The most visible employer of record services in Europe, October 2026

October 2026 · 105 questions asked from 7 countries · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 420 answers read

Leader

Deel

56Heralded Score, range 51–61

Most cited source

europa.eu

112citations

From Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

Boundless

1/4engines put it in their top three

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

Brands

Search is not measured for this board yet, so it ranks on AI answers.

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
11 Velocity Global US New entry 1 , range 1–3 1#11
1
  • : score 1 · #11
1% 0% First reading
12 Playroll ZA New entry 1 , range 1–3 1#12
1
  • : score 1 · #12
1% 0% First reading
– Omnipresent GB Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– Skuad SG Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% 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 gives each brand’s score and rank from the engines’ answers; Search is not measured for this board yet. 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
11 wise.com Vendor site 5.2% 4 of 4 14 3
12 oecd.org Regulator 3.3% 1 of 4 7 Not read
13 payoneer.com Vendor site 3.8% 2 of 4 10 Not read
14 valueaddvc.com Directory 3.3% 3 of 4 5 7
15 fmcgroup.com Consultancy 3.1% 3 of 4 10 5
16 parakar.eu Consultancy 3.1% 2 of 4 6 Not read
17 belastingdienst.nl Regulator 1.7% 3 of 4 10 Not read
18 euremotejobs.com Directory 3.1% 4 of 4 3 Not read
19 globaleorservices.org Vendor site 2.6% 3 of 4 4 6
20 mauvegroup.com Consultancy 3.1% 3 of 4 5 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
best employer of record services for startups English Deel, Multiplier and Remote, tied
hire employees abroad without a local entity English No brand recommended
how to hire remote employees in another country English Deel, Oyster and Remote, tied
how to run international payroll for remote employees English Deel and Remote, tied
employer of record vs contractor for remote hires English No brand recommended
Wat zijn de beste employer-of-recorddiensten om internationaal personeel aan te nemen? Dutch Deel and Remote, tied
Werknemers in een ander land aannemen zonder lokale vestiging Dutch No brand recommended
Hoe kan een startup op een legale manier een developer in een ander land aannemen? Dutch Deel, Remote and Rippling, tied
Hoe betaal ik werknemers in het buitenland en bied ik hun arbeidsvoorwaarden? Dutch No brand recommended
Employer of record versus een lokale vestiging oprichten voor internationale werving Dutch No brand recommended

Each engine's top three

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