The most visible employer of record services, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked in English, worldwide · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

Leader

Deel

58Heralded Score, range 29–73

Where engines disagree most

Rippling

2/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on Gemini and Google AI Overviews, not on Google AI Mode and ChatGPT

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Deel US New entry 58 , range 29–73 59#1 58#3
58
  • : score 58 · #1
46% 18% None First reading
2 RemoFirst US New entry 46 , range 4–60 25#6 81#1
46
  • : score 46 · #2
28% 18% None First reading
3 Remote US New entry 43 , range 25–66 48#2 35#9
43
  • : score 43 · #3
33% 16% None First reading
4 Oyster US New entry 37 , range 20–56 38#3 34#10
37
  • : score 37 · #4
23% 9% None First reading
5 Rippling US New entry 34 , range 13–54 34#4 35= #6
34
  • : score 34 · #5
19% 8% None First reading
6 Multiplier SG New entry 34 , range 10–54 33#5 35= #6
34
  • : score 34 · #6
17% 7% None First reading
7 Atlas US New entry 32 , range 3–50 8#9 72#2
32
  • : score 32 · #7
14% 6% None First reading
8 Papaya Global IL New entry 23 , range 3–49 16#7 35#8
23
  • : score 23 · #8
9% 6% None First reading
9 G-P US New entry 6 , range 3–47 9#8 1#13
6
  • : score 6 · #9
9% 0% None First reading
10 Safeguard Global US New entry 3 , range 1–20 5#10 0= #18
3
  • : score 3 · #10
5% 0% None First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI and Search give each brand’s score and rank on that side alone. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
1 columbia.edu Reference 1.7% 1 of 4 1 Not read
2 cornell.edu Reference 1.7% 1 of 4 1 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
What are the best employer of record services for hiring abroad? English Deel
Hiring employees in another country without a local entity English No brand recommended
How can a startup legally hire a developer in another country? English No brand recommended
How do I pay and provide benefits to employees abroad? English No brand recommended
Employer of record vs. setting up a local entity for international hiring English No brand recommended
Employer of record vs. hiring contractors for remote teams English No brand recommended
Alternatives to opening a subsidiary to hire abroad English No brand recommended
Alternatives to paying international employees as freelancers English Papaya Global
I run a 30-person software company and want to hire two engineers in another country. What service should I use? English Deel and Remote, tied
I lead HR at a company with remote staff in several countries and need compliant contracts and payroll. English Deel, Oyster and Remote, tied

Each engine's top three

Google AI Mode

No brand named in at least three answers.

Method

Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.

For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured