Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Deel is an extensive package that combines all of the tools that best payroll software offers. It includes a dazzling array of the features and functions businesses need on a daily basis, but also proves really useful for building up a more efficient bigger picture of how your company ticks.
More than 35,000 companies already use Deel, which is a pretty new company founded in 2019. It now counts over 4,000 team members on its books, with some pretty major customers like Shopify, Nike and Lego signing up.
Deal CEO and co-founder Alex Bouaziz was even on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Finance list in 2020, so you know it’s got some good guidance at the helm.
If you’ve got employees to hire and subsequently manage, as well as pay, then Deel packs a sizeable punch.
Inside the Deel software suite there are tools for fast and efficient onboarding, functionality that facilitates paying employees, even on a global scale where it’s needed and lots of HR features. In fact, Deel boasts HR functionality that makes light work of handling employees, no matter where they happen to be located.
Adding to the overall appeal is a dependable level of compliance, with Deel proving able to stay on top of any relevant regulations, irrespective of where your business operates. Deel is well-known for its quick and easy setup processes and ongoing administration benefits, making it suitable to companies of all shapes and sizes.
Deel: Plans and pricing
It seems like more companies hide their pricing than display it, so we’re incredibly grateful that Deel is one of the few remaining providers that actually states its pricing. It’s a big green flag for us.
Payroll software is available in a whole range of flavors depending on the nature of your business, so you’re better off checking Deel’s website to see which package is best suited to your individual needs.
As a guide, Deel Global Payroll comes in at $29 per employee per month, and Deel Contractor Management costs $49/contractor/month. You can also pick the Deel Employer of Record or Contractor of Record plans ($599 and $325 per person per month) for full legal support across 150+ countries.
Deel also has a couple of HR platforms, priced between $15 and $20 per person per month, so if you prefer to keep all your affairs under the same roof, it’s worth considering adding these.
Further add-ons are also available, so if you’re finding that what you need isn’t covered, a quick conversation with the Deel sales team could rectify that.
Deel: Features
Dip into the suite of Deel features and you’ll find that it is divided into four core areas, with onboarding, payroll and mobility being the main players, conveniently supplemented by Deel HR.
A big part of the appeal with Deel is its Employer of Record or EOR service, which streamlines the hiring process for any kind of company.
An added bonus of this setup is that the system works across a wide variety of countries, with upwards of 150 territories included in that list.
It means companies can hire and pay full-time employees or contractors in many jurisdictions without needing company legal entities in each location, which really shows the value of Deel’s software.
This expansive collection of countries are also setup so that company HR personnel have access to any relevant visa information pertaining to specific locations. If you’re regularly onboarding staff on a global basis this makes Deel particularly noteworthy.
This also means that Deel can handle country-specific taxes as well as meeting compliance regulations. Again, the other bonus here is Deel provides around the clock support for complex operations like this.
The same goes for the mobility aspect of Deel, with lots of tools for simplifying things like Visa applications, which can normally be a drain on administrative resources.
Everything gets topped off with the benefit of Deel HR, which combines lots of different everyday needs, including dealing with contractors and freelancers, to complete the formidable line-up of features.
You get an excellent people directory, organizational charts and comprehensive personal profiles from this, allowing HR managers to control every aspect of an employees time at any company.
Just like any other respectable software outfit, Deel has high standards when it comes to security, although this is perhaps best investigated with a demo. However, the company says it is committed to GDPR compliance and uses Okta SSO for single-sign on convenience.
Network traffic runs over SSL/HTTPS and is encrypted, while Deel also uses Amazon Web Services for its data storage. Similarly, Deel underlines that its infrastructure is fully SOC2 compliant.
Deel: Ease of use
The onboarding part of the HR procedure is wonderfully seamless and can be done over the course of a few hours.
With personal details and banking information completed, the process can be wrapped up pretty swiftly and we also like the way there’s plenty of help at hand from Deel support staff en route.
One of the aspects of any fully-featured HR and payroll solution that frequently worries staff is just how useable a package it’ll be. Thankfully, Deel has been cleverly designed so that it provides a host of powerful tools within a user-friendly interface that can be managed without fuss using a sizeable selection of dashboard tools.
In fact, Deel like many other sensible software packages comes with a look and feel that makes you want to use it, rather than walk away for a coffee.
There’s a fresh, modern workspace with straightforward menu options at the side of the screen. The use of dynamic graphics mid-stage makes the presentation of data much more enjoyable too, while there’s no compromise on performance.
It is possible to drill down into sub-menus when that’s needed, but the overall impression the interface leaves is that minimal training would need to be given in order to get someone up to speed with the Deel workspace.
Deel is best suited to larger companies who need the most advanced tools, because some features are desktop first and poorly optimized for smaller screens.
There’s also a bit more of a learning curve for complex/international use, so taking the time to set up properly is a worthwhile investment.
Deel: Support
Support is a key selling point for Deel, which offers 24/7 multilingual support via live chat, email, phone and even video calls. It could just about be as good as it gets, so if having quick access to humans to answer your questions is a must, then Deel deserves high praise.
Deel also recently introduced AI agents for support, with over 50 languages in the bag. Their aim is to reduce response times, which the company has managed to around halve.
The AI agents mostly pull information form the comprehensive knowledge base, which users can access regardless. Here, you’ll find compliance guides, support documentation and tutorials for self-service.
Enterprises and big customers also get their own dedicated customer success and account managers.
Deel: Final verdict
Anyone who wants a well-rounded HRM suite will immediately warm to Deel. Central to the appeal is its powerful core features, which includes its undeniably potent onboarding, payroll and mobility tools.
The way that the software will work across geographical boundaries makes it very useable for companies of all shapes and sizes.
On the whole, we rank Deel highly for bsuinesses that are hiring globally, with strong compliance offered throughout.
The soldi support infrastructure is noteworthy, as is the user interface which does a good job of taming just how much power this software packs.
While the costs will inevitably escalate as your company does, the ease of its integrations and overall performance marks Deel down as one of the stronger players in the payroll and HR software marketplace. It’s very worthy of a demo at the very least.
Smaller businesses should consider alternatives, because Deel primarily targets multinational businesses, and any companies seeking the best in multi usability should also look elsewhere because Deel is best seen as a desktop-first powerhouse.
