Paying a contractor abroad can involve up to six fees, and most pricing pages show only one of them. This guide itemises each fee from the vendors’ own pages, read on October 14, 2026. We make Omnivoo Contract Management, one of the platforms below, so read it as a vendor’s guide; every other figure is linked to its source.
If you want the platforms ranked by total cost, go to the cheapest contractor payment platforms. This page explains what each fee is and who charges it.
The six fees
- Seat fee. Per contractor per month, on contractor platforms.
- Funding fee. What you pay to put money in: card, ACH, wire.
- Payout fee. Per transfer, sometimes plus SWIFT correspondent fees.
- Withdrawal fee. What the contractor pays to move money out to their bank or wallet.
- Exchange rate. When you pay in one currency and they receive another.
- Setup, subscription floor or inactivity fees. One-off or annual charges.
1. Seat fees
| Platform | Per contractor per month | Longer-term price |
|---|---|---|
| Omnivoo | $5 per contract, $29 with payments | $3 per contract and $19 billed annually, $25 on a 6-month plan |
| Deel | $49 | Not published |
| Remote | $29, $99 Plus | Not published |
| Oyster | $29, first 30 days free | Not published |
| Plane | $39 | Not published |
| Multiplier | $49 | $40 billed annually |
| RemoFirst | Free management, $25 in paid months | Not published |
| Payoneer WFM (Skuad) | $19 | Not published |
| Gusto | No seat for international contractors | n/a |
| Rippling | By quote | By quote |
Sources: Omnivoo, Deel, Remote, Oyster, Plane, Multiplier, RemoFirst, Skuad, Gusto, Rippling.
Some platforms charge only in months you pay a contractor: Remote “for contractors you actively work with that month”, Plane in months a contractor is paid, RemoFirst in months it processes a payment. That matters more than the headline if your roster works on projects.
2. Funding fees
| Platform | Card | Bank or ACH | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | 2.9% + $0.30 (US/EU cards), 3.9% + $0.30 (others) | $5 for ACH, SEPA, BACS or wire | None listed |
| Remote | 3.5% | $5 bank transfer | Direct debit |
| Gusto | n/a | $5 per payment to a US bank; international wire $15 minimum or 1% to 1.5% | None |
| Omnivoo | n/a | ACH direct debit or wire from a US bank, SWIFT from elsewhere; bank charges at cost | n/a |
The cheapest funding method is almost always ACH or direct debit. Paying by card adds roughly 3% before a contractor sees anything.
3. Payout fees
On contractor platforms the transfer itself is usually included, but SWIFT is the exception. Remote says correspondent banks can take $20 to $50 from a SWIFT payout (Remote); RemoFirst charges $20 for SWIFT, split as you choose (RemoFirst). Payment apps price each transfer:
| App | Per-transfer price (published) |
|---|---|
| Wise Business | From 0.23%, varies by currency |
| PayPal Payouts | 2%, capped at $20 internationally |
| Hyperwallet | $4.95 international bank, wire 2% (min $10, max $30) |
| Trolley | ACH $1, international $4, wire with FX $10, USD wire $25 |
| Airwallex | Local transfers free, SWIFT $15 to $25 |
| BILL | USD international wire $19.99 |
4. What the contractor pays to withdraw
This fee lands on your contractor, and it often comes back to you in their rate.
| Platform or app | Withdrawal fee (published) |
|---|---|
| Omnivoo | No fee for contractors; bank charges at cost |
| Plane | ”Never charges contractors to receive their payments” |
| Deel | $0 to a local bank, Wise, Revolut or Deel Card; $5 cross-border; SWIFT $5 capped at $10; PayPal 2.5%; Payoneer 1% (min $12); crypto 2% + $1 |
| Remote | $0 for a same-currency local payout; otherwise the provider’s cost |
| Oyster | $0 when no currency conversion is needed |
| RemoFirst | 2% payment-provider fee may apply |
| Payoneer | $1.50 to a local bank in local currency; otherwise 1.2% to 4% |
Sources: Plane, Deel, Remote, Oyster, RemoFirst, Payoneer.
5. The exchange rate
When currencies differ, the rate you get differs from the mid-market rate, and that gap is a cost even though it never shows as a line item. Who publishes a number:
| Publishes a percentage | Shows the rate before payment, no percentage published |
|---|---|
| Wise Business: from 0.23% per transfer, at the mid-market rate | Omnivoo |
| Airwallex: 0.5% major currencies, 1.0% others | Deel (“Forward Rate provided by its banking partners”) |
| Trolley: 2.00% | Remote (“Remote FX rate” or Stripe’s rate) |
| PayPal Payouts: 4.00% spread | Oyster, Papaya Global, Multiplier, Plane |
| Hyperwallet: 2% major currencies, 4% elsewhere | Gusto (rates include “fees (some shown, some hidden), and any markups”) |
For scale, the global average cost of sending money abroad was 6.36% in the third quarter of 2025, per the World Bank. Before your first payment, check the live rate for your currency pair on whichever tool you choose. The FX margin guide explains how to compare one.
6. Setup, floors and inactivity
- Wise Business: Advanced is a one-time $31 setup; Basic is free.
- Payoneer: $29.95 a year if the account receives under $6,000 in 12 months.
- Tipalti: Mass Payments from $249 a month.
- Trolley: Pay module $2,399 a year.
- Ontop: $10 a month on an inactive worker wallet, per its fee schedule.
- Misclassification cover: Oyster Shell +$49 a month, Remote Plus $99, Contractor of Record $199 to $400. See best contractor management platforms for the full list.
Compliance has a cost too
A cheap transfer that skips the paperwork moves the work to you:
- W-8BEN before the first payment. If a foreign payee does not give you a valid Form W-8 when asked, the IRS instructions can require 30% withholding.
- 1099-NEC for US contractors above $2,000 for payments made after December 31, 2025 (IRS). Nonresident aliens get a 1042-S instead, and only for US-source income (IRS).
- The contract. Payment apps do not draft one. Contractor platforms do.
How to keep fees down
- Fund by ACH or direct debit, not card.
- Pay in the contractor’s currency to a local bank where you can, which avoids SWIFT correspondent fees.
- Choose a platform that charges contractors nothing to withdraw, or check their method’s cost.
- Use an annual plan for a roster that works all year.
- Check the live rate for your currency pair before you commit.
Omnivoo Contract Management is $29 per contractor per month, $19 billed annually, with no fee for contractors and bank charges at cost. See plans.
Related: cheapest contractor payment platforms, best contractor payment platforms, the real cost of paying a contractor, and international wire fees for contractor payments.