Deel Payroll Review (2023): Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Deel offers global payroll, contractor management and employee of record services ― but with a side of free HR tools that sets it apart from the competition. That, plus very positive customer reviews, affordable services and comprehensive payment options make Deel an excellent choice for global payroll.

But if Deel doesn’t sound right for you, no worries ― we’ve found some excellent Deel alternatives you can explore instead.

Jump to:

• Deel’s plans and pricing
• Deel’s key features
• Deel pros
• Deel cons
• Alternatives to Deel
• Review methodology

Deel’s plans and pricing

Rather than tiered plans, Deel pricing is mix-and-match so you can pay for only the features you need.

Deel doesn’t have a free trial, but neither do most global payroll services. You’ll have to take advantage of a Deel demo to see if you like the software. Or you can start with Deel HR, which is free for businesses with 200 or fewer employees.

Deel also lets you save money when you bundle at least two payroll and HR products. When you opt for annual billing, you can get a $1,000 credit on your Deel account.

EOR

Deel’s employee of record service starts at $599 per month ― not a mind-blowing bargain, but it’s more affordable than many competitors.

The EOR plan services more than 100 countries and includes all the usual features: compliance support, IP protection, local payroll and benefits packages.

Now, with over 100 countries on its EOR plan, Deel doesn’t support as many countries as some other providers do. (When we compared Deel vs. Oyster, for instance, we found Oyster includes over 135 countries in its EOR service.) Still, with any luck, those 100 countries will include the ones you need.

Contractors

Deel’s contractor management plan starts at $49 per month ― pretty standard pricing. It offers benefits such as contracts tailored for local compliance, tax collection, team payments and some automation tools.

Global payroll

Deel Global Payroll has custom pricing. It lets you run payroll in over 100 countries. Aside from payroll, tax and a benefits tool, it also gets you payroll reporting and local compliance help.

Immigration

Deel Immigration also has custom pricing. This plan only services 25 countries (so far), but within those countries, Deel can take care of all your immigration and sponsor visa needs.

Deel HR

Finally, as we already mentioned, you can likely start using the Deel HR plan for free. (Larger companies will need to get in touch for custom pricing.)

This Deel software helps with tasks including onboarding, equipment ordering, document collection and PTO management. Plus, Deel HR includes features such as workflow automation, expense management, HR reporting and more. And all those features are designed to be used by employees all around the globe. Not bad for a free software.

Deel’s key features

Funding and pay

Deel gives you a variety of choices for making payments (Figure A). You can use a standard bank transfer if you like, or you can choose from methods such as a credit card, debit card, Brex and more. You can even send a cryptocurrency transfer if that fits your business’s needs. It’s a nice feature, given how many payroll companies require bank transfers or debit payments.

Figure A

Deel offers flexibility to workers too. Some global payroll companies insist on one-size fits all payments for employees and contractors ― making them get paid in U.S. dollars or even use a branded debit card. But Deel gives your workers options. They can use a Deel card if they want, sure, but they can also withdraw money through bank transfers, PayPal, Wise, Coinbase and several other options.

Deel also supports dozens of currencies, so your employees and contractors can get paid in their local currency ― not only dollars.

That kind of flexibility makes Deel payroll friendlier for both your business and your people.

Immigration support

In addition to helping you hire workers in other countries, Deel can help your workers relocate with immigration and visa support.

While immigration is complex, you can get started with just a few clicks. You and your employee must fill out a few forms (Figure B) and sign a couple of agreements, and then Deel will send you a customized quote for obtaining a visa. That quote will tell you what kind of visa Deel will apply for, an expected timeframe for the process and what you need to do next ― along with cost information, of course.

Figure B

Approve the quote, and Deel will get started. You’ll get updates via the Deel Tracker. Plus, Deel offers ongoing visa support beyond the initial application.

So far, Deel offers immigration support in 25 countries with more on the way.

And don’t worry ― Deel won’t leave you in the lurch. We read quite a few Deel payroll reviews from customers who rave about Deel and its visa support. (Other companies with immigration support, such as Papaya Global, have few customer reviews about that specific service.) By all accounts, Deel makes a lengthy, complicated process simple for both you and your worker.

HR plan

As we mentioned earlier, Deel offers a free HR plan (at least, if you have fewer than 200 employees). It’s a great feature because you basically get bonus software at no extra cost.

Now, we won’t pretend that Deel HR software is the most feature-rich, customizable HR software out there. You can definitely find HR-specific software that does more. Some other payroll software, such as Rippling, offers more powerful HR tools.

But Deel HR does plenty of the essentials ― and unlike other options out there, it’s free. You can onboard and offboard employees, for instance, including collecting necessary documents. Employees can also manage their PTO and expenses.

Deel HR also includes reporting tools (Figure C), so you can easily monitor data about productivity, attrition and more.

Figure C

Those no-cost HR tools can make Deel payroll even more attractive for startups and smaller teams.

Deel Payroll integrations

Deel has over 20 integrations with popular software, including these:

• Accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite)
• Human resources software (BambooHR)
• Hiring software (Ashby, Greenhouse and Bob)

Thanks to the Deel API and software such as Zapier, you can also create your own software integrations for Deel.

Deel pros

• 24/7 customer support (through live chat).
• Excellent customer reviews of software and customer support.
• EOR service in over 100 countries.
• Support for many payment methods and currencies.
• Several software integrations plus the option to build your own.
• Automated workflows.

Deel cons

• No built-in time tracking tools.
• No mobile app for employers or workers.
• Potentially high cost with per-worker pricing.
• Existing integrations for only three accounting software.

If Deel isn’t ideal for you, check out these alternatives

While we think Deel is a great choice for many businesses, we know it won’t work for every organization. Maybe you really want a mobile app, which Deel doesn’t have. Maybe Deel doesn’t offer EOR service or support contractors in the specific countries you need. Or maybe you just want more in-depth features, such as time tracking or advanced analytics.

Whatever your case, consider one of these Deel competitors instead.

Papaya Global

Papaya Global has similar features to Deel, with contractor management, EOR and even immigration support. But where Deel supports around 100 countries, Papaya Global has a broader reach ― over 160 countries, in fact.

So if Deel doesn’t service all the countries you have workers in, Papaya Global could be an alternative. Just note that Deel has more extensive HR tools than Papaya Global does, so you will miss out on those.

For more details, see our comparison of Deel vs. Papaya Global.

Rippling

Rippling doesn’t support as many countries as Deel does ― only 50 or so. But Rippling offers more robust features than Deel does, including more options for benefits administration and more in-depth HR features (such as native time tracking). Plus, Rippling lets you add on finance and IT tools, making it a much more powerful and comprehensive software than Deel.

Learn more in our showdown between Deel vs. Rippling.

Remote

Remote and Deel are comparable in many ways, but Remote may be the better option for contractor management. It offers a more affordable contractor plan, and Remote even gives you a free trial to test it out. As an added perk, Remote can support contractors in more countries (over 180) than Deel. That said, Deel services more locations with its EOR plan.

Get the full breakdown in our guide to Deel vs. Remote.

Gusto

Gusto earns positive reviews for its easy-to-navigate user interface and convenient mobile app ― unlike Deel, which has no mobile app at all. As an added benefit, Gusto has a cheaper contractor plan than Deel. It also offers more HR features. Keep in mind, though, that you need a premium plan for those tools, while Deel gives you HR for free. One other important detail: Gusto doesn’t currently offer EOR services, so you’ll want to stick with Deel for those.

Our comparison of Deel vs. Gusto has the full scoop.

Review methodology

Before writing this Deel review, we gathered tons of information on Deel through both Deel itself and through reading Deel reviews. We used that info to score the software on a number of features, from Deel pricing to payroll features to support. Those scores helped us accurately compare Deel against other global payroll software to see where it excels and falls short.