When it comes to managing international payroll and payments, two names often come up: Deel and Bitwage. Both platforms aim to simplify the complexities of paying remote teams and freelancers across borders, but they do so in different ways. Whether you're a business owner looking to simplify your international payroll or a freelancer trying to get paid globally, understanding the strengths and differences between these two tools can help you make the right choice. In this post, we’ll break down how Deel and Bitwage stack up against each other, keeping things simple and easy to understand. Let’s dive in!

Crypto & Payments

Since the world was struck by Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, whether you believe it or not, crypto has become the norm for international payments. Flexibility and speed in payments are more important than ever! Cryptocurrency brings lightning-fast transactions, leaving behind clunky bank transactions.

Bitwage is designed with the future in mind by leveraging the power and speed of cryptocurrency and bringing it mainstream through the concept of crypto payroll. With Bitwage, you can pay your employees or contractors in various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and even reserve-backed digital tokens (backed 1:1 with fiat currencies like USD or EUR) called stablecoins. These stablecoins have gotten a ton of attention because they are the same as local currencies but in a digital form. This versatility has made it an excellent choice for businesses embracing crypto or wanting the best and cheapest way to pay their employees without hefty fees, unwanted middlemen, or currency conversion costs.

With Bitwage, there are no wallet restrictions either; you can send payments to any wallet or exchange, giving your employees full control of their finances. But the best part is the transaction speeds. Transactions can be settled in a matter of seconds thanks to blockchain tech.

Deel, on the other hand, lags a bit behind in this area since they are more of a "traditional" approach to payroll. They don't have native crypto support, so you rely on banks. Banks often take 3-5 days to process a payment, which makes it much slower than the speed of blockchain. Deel also limits where your employees or contractors can receive payments, you can also pay them to select platforms. Unlike Bitwage, which is non-custodial, Deel holds your funds in custodial accounts, meaning you don't have full control over your money; you have to trust Deel and hope nothing happens.

For businesses and freelancers looking to leverage the speed, flexibility, and innovation of blockchain tech, Bitwage is clearly the winner here.

Fees and Pricing

When it comes to fees and pricing, Bitwage and Deel take very different approaches. Bitwage shines with a pay-as-you-go model. There are no registration fees, no monthly subscriptions, and no long-term contracts, you only pay when you use the service. This makes it an incredible option for small businesses that want to take it slow and don't want to pay insane amounts of money before even trying a service. On top of that, Bitwage offers competitive, transparent exchange rates with no hidden markups, ensuring you get the most bang for your buck.

Deel, on the other hand, operates on a more structured (and costly) pricing model. It charges upfront fees to get started and requires monthly plans that can add up quickly—$599 per employee or $49 per contractor (in USD). Additionally, Deel’s currency conversions can also have additional fees.

So, if you're looking to save money without sacrificing quality, Bitwage’s $0 cost per employee or contractor is a clear winner. Deel’s subscription-based model forces you to pay thousands annually, even if your needs fluctuate.

Support & Reliability

Now, let's talk a bit more about customer support. This can be taken for granted, but if you've ever been stuck sending countless tickets to get a problem solved, you know this is just as important as the service itself.

When it comes to customer support, Bitwage goes way above the expectation to make you feel like a priority. Bitwage offers 24/7 global support directly via Whatsapp, along with direct access to a dedicated account manager to make sure you always have someone to turn to. These support agents are also real people, not a generic chatbot telling you that it's your mistake and no one can help you. Even if you decide to stop using Bitwage, our support agents will make your offboarding experience so unique that you'll miss it.

Deel also offers 24/7 chat support, or should we call it "chatbot support". No one likes getting a generic response to a question or concern about something; it's even worse if it's a problem with your account or payments. This can lead to making interaction more cumbersome, and since you do sign a contract when you start using Deel (apart from paying monthly), the offboarding process can be lengthy and unnecessarily complicated.

But why is customer support so important? Well, you're dealing with payroll and payments, so you need someone you can rely on, day or night. Bitwages' white glove service ensures you are never left hanging, no matter where you are. When it comes to support, once again, Bitwage is the clear winner.

Employer of Record (EOR) Services

When it comes to services like HR compliance and global hiring, both Deel and Bitwage cater to different needs. Deel excels as an Employer of Record (EOR) by handling HR compliance for hiring in over 150 countries and providing legal contract templates for employers to use when hiring global workers. This is what Deel is mostly known for, and it makes it a strong choice for businesses that need end-to-end support when managing international employees.

Bitwage, on the other hand, focuses purely on payroll and payments, which means there are no EOR or built-in contract templates. However, Bitwage shines in its flexibility and agility, allowing you to send payments to vendors worldwide, not just employees or contractors. Bitwage also can make last-minute adjustments to salaries or vendor payments. Deel, by contrast, has rigid deadlines for payroll changes and limits payments to employees and contractors only.

If you prioritize HR compliance and global hiring tools like contract templates, Deel is the better fit. But if you're looking for a platform that prioritizes fast, flexible payments to vendors, employees, and contractors, Bitwage is your go-to.

Ease of Use

When talking about onboarding and getting started, Bitwage is all about speed and simplicity. With 60-second onboarding times, you can add team members in a few clicks and can be off to process the first payment in as little as 48 hours. This makes it super simple to start paying global teams almost instantly.

Deel takes a more bureaucratic approach. Its multi-step verification process slows down onboarding, and compliance checks can stretch the timeline for your first payment to weeks. While it's understandable since these steps are designed to ensure regulatory compliance, they feel a bit hefty and can be a roadbump for businesses that need to hit the ground running.

Time is money! Bitwage allows you to launch your first payroll quickly and efficiently, while Deel might stop you in your tracks. If speed and simplicity are your priorities, Bitwage takes the win here as well.

Experience

When it comes to experience in the payroll industry, Bitwage has an edge. As the pioneer of the crypto payroll industry, Bitwage has been streamlining payments since 2014, giving it more than a decade-long track record of reliability and innovation. Through this experience, we learned everything about crypto payroll and how to make operations smoother. Our sole focus has been payroll since 2014 and finding the best ways for you to pay and get paid. Plus, it's worth mentioning that since 2014, we have never had a security breach!

Deel was founded in 2018 and has branched its focus to more than just payroll. While it did quickly gain traction amongst traditional payroll providers, its infrastructure and processes may still need some tweaking, and branching out into various services could make it forget what is the most important aspect. Payroll.

Conclusion

When it comes to choosing the best payroll service, the decision is ultimately up to you and your needs and priorities. Deel is a very solid option for businesses that value HR-heavy compliance tools and global hiring support. Bitwage stands out as a clear winner for speed, affordability, innovation, and scaleability with 0 monthly fees, instant crypto payments, and over 10 years of proven expertise doing what we do best: payroll.

Sign up or book a demo and experience the future of payroll today!

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