The picks
- Rippling — Best for global remote teams
- BambooHR — Best for US-only remote teams
- Gusto — Best budget option for small US teams
- Remote.com — Simple global EOR
- Oyster — Compliance-first global hiring
#1 Pick
Rippling is the obvious choice if you’re building a global remote team and want everything in one place. HR, IT, payroll, benefits, device management—all connected, all sharing the same employee data. No more syncing spreadsheets between five different tools.
Most HR platforms make you choose: either they handle US employees well, or they do global. Rippling does both. Your US team and your contractors in Portugal show up in the same dashboard, with the same workflows.
Why I picked this
Rippling’s modular setup means you only pay for what you use. Start with HRIS and payroll. Add global EOR when you hire your first international employee. Bolt on device management when you realize offboarding remote workers is a nightmare without it. Everything stays connected.
For global remote teams, the EOR is the killer feature. You can hire employees in 185+ countries without setting up local entities. Rippling handles employment contracts, local benefits, compliance, and payroll. Your new hire in Germany gets a proper employment contract and statutory benefits. You get one invoice.
The IT management piece is what separates Rippling from BambooHR or Gusto. When your remote employee quits, Rippling can lock their laptop, revoke app access, and start the equipment recovery process—automatically triggered by their termination. For distributed teams, this matters.
The tradeoff: Rippling doesn’t publish pricing, and the sales process is slow. Expect custom quotes that vary wildly based on what modules you need. For a 100-person company using HRIS, payroll, benefits, and time tracking, budget $15-25 per employee per month. Global payroll and EOR add significantly more.
The honest answer: Rippling is overkill for small US-only teams. The power comes from the connected ecosystem—if you’re not using multiple modules, you’re overpaying for capability you don’t need.
Key features for remote teams
- Global EOR — Hire in 185+ countries without local entities
- Unified employee data — One source of truth across HR, IT, and finance
- Device management — Provision laptops, manage app access, handle offboarding
- Multi-country payroll — Pay US and international employees from one platform
- Automated workflows — Trigger actions across systems (termination → revoke access → recover equipment)
Skip this if…
- You’re a small US-only team—BambooHR or Gusto will be simpler and cheaper
- You want transparent pricing upfront—Rippling requires a sales call
- You don’t need IT/device management—you’re paying for features you won’t use
- Your budget is under $500/month for HR software
#2 Pick
BambooHR is the right call for US-only remote teams that want HR software people actually use. The interface is clean. The onboarding workflows make sense. Your employees will log in to request PTO instead of emailing you a spreadsheet.
If you’re running a 25-200 person remote team based in the US, BambooHR hits the sweet spot. Enough features to run HR properly, not so many that you need a dedicated admin to figure it out.
Why I picked this
BambooHR focuses on the core HRIS experience and does it well. Employee records, time-off tracking, onboarding checklists, performance reviews—the stuff you actually need to run a remote team. Nothing bloated.
The onboarding workflows are particularly strong for distributed teams. You can’t hand a new hire a stack of forms on their first day when they’re working from their apartment in Austin. BambooHR lets you build onboarding sequences that collect documents, assign training, and introduce them to the team—all before day one.
Performance management is solid without being overwhelming. Goal tracking, 1:1 meeting notes, review cycles. Enough structure to run a remote team effectively. Not so much that performance reviews become a quarterly nightmare.
BambooHR also offers payroll as an add-on. If you want HR and payroll in one system without the complexity of Rippling, this is the path. Fair warning: the payroll add-on costs extra on top of the base HRIS pricing.
The catch: BambooHR is US-only. No global payroll. No EOR. If you hire one contractor in the UK, you’ll need a separate tool for them. BambooHR won’t even try to help with international compliance.
Key features for remote teams
- Onboarding workflows — Collect documents and assign tasks before day one
- Time-off tracking — PTO requests, approval workflows, balance visibility
- Performance management — Goals, 1:1s, and review cycles
- Employee self-service — People can update their own info without emailing HR
- Payroll add-on — US payroll integrated with your HRIS (additional cost)
Skip this if…
- You have employees outside the US—you’ll need a global solution
- You’re under 10 employees—this might be overkill for your needs
- You need IT/device management—BambooHR doesn’t do that
- Budget is the priority—Gusto costs less for small teams
#3 Pick
Gusto is what I’d pick for small US remote teams where payroll matters more than HRIS features. If you’re a 5-20 person startup and you need to pay people correctly without spending $500/month on HR software, start here.
The Simple plan at $49/month plus $6 per employee is hard to beat. That gets you full-service payroll, contractor payments, basic onboarding, and benefits admin. For a 10-person remote team, you’re looking at $109/month. Try getting that from BambooHR.
Why I picked this
Gusto nails payroll for small teams. Automatic tax calculations. State tax registration help (crucial for remote teams with employees in multiple states). Direct deposit. Year-end tax forms. The stuff that used to require an accountant or a painful afternoon with spreadsheets.
Multi-state payroll is where Gusto really earns its keep for remote teams. When you have employees in California, Texas, and New York, each state has different tax rules, registration requirements, and filing deadlines. Gusto handles it. You don’t have to become an expert in state employment law.
The benefits admin is solid too. Health insurance brokerage, 401(k) integration, workers’ comp. Small companies often struggle to offer competitive benefits because the admin is overwhelming. Gusto makes it manageable.
The honest answer: Gusto is payroll-first. The HRIS features are basic. If you need real performance management, org charts, or detailed analytics, you’ll hit the limits fast. Gusto is for teams that prioritize paying people correctly over building elaborate HR workflows.
You’ll also outgrow it. Once you’re past 50 employees, the per-person pricing starts to hurt, and you’ll want features Gusto doesn’t have. Think of it as the right tool for your first few years, not forever.
Key features for remote teams
- Multi-state payroll — Handles tax complexity for distributed US teams
- Contractor payments — Pay 1099 contractors alongside employees
- Benefits admin — Health insurance, 401(k), workers’ comp
- State tax registration — Gusto registers you in new states as you hire
- Autopilot payroll — Set it and forget it for recurring pay runs
Skip this if…
- You need global payroll or EOR—Gusto is US-only for employees
- You want real HRIS features—performance management here is basic
- Your team is growing past 50—you’ll outgrow it fast
- You need deep integrations—Gusto’s API and app ecosystem are limited
Honorable mentions
#4
Remote.com is the EOR I’d pick if you already have US HR handled and just need to add international employees. They own their legal entities in most countries—no third-party partners adding complexity. Flat-rate pricing means no surprises. You know exactly what each international hire costs.
Choose this if: You want simple, transparent EOR pricing and don’t need Rippling’s all-in-one platform.
Skip it if: You need a full HRIS—Remote is EOR-only, not an HR platform replacement.
#5
Oyster covers 180+ countries and is particularly strong on compliance. They include setup, onboarding, and termination processing in the subscription—no hidden fees. Worth considering if you’re hiring in countries where other EOR providers have limited coverage or if getting local employment law right is critical.
Choose this if: You’re hiring in obscure countries or compliance is your top concern.
Skip it if: You need a full HR platform—Oyster is EOR-focused, like Remote.
How to choose
Choose Rippling if you’re building a global remote team and want HR, payroll, IT, and benefits in one connected platform. It’s the most capable option. Also the most complex and expensive.
Choose BambooHR if your remote team is US-only and you want clean HRIS with real onboarding and performance management. The sweet spot for mid-sized US remote teams.
Choose Gusto if you’re a small US team and payroll is the priority. Best value for startups that need solid payroll without enterprise pricing.
Choose Remote.com if you already have US HR sorted and just need to add international employees. Transparent pricing, owned entities.
Choose Oyster if you’re hiring in countries where compliance is complex or other EOR providers don’t have coverage.
Need dedicated payroll software? If your primary concern is paying international employees and contractors—not full HR management—see our guide to international payroll software.
The decision tree:
- Global team? → Rippling (all-in-one) or Remote/Oyster (EOR only)
- US-only, 25+ employees? → BambooHR
- US-only, under 25 employees? → Gusto