contractor goes dormant for three months, you won’t be charged the $29 fee.

Plus ($99/month per contractor)

Includes everything in the Standard tier plus:

• Indemnity protection up to $100,000 per contractor: Financial coverage against misclassification risks.
• Enhanced compliance: Additional legal protections and compliance features.

Additional Services

Payroll ($50/month per employee)

Simplifies multi-country payroll management:

• Centralized management: Run payroll for multiple countries from one dashboard.
• Compliance with local regulations: When tax withholding requirements change in another country, your payroll calculations automatically adjust without you needing to research or implement the changes.
• Expert support: When setting up payroll for your first employee in South Africa, a Remote.com expert guides you through the specific requirements and timeline.

Talent ($119/month)

Tools for global recruitment:

• Job posting and candidate access: Find qualified international candidates. For example, you can post a job opening for a full-stack developer and receive applications from qualified candidates in multiple countries, expanding your talent pool beyond local markets.
• Targeted recruitment: Tools to sharpen your talent search.
• Example: You need a customer service representative who speaks fluent Japanese and lives in APAC time zones, Remote. com’s platform helps you target this specific candidate profile.

Free HR Management

Basic tools for employee data and operations:

• Employee data management: Keep all your team member’s contact information, emergency contacts, and employment documents in one secure location.
• Onboarding/offboarding workflows: Remote.com provides a checklist of required documents and steps to ensure a complete and compliant onboarding process when hiring a new employee.
• Time off tracking: Monitor and approve leave requests. Your employees in Brazil, with different holiday schedules from your US team, can request time off through the platform, and managers can easily approve and track balances.
• Expense management: Process employee expense reimbursements. For instance, your sales representative in Colombia can submit a receipt for a client dinner through the mobile app, and you can review and approve the reimbursement through the platform.

How Much Does Remote.com Really Cost?

Let’s analyze a realistic scenario to understand Remote.com’s true cost impact on your business. Consider a mid-sized company with:

• 15 international employees (requiring EOR services)
• 10 global contractors
• Centralized payroll management needs
• Active recruitment for new global Talent

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Service	Calculation	Monthly Cost
Employer of Record	15 employees × $599	$8,985
Contractor Management	10 contractors × $29	$290
Payroll	15 employees × $50	$750
Remote Talent	Flat fee	$119
Total Monthly Cost		$10,144
Annual Cost	$10,144 × 12 months	$121,728

This calculation shows that Remote.com costs can escalate quickly, especially with the EOR service at $599 per employee. If your company plans to grow internationally, each new hire will add significantly to your monthly expenditure.

Cost Scaling Examples

If your company grows to 25 international employees and 15 contractors:

Service	Calculation	Monthly Cost
Employer of Record	25 employees × $599	$14,975
Contractor Management	15 contractors × $29	$435
Payroll	25 employees × $50	$1,250
Remote Talent	Flat fee	$119
Total Monthly Cost		$16,779
Annual Cost	$16,779 × 12 months	$201,348

Potential Hidden Costs and Considerations

Remote.com prominently advertises “no deposits or hidden fees” and “zero onboarding or offboarding fees” with their EOR service. While this transparency is commendable, you should understand what’s included and excluded in its core pricing:

• Processing fees: It does mention “payment processing fees” that may apply beyond the core service costs.
• Currency exchange: When paying international contractors or employees, currency conversion costs may not be included in the base price.
• Country-specific requirements: Some countries have mandatory benefits or contributions that may increase the total cost beyond the standard rate.

Contract Terms and Commitments

When evaluating Remote.com’s pricing, it’s important to understand how contract length and commitment levels can impact costs, especially for startups and larger teams.

• Startup pricing: Remote.com offers special pricing for startups (50% off the first employee for one year or 12 months for the price of 10 on other employees), but only if you make an annual commitment.
• Bulk pricing: The availability of “bulk pricing on request” indicates that volume discounts likely require longer-term commitments.

Scaling Flexibility

We combed through Remote.com’s services, and here’s what you need to know about scaling with this tool.

• Contractor management: Remote.com only charges for “contractors you actively work with,” suggesting flexibility to scale contractor numbers up or down without penalties.
• EOR services: There’s no explicit mention of penalties for reducing employee numbers, but the $599/month per employee rate represents a significant fixed cost that continues until employment is terminated.
• No indicated discounts: Unlike competitors, automatic volume discounts are not noted as you add more employees or contractors.

Pricing Transparency

Remote.com’s pricing structure has some notable transparency considerations:

• Published rates: Basic rates for standard services are clearly published on its website.
• Custom pricing: Two plans (Payroll and Benefits, Global Employment Plus) require contacting sales for quotes, making total cost estimation difficult without engaging with their sales team.

Free HR Management Limitations

Remote.com’s free HRIS plan has several limitations to consider:

• Employee management only: The free plan helps manage existing employees but doesn’t include hiring or payroll features.
• Limited functionality: While it includes basic time tracking and document management, it lacks the comprehensive features of paid alternatives.
• Likely upsell focus: The free plan is an entry point to Remote.com’s ecosystem, designed to encourage upgrades to paid services as your needs grow.
• Limited integration: The free plan may have restricted integration capabilities with other HR systems compared to paid options.

Comparing Tarmack Pricing vs. Remote.com Pricing

Tarmack offers a straightforward pricing model at $199 per employee per month. This all-inclusive rate contrasts sharply with Remote.com’s modular approach, which can quickly add up as you combine services.

Direct Cost Comparison

Service	Tarmack	Remote.com
Employer of Record	$199/employee	$599/employee
Payroll Processing	Included	$50/employee (additional)
Benefits Administration	Included	Included in EOR
Compliance Management	Included	Included in EOR
Contractor Management	Included	$29/contractor (additional)
Total Monthly Cost (per employee)	$199	$649+
Potential Savings with Tarmack		70%

Key Differences in Pricing 

Remote.com:

• Modular pricing requires multiple services for complete coverage
• Base EOR service at $599/employee/month
• Additional costs for payroll ($50/employee) and other services
• Separate contractor management fees ($29-$99/contractor)
• Some services require custom quotes (less transparent)

Tarmack:

• An all-inclusive single rate of $199/employee/month
• No separate fees for payroll processing
• Contractor management is included in the base price
• No hidden fees or additional service charges
• Predictable costs that scale linearly with your team

Cost Predictability

With Tarmack’s model, calculating your total cost is simple: multiply $199 by the number of employees. Remote.com requires adding multiple service fees and potentially requesting custom quotes for certain components.

For a growing company, this difference in pricing structure can result in significant cost variations, especially as you scale your international team.

Cost Calculator

To see exactly how much you can save with Tarmack compared to Remote.com, use Tarmack’s Employee Cost Calculator. This tool provides a personalized cost comparison based on your unique workforce composition and needs.

Try Tarmack’s Employee Cost Calculator.

Why Choose Tarmack Over Remote.com

Here’s how Tarmack can be a better option than Remote.com.

Broader Global Coverage When You Need It

While Remote.com offers services in nearly 70 countries, Tarmack’s Employer of Record (EOR) extends your hiring reach to over 140 countries. This expanded coverage matters when you’re searching for specialized talent in less common markets or expanding into emerging regions. With Tarmack, you won’t hit geographic limitations that force you to find another solution or establish your own entity.

Simplified Compliance Management

Hiring internationally comes with significant compliance risks. Remote.com and Tarmack handle employee classification, but Tarmack’s single-fee approach means you’re not piecing together different services to ensure complete coverage. When a country changes its employment laws or tax regulations, you won’t need to purchase additional compliance services or worry about gaps in your coverage.

Focus on Growth, Not Administrative Complexity

Remote.com’s modular pricing structure requires you to evaluate, select, and manage multiple service components. This administrative overhead diverts your attention from more important business priorities. Tarmack’s all-inclusive approach eliminates these decisions, letting you focus on building your team rather than managing your EOR provider relationship.

True Cost Transparency

Remote.com’s base rate of $599 for EOR services doesn’t include the additional $50 per employee for payroll processing. Tarmack’s $199 per employee rate includes everything you need, with no separate line items. This transparency extends to your finance team, which won’t need to reconcile multiple invoices or expense categories when managing your global workforce costs.

Predictable Budget Planning

With Remote.com, adding services as your needs evolve creates variable costs that complicate budgeting. If you start with basic contractor management but later need to convert contractors to employees, your costs jump dramatically from $29 to $649 per person (EOR + payroll). Tarmack’s consistent $199 per employee rate means your finance team can accurately forecast costs regardless of how your global workforce evolves.

Substantial Bottom-Line Impact

The difference between Remote.com’s $649 per employee (combined EOR and payroll) and Tarmack’s $199 rate is a significant 70% cost reduction. For a 20-person international team, this means annual savings of approximately $108,000. These savings don’t come at the expense of service quality, you’re simply not paying for Remote.com’s premium positioning in the market.

Rather than piecing together a solution from Remote.com’s modular components at premium prices, Tarmack delivers better value while simplifying your international operations.

The Smarter and More Reasonable Choice

For businesses looking to build international teams without excessive costs, Tarmack is the logical choice. The substantial savings, approximately $108,000 annually for a 20-person international team, can be redirected to higher salaries, additional hires, or other strategic business investments.

When evaluating global employment solutions, the choice becomes clear: pay Remote.com’s premium prices for a modular solution or choose Tarmack’s comprehensive service at a fraction of the cost. For most businesses focused on efficient growth and cost-effective global expansion, Tarmack delivers the smarter path forward.

Try Tarmack today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Remote.com cost?

Remote.com’s pricing varies by service:

• Employer of Record (EOR): $599 per employee per month
• Payroll: $50 per employee per month
• Contractor Management: $29 per contractor per month
• Contractor Management Plus: $99 per contractor per month
• Remote Talent: $119 per month flat fee
• HR Management: Free

Costs add up quickly for a company using multiple services. A business with 15 employees using EOR, payroll, and talent services would pay approximately $10,144 monthly or $121,728 annually.

Is Remote.com free?

Remote.com offers a free HR Management plan with limited features, including:

• Employee profile and document management
• Time off tracking
• Expense management
• Employee self-service portal

However, all core services for hiring and paying employees or contractors require paid plans. The free option is primarily essential HR management software and an entry point to Remote.com’s ecosystem.

What are the disadvantages of Remote.com?

Based on the documentation and reviews, Remote.com has several potential disadvantages:

• Higher pricing (53% above industry average starting rates)
• Modular pricing that requires multiple services for complete coverage
• Costs that escalate quickly when combining services
• Some pricing requires contacting sales for quotes, reducing transparency
• Relatively cheaper alternatives are available 

Does Remote.com offer a free trial?

Remote.com offers a free trial. For businesses interested in testing Remote.com’s services, the free trial provides an opportunity to evaluate the platform before committing to its premium pricing.