Deel Expert Review [2026]: Features & EOR/PEO Alternatives

Getting started with Deel is fairly simple. It requires nothing more than your email address and a few basic details and does not need any contract, credit card, sales call, or service agreement. Within minutes, you have access to the Deel platform. 

You can then either create your company profile or sign up as a contractor. When a company profile is created, you can invite team members or start adding contractors to see how the workflow feels. This self-service access sets Deel apart from other providers where many providers hide their product behind sales calls and demo requests. 

Deel also lets contractors sign up themselves to manage their contracts, payments and various clients. Most EOR and contractor providers require businesses to sign up first to sign service agreements before contractors can be added, so this is a useful benefit of going with Deel.

The openness reflects Deel’s confidence in their own product and ‘nothing to hide’ philosophy. Their technology, design, user experience speak for themselves. Where other providers obscure their platforms because they are quite basic and outdated, Deel invites users to test and see everything firsthand. One might say they are not just an HR intermediary but an HR pioneer.

Once you have created a profile, Deel lets you add people. You can choose between:

• Employee: Full-time staff hired through Deel’s Employer of Record service
• Contractor: Freelancers or self-employed people.
• Person Profile: People you want to onboard later.

Deel also has a mass import function where you can add many workers at once. This can be helpful when you want to hire entire global teams through the platform. Also, Deel provides the option to change worker types, for instance when a contractor wants to be hired as a full time employee through EOR, this is easy to facilitate.

When you add a Contractor through Deel’s platform, an intuitive contract creation process begins: You start by entering the contractor’s role, seniority level, scope of work and other details. Deel then offers an AI assistant that can automatically draft tailored job description on the basis of the role. The entire process feels like setting up a digital product rather than filling in boring HR paperwork.

Deel offers automated contract generation on the platform by having three distinct options: Deel standard contract, customized Deel template or uploadingown contract. 

The Deel standard contract is an out-of-the-box agreement that is pre-vetted by Deel’s employment layers to reflect local legislation. Choosing this option is the fastest route and is the only contract that can be used when you want to upgrade with Deel Premium coverage.

Another option is to use a customized Deel template to have more control. You can add paragraphs to the contract and edit the template according to your needs. Deel has AI-driven suggestions to make it even more efficient. 

When your company already has pre-approved legal templates, you can also upload those contracts in PDF or word format. 

All contract types can be signed through Deel’s e-signature tool. After the company signs the contract, the contract is sent to the contractor and the work can begin.

Further, Deel has a vast amount of optional benefits that can be added to the contract and managed on the platform, such as equipment allowance, co-working space membership, equity and stock options (though do check misclassification risk), and background checks. 

Thereafter, Deel adds personal details and job scope details that can also be auto-generated with Deel AI. Deel lets you choose between 120 currencies in which to pay and also has the option to get market details depending on the job title

Deel lets you set up very specific payment cycles. 

One of Deel’s most powerful features is configuring payments and invoice cycles. Deel provides a high degree of flexibility by letting you choose between more than 120 currencies and 8 payment methods like bank transfer, Wise, Paypal, Coinbase and even Deel’s own virtual card. 

Deel has three different ways to pay contractors that you can choose from:

• Fixed Rate: Ideal for ongoing monthly engagements. The contractor receives the same amount per payment cycle, e.g. per  month, regardless of the amount of hours worked. This requires less manual effort as Deel automatically generates invoices per cycle. Note however, that this can increase misclassification risk in some countries with strict rules about misclassification (e.g. in France and Germany).
• Milestone Payments: Best for project-based work. The client specifies milestones and payments are made upon completion of those specific deliverables.
• Pay-As-You-Go: Designed for short-term or flexible engagements. Contractors can log hours through Deel’s time tracking system and invoices are generated based on approved triggers. Payments can be made based on hourly or daily rates.

Deel’s Simplified Invoice Policies allow you to define what day of the month (e.g. on the 15th) and how often (e.g. every month) contractors are paid. You can create and reuse policies across your teams and countries.

Deels stands out as the most comprehensive platform in the global employment and HR tech space, offering far more than standard EOR services. Deel has built an extensive ecosystem of add-on tools designed to help business

• Deel Talent: Talent platform on Deel that lets you post, find and hire remote professionals. Deel connects employers to pre-vetted candidates who are suitable for the respective job posting. 
• Deel Workforce Planning: Centralized tool that helps companies to plan, budget and manage global hiring. It integrates worker data and scenario modeling so teams can focus on headcount and costs, get hiring approvals and align global workforce growth with budget constraints. Also integrates with your native ATS and is integrated with the Deel org charge tool
• Immigration Tool: Deel has built an integration tool that streamline visa process and sponsorship for more than 30 countries.
• Background Checks: Deel has built its own Background check tool system for 190 countries with 80% of screening results being achieved within minutes.
• Equity and tokens: Deel lets track companies manage and distribute equity to employees in over 110 countries while staying fully compliant. Deel centralizes tracking grants, handling taxes and automating administration.
• Deel IT (formerly called Deel Equipment): Deel centralized platform for order, lease and ship your companies hardware, software and IT operations for global teams. 
• Deel Co-Working: On.demand workspace management for your team to work in over 700 locations.
• Deel Engage: Is an AI-powered people development suite for companies to retain and grow their employees. This includes 360 degrees feedback cycles, OKRs setting, analytics, training courses and advanced goal setting.
• Hiring Toolkits & Documentation: Additional tools and calculators like Employee and employer costs calculator, misclassification tools, offboarding costs calculator, advances hiring insights and country specific documentation.
• Deel Workflow: Advances workflow tool that lets you select templates or create your own customized workflows. This can be customized event-based notifications or integrations to your own tools like Jira, Slack or access revocation.

Deel started off as a contractor management system and expanded into a global Employer of Record (EOR) platform that helps companies hire international employees without setting up local entities. Deel handles payroll, taxes, benefits, compliance, and localized employment contracts, while employers manage day-to-day work. It also facilitates global payments in 150+ currencies, HRIS tools, immigration support, and workforce management features.

Deel’s pricing depends on the country and exact service you choose:

• EOR: Starting around $599 per employee per month
• Contractors: $49 per contractor per month
• Global Payroll: Typically from $12–20 per employee per month, depending on country
  

Add-ons: IT equipment, immigration, and benefits are priced separately

All fees exclude VAT and local taxes. Deposits may apply in certain countries (usually 1-2 months gross salary equivalent).

Yes, Deel typically uses a 12-month minimum term for EOR services with automatic renewal unless terminated with notice. Contractor services are more flexible and usually do not require long-term commitments. 

Yes, Deel requires a deposit for EOR employees. In many countries, Deel requires a 1 to 3 month salary deposit before onboarding an employee. When we requested a proposal, we received a 2 month deposit requests. This can depend on your credit score, country you want to hire or general impression of your company.

Deposits help cover statutory employer liabilities and are refunded after the employment ends and all invoices are cleared. This is standard among major EOR providers, though Oyster and G-P often require higher upfront funding.

Employee onboarding with Deel typically takes 5 to 10 business days, depending on the country. Contractors can often be onboarded same day through self-sign on. Deel’s onboarding speed is generally faster than Oyster, Multiplier or G-P and similar to Remote.

You (the client) keep the IP when Deel employs your employees through EOR.  In their employment contracts, Deel transfers all employee-created IP to the client and includes confidentiality clauses in every contract. Deel also runs entity-level compliance audits and tracks regulatory updates globally.