The most visible employer of record services in United Kingdom, October 2026

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

Leader

Remote

45Heralded Score, range 26–68

Most cited source

gov.uk

22citations

From 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

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
11 Safeguard Global US New entry 2 , range 1–28 3#11 1#14
2
  • : score 2 · #11
3% 0% None First reading
– Borderless AI CA Unranked Too few answers Not measured 15= #8
–
  • : Unranked
2% 1% First reading
– Omnipresent GB Unranked Too few answers Not measured 15= #8
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% First reading
– Playroll ZA Unranked Too few answers Not measured 1#15
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– Remote People Unranked Too few answers Not measured 8#10
–
  • : Unranked
2% 0% First reading
– Rivermate NL Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #16
–
  • : Unranked
1% 1% First reading
– Skuad SG Unranked Too few answers Not measured 28#4
–
  • : Unranked
2% 1% First reading
– Thera Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #16
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– Velocity Global US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #16
–
  • : 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 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 gov.uk Regulator 18.3% 1 of 4 12 Not read
2 youtube.com Social 15.0% 2 of 4 11 Not read
3 remotepass.com Vendor site 13.3% 2 of 4 7 Not read
4 linkedin.com Social 10.0% 1 of 4 8 Not read
5 workmotion.com Vendor site 13.3% 3 of 4 7 7
6 business.gov.uk Regulator 8.3% 1 of 4 3 Not read
7 reddit.com Community 11.7% 2 of 4 7 Not read
8 teamed.global Vendor site 11.7% 3 of 4 5 Not read
9 hireborderless.com Vendor site 10.0% 2 of 4 4 1
10 mauvegroup.com Consultancy 10.0% 3 of 4 4 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
What are the best employer of record services for hiring abroad? English Deel, RemoFirst and Remote, tied
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 Deel and Remote, tied
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 Deel, Oyster and Remote, tied
I run a 30-person software company and want to hire two engineers in another country. What service should I use? English Deel
I lead HR at a company with remote staff in several countries and need compliant contracts and payroll. English Deel, Papaya Global and Remote, tied

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