Top 5 International Payroll Alternatives UK

As a small or mid-sized business owner in the UK, your main focus is selling your passion and building and growing your business. Since a lot of small business owners simply lack the necessary time and other resources to dedicate to HR and payroll management, they often use payroll outsourcing services. On the other hand, some businesses use full-service payroll systems.

While these solutions come with advanced features, your business may not need all of them. The good news is that there are many different options in payroll management beyond traditional providers.

We'll cover the top 8 international payroll solutions for UK businesses, including howWise Business supports cross-border payments once your payroll is set up. From batch payments to multi-currency accounts and accounting integrations, these options can help you pay your global team more efficiently and with less overhead.

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Employer of Record (EOR) vs international payroll: which does your business need?

Before choosing a payroll solution, it's worth understanding the difference between the two main options UK businesses use to pay overseas staff.

International payroll means running payments to overseas employees or contractors through your existing payroll or payment infrastructure, handling currency conversion, and managing compliance yourself or through a specialist provider.

An Employer of Record (EOR) goes further. An EOR is a third-party organisation that becomes the legal employer of your new employees. While your team manages the day-to-day work, the EOR handles payroll processing, benefits administration, and pension contributions.¹ This means you can hire staff in another country without setting up a legal entity there.

The right choice depends on what your business actually needs:

• Use international payroll if you already have a compliant way to employ overseas staff and just need a reliable, cost-effective way to pay them across borders
• Use an EOR if you want to hire full-time employees in a new country quickly, without the compliance burden of setting up a local entity

For UK businesses paying existing international contractors or remote staff, a multi-currency payment solution like Wise Business handles the payment side efficiently. For businesses hiring new full-time employees in countries where they have no legal presence, an EOR is the more appropriate starting point.

Top 8 international payroll solutions for UK businesses

Not every business needs the same thing from an international payroll solution.

Here's a breakdown of the best 8 options available to UK businesses in 2026, covering payments, compliance, and multi-currency management.

1. Wise Business

Wise Business is a multi-currency business account built for companies that need to pay people across borders efficiently and transparently. With access to 40+ currencies and payments to 140+ countries, it's a practical choice for UK businesses managing international payroll, contractor payments, and recurring cross-border obligations.

You can send batch payments to up to 1,000 people in a single transfer, with the mid-market exchange rate and a low, transparent fee shown upfront before you confirm.

Wise also integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, and other accounting tools, making reconciliation straightforward for finance teams. For businesses with larger payroll volumes, the Wise Business API can automate payment workflows and reduce manual processing time significantly.

Pricing: These features are available on the Advanced plan, which requires a one-time fee of £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essential plan).*

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

The claim regarding the speed of transactions depends on fund availability, approval by Wise's proprietary verification system, and systems availability of our partners' banking system. It may not be the same for all transactions.

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2. Rippling

Rippling is a global workforce management platform covering payroll, HR, and compliance for UK businesses managing international teams.

It processes payroll across 185+ countries and supports contractor and employee payments in 50+ currencies from one dashboard, with automated local tax compliance built in.

Rippling integrates with accounting tools including QuickBooks and NetSuite, making it straightforward to sync payroll data with existing finance systems.

Features and cost

• Global payroll in 185+ countries
• Automated local tax compliance and payroll processing
• Multi-currency payments in 50+ currencies
• Integrations with QuickBooks, NetSuite, and more

Pricing: Rippling is based on a custom quote and varies by modules and team size. You need to request a UK-specific quote.²

3. Oyster HR

Oyster HR is a global employment platform built for UK businesses hiring and paying international teams compliantly.

It manages FX payments for employees across 180+ countries and supports EOR services with in-house compliance expertise, without outsourcing to third-party bureaus.

Features and cost

• EOR in 180+ countries
• Global payroll in 120+ currencies
• Contractor management from USD 29 per contractor per month
• No onboarding or offboarding fees

Pricing: EOR from USD 699 per employee per month. Global payroll from USD 29 per employee per month. Contractor management from USD 29 per contractor per month.³

4. Multiplier

Multiplier is a global HR platform that helps UK businesses manage international payroll, EOR, and contractor payments across 150+ countries.

Its platform handles multi-country tax calculations, employment contracts, and benefits administration from a single dashboard, with automated payouts across 120+ currencies. It's particularly well-suited to fast-growing businesses and remote-first teams that need to hire compliantly without setting up overseas entities.⁴

Features and cost

• EOR and global payroll in 150+ countries
• Automated payroll, tax, and compliance management
• Multi-currency payouts across 120+ currencies
• GDPR-compliant data processing

Pricing: custom, based on number of employees and countries covered

5. OFX

Your UK business can save money by using OFX to pay your international vendors and employees. OFX's rates are considerably lower compared to those of many high-street banks. And when you consider repeated payments to multiple workers, these savings can add up quickly.

OFX's Multipay tool lets you pay up to 500 recipients simultaneously, in their currency of choice.⁵ The process is convenient and secure. Sign up, upload your payroll documents along with payment details, and the system automatically generates currency conversion rates for each payment. On approval, the payments are sent to your employees. OFX also provides 24/7 customer support, so your team can manage international payments outside standard banking hours.⁵

Features and cost

• Payments in 55 currencies across 180+ countries
• Multipay tool for up to 500 recipients simultaneously
• Quick integration with Xero and QuickBooks
• No OFX transfer fees for UK clients on FX transfers

Pricing: Standard plan free, Full Suite at £125 per month for 5 users (dropping to £75 from 12 May 2026), and custom pricing for 50+ users or high volumes.⁶

6. PayPal Payouts

The PayPal integration can be set up for Payouts, which is PayPal's mass pay option. PayPal Payouts is one of the lowest cost ways for your business to pay employees on PayPal.

You will get a notification when payments are sent to your employees, and you can also track the status of all payments in PayPal, making this platform very convenient. You can easily send money to any group or as many as 5,000 people simultaneously. After creating a PayPal Business account, you can easily set up bulk payments.⁷

Features and cost

• Pay your employees or manage international payroll in 24 different major currencies
• Your UK business can pay international contractors, vendors and freelancers in USD
• Industry-standard REST API to set up bulk payments in a way that suits your business

Pricing: The most attractive feature of PayPal Payouts is its straightforward pricing. Domestic payments cost 2% per payment. Fees are paid by the sender at transaction time and are capped.

7. Skrill

Formerly called MoneyBookers, Skrill is a UK-based fund transfer platform. Skrill is especially popular with contractors and freelancers in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia because of the localised and convenient withdrawal options that the platform offers.

Your business can use Skrill's mass payment service for sending payments to up to 3,000 employees in a single procedure.⁸

Features and cost

• Make payments in up to 40 currencies across 100+ countries
• Quick, secure and reliable payments
• The platform's API interface supports unlimited automated transfers

Pricing: Skrill is free to send money to a bank account overseas.⁸ An FX conversion markup of up to 3.99% applies on currency conversions. Visit skrill.com for the full fee breakdown.⁸

8. Payoneer

Payoneer is a secure service that provides companies, businesses and corporations with cross-border payment needs. You can use the platform to transfer funds to a large number of beneficiaries in over 190 countries in more than 70 currencies.⁹ The service is very useful for receiving and sending funds internationally, and is particularly well suited to businesses paying contractors and freelancers on platforms such as Amazon, Upwork, and Fiverr.

Features and Cost

• Supports payments to more than 190 countries in 70+ currencies
• Your UK business can pay international contractors, vendors and freelancers in USD
• Batch payments of up to 1,000 transactions at once
• The platform's cutting-edge APIs make integration with your platforms seamless and quick

Pricing: Sending funds to other Payoneer users from your balance is free. If your business makes international payments to non-Payoneer users, fees range from 1% to 3% depending on the payment route and currency.⁹

How Wise Business supports international payroll

Every provider on this list solves part of the international payroll solutions puzzle. Wise Business brings the payments side together in one place.

Wise Business lets you send payments to up to 1,000 people in a single transfer across 140+ countries, with the mid-market exchange rate and transparent fees shown upfront. Manage payroll in 40+ currencies, sync with Xero and QuickBooks, and automate workflows with the Wise Business API. These features require a one-time fee of £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essential plan).*

The claim regarding the speed of transactions depends on fund availability, approval by Wise's proprietary verification system, and systems availability of our partners' banking system. It may not be the same for all transactions.

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

With Wise Business, you can:

• 🌍 Send money to 140+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees and no sneaky exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region)
• 📥 Receive payments in 24 currencies and counting
• 💵 Get local account details for 8+ currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you
• 💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies
• 🔁 Convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees
• ⚡ Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer
• 👥 Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world - including paying suppliers using local payment methods like ACH, SEPA, and Faster Payments
• 💳 Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world, with real-time visibility and categorisation
• 🏢 Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds (exact speeds can vary depending on individual circumstances and may not be the same for all transactions)
• 🧾 Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more
• 🔐 Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members, roles and permissions
• 📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates
• 📈 Earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed. Your money is at risk if governments default or interest rates go negative. Visit https://payout-surge.live/gb/interest/%3C/a%3E to find out more)
• 🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily
• ⚙️ Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)

Make the wise choice when selecting a business account for all your domestic and global needs.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

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FAQs

What are the best international payroll solutions for UK businesses?

The best solution depends on your business needs. For full compliance and hiring without a local entity, EOR platforms like Deel, Remote, or Multiplier are strong options. For cross-border payments with transparent fees and the mid-market rate, Wise Business is built for exactly that.

How to manage international payroll for UK businesses?

Managing international payroll for UK businesses means choosing a compliant payment provider, consolidating payments through one platform, understanding your FX costs upfront, and staying on top of local tax and statutory obligations in each country your employees are based.

How to manage payroll for international employees?

Managing payroll for international employees depends on how they're classified. Contractors can typically be paid directly through a multi-currency platform. Full-time employees in countries where you have no legal entity require either an EOR service or a locally registered entity to stay compliant.

Sources used:

1. oysterhr.com - EOR in the UK guide
2. rippling.com - Rippling pricing
3. oysterhr.com - Oyster HR pricing
4. usemultiplier.com - Multiplier, global employment platform
5. ofx.com - OFX, Multipay mass payments UK
6. ofx.com - OFX, business pricing UK
7. developer.paypal.com - PayPal, payouts fees
8. skrill.com - Skrill, fees and charges
9. payoneer.com - Payoneer, pricing

Sources last checked on date: 28 APR 2026

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.