In our competitive, remote-friendly job market, more businesses are turning to independent contractors, freelancers, and gig workers to scale their teams.
In the U.S. alone, there were 72.9 million total independent workers in 2025. Of those, 32% serve global clients, and 5.6 million earn more than USD 100K (nearly double the number since 2020). The U.S. isn’t alone here; contracted work is popular across the globe, particularly for technical, creative, and professional services roles.
Of course, all of those contractors need to get paid, which can be a complex process for businesses. Each country has different currencies, tax requirements, and labor laws, making manual payments time-intensive, error-prone, and difficult to track a complete budget.
Global contractor payment software solves these complexities by enabling businesses to reliably and accurately pay contractors across borders. This guide compares seven of the most popular contractor payment software options on the market.
Key takeaways:
- There are numerous software options available to pay contractors globally, ranging from comprehensive platforms to straightforward payment tools.
- Modern contractor payment platforms streamline contract generation, onboarding, and invoice processing, reducing administrative work and ensuring compliance with local labor laws across multiple countries.
- The right contractor payment software for your company depends on its scale, geographic reach, compliance requirements, and strategic goals.
Best Contractor Payment Software Quick View
Whether you're a startup or enterprise business, each of the options below can fit your needs to pay your international contractors fast and securely.
1. RemoFirst
RemoFirst offers a global contractor payment platform that supports payments to contractors in more than 150 countries. Employers can manage contracts, invoices, expenses, time off, and payments — all in one place.
Since worker misclassification is one of the most common and costly financial risks for global employers, RemoFirst focuses on compliance throughout the contractor lifecycle. The platform features a localized contract agreement generator that aligns with local labor laws, enabling companies to reduce the risk of misclassification when engaging contractors internationally.
RemoFirst also handles KYC checks and supports compliant onboarding and offboarding, giving companies more confidence as they expand into new regions.
Businesses have the option to pay invoices in several major currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, SGD, AUD, and NZD, while contractors are paid in their local currencies. This streamlines cross-border payments, eliminating the need to manage multiple banking relationships and perform currency conversions.
RemoFirst's integrated time-tracking tool enables contractors to log their hours directly in the system and have them approved. Payments are processed automatically, without the need for manual, error-prone spreadsheets.
Companies can manage and pay their contractors for USD 25 per month, per contractor. Typically, customers achieve an average of 70% cost savings on global payroll with RemoFirst.
For businesses that want to handle payments separately, RemoFirst offers a free version for contractor management only, which includes contract templates, document storage, time tracking, and more.
The platform's straightforward pricing model means no hidden fees for currency conversion or termination — a common pain point with competitors. RemoFirst's partner model enables competitive rates while maintaining compliance support.
2. Deel
Deel is a platform for managing and paying international contractors in 150+ countries, particularly among startups and fast-growing companies.
Deel enables companies to centralize contractor HR management, tax automation, and payments without having to build internal processes from scratch. The platform currently offers localized contractor agreements, automated invoicing, and multiple payout methods to over 37,000 customers.
That said, Deel’s pricing has a higher per-contractor cost compared to some alternatives. The fees can add up quickly for companies managing large contractor workforces.
Deel also offers Contractor of Record services, starting at USD 325 per contractor per month, for companies that require a higher level of compliance and support.
3. Remote
Remote supports contractor payments alongside its broader global employment offerings. Companies can manage contracts, documentation, and payments in local currencies for contractors through its centralized platform.
Remote’s unified system appeals to employers that value structured processes and standardized compliance practices across their distributed workforce. They also offer unique capabilities for global companies, like faster payments for contractors with stablecoin payouts.
For companies that only need a lightweight solution for contractor payments, Remote’s comprehensive HR solutions and broader scope may feel overwhelming and be underutilized. As a result, Remote is often a better fit for companies that already use or plan to use Remote for additional global workforce needs.
4. Papaya Global
Papaya Global offers contractor payments as part of its larger workforce management and payments platform. It’s often utilized by larger or more complex organizations that need to consolidate payroll processing and contractor information across regions.
Papaya Global’s Payments OS platform automates 95% of manual processes through self-service contractor onboarding and profile management. The platform offers a high level of payment flexibility, including real-time and automated payments, split payments, date-based setup, and recurring payments.
However, pricing is typically customized, and the platform’s breadth may be too much for businesses that primarily need contractor management capabilities, as opposed to broader workforce reporting and analytics.
5. Tipalti
Tipalti is a finance platform commonly used for automating onboarding, tax form collection, and global payouts. It’s particularly attractive to companies managing large volumes of payments across multiple countries.
Tipalti offers a self-service portal, fraud detection, regulatory compliance support, payment scheduling, and advanced payment configuration options, like transaction fees on costly payment methods. The platform offers a wide variety of integrations and powerful APIs to integrate Tipalti within your tech stack.
However, Tipalti’s pricing is custom and split into two tiers. Pricing is typically based on the number of invoices/payments processed, key features (such as tax compliance, currency conversion, and fraud protection), and currency conversion. It could quickly become expensive based on your needs and scale.
6. Wise Business
Wise Business’ claim to fame is enabling companies to make international contractor payments using mid-market exchange rates — the same rates banks and finance companies use to trade currencies, without a markup. This makes it an attractive option for cost-conscious teams that want to see exactly what they’ll pay in fees while reducing foreign exchange costs on cross-border payments.
Wise Business offers multi-currency accounts, batch payments, and low-cost transfers to simplify international payments. They also offer volume discounts for sending large amounts monthly, and businesses earn returns on eligible currencies.
Plus, payments with Wise Business are fast — over half of payments arrive in 20 seconds, and 95% take less than 24 hours.
However, Wise does not offer contractor management, compliance tools, or contract workflows. You’ll likely need a separate human resources or contractor management software to complement it.
7. Rippling
Rippling combines HR, IT, and finance tools into a single platform, with contractor payments available as part of its broader ecosystem. Companies can onboard contractors in 90 seconds, manage documents, and process payments through workflows that integrate directly with internal systems.
Rippling supports global contractor payments across multiple countries and currencies, with automated tax form collection and compliance monitoring. The platform will automatically generate invoices for both fixed-rate and hourly contractors who track their time in Rippling. Alternatively, contractors can submit their own invoices.
The trade-off is that Rippling's modular pricing structure requires purchasing the core platform, alongside specific contractor management features. This model works well if you require integrated HR, IT, and finance capabilities; however, it may be unnecessarily complex if you only need a standalone contractor payment tool.
Choosing the Right Software for Your Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
With numerous platforms offering diverse features and pricing models, these six steps will help you select the ideal contractor payment software for your business.
- Assess Your Specific Needs and Scale
Start by evaluating how many contractors you currently manage and expect to hire in the next 12 months. Then, consider whether you need basic payment processing or comprehensive services, like contract generation, compliance monitoring, and misclassification protection. - Consider Your Global Reach
Confirm whether the software supports payments in the countries and currencies where your contractors work or where you might expand internationally in the future. Some platforms specialize in specific regions, while others offer extensive geographic reach — or have more limited coverage. - Evaluate Your Budget
Contractor payment software pricing varies widely, including per-contractor pricing, transaction-based, and custom pricing models. Calculate your total monthly cost by multiplying the per-contractor fee by your workforce size, and factor in currency conversion fees, which can add up quickly with some providers. - Look for Integration Capabilities
Your contractor payment software should connect seamlessly with tools you already use. Check for integrations with your accounting software, time tracking systems, and invoicing tools. API access is also important if you need custom integrations or want to automate workflows between systems. - Prioritize Security and Compliance
Contractor misclassification results in significant penalties and back taxes. Look for platforms offering localized contract templates, automated tax form collection, and built-in compliance monitoring. Features like KYC checks, fraud detection, and IP protection help mitigate legal and financial risks. - Read Reviews and Request Demos
Before committing, research what other businesses say about each platform's customer support, payment reliability, and ease of use. Request demos from your top 2-3 choices to see the interface firsthand and ask questions about features specific to your use case and global hiring needs.
Manage and Pay Your Contractors With RemoFirst
Finding the right platform to pay contractors compliantly and on time makes a real difference as teams scale globally.
RemoFirst combines affordability and price transparency with comprehensive compliance support and contractor management in 150+ countries for just USD 25 per contractor per month. We also offer a free version that provides contract templates, document storage, compliance monitoring, and more — minus the payments functionality.
The RemoFirst platform handles everything from contract generation — using locally compliant templates — to KYC checks, invoice processing, and global payments. Your contractors receive funds in their local currencies, while you maintain clear visibility into all costs from a single dashboard.
Sign up for free to start managing and paying your global contractors today.
