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Payroll · head to head

Branch App vs RemoFirst

Branch App logo

Branch App

Payroll

Digital wallet and Mastercard debit card bundled with fee-free earned wage access for US workers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RemoFirst logo

RemoFirst

Payroll

Low-cost employer of record and contractor payments across a very wide country list built largely on partner entities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Branch App has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Branch App the fee-free promise applies most fully to funds kept in the Branch Wallet; moving money out instantly to an external bank account can carry a fee, which is easy to overlook.; RemoFirst coverage in most countries runs through partner entities rather than entities RemoFirst owns, which lengthens the liability chain and means a disputed termination is handled by a company you have no direct contract with.
  • They diverge on capability: Branch App covers On-demand pay, RemoFirst covers Employer of record.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Branch App and RemoFirst actually diverge.

Attributes where Branch App and RemoFirst differ
AttributeBranch AppRemoFirst
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree for employers, fee-free standard access for workersquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Branch App

  • On-demand pay
  • Branch Wallet
  • Branch Card
  • Branch Embedded
  • Cashless tips and mileage tracking
  • Automatic savings

Only in RemoFirst

  • Employer of record
  • Contractor management
  • Global benefits
  • Visa and work permit support
  • Equipment provisioning
  • Multi-currency payments
  • Expense management
  • Time off tracking

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Branch App

  • A healthcare, retail or hospitality employer wanting fee-free earned wage access for shift workersnot RemoFirst
  • A gig or shift-scheduling platform wanting to embed pay features under its own brand via Branch Embeddednot RemoFirst
  • An employer wanting cashless tipping and mileage tracking bundled with wage accessnot RemoFirst
  • A worker who wants a dedicated pay-focused wallet and debit card rather than routing advances to a personal bank accountnot RemoFirst

RemoFirst

  • A startup hiring two or three people each in several countries where opening entities makes no sensenot Branch App
  • A company paying an established vendor a high per-contractor fee for administration it could buy far cheapernot Branch App
  • An employer that needs a country outside the coverage of the major EOR providersnot Branch App
  • A team that wants equipment procured and shipped to remote hires without setting up local logisticsnot Branch App

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Branch App

  • The fee-free promise applies most fully to funds kept in the Branch Wallet; moving money out instantly to an external bank account can carry a fee, which is easy to overlook.
  • Because Branch Embedded lets other platforms white-label the same infrastructure, a worker or employer evaluating a differently branded wage access feature may not realise Branch is the underlying processor, complicating vendor due diligence.
  • As with all earned wage access, frequent draws are a symptom of pay not covering living costs between cycles, which the product does not itself remedy.
  • Coverage is US-only, so it does not serve international or multi-country workforces.
  • Adoption value depends on workers actually using the Branch wallet and card day to day; a worker who only wants advances deposited into an existing bank account gets a comparatively thinner experience than one who adopts the full wallet.

RemoFirst

  • Coverage in most countries runs through partner entities rather than entities RemoFirst owns, which lengthens the liability chain and means a disputed termination is handled by a company you have no direct contract with.
  • Statutory deposits, typically one or more months of salary and employer contributions held in advance, are quoted separately from the per employee fee and materially change the cash cost of the first year.
  • Currency conversion on payroll runs carries a spread that is not in the headline price, and on a large multi-country payroll that spread can exceed the platform fee itself.
  • Benefits quality varies sharply by country because it is sourced through local partners, so two employees on the same contract in different countries can receive very different cover.
  • The company is young and holds client payroll funds in transit, which is a counterparty risk that larger competitors with longer trading histories and audited entity networks present less of.

Pricing, plan by plan

Branch App

Free
  • BranchFree
    • No employer subscription cost
    • Fee-free earned wage access to the Branch Wallet
    • Instant transfer to external accounts may carry a fee

RemoFirst

On request
  • Employer of Record$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month
    • Statutory deposit held separately from the platform fee
    • Currency conversion spread applied on each payroll run
  • Contractor Management$undefined/year
    • Priced per contractor per month
    • Compliant contract templates by country
    • Multi-currency payments

Which should you pick?

Choose Branch App if

  • You need on-demand pay.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want branch wallet.
Branch App review

Choose RemoFirst if

  • You need employer of record.
  • You also want contractor management.
RemoFirst review

Questions people ask

Is Branch App or RemoFirst better?
Neither clearly leads. Branch App starts at Free and RemoFirst at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Branch App or RemoFirst?
Branch App has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Branch App and On request for RemoFirst.
Does Branch App or RemoFirst run on more platforms?
Branch App runs on Web, iOS, Android. RemoFirst runs on Web.
Can I use Branch App for free?
Yes. Branch App has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RemoFirst starts at On request.
What is Branch App best used for?
Branch App is most often used for a healthcare, retail or hospitality employer wanting fee-free earned wage access for shift workers, a gig or shift-scheduling platform wanting to embed pay features under its own brand via branch embedded, an employer wanting cashless tipping and mileage tracking bundled with wage access, a worker who wants a dedicated pay-focused wallet and debit card rather than routing advances to a personal bank account. Of those, a healthcare, retail or hospitality employer wanting fee-free earned wage access for shift workers and a gig or shift-scheduling platform wanting to embed pay features under its own brand via branch embedded are not what RemoFirst is typically brought in for.
What can Branch App do that RemoFirst cannot?
Branch App covers On-demand pay, Branch Wallet, Branch Card, Branch Embedded. RemoFirst covers Employer of record, Contractor management, Global benefits, Visa and work permit support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Branch App: Is it free for employers?

Yes, the core earned wage access offering is free for employers and standard access is fee-free for workers.

RemoFirst: Does RemoFirst own entities in every country it lists?

No. It owns entities in a minority of its coverage and uses in-country partners elsewhere. Ask per country, because the answer determines who the legal employer is.

Branch App: What is Branch Embedded?

A white-label version of Branch's wage access and paycard infrastructure that other software platforms can build into their own branded product.

RemoFirst: What does the headline per employee price exclude?

Statutory deposits, currency conversion spread on payroll runs, and country-specific charges such as mandatory insurance or entity fees.

Branch App: Does it work outside the US?

No, it is a US-only product.

RemoFirst: Is it cheaper than Deel or Remote?

On the headline rate, substantially. Once deposits and FX are included the gap narrows, but it usually remains cheaper.

RemoFirst: Can it convert a contractor into an employee?

Yes, in countries it supports for EOR. This is a common reason buyers start with the contractor product and move up.

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