When you're scaling a SaaS startup, onboarding talent requires two things: speed and compliance.
But sourcing new employees at lightspeed without getting tangled in red tape is hard enough at the best of times. Add in the complexities of international recruitment, and it’s easy to see why things can go south faster than an Antarctica-bound rocket-powered cheetah.
Using an Employer of Record (EOR) means you can hire in new states (or even other countries) without registering local entities, wrestling with tax/local employment law, or trying to decode benefit-obligations in every jurisdiction. Here are ten EORs that are especially good fits for SaaS startups, with features, stats, and what makes them decent all-round choices.
Quick snapshot: Founded in 2019. Their mission is built around helping companies hire globally without setting up entities everywhere. Category leader, widely considered to be the best EOR on the market.
What they do well:
Covers 82+ countries for EOR, strong compliance & contract support.
Handles all the tax & legal compliance for non-US employees (or hires in other states) so you don’t need a local entity.
Owns 100% of overseas entities, meaning no handoffs to third parties.
Their pricing tends to be transparent (employees vs contractors), and they focus on simplifying what often feels like a legal maze.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
If your hiring is heavily U.S.-based, Remote may still help for compliance across states, but its strengths shine when going international.
Might lack some super-deep localized features compared to a provider that’s specialized in certain countries or regions.
Quick snapshot: Founded in 2019, based out of San Francisco, a highly-rated market leader.
What they do well:
Covers 150+ countries via their own local entities, which means fewer middle-men in many places.
Strong payroll + compliance + legal teams in-house, so local regulations, holiday laws, termination rules are better handled.
They also support contractors, employees, immigration/visa, benefits, etc. Useful when your SaaS startup wants to mix full-time devs and contractors.
They’ve built out tools like real-time gross-to-net preview, consolidated global payroll reporting.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
Great if you expect to be hiring across many countries early on.
Might be overkill or somewhat more expensive if you're only hiring in a few US states.
Quick snapshot: Founded in 2016. Fintech + SaaS mix focusing on global payroll, payments, EOR, contractor management. Over 160 countries coverage (via partners/in-country networks) for payroll/EOR.
What they do well:
Their tech is polished: dashboards, analytics, tracking workforce costs globally. If you want to see what your monthly burn will be by country (taxes + benefits + payroll), they shine.
Strong support for both contractors and full-time employees. Switching between or mixing them is handled fairly cleanly.
Fintech / payments chops are good for cross-border pay, currency handling, etc.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
More suited to teams that will manage multiple international locations, or expect payment complexity.
Might cost more per “seat” when compared with more basic EORs but you get more visibility and tools.
Quick snapshot: Remote People stands out for its transparent and flexible EOR pricing model, starting at just $199 per employee per month. Designed with startups in mind, it offers an affordable entry point without compromising on compliance, recruitment, or support.
What they do well:
Clear, upfront pricing, no hidden fees, making it easy for SaaS startups to budget and scale.
Flexible solutions that work whether you’re hiring a single remote engineer or building a larger distributed team.
Strong focus on simplifying recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and compliance while keeping costs predictable.
What to watch out for / when it’s especially good:
Perfect for early-stage SaaS startups or cost-conscious teams that need EOR and recruitment coverage without enterprise-level overhead.
While other providers might offer more advanced analytics or country-specific extras, Remote People shines for those who value speed, affordability, and transparency.
Quick snapshot: Founded in 2012. One of the bigger names in EOR/Global Growth platforms. HQ U.S., large customer base.
What they do well:
Deep legal, tax, HR compliance expertise. If you’re expanding fast, especially to tricky jurisdictions (e.g. ones with heavy labor protections or unusual benefit rules), G-P has a lot of on-ground knowledge.
Good for startups who want a mature platform, strong reliability, and someone who can help avoid compliance landmines.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
Likely more expensive than more barebones EORs or ones who rely on partners.
More suited for startups that are serious about global reach, not just cross-state hires.
Quick snapshot: All-in-one HR / Payroll / IT / EOR platform. Strong focus on tying together the tools that usually live in different silos. Their EOR services are available in many countries. They also support many contractors globally.
What they do well:
If your startup hates dealing with multiple dashboards: Rippling tries to collapse HR, payroll, device management, benefits, etc., into one place. Less jumping between tools.
They let you run EOR in certain countries, and contractors or global payroll in many more. So if the plan is to hire some people full-time and others as remote contractors, you get flexibility.
Strong in centralized reporting, visibility, cost forecasting, which helps you budget globally.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
Because of the breadth, sometimes local detail (say a very niche state rule, or local benefit requirement) might lag behind specialist EORs.
Good fit for startups that want speed, simplicity, unified workflow, especially as you scale.
Quick snapshot: Founded in January 2020. Fully remote company. Became a unicorn in 2022.
What they do well:
Excellent onboarding experience. They put effort into making the process smooth—contracts, benefit offerings, especially for remote/distributed teams.
Transparent in many ways: pricing, benefits, country coverage. Good for startups needing predictability in cost.
They also have been noted for good culture, and investment in employee experience, which matters for retention.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
If you’re a super small team, Oyster gives you a lot of bang for your buck. But if you scale very quickly in many regions, you might outgrow some of their less “heavy-duty” features.
Quick snapshot: Founded in 2019. Serves companies of all sizes, especially those expanding internationally with moderate complexity. They have coverage in 160+ countries.
Borderless
What they do well:
Strong compliance framework + guided onboarding assistance. Good if you're entering countries with complex or unclear laws.
Helps with benefits, tax/legal compliance, unified payroll across countries.
Their “local teams” are helpful for things that aren’t well documented online—local holidays, leave rules, termination notice, etc.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
Best when you want a provider that can adapt to many countries but still gives you local touch.
If you need ultra-fast scaling just across US states, it might be overkill for part of what you need.
Quick snapshot: Multiplier supports employing in 150+ countries, has its own local entities in many places, provides global benefits, and is known for being fairly cost-efficient.
What they do well:
Their entity network is wide: because they’ve established or partnered in many countries, onboarding employees abroad (or mixing contractor vs full-time) tends to go smoothly.
They offer a solid global benefits suite — local healthcare, insurance options (vision, dental, etc.), and wellness perks — tailored per country. This matters for SaaS startups looking to attract/retain talent globally.
What to watch out for / best use-cases:
Onboarding speed varies by country. Some places can get set up quickly; others will take a bit longer because of legal or local documentation complexity.
Quick snapshot: Founded in 2014, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founders aimed to tackle the global compliance mess. They now operate in 185+ countries worldwide.
What they do well:
Huge geographic reach. If your SaaS startup plans to hire in Asia, Europe, Latin America etc., Velocity Global gives you breadth.
Good reputation for support & legal/HR expertise. Especially useful if you need guidance entering particular markets (e.g. local contracts, benefits, pension obligations).
They’ve made acquisitions like iWorkGlobal and Shield GEO, so their infrastructure is beefed up.
What to watch out for / when it's especially good:
Because they cover so many places, sometimes their presence in a given locale might rely on partners vs. fully owned entities that can affect speed or consistency.
Best when your startup is scaling aggressively across many regions and needs both stability and support.
So, there you have it — ten EOR providers that can help your SaaS startup hire faster, and continue building a product people love. Whether you’re after speed, global reach, or cost efficiency, there’s an option here that fits your growth story. Pick the right partner, and instead of wrestling with paperwork and payroll quirks, you’ll be free to scale your team like you scale your code — super fast and bug free.