Deel's Employer of Record plan costs $599 per employee per month in 2026, according to Deel's pricing page. Contractors cost $49 a month, Contractor of Record $325 and a US PEO employee $125. Salary, employer statutory contributions and benefits are paid on top.
StratEdge Global delivers the same EOR service from $349 per employee per month, with group health insurance included. That's $3,000 less per employee per year than Deel's list price, on month-to-month terms with no onboarding fee. This guide breaks down Deel's pricing plan by plan, shows what a hire in India really costs, and explains where StratEdge gives you more for less. Prices were checked on 12 October 2026.
Deel pricing vs StratEdge Global at a glance
| Deel | StratEdge Global | |
|---|---|---|
| EOR fee per employee/month | $599 | From $349 |
| EOR fees per employee/year | $7,188 | $4,188 |
| Group health insurance | Not in the headline fee — check plan details | Included |
| Onboarding fee | Ask Deel | None |
| Salary markup | Ask Deel | None |
| Contract terms | Month-to-month | Month-to-month, no lock-in |
| Real-time cost and employee visibility | Platform dashboard | EmpleYor: live pay, fee, onboarding, leave and attendance per hire |
| Recruitment | Hire tools at $14 per worker/month | In-house recruitment team (HireEdge), one contract |
| Support | Platform and support team | One named contact |
All Deel plans and prices in 2026
| Deel plan | What it's for | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| Employer of Record (EOR) | Hire full-time employees abroad without your own entity | $599 per employee/month |
| Contractor of Record | Deel takes on contractor-classification risk | $325 per contractor/month |
| Contractors | Pay and manage independent contractors | $49 per contractor/month |
| US PEO | Co-employment for US-based employees | $125 per employee/month |
| Hire | Recruiting tools | $14 per worker/month |
| Global Payroll, HR | Payroll through your own entities; HRIS | Quote on request |
Deel's pricing page shows monthly prices only and doesn't publish an annual EOR rate.
Why companies choose StratEdge Global instead: one partner, one platform
Most EORs give you a contract and an invoice. StratEdge Global gives you an employee who works, and feels, like part of your own team. You get one partner and one platform from hiring to exit, and payroll, PF, ESI, TDS, gratuity and Labour Code compliance are handled by our own team. Our proprietary platform, EmpleYor, gives you and your employees real-time visibility, so nothing waits on an email or an invoice.
- Real-time cost, no surprises. EmpleYor shows you the actual pay and fee for each hire, line by line, as payroll runs. You never have to request a breakdown or wait for an invoice to see what a hire really costs.
- The hire is fully visible. Your manager sees live onboarding status, timesheets, leave, attendance and recognitions: the same view you'd have of a direct employee.
- Engaged employees, not just compliant ones. At no extra cost, every EOR employee gets group health insurance, learning credits and access to our recognition programme, so they grow and get recognised alongside your own team.
- No candidate yet? We find one. Our in-house recruitment team, HireEdge, sources the hire, and we employ them through our India employing entity, StratGrid Private Limited. One contract covers search, employment and HR.
- Simple terms. From $349 per employee per month, no onboarding fee, no salary markup, month-to-month with no lock-in. India hires are onboarded in 48 hours.
Book a free call or see StratEdge pricing.
How Deel's EOR pricing works, and where the cost adds up
Every month, an EOR invoice combines three things:
- Gross salary you agreed with the employee
- Employer costs required by local law, such as Provident Fund and gratuity in India
- The EOR platform fee: $599 with Deel, from $349 with StratEdge Global
Salary and statutory costs are set by your offer and by law, so they're the same with any EOR. The platform fee and what's bundled into it are the only things you can really compare, and that's where StratEdge saves you money.
With Deel, these items sit outside the $599 headline fee, so ask about each one in writing:
- Private health insurance, which most engineers in Indian cities expect as standard. It's included in StratEdge's $349.
- Security deposits, often equal to one month or more of payroll
- Currency-conversion margins on salary payments
- Termination and offboarding costs
With StratEdge, EmpleYor shows each of these line by line as payroll runs, so there's nothing to chase.
Worked example: Deel cost for a software engineer in India
Say you hire a mid-level software engineer in Bengaluru on a ₹24 lakh CTC, about $28,000 a year. In India, CTC usually includes the employer's Provident Fund and gratuity accrual, so salary-side costs are the same with either provider.
| Deel EOR | StratEdge Global EOR | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee per month | $599 | From $349 |
| Platform fee per year | $7,188 | $4,188 |
| Group health insurance | Check plan details | Included |
| You save with StratEdge | — | $3,000 per employee per year |
The saving grows with your team:
| Team size | Deel fees per year | StratEdge fees per year (from) | You save per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 employee | $7,188 | $4,188 | $3,000 |
| 5 employees | $35,940 | $20,940 | $15,000 |
| 10 employees | $71,880 | $41,880 | $30,000 |
| 25 employees | $179,700 | $104,700 | $75,000 |
At ten hires, the saving roughly covers the annual salary of another mid-level engineer in India. Run your own numbers with the StratEdge EOR cost calculator.
India costs a global platform can miss
India's rules change often. A global platform covering 100+ countries handles India as one market among many. At StratEdge, India is our core market, and our own team handles:
- Provident Fund. The employer pays 12% of PF wages. The statutory ceiling rose to ₹25,000 a month from 17 September 2026, so payroll set up for the old ₹15,000 ceiling now under-deducts.
- Gratuity. Commonly accrued at about 4.81% of basic salary a year, and payable after one year for fixed-term staff under the Labour Codes.
- The Labour Codes' 50% wage rule. Wages must be at least half of total pay, which raises PF and gratuity on many older salary structures. See our guide to India's new Labour Codes.
- Final settlement within two working days of an employee's exit, as the Code on Wages requires.
For the full breakdown, read payroll in India in 2026 and the true cost of hiring in India.
Deel contractors vs EOR: the misclassification risk
Deel's contractor plan costs $49 a month, much less than its $599 EOR fee. That gap tempts some companies to engage full-time workers as contractors. In India, that's risky. If a "contractor" works fixed hours, reports to your managers and works only for you, authorities can treat them as an employee. That brings back-payment of PF and penalties.
StratEdge closes most of the price gap the other way. A compliant EOR employee from $349, with health insurance included, costs far less than Deel's EOR. Often it's not much more than Deel's $325 Contractor of Record plan.
Deel or StratEdge Global: which fits you?
Deel is built for companies running payroll in dozens of countries at once on a self-service platform. If India is where you're building your team, StratEdge Global is the better fit:
- Lower cost: from $349 against $599, with health insurance included
- One partner, one platform: recruitment, employment, payroll and exit under one contract
- Real-time visibility: EmpleYor shows each hire's cost and status live
- India depth: Labour Codes, PF, gratuity and final settlement handled in-house
- A named contact instead of a support queue
Compare more options in our guide to the best Deel alternatives.
Questions to ask before you sign with any EOR
- Is the platform fee fixed, or does it vary by country?
- Is there a security deposit, and when is it refunded?
- What currency-conversion margin applies?
- Is private health insurance included?
- What does terminating an employee cost?
- What's the minimum term and notice period?
- How are PF and gratuity calculated in India?
- Can I see each hire's cost in real time, or only on the invoice?
StratEdge answers all eight in writing before you sign. See our 12 questions to ask an EOR provider.
FAQ
How much does Deel charge per employee?
Deel lists its Employer of Record plan at $599 per employee per month in 2026, with salary and employer contributions on top. StratEdge Global starts at $349 per employee per month with group health insurance included.
Does Deel have hidden fees?
Deel's pricing page says it has no hidden fees. Even so, ask in writing about security deposits, currency conversion, termination costs and health insurance. StratEdge shows every cost line by line in real time through EmpleYor, with no onboarding fee and no salary markup.
Does Deel offer annual discounts?
Deel's public pricing page shows monthly prices only. StratEdge's prices are month-to-month with no lock-in, so you don't need a long commitment to get the lowest rate.
How much does it cost to hire in India through Deel?
You pay the employee's CTC plus Deel's $599 monthly platform fee, which is $7,188 a year per employee in fees alone. Through StratEdge Global, the fee starts at $4,188 a year with health insurance included.
What is the best alternative to Deel for hiring in India?
For teams hiring mainly in India, StratEdge Global is a strong alternative. It costs from $349 per employee per month with health insurance included, onboards India hires in 48 hours and gives you one partner and one platform from hiring to exit.
Is it cheaper to set up my own entity in India than to use Deel?
Usually not for small teams. Setting up an Indian entity takes 3–6 months plus ongoing compliance costs. See EOR vs entity in India.
Sources
- Deel pricing: deel.com/pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- PF wage ceiling of ₹25,000: Business Today