PEO vs employer of record vs payroll service
| Payroll service | PEO | Employer of record (EOR) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is the legal employer | You | You and the PEO (co-employment) | The EOR |
| What it does | Pays people, files payroll taxes | Payroll plus benefits, HR and often workers' comp | Hires on your behalf where you have no company |
| Best for | Most small US employers | Small teams that want big-company benefits | Hiring in another country |
| Published price example | Justworks Payroll: $50/mo + $8/employee | Justworks PEO Basic: $79/employee/mo | Justworks Global EOR: $599/employee/mo |
Where to start
- Payroll only: compare published payroll prices.
- PEO: Justworks publishes PEO pricing; Rippling and ADP quote on request.
- EOR: Deel, Remote and Oyster specialize in employing people abroad.
Workers' comp through a PEO is an insurance product; ask the PEO which carrier covers you.
How we compare
Prices and features come from each vendor's own pricing and help pages, read on October 8, 2026. "Not stated" means the vendor's public pages don't say. We haven't counted features we couldn't confirm. We don't accept payment for rankings; some links earn us a commission (see the disclosure above). Vendors change prices often, so check the vendor's page before you buy.