Skuad EOR Review [2026]: Is It Right For You?
Skuad is a global EOR, part of the Payoneer group (NASDAQ: PAYO) and available in over 85 countries worldwide.
Table of Contents
Overview: Skuad at a Glance
During our analysis of more than 100 EOR providers, we also analysed Singapore-headquartered Skuad. In our Skuad review, we found has always positioned itself as the “fast, affordable, get-it-done” alternative to the larger and more known EOR platforms. Founded in 2020, Skuad focuses on giving startups and global teams a frictionless way to hire in 160+ countries without the price tag or complexity of enterprise platforms like Deel or Rippling.
Skuad has been acquired by Payoneer in 2024, the company is stepping into a new league. Even though the name Skuad is still being used, all sales communication was done in the name of Payoneer. Also the product was rebranded to Payoneer WorkForce Management (WFM) and will be named as such going forward.
Skuad Key Features & Services
Global Employer of Record (EOR)
Do you want to hire full time employees without setting up your entity in a country? Skuad can employ your employees through the EOR model. They offer EOR in more than 160 countries and create employment contracts for them. They will be the official employer of your team and pay employees on your behalf. All bureaucratic administration will be taken over by Skuad.
EOR Services Include
- Localized & compliant employment contracts
- Payroll processing and monthly salary disbursements
- Statutory benefits setup & administration
- Tax withholding, social contributions & local filings
- Termination and severance compliance
- IP protection & confidentiality agreements
- Local HR support via partners
- Basic onboarding and offboarding workflows
Skuad’s coverage is particularly strong in:
- Asia-Pacific
- Middle East
- Africa
- Emerging markets
Global Contractor Management
Skuad also offers contractor management through the Agent of Record (AOR) model. This means that you will be the employer of your independent contractors and will bear all the legal risk. We explain the difference between the AOR and Contractor of Record (COR) model here. Skuad supports automatically creating country-specific employment contracts and supports the payment of those contractors in local currencies.
Global Mobility, Immigration & Visa
If you want to hire non-residents as employees in a country, Skuad offers visa and immigration services. They support a pre-visa assessment, document processing and visa renewals.
Talent Search
Skuad works with 20 recruitment partners in across regions to support you in finding the perfect talent for your role. They have successfully recruited 600 employees and contractors via Skuad.
Contract Terms of Skuad
Skuad does not publicly publish a detailed universal Master Service Agreement, but we have analyzed one service agreement we received during our interactions with them as well as through s through customer-facing documentation and verified public information. Skuad’s contract terms are industry standard but slightly less flexible than those of providers offering fully owned-entity models.
Companies must sign an EOR contract (aka master service agreement) before hiring employees or contractors. This governs fees, responsibilities, and service-level expectations. Each employment also comes with a localized employment contract generated for the worker.
Skuad typically applies a 30-day service termination notice, which aligns with industry norms. Employment termination timelines depend on the local labor law in each country.
Clients must pre-fund payroll, meaning salaries, taxes, and employer contributions must arrive before payday to allow Skuad to pay employees on time.
Skuad primarily supports bank transfers and Payoneer-aligned methods. Credit card payments are not supported.
Like most EOR providers (except Deel Premium), Skuad’s liability is generally limited to amounts paid under the service contract. This is standard and expected within the EOR market.
Employment contracts include IP assignment and confidentiality clauses designed to transfer intellectual property securely to the client.
An EOR security deposit (one month worth of total payroll costs) may be required to cover payroll liabilities.
Skuad Platform Deep Dive: Onboarding, Payroll, and Employment Workflow
Skuad’s platform is intentionally minimalist. Instead of attempting to replace your HRIS, ATS, or finance stack, it focuses on a clean workflow for hiring, onboarding, payroll, and documentation. The interface is modern and easy to navigate, with clearly organized sections for contracts, employee records, payroll summaries, and invoices.
Where Skuad differs from premium platforms is in automation and self-service depth. There is no “zero-touch onboarding” similar to Deel or Oyster HR, and there are no embedded AI assistants or workflow builders like those in Rippling. However, for many small and mid-sized businesses, Skuad’s simplicity is a strength with fewer buttons, fewer distractions, and a significantly shorter learning curve.
Onboarding & Employment Workflow
Skuad’s onboarding experience is generally smooth and guided. Employers create a role, define compensation, and provide employee details, after which Skuad generates a localized employment contract. The process includes internal compliance checks to ensure that salary, benefits and working conditions meet local legal requirements.
Employees complete their personal information, upload documentation, and sign digitally through the platform. In straightforward markets, onboarding can be completed within a week. In more regulated countries, the timeline may extend, particularly where partner involvement is required for legal validations.
Payroll, Payments & Invoicing
Payroll is one of Skuad’s stronger operational areas, thanks largely to the Payoneer payment engine. Payroll is processed monthly, and invoices clearly break down gross salary, employer costs, taxes, contributions, and service fees.
Payments to employees are reliable and relatively fast compared to slower, bank-dependent EOR providers. However, payroll adjustments and off-cycle payments may require manual intervention and longer processing times than automation-heavy platforms.
Expense & Leave Management
Skuad includes basic leave and expense management features. Employees can submit expense items with receipts, and managers approve them inside the dashboard. Leave requests follow a simple single-approval flow.
However, compared to modern EOR platforms:
- Leave workflows lack customization,
- Expense features are basic,
- No mileage tracking or spend cards exist,
- No HRIS or ERP sync is available.
These features are perfectly adequate for smaller teams but insufficient for large, process-driven organizations.
Integrations & Automation
Skuad used to offer only minimal integrations, but since their fusion with Payoneer, they expanded their offering.
How Skuad is Performing
Skuad is a lightweight, tech-oriented global EOR platform with broad country coverage and a strong focus on payments and operational simplicity. Since its acquisition by Payoneer, Skuad has leaned into financial infrastructure reliability, making it particularly attractive for fast-moving tech teams that value speed, developer-friendly tools, and straightforward onboarding.
4.1 /5.0
✓ EOR coverage across 85 countries
✓ Immigration and visa support available in select markets
✓ Core benefits administration included
✓ Strong payroll and cross-border payments foundation (Payoneer-backed)
✓ Suitable for standard employee onboarding across many regions
✗ No recruitment or talent sourcing services
✗ No background checks built into the platform
✗ Limited equipment procurement, relocation, or equity support
4.1 /5.0
✓ Public pricing page with general EOR estimates
✓ Very competitive EOR pricing starting at USD 199 per to USD 249/month/ employee.
✗ Real costs vary significantly by country and employment structure
✗ FX spreads and statutory onboarding charges not always clearly disclosed
✗ No fully transparent country-by-country pricing published
4.4 /5.0
✓ Standard 30-day notice period for most employment cases
✗ Limited supported payment currencies
✗ Minimum contract commitment of 6–12 months with one-month termination notice
✗ Upfront deposits required in some regions depending on role, salary, or notice rules
4.0 /5.0
✓ Reliable account manager support for day-to-day operations
✓ Responsive assistance during standard payroll cycles
✗ Slower resolution for complex edge cases (immigration, high-risk markets)
✗ Smaller support organisation than enterprise EOR providers
✗ Documentation depth varies by country
4.0 /5.0
✓ Clean, modern UI with developer-friendly workflows
✓ Intuitive multi-country dashboards
✓ Easy-to-use platform for standard EOR management
✗ No advanced HRIS workflows (performance, complex approvals)
✗ Limited native integrations (no ATS / ERP connectors)
✗ No fully automated zero-touch onboarding
4.2 /5.0
Pros & Cons of Skuad
Broad Global Coverage: Over 100 countries supported, including difficult markets many providers avoid.
Backed by Payoneer’s Payment Infrastructure: Fast payouts, low FX spread, reliable global rails.
Clean & Manageable Platform: Simple workflows, intuitive dashboard, minimal friction.
Highly Competitive Price Point: Typically 20–40% cheaper than Deel or Remote.
Quick Onboarding in Mainstream Markets: Strong Asia & Africa coverage gives Skuad an edge in emerging markets.
Partner-Based EOR Model: Quality varies by region; not as consistent as owned-entity providers.
Limited Integrations: No HRIS/ATS/ERP integrations; manual workflows required.
Basic Product Depth: Leave, expenses, and HR features lag behind leading competitors.
Support Variability: Responsive for simple cases, slower for complex edge cases.
Pricing Not Fully Transparent: Real pricing often differs from the “starting at” figures.
Who Skuad Is Best For
This visual highlights where this provider performs best across common buyer dimensions, based on Employsome’s independent, data-driven analysis. It reflects typical real-world usage patterns rather than marketing positioning.
Final Verdict: Our Recommendation on Skuad
Frequently Asked Questions about Skuad
Skuad is a global Employer of Record (EOR) and payroll provider operating in 160+ countries. Instead of setting up a legal entity in each country, businesses can hire full-time employees through Skuad’s local infrastructure. Skuad becomes the legal employer, manages contracts, payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance, while you direct the employee’s day-to-day work.
Skuad advertises EOR pricing starting at $199 per employee per month, but most real-world quotes fall between $350 and $550 USD, depending on the country and statutory complexity. Contractor management is generally around $29 per contractor per month.
Common additional costs may include:
- Country-specific employer taxes
- FX and payment processing fees
- Security deposits (usually one month of salary)
Skuad supports hiring in 100+ countries, with strong coverage across:
- Asia (India, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam)
- Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa)
- LATAM (Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina)
- Europe (UK, Germany, Spain, Poland, Portugal)
Their global coverage is broader than many mid-range EOR providers, especially in emerging markets.
Quick answer: Skuad is for hiring and Payoneer for paying. Skuad handles the legal, payroll, and compliance side of employing people globally, while Payoneer provides the financial infrastructure to move money across borders. Together, they offer smoother global payroll; but they still serve different roles.
Yes, Skuad owns entities but also operates in some countries with selected in-country partners.
Yes. Skuad offers global contractor payroll powered by Payoneer’s international payment rails, allowing fast, multi-currency payouts in 100+ countries. This includes:
- Automated invoice generation
- FX conversion
- Cross-border payouts
- Multi-currency wallets
Yes. Skuad handles local compliance in each country, including:
- Statutory employment contracts
- Payroll taxes and social contributions
- Mandatory employee benefits
- Termination and notice-period compliance
- IP assignment and confidentiality clauses
Yes. Skuad provides global mobility, visa sponsorship, and relocation assistance in selected countries.
On average:
- Simple countries: 5–10 days
- Complex markets: 2–4 weeks
Employees complete personal details, documents, and contract signing directly through the Skuad platform.
Yes, Skuad is considered a strong fit for:
- Cost-sensitive startups
- Distributed teams
- Companies hiring in emerging markets
- Businesses that prioritize simplicity over automation
Enterprise clients needing advanced automation or integrations may find it less suitable.
Skuad operated with a wholly-owned entity in Germany, Skuad Germany GmbH (HRB 99472). As of 5 December 2025, Skuad does not have a valid AÜG license which can be checked on the official website of the German ministry of labour (Bundesagentur für Arbeit).
Compare Skuad with Others
Written by
Dane Cobain is a Copywriter at Employsome and an accomplished author whose work spans fiction, non-fiction, and professional writing. Over the past decade, he has built a strong track record creating straightforward content for the HR, payroll, and corporate sectors. Dane brings a storyteller’s eye to the evolving world of global employment, with a particular focus on Employer of Record and PEO models. His articles explore industry trends and dedicated Best Of Guides when managing an international workforce.
Our content is created for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide any legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice. Please obtain separate advice from industry-specific professionals who may better understand your business’ needs. Read our Editorial Guidelines for further information on how our content is created.