Deel and Remote are the two best known global payroll and Employer of Record platforms, and for an Australian business they look almost identical on the surface. Both let you hire and pay employees and contractors around the world without setting up a local entity, both run Australian payroll, and both price global payroll at the same rate. The differences that matter are cheaper contractor management on one side, a larger and more automated platform on the other, and a quiet but important split over who actually owns the local entities your staff are employed through.
The short answer
For most Australian businesses the choice comes down to what you are paying for. If you mainly engage overseas contractors, Remote is cheaper. If you want the largest platform with the deepest automation and country coverage, Deel is the safer scale bet. On core Australian payroll the two are line ball, so the decision rarely turns on the headline per-employee price.
Pricing
Both platforms publish their prices in US dollars, shown on this site converted to Australian dollars and verified against provider pricing every week. The exact, current per-employee and per-contractor figures are in the comparison table at the top of this page, so this section sticks to how the two compare rather than repeating numbers that can date.
The headline story is simple. Global payroll is line ball: both charge the same per-employee rate, so the calculator above shows a near identical estimate for each. Employer of Record is also close on the two platforms. The real gap is contractor management, where Remote is cheaper than Deel, so a business paying a handful of overseas contractors will spend less on Remote. Both also offer a free HR layer: Deel HR is free for up to 200 employees, and Remote includes free HR for direct employees, so neither charges separately for basic employee records.
At a glance
| Feature | Deel | Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Country coverage | 150+ | 180+ |
| Entity model | Owned plus partner | More owned entities |
| Contractor cost | Higher | Lower |
| Free HR tier | Up to 200 employees | Direct employees |
| AU STP Phase 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Award interpretation | Limited | Limited |
For current per-employee and contractor pricing in Australian dollars, see the comparison table at the top of this page.
Country coverage and the owned-entity question
On paper Remote covers more countries, at 180+ against Deel's 150+, though both reach well beyond what an Australian business is likely to need. The more meaningful difference is how they operate in those countries. Remote leans on owning more of its own local entities, which it frames as tighter control over compliance and intellectual property, useful if you are hiring engineers or product staff and care about clean IP assignment. Deel runs a mix of owned and partner entities, which is part of how it reaches its scale and automation. If legal control is your priority, Remote's model is the pitch. If breadth and speed matter more, Deel's reach is the draw.
Contractors and Australian compliance
Contractor management is where Remote has the clearest edge on price, and both handle the compliance basics: contracts, multi-currency payments and tax forms. Deel adds heavier automation and a larger contractor footprint, which can justify its higher per-contractor rate for bigger teams.
On the Australian side the two are evenly matched, and evenly limited. Both run local payroll, report Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 to the ATO and pay superannuation. Both list award interpretation as limited, which is the key caveat for any Australian employer with award-covered staff. If you employ people under modern awards with penalty rates and allowances, a local specialist such as Employment Hero (the leader in AU award interpretation, covering 100+ modern awards) will handle the domestic pay run better and far more cheaply than either global platform. Deel and Remote earn their place on the international side of your team, not the local one.
Ratings and support
Both platforms run 24/7 support and integrate with the common Australian finance stack: Deel with Xero, QuickBooks Online, NetSuite and SAP, Remote with Xero, QuickBooks Online, NetSuite and Sage. Deel is the larger and more widely reviewed platform, which shows in its scale and editorial rating, while Remote tends to draw praise for account management and a cleaner compliance focus. Neither is a risky unknown: both are established, well-funded providers used by thousands of companies to pay people across borders.
When to choose which
Choose Remote if contractor cost is your main concern, or if owned-entity compliance and IP control matter for the people you are hiring. Choose Deel if you want the largest, most automated platform with the widest country coverage and you are scaling quickly across both employees and contractors. For the Australian part of your team, pair either one with a local payroll specialist rather than relying on their limited award interpretation. Set your headcount in the calculator above to see each platform's estimated monthly cost, then confirm the current pricing on the provider's site before you commit.