Best HR and EOR Software for Hiring in the Philippines
Built with HR and software expert input using a structured evaluation process- Use case: Employing and paying full-time workers or contractors in the Philippines without establishing a local legal entity.
- Outcome: Stay compliant with BIR and DOLE while running payroll, statutory benefits, and 13th-month pay.
Executive Summary
Hiring in the Philippines means getting statutory contributions and worker classification right — without the cost and delay of setting up a local subsidiary.[02][10]
For this scenario, the key choice is usually:
* Local specialists vs. global platforms: Local providers charge low flat fees for the Philippines only; global platforms cover 150+ countries at a premium. * Cost transparency: The advertised platform fee is not the total cost. Foreign exchange (FX) markups, security deposits, and employer taxes change the real budget. * Entity infrastructure: Some vendors run 100% owned entities for tighter control; others use partner networks to scale quickly.
Bottom line: choose based on whether you are hiring only in the Philippines or expanding globally — and how much bundled FX fees matter to you.
> Trust & Verification Note > * Pricing accuracy: Base platform fees are verified, but total costs depend heavily on foreign exchange (FX) spreads and mandatory employer taxes. > * Data freshness: vendor pricing and terms change frequently; confirm current details against official vendor documentation. > * Unverified: Deel's separate global payroll fees and FX spreads, Oyster HR's specific Philippines compliance handling, Skuad's FX spreads and deposits, and Rippling's global EOR coverage and specific $499-$599/month add-on pricing—confirm against official vendor documentation.
Top picks at a glance
- 1Smart Outsourcing Solution — Startups and scaleups executing Philippines-heavy or Philippines-only hiring strategies.[07][11]
- 2Multiplier — Remote-first startups and mid-market companies seeking a balance between global capabilities and aggressive pricing.[23]
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7Skuad (now Payoneer Workforce Management) — Startups and globally distributed teams seeking affordable entry points into international hiring.
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12Papaya Global — Fortune 500 companies and large enterprises managing complex, multi-country payroll consolidations.[39]
Who this guide is for
This guide is for: * Startup founders and remote-first companies building distributed teams. * HR and People Ops leaders transitioning international contractors to statutory employees. * Finance and operations teams seeking to forecast the true landed cost of international hires. * Organizations executing a Philippines-heavy or Philippines-only talent acquisition strategy.
What “good” looks like for hiring in the Philippines
Strong vendor fit for the Philippines requires: * Statutory compliance: Automatic calculation, withholding, and remittance of SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions. * 13th-month pay management: Budgets and pays the mandatory 13th-month pay automatically, per Presidential Decree 851. * Transparent pricing: Clear visibility into platform fees, security deposit requirements, and foreign exchange (FX) markups. * Misclassification mitigation: A sound legal path from contractor to employee, cutting BIR and DOLE penalty exposure. * Localized benefits: Competitive local HMO plans to attract top talent.
Our Top Recommendations
Smart Outsourcing Solution (Fit Score: 0.98)
What stands out:
Why We Recommend
- –Philippines-focused EOR specialist delivering compliant employment contracts and tax filings.[22]
- –Handles SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and 13th-month pay administration directly.[11]
Fit Consideration
- –Highly cost-effective for localized hiring compared to global EOR averages.[07]
- –Lacks the multi-country infrastructure required for broader global expansion.
Pricing benchmark:
Multiplier (Fit Score: 0.94)
Multiplier
(Fit Score: 0.94)Remote-first startups and mid-market companies seeking a balance between global capabilities and aggressive pricing.[23]
What stands out:
- Runs owned-entity infrastructure in over 150 countries.[23]
- Positions itself as a value leader in the global EOR space.
Why We Recommend
- –Strong Asia-Pacific footprint, including the Philippines, India, and Indonesia.[08][12]
- –Provides onboarding, compliant contracts, benefits administration, and multi-currency payroll across 120+ currencies.[23]
Fit Consideration
Pricing benchmark:
Deel (Fit Score: 0.90)
Deel
(Fit Score: 0.90)High-growth tech companies and enterprises needing a unified platform for a highly distributed global workforce.[25]
What stands out:
Why We Recommend
- –Supports hiring in over 150 countries and covers Philippine statutory filings, including BIR and 13th-month pay.[02]
- –Offers extensive integration capabilities (over 20 integrations with tools like Slack, QuickBooks, and Workday).[14]
Fit Consideration
- –Offers a seamless UI for managing contractors and transitioning them to EOR employees.
- –Higher baseline cost than regional specialists.
Pricing benchmark:
Remote (Fit Score: 0.88)
Remote
(Fit Score: 0.88)Mid-market and enterprise companies prioritizing stringent compliance, data security, and IP protection over baseline pricing.[14]
What stands out:
Why We Recommend
- –Operates strictly on a 100% owned-entity model across 90+ countries.[08][14]
- –Emphasizes intellectual property (IP) protection; manages localized contracts, tax withholding, and benefits.[27]
Fit Consideration
- –Ideal for hiring senior engineering talent where IP assignment is critical.
- –Slightly smaller country footprint than some global competitors.
Pricing benchmark:
Oyster HR (Fit Score: 0.86)
Oyster HR
(Fit Score: 0.86)Mid-market organizations looking for premium platform experiences and strong self-service knowledge bases.[28]
What stands out:
Why We Recommend
- –Intuitive dashboards for onboarding, expenses, time-off tracking, and multi-country payroll.[21]
- –Emphasizes responsive customer support and high-quality local benefits marketplaces.[28]
Fit Consideration
- –Strong local benefits marketplace.
- –Annual billing is required to access the lowest EOR rates.
Pricing benchmark:
Teamed (Fit Score: 0.85)
What stands out:
Why We Recommend
- –Built around cost transparency, providing global payroll, contractor management, and EOR services.[33]
- –Handles local employment contracts and statutory obligations through local experts.[06][33]
Fit Consideration
- –Ensures finance teams see the actual landed cost of the employee without silent margin erosion.
- –Relies entirely on a partner-entity model rather than owned infrastructure.
Pricing benchmark:
Skuad (now Payoneer Workforce Management) (Fit Score: 0.82)
Skuad (now Payoneer Workforce Management)
(Fit Score: 0.82)Startups and globally distributed teams seeking affordable entry points into international hiring.
What stands out:
- Acquired by Payoneer in 2024, focusing on democratizing global talent.[29]
Why We Recommend
- –Acts as a comprehensive HR system, supporting localized onboarding, visa immigration support, and contractor misclassification checks.[29]
- –EOR in 160+ countries, covering local employment law and data privacy requirements.[29]
Fit Consideration
- –Very low advertised entry price.
- –Total costs may vary based on payment processing rails.
Pricing benchmark:
Fronted (Fit Score: 0.79)
What stands out:
Why We Recommend
- –Provides EOR and Contractor of Record (COR) services with a strong focus on connecting Nordic/European companies to specific talent markets.[01]
- –Runs dedicated Philippine infrastructure and handles the statutory registrations directly.[01]
Fit Consideration
- –Strong EU-to-Philippines pipeline.
- –Pricing in EUR may introduce FX considerations for US buyers.
Pricing benchmark:
Atlas HXM (Fit Score: 0.77)
Atlas HXM
(Fit Score: 0.77)Enterprises and mid-market organizations seeking a direct employment model globally.
What stands out:
- Avoids reliance on third-party intermediaries for enhanced control.[13]
Why We Recommend
- –Provides direct EOR services, real-time workforce management, automated payroll, and self-service onboarding.[13]
- –Direct EOR model — owns its legal entities in over 160 countries, including the Philippines.[13]
Fit Consideration
- –Enterprise-oriented platform.
- –Less explicit focus on lightweight contractor management.
Pricing benchmark:
Hyer (Fit Score: 0.75)
What stands out:
- Handles BIR tax, DOLE regulations, and 13th-month pay.[04]
Why We Recommend
- –Hybrid BPO-plus-EOR provider covering sourcing, HR, leave management, and performance reviews.[04][15]
- –Focuses on 8 key markets, managing compliance in the Philippines via a vetted partner-of-record network.[04][15]
Fit Consideration
- –Wraps EOR in a full-service BPO offering.
- –Percentage pricing can scale poorly for high salaries.
Pricing benchmark:
Rippling (Fit Score: 0.72)
Rippling
(Fit Score: 0.72)Companies that want a single system to manage IT and HR seamlessly for both domestic and overseas workers.[35]
What stands out:
- Applies local tax and wage rules automatically.
Why We Recommend
- –An HRIS at its core, expanded into global payroll, IT device management, and EOR.[35]
- –Unifies domestic and international HR operations into a single software stack.[35]
Fit Consideration
- –Highly modular and custom platform.
- –Because modules stack, total platform costs run higher.
Pricing benchmark:
Papaya Global (Fit Score: 0.68)
Papaya Global
(Fit Score: 0.68)Fortune 500 companies and large enterprises managing complex, multi-country payroll consolidations.[39]
What stands out:
Why We Recommend
- –Specializes in enterprise-grade global payroll, cross-border payments, and EOR services.[36]
- –Offers advanced workforce analytics, multi-country reporting, and integrations with major ERPs (e.g., Workday, SAP).[36]
Fit Consideration
- –Premium pricing tier designed for large enterprises.
- –FX margins and compliance surcharges may apply.[38]
Pricing benchmark:
Comparison Matrix
| Vendor | Best for | Typical EOR price | Entity model | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Smart Outsourcing Solution | Philippines-exclusive hiring | $190/mo | Local Owned | Lacks global multi-country infrastructure |
 | Value-driven global scaling | $400/mo | Owned | Potential country-specific deposits |
| Contractor-to-EOR transitions | $599/mo | Hybrid | Higher baseline cost; potential FX spreads |
 | Direct entity compliance & IP | $599-$699/mo | 100% Owned | Premium pricing tier |
 | Premium UX & local benefits | $599-$699/mo | Hybrid | Annual billing required for lowest rates |
Teamed | Absolute budget transparency | $599/mo | 100% Partner | Fewer HRIS integrations than tier-1 platforms |
Skuad (now Payoneer Workforce Management) | Affordable entry points | $199/mo | Hybrid | Actual costs may be higher due to FX spreads |
Fronted | EU-to-Philippines pipeline | €390/mo | Hybrid | Pricing in EUR may introduce FX risk |
 | Direct global employment | $599/mo | 100% Owned | Less explicit focus on contractors |
Hyer | Southeast Asian employment hub | 10% (capped) | Partner | Percentage pricing scales poorly for high salaries |
 | Unified IT and global HR | Custom | Hybrid | Highly complex, modular pricing |
 | Enterprise payroll consolidation | $650-$770/mo | Hybrid | Most expensive EOR option |
Regional Insight
Hiring in the Philippines requires navigating specific statutory mandates. The employer's burden typically adds 10% to 25% on top of the base salary.[01][07] This includes contributions to the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, and the Pag-IBIG housing fund.[01][02] Employers must also budget the mandatory 13th-month pay — one-twelfth of the employee's total basic salary, payable by December 24.[01] Misclassifying full-time workers as independent contractors to avoid these costs can trigger severe penalties from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).[03][04]
Pricing: what’s “normal” in the Philippines?
EOR pricing for the Philippines falls into three distinct categories: localized flat fees, global flat fees, and percentage-based models. While base platform fees are heavily advertised, total costs are often influenced by hidden variables such as foreign exchange (FX) spreads and mandated security deposits.[05][06]
Rule of thumb: * Local Specialists: Expect flat fees around $190 per employee per month.[07] * Global Platforms: Standard rates cluster between $400 and $699 per employee per month.[08][19] * Contractor Management: Software for managing cross-border payments and invoices typically costs between $19 and $49 per worker monthly.[08] * Hidden Costs: Many platforms incorporate an FX margin (often 1.5% to 3%) on the cross-border payroll transfer, and some require a refundable deposit equal to one month's salary.[05][06][21]
FAQs
Methodology
This page is a scenario-specific ranking based on the shared research and the criteria most relevant to this buying situation.
We weighted: * Pricing competitiveness: Evaluation of base platform fees against the market average for the Philippines. * Regional coverage: The depth of the vendor's infrastructure and compliance handling specifically within the Philippines. * Feature depth: The platform's ability to handle both contractor management and full EOR employment seamlessly. * Compliance handling: The vendor's capability to manage mandatory statutory benefits (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG) and 13th-month pay. * Fit Score: Evaluated on a 0–1 scale derived from the research's assessment of pricing, regional coverage, feature depth, and local compliance handling.
Important limitations: * Pricing models and feature sets are subject to change by the vendors. * Total costs will vary based on specific employee salaries, exchange rates, and negotiated enterprise discounts. * This is not legal advice.
Final CTA / next step
Next step: personalize this to your exact Philippines hiring plan. Compare providers on total landed cost: target salaries, 13th-month pay, statutory contributions, and any FX markups. Hiring only in the Philippines? A regional specialist may offer the best value. Scaling across countries? You will need a global platform.
How we reviewed this article:
Our experts continually monitor the HR software space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
- CL-01. fronted.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-02. deel.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-03. skuad.io — Legal compliance capability
- CL-04. hyer.sg — Legal compliance capability
- CL-05. teamed.global — Pricing
- CL-06. teamed.global — Pricing
- CL-07. smartoutsourcingsolution.com — Pricing
- CL-08. globalsolo.global — Pricing
- CL-09. hyer.sg — Market nuance
- CL-10. rippling.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-11. smartoutsourcingsolution.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-12. eorhq.com — Pricing
- CL-13. atlashxm.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-14. eorcompare.ai — Legal compliance capability
- CL-15. hyer.sg — Regional coverage
- CL-16. eorhq.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-17. remitly.com — Market nuance
- CL-18. wise.com — Market nuance
- CL-19. oysterhr.com — Pricing
- CL-20. employmenthero.com — Pricing
- CL-21. oysterhr.com — Implementation/onboarding
- CL-22. smartoutsourcingsolution.com — Implementation/onboarding
- CL-23. hrstacks.com — Regional coverage
- CL-24. whichpayroll.com — Pricing
- CL-25. peoplemanagingpeople.com — Target audience
- CL-26. hireinsouth.com — Pricing
- CL-27. remote.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-28. eorhq.com — Regional coverage
- CL-29. kitemetric.com — Implementation/onboarding
- CL-30. fronted.com — Regional coverage
- CL-31. fronted.com — Target audience
- CL-32. hyer.sg — Target audience
- CL-33. remotepeople.com — Implementation/onboarding
- CL-34. teamed.global — Pricing
- CL-35. authencio.com — Implementation/onboarding
- CL-36. eorhq.com — Implementation/onboarding
- CL-37. papayaglobal.com — Legal compliance capability
- CL-38. hireinsouth.com — Pricing
- CL-39. peoplemanagingpeople.com — Target audience
- EOR (Employer of Record): A third-party organization that acts as the legal employer for your workers, handling payroll, taxes, and compliance while you manage their day-to-day work.
- 13th-Month Pay: A non-discretionary legal obligation in the Philippines equal to one-twelfth of the employee's total basic salary earned during the year, mandated to be paid by December 24.
- SSS / PhilHealth / Pag-IBIG: Mandatory statutory contributions in the Philippines covering social security, national health insurance, and the national savings/housing fund.
- FX Spread: The hidden margin or markup a provider adds to the foreign exchange rate when converting your billing currency into the employee's local currency.
- Owned-Entity Model: An infrastructure where the EOR provider owns and operates its own legal entities in the target country, rather than outsourcing to third-party local partners.
- Permanent Establishment: A tax concept where a company is deemed to have a stable, taxable presence in a foreign country, a risk EORs are designed to mitigate.