Honest Review:

Deel

By Asim Qureshi, CEO Jibble

May 1st 2023

As a CEO of a time tracking software company I need to know what my competitors are up to. That means I’m often researching about and/or playing around with their products, you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings of that research, giving credit to those competitors where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful…

This review covers:

• Overview
• What Users Like
• What Users Don’t Like
• Pricing Plans
• Standout Features
• Positive User Highlights
• Negative User Highlights
• Ratings from Other Reviews

Overview

Well, Deel is a global HR and payroll software that offers a complete solution for businesses with EOR employees, contractors, and direct employees. Deel’s payroll solution includes global payroll management, local and international labor laws compliance, and localized benefits packages for national and international employees.

What I love about Deel is it streamlines the onboarding process for businesses and offers payment options in over 120 international currencies, making it easier for them to attract top talent with its attractive benefits package. In addition, I appreciate that Deel provides businesses with a comprehensive global hiring guide that ensures compliance with labor laws in different countries. The platform offers contractor payments, employer of record services, and payroll management in a user-friendly platform. And don’t worry if you need help – they’ve got customer support 24/7, and a quick setup process that allows businesses to be up and running in few days. Moreover, I’m impressed by Deel’s co-working access via web work and in-house visa support that assists businesses with their immigration needs.

With a wide variety of features, Deel caters well to companies looking for global payroll services, however, the software does have some drawbacks. Along with an expensive price for larger teams, the software’s customization options are limited. The platform also has technical glitches -ugh.

What Users Like

• Easy to set up and use
• 24/7 customer support
• Straightforward onboarding
• Global hiring guide has full knowledge
• Simplified payroll management

Pricing Plans

Deel offers three pricing plans:

Contractor Plan: At a base fee of US$49/user/month, the Contractor plan includes features such as global hiring, automated contracts, tax compliance, payroll, and the ability to pay your team in over 120 currencies, including crypto and gold.

EOR Employees Plan: At a base fee of $599/user/month, the Full-Time Employee plan includes features such as payroll management, tax filings, expenses, pension contributions, benefits package, simplified onboarding by becoming an ‘Employer of Record’, and hiring full-time employees without having to set up a legal entity in a new country.

Direct Employees Plan: This plan can be started at no cost, designed for businesses that prefer to onboard and run payroll for their direct employees. With this plan, Deel provides valuable assistance in streamlining the process, taking care of various tasks such as onboarding and offboarding, payroll management, benefits administration, time off requests and approvals, expense processing, bonus payouts, document handling, government declarations, and pay slip generation.

Standout Features of Deel

1. Contractor management

Deel includes contractor management tools that help businesses manage freelancers and contractors. It allows businesses to hire, manage, and pay contractors from across the globe while staying on top of international compliance and taxes. The software also includes the ability to generate invoices and sync all data with accounting software. Contractors are given the option to choose from more than 15 payment options and save money on exchange rates.

2. Compliance management and ACA reporting

Deel’s compliance management automates tax tracking and alerts employers to new regulations. The software tracks tax withholdings, minimum wage, and overtime regulations. It also classifies employees, creates customizable reports, and calculates payroll taxes. Deel offers compliance support across multiple jurisdictions and ensures that all state and federal regulations are met.

Deel’s ACA reporting tool simplifies compliance with the Affordable Care Act by automatically generating and filing forms 1094-C and 1095-C. It also includes built-in compliance checks to prevent errors and penalties. 

3. Fully managed payroll

Deel’s global payroll is available in 90+ countries with in-house payroll experts that give professional guidance and direct support related to payroll and the employee experience. The software’s global payroll expertise saves businesses from setting up local teams and experts in multiple locations. Deel handles all tasks including local benefits, deductions, onboarding, tax filing, and time off. The software also provides 24/7 customer support for payroll-related tasks and has a quick set-up process of only one month.

4. HR tools 

Deel offers a vast range of HR tools to help businesses manage their employees effectively. This includes an automated payroll system that calculates taxes and a time tracking tool that monitors employee work hours. Deel also streamlines the employee onboarding process by automating the collection of necessary documents. In addition to HR tools, Deel also provides in-house visa management services and co-working access via Webwork.

Selected Positive User Feedback: 

• “It’s super convenient to not need to create an entity in each country and to pay all employees and contractors in one spot. The new HRIS for free also is nice, and makes sense to give away for free for small businesses” – Christian W. (Source G2)
• “Deel is an exceptional payment platform that makes it easy and convenient to manage payrolls and payments for businesses and freelancers. The platform offers a seamless experience with a user-friendly interface and advanced features that make it easy to handle complex payroll and payment processes.” – Arpit C. (Source G2)
• “It has a straightforward method to get the job done. There’s no complications or unnecessary steps to get my money or deal with my clients” – Eman Yahia M. (Source G2)
• “I use Deel mostly on contract-based functionality, and it has worked flawlessly. What I like the most is how they provide you with all the withdrawal methods and the freedom to choose whichever you need.” – Arootin A. (Source G2)
• “I love the user interface, it’s very easy to use and straightforward, and it made my beginnings as a freelancer so much more peaceful. I didn’t have to worry about the way I would get paid, it has a lot of useful features and the platform itself works great!” –  Denise C. (Source G2)
• “Very easy to set up and use. Very low cost for paying overseas contractors.” – Steve B. (Source Capterra)
• “Easy to make a change for payroll each month. Definitely easy to hire employees overseas.” – Yuri J. (Source Capterra)
• “Easy to use product that allows our company to hire internationally and compliantly. They are working on the transparency of EOR costs and I can really appreciate that. Customer service is also quick. ” – Lean N. (Source Capterra)
• “It’s simple, and the UI is fantastic; it simplifies how to bill. However, the assistant was intimidated and responded correctly to my questions.” – Carlos C. (Source Capterra)
• “Deel’s tools save time when it comes to payroll complexities like taxes and labor practices.” – Verified Reviewer (Source Capterra)
• “We can hire all over the world. Chat support is very quick. Our contact person is great, always getting to the bottom of the inquiries and giving structured and comprehensive answers.” – Maria S. (Source G2)
• “I love how smoothly Deel manages the payroll. No hassle, just add your account and you are done. Also, I love the configurations offered by Deel, you can have multiple withdrawal methods and each can have its own configurations like TaxID.” – Soham M. (Source G2)
• “Their support team is always happy to assist. Like every platform, mistakes happen. But the Deel support team ensures you have a pleasant experience and quickly resolves any issues. Also, it’s very affordable to move money internationally.” – George V. ( Source G2)
• “Deel’s global hiring guide has detailed information about country-specific requirements and standards. Onboarding contractors and EOR employees is straightforward and takes very little time.” – Irene H. (Source G2)

Selected Negative User Feedback: 

• “The only thing I can think of that I don’t like about Deel is that there aren’t many options for finding freelancers. It would be great if there was a larger selection of freelancers to choose from.” – Augustin B. (Source G2)
• “It can be quite expensive when the team is big. The reporting system is a bit tricky (but I guess it just needs time to learn to work with) and invoices cannot be cistomised.” – Alexandra S. (Source G2)
• “Limited Customization: Some invoice systems may not be customizable to a business’s specific needs, making it difficult to fit the unique requirements of different businesses. No mobile app.” – Maric M. (Source G2)
• “The platform could be smoother, but some technical glitches are still present, which can be corrected in no time. Customer support can be wider to cater to global users.” – Fuat Y. (Source G2)
• “When issuing payment, I have to select ‘confirm I’ve paid’ and sometimes the site glitches, which has caused issues in the past with payroll.” – Meya C. (Source G2)
• “What I liked least about this platform is that it is a bit labyrinthine at the beginning. I did not find it very intuitive because I did not know how to register correctly.” – Alvaro Fransisco G. (Source G2)
• “It just has some minor bugs from time to time, but those tend to get fixed soon, and contacting Deel is easy. ” – Verified Reviewer (Source Capterra)
• “Pricing is a little high, and it does not interface with QuickBooks Desktop.” – David A (Source G2)
• “Timesheet review is clunky and cannot be customised. Hard to see the days worked by staff as Deel just shows the aggregate.” – Steve B. (Source Get App)
• “I feel the processing fee is a bit high.” – SohamM. (Source Capterra)
• “The payment process could be a little simpler as all bank transfers need to be tied to a specific reference and they may get lost if this isn’t followed the letter.” – Sam C. (Source G2)
• “The platform is kind of unintuitive. Requires reading help articles or chatting with the support agent.” – Verified User investment Management (Source Capterra)
• “Deel does not have an off-cycle payment function at this moment and would like to see the new feature.” – Sally H. (Source Capterra)
• “Fee when withdrawing. I feel it might be a bit too much.” – Verified Reviewer (Source Get App)
• “I would like Deel to have a mobile application available since, in this way, it is easier to manage payments, although this is not something that bothers me much since transactions can be done very quickly through the web.” – Diana N. (Source G2)

Ratings from Other Reviews

(As of 04/20/2023)

• Capterra: 3.8/5
• G2: 4.6/5 
• Get App: 3.8/5
• Trust Radius: 9.3/10

Final Thoughts

Deel’s all-in-one global HR and payroll software provides a comprehensive solution for managing employees, including EOR employees, contractors, and direct employees. It includes features such as contractor payments, employer of record services, and payroll management. I’m impressed by how the software ensures compliance with both local and international labor laws while streamlining onboarding through automated document collection and global hiring guides.

One of the features that truly sets Deel apart is the fact that its experts offer services in over 90 countries, and the platform offers payment options in more than 120 international currencies. I also appreciate that Deel provides in-house visa support and a user-friendly interface, which greatly simplifies the hiring process. Moreover, Deel provides 24/7 expert assistance with government declarations and other payroll issues.

However,  I’ve heard that the platform is expensive for enterprises and some users often experiences glitches and bugs. Alas, along with the lack of a mobile app for employees on the go, the software also has limited customization options.

In conclusion, Deel is a highly regarded global payroll software that just needs a mobile app to make it the go-to solution for every business.

Jibble actually offers integration with Deel! Read more about it here: Deel Time Tracking