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Payroll · head to head

OnPay vs RemoFirst

OnPay logo

OnPay

Payroll

Single-plan United States payroll with unlimited pay runs and support for awkward tax situations other providers avoid

From
On request
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

  • Each has a real cost: OnPay onPay operates only in the United States, so the first international hire means a second payroll vendor and a separate compliance model.; 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: OnPay covers Single plan, RemoFirst covers Employer of record.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OnPay and RemoFirst actually diverge.

Attributes where OnPay and RemoFirst differ
AttributeOnPayRemoFirst

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 OnPay

  • Single plan
  • Tax filing and payment
  • Vertical payroll support
  • Benefits brokerage
  • Workers compensation
  • Contractor payments
  • Basic HR tools
  • Accounting integrations

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.

OnPay

  • A farm running agricultural payroll that needs Form 943 rather than the standard quarterly filingnot RemoFirst
  • A church or nonprofit with clergy compensation rules that mainstream providers decline to handlenot RemoFirst
  • A restaurant group needing tip credit and minimum wage make-up calculated correctly each pay periodnot RemoFirst
  • A small business that wants one price for payroll rather than a tiered plan it has to keep upgradingnot RemoFirst

RemoFirst

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

Where each one falls short

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

OnPay

  • OnPay operates only in the United States, so the first international hire means a second payroll vendor and a separate compliance model.
  • There is no native mobile application, only a responsive web interface, which employers with field or shift-based staff notice immediately.
  • The HR functionality is administrative and does not replace an HRIS, so performance, learning and any real workflow automation need another product.
  • Time and attendance is handled through integrations rather than natively, meaning hours arrive from a third-party system that has to be reconciled when it disagrees with payroll.
  • Reporting is functional but limited, and companies that want cost analysis by department, project or location generally export to a spreadsheet rather than build it in the product.

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

OnPay

On request
  • OnPay$undefined/month
    • One published plan combining a flat monthly base fee with a per person charge
    • No feature tiers, upgrades or add-on modules
    • Unlimited pay runs and multi-state filing included

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 OnPay if

  • You need single plan.
  • You also want tax filing and payment.
OnPay review

Choose RemoFirst if

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

Questions people ask

Is OnPay or RemoFirst better?
Neither clearly leads. OnPay starts at On request and RemoFirst at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OnPay or RemoFirst?
OnPay starts at On request and RemoFirst at On request.
Does OnPay or RemoFirst run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is OnPay best used for?
OnPay is most often used for a farm running agricultural payroll that needs form 943 rather than the standard quarterly filing, a church or nonprofit with clergy compensation rules that mainstream providers decline to handle, a restaurant group needing tip credit and minimum wage make-up calculated correctly each pay period, a small business that wants one price for payroll rather than a tiered plan it has to keep upgrading. Of those, a farm running agricultural payroll that needs form 943 rather than the standard quarterly filing and a church or nonprofit with clergy compensation rules that mainstream providers decline to handle are not what RemoFirst is typically brought in for.
What can OnPay do that RemoFirst cannot?
OnPay covers Single plan, Tax filing and payment, Vertical payroll support, Benefits brokerage. RemoFirst covers Employer of record, Contractor management, Global benefits, Visa and work permit support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OnPay: How is OnPay priced?

As a single published plan with a flat monthly base fee plus a charge per person paid, with no feature tiers. Contractors are charged at the same per person rate as employees.

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.

OnPay: Does it handle payroll outside the United States?

No. It is US-only, in all fifty states, including multi-state filing at no extra cost.

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.

OnPay: Why do farms and churches use it?

It supports Form 943 agricultural filing, clergy housing allowance and Social Security exemption rules, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit payroll, which several larger providers do not.

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.

OnPay: Is there a mobile app?

No. Employers and employees use a responsive web interface, which is a genuine gap for shift-based workforces.

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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