Best Contractor Management Software: Top 6 Options for Your Business

Panna Kemenes

If you hire independent contractors to work for your business, the right contractor management tools can help you deal with their contracts, project milestones, payments compliance, and more.

This article explains what contractor management software is and compares the top options to help you choose the best contractor management software for your business.

Methodology: The team of dedicated content experts at Wise research each provider thoroughly, uncovering the key features, fees, and pros and cons to watch out for. This is then collected into an easily digestible format, to save you time and hassle when looking into a provider.

Pay independent contractors
with Wise Business

Best Contractor Management Software: Quick Overview

ProviderKey features
DeelFlexible payment and withdrawal for overseas contractors in various currencies
RemotePassEmployers with contractors preferring to be paid in USD
PapayaGlobalCompanies with contractors in multiple countries requiring immigration and compliance support.
RipplingRapidly scaling businesses looking to manage HR, payroll and IT in one place
Globalization Partners (G-P)Employers requiring advice from HR and legal experts
RemoteEmployers seeking advanced compliance features such as bilingual contracts and indemnity protection

Best Contractor Management Software: Top 6

To find the ideal contract management software for your business, compare the features and fees of several different providers. Look for solutions that cover the needs of your contractor arrangements.

Deel

✔️ Great for:💰 Main fees:³
Flexible payment and withdrawal for overseas contractors in various currencies
  • Contractor management: starts at $49 per month
  • EOR: starts at $599 per month

Deel is a global all-in-one platform for handling compliance, payroll and HR. Deel makes payments to around 15,000 customers in over 35 currencies and 80+ countries using Wise’s global payments connections and rails.¹

Deel is among the best project management software for small contractors. It provides a simple signup and onboarding process for employers and contractors. You can create custom contracts, send and receive notifications for signing and get new contractors up and running immediately.²

Deel uses major payment providers like Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, and Revolut to offer withdrawals in the currency of the contractor’s choice. Contractors can also withdraw payments in the form of cryptocurrency through the Coinbase exchange, which is popular with contractors in Latin America.

Key features:
  • Fast onboarding
  • Localized contracts compliant with contractors’ jurisdictions
  • Automatically collect taxes, permits, and compliance documents
  • Payments in the contractor’s currency of choice, including cryptocurrency
  • Free hiring tools

RemotePass

✔️Great for:💰 Main fees:⁶
Employers with contractors preferring to be paid in USD
  • Contractor management: $40 per month per contractor
  • EoR: $299 per month per employee

RemotePass is designed to help employers onboard, manage, pay, and retain contractors worldwide with ease. The platform provides contract templates that you can modify to save time, and simplifies gathering, storing, and managing paperwork to ensure compliance. You can set up to five levels of custom approval flows to streamline contractor management processes, giving you better control and oversight of contractor activities.⁴

RemotePass allows you to provide contractors with a US dollar debit card to receive instant payments without charge, hold their funds in USD or spend them online and offline globally. The platform offers seven payout methods, including Wise, which supports USD, EUR, GBP, and AUD payments within minutes for a flat fee of $5.⁵

Key features:
  • Give contractors US dollar debit cards to receive instant payments
  • Seven payout methods, including Wise
  • Contract templates
  • Compliant document collection
  • Contractor benefits e.g. insurance
  • Automated invoicing

PapayaGlobal

✔️Great for:💰 Main fees:¹⁰
Companies with contractors in multiple countries requiring immigration and compliance support.
  • Payroll Plus for 100+ employees starts from $25 per month per employee
  • Contractor payments and management starts from $30 per month per contractor
  • Global workforce payments start from $2.50 per transaction
  • Enterprise-grade EOR starts from $599 per month per employee
  • Agent of record services start from $200 per month per contractor

PapayaGlobal is a professional employer organization (PEO). It offers an end-to-end platform that can handle all your global payroll and payments, employer of record (EOR) workers, and contractors in one place, with automated tools and support from certified experts in over 160 countries.⁷

You can onboard in two days and start paying global contractors and tax authorities with minimal fees and competitive foreign exchange rates from a licensed, unified platform. You can automatically generate standard, country-specific contracts that comply with local regulations, and review and sign contracts directly on the platform. Papaya also makes it easy to hire your contractors full-time by switching them to an EoR worker or payroll in minutes. You can fund multiple wallets in 12 currencies and pay contractors locally in 160+ countries.⁸

Papaya Global is the only payroll service provider with its own regulated payments network. This ensures contractors receive the exact amount you send them, without hidden fees.⁹

Key features:
  • Immigration and compliance support for international onboarding
  • AI-led SaaS system to streamline payroll services
  • Supports employees in 160+ countries
  • Automated recurrent invoicing, record-keeping and reporting
  • Range of integrations available
🔍 Read the full Papaya Global review

Rippling

✔️ Great for:💰 Main fees:¹³
Rapidly scaling businesses looking to manage HR, payroll and IT in one place
  • Services start at $8 per month, per user, with pricing depending on which features you need

Rippling is a unified workforce management platform that includes contractor management features. Its cloud-based HR, finance and IT apps help employers manage their global payroll, benefits, compliance, hiring, expenses, devices, and more from a single platform.¹¹

Whether you’ve got a small team in the US or a fully distributed workforce around the world, you can onboard employees and contractors in 90 seconds, pay everyone in their local currency within minutes, and automate global compliance. The platform automatically generates employee and contractor tax forms, files them with tax the authorities, and distributes them.¹²

Rippling’s provides hundreds of pre-built workflow templates to save time and admin work. You can sync payment and expense data to your general ledger and automatically categorize each transaction.

Rippling is best suited to large or rapidly scaling businesses. Small businesses may want to consider cheaper alternatives.

Key features:
  • Manages HR, finance and IT all on one platform
  • Onboarding automation adds new hires in 90 seconds across every finance system
  • Automates global compliance
  • Pays contractors in their local currency in minutes
  • 500+ integrations

Globalization Partners (G-P)

✔️ Great for:💰 Main fees:¹⁵
Employers requiring advice from HR and legal experts
  • Contractor management: $39 per contractor per month

G-P combines compliant Employer of Record (EOR) services with payroll and HR on a single platform. Its G-P Meridian Contractor product enables businesses to hire and pay contractors in more than 180 countries while complying with local laws and regulations. You can manage contracting and the contractor invoicing process with a few clicks, while allowing contractors to create automated invoices directly on the platform.¹³

G-P’s Meridan suite features AI-powered tools, and global guidance from one of the industry’s largest teams of HR and legal experts.

Through an integration with Wise, G-P offers a choice of payment method, including bank transfer, credit/debit, ACH, wire and international wire. You can pay contractors in more than 180 in over 50 currencies, including USD, AUD, GBP, SGD, CAD and EUR. Wise supports batch payments for invoices in the same or different currencies. You can also give contractors to access funds on their Wise Virtual Debit Card.¹⁴

Key features:
· Wise integration supports range of payment methods to contractors in 180+ countries and 50+ currencies

· Platform combines EOR, HR and payroll features

· Dedicated team of compliance experts

· Create new contracts in minutes, or easily edit and implement your own contracts

· Expansion insight tools to inform business strategy

Remote

✔️ Great for:💰 Main fees:¹⁷
Employers seeking advanced compliance features such as bilingual contracts and indemnity protection
  • Contractor Management: $29 per contractor per month
  • Contractor Management Plus: $99 per contractor per month
  • Credit card processing fee: 3%
  • EOR service: starts at $599 per month
  • Global payroll: $50 per employee per month, plus one month of payroll for implementation and year-end closing as well as fees for optional country-specific services
  • Remote Talent: $119 per month per job posting

Remote is designed to allow you to run global HR like a local in every country in the world. It supports hiring and paying contractors in 200+ countries in 70+ currencies, with 99% of invoices paid out in 3 business days. You can approve payroll, manage your team, find qualified candidates, and consolidate HR data in one place.¹⁶

Remote offers one of the best specialty contractor management software options. You can create a Remote account for free and begin using it to add and manage employees. You then pay monthly subscription fees for EOR and contractor management services. Remote’s Contractor Management Plus offering provides added indemnity protection of up to $100,000 per contractor for penalties and compliance with local laws for peace of mind.

Localized contract templates and automated invoicing and payments help save time on admin work. Remote’s contracts are vetted by legal experts to ensure compliance with local tax and employment laws and a bilingual option helps meet regional regulations. Remote helps simplify accounting with invoice payment reports and pre-filled tax forms. Self-service onboarding lets contractors add their own details and verify their identity. Contractors can also get access to exclusive health benefits and perks at discounted rates.

The Remote Talent feature lets you post job vacancies anywhere in the world. You can also use the Remote API to consolidate your entire HR stack into one unified tool. And its integrations with other platforms allow you to automate workflows, eliminate manual tasks, and sync data between HR tools. The free employee misclassification risk calculator can help you understand your risk level and how to fix it.

You can select from 12 currencies to be billed in when you onboard with Remote, including USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, and CAD. You can pay contractor invoices by wire transfer, ACH, SEPA, and card. Contractors receive payments directly to their nominated bank account via Stripe Connect.

Key features:
  • Work with contractors in 200+ countries and 70+ currencies
  • Guided onboarding and offboarding
  • Create, edit, and sign tailored, localized contracts
  • Employee profile and document management
  • Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay
  • Expense management and reimbursement
  • Contractor Management Plus service provides added indemnity coverage

Reasons to Use Contractor Management Software

By automating or streamlining manual processes, the best best client/contractor project management software can help businesses effectively manage their contractor relationships, reduce administrative burden, and free up time to focus on their core operations.

  • Streamline payment processes: Contractor management software simplifies the process of paying contractors accurately and on time by eliminating manual tasks such as issuing checks or processing invoices and automating transfers of funds.

  • Compliance with local regulations: Contractor management software helps businesses stay compliant with complex legal and regulatory requirements in each contractor’s location. Platforms can provide localized contract templates, centralize documentation, stay up to date on regulatory changes, and automate compliance processes. This reduces the risk of legal issues and penalties.

  • Simplify contract management: Keeping track of contracts and agreements with multiple contractors. Software tools organize contracts all in one place making it easy to access, update, and monitor them. Automatic reminders of contract renewals or terminations ensure that contracts are managed efficiently and deadlines are not missed.

  • Improve efficiency and productivity: With features such as automated invoicing, time tracking, and reporting, businesses can operate more efficiently and make data-driven decisions. This allows businesses to scale up their pool of contractors without creating administrative headaches.

  • Enhance communication and collaboration: Contractor management software often includes built-in communication tools such as messaging platforms or project management integrations, enabling seamless collaboration between internal teams and independent contractors. This contributes to better coordination and project outcomes.

  • Access to data insights: Contractor management software can provide valuable insights into contractor performance, project costs, and resource allocation. By analyzing data such as contractor hours worked, project milestones, and budget allocations, businesses can identify trends and make informed decisions about how they allocate resources to drive business growth.

How Much Does Contractor Management Software Cost?

Pricing for contractor management software varies depending on the provider and the features included. Many companies offer customized pricing plans based on the specific needs and size of the business.

You’ll usually pay a monthly subscription charge based on the number of contractors you employ.

What to Look For When Choosing the Best Contractor Management Software

When deciding which contractor management software to use, there are several factors you should consider to help you find a good fit

  • Integrations: The software should integrate seamlessly with your existing tools and systems, including accounting software, project management platforms, and any other tools you use regularly. This will increase efficiency and minimize disruptions.

  • Customization: Look for software that allows you to customize its various features to adapt to the needs of your business.

  • Compliance features: Compliance with labor laws, tax regulations, and other legal requirements where your contractors are located is essential. Choose software that offers robust features, such as localized contracts, built-in checks and alerts, to ensure that your company remains compliant at all times.

  • Security measures: Protecting sensitive contractor data should be a top priority. Choose software that has robust security measures, such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular security audits. Make sure that it complies with industry standards and regulations regarding data protection.

  • Scalability: Your business needs may change over time, so it's important to choose software that can grow with you. Look for a scalable solution that can support a growing number of contractors without significant additional costs or disruptions to your workflow.

  • User-friendly Interface: The software should be intuitive and easy to use for your administrative team and contractors, ensuring that everyone can use it effectively.

  • Customer support: Look for a provider that offers responsive customer support services, including live chat, phone support, and comprehensive documentation. Prompt assistance can help resolve any issues quickly and minimize downtime.

  • Cost-effectiveness: While price shouldn't be the only determining factor, it's sensible to consider the cost of the software. Compare pricing plans and consider factors such as features, scalability, and support services to find the option that offers the best value. Look for transparent pricing with no hidden fees to avoid unexpected expenses down the line.

By considering these factors and conducting thorough research, you can find the best contractor management software that meets your business requirements and supports your contractor relationships effectively.

Discover Wise Business: The Simple Way to Pay Contractors

If you need to pay independent contractors abroad, opening a Wise Business account could save you time, money, and a few headaches.

Wise is not a bank, but a Money Services Business (MSB) provider and a smart alternative to banks. It helps you save money and take the hassle out of international payments with its low, transparent fees.

The Wise Business account is designed with international business in mind, and offers a simple and cost-effective way to pay independent contractors abroad. It's easy to hold and manage business funds in 40+ currencies. You can get major currency account details for a one-off fee to receive overseas payments like a local. You can also send money to 160+ countries. All from one account.

International payments are made at the mid-market rate – with no hidden fees. You can also make batch payments to multiple contractors with one click.

Open a Wise Business account online,
easy to set up, easy to use!

Some key features of Wise Business include:

wise-payroll

About the author:
Image
    Panna is an expert in business finance topics for the US, covering topics from invoicing to international expansion. She creates high-quality reviews on business finance tools and products with the aim to help businesses save time and make informed decisions.

Sources:

¹ Wise Platform and Deel: Fast-tracking global growth in HR and payroll
² Compliance
³ Deel Pricing
RemotePass | contractors
How to make a payment with Wise? | RemotePass Help Center
Pricing
Papaya Global
https://www.papayaglobal.com/contractor-management
Papaya Global Review: Pros, Cons & Pricing (2024) - Wise
¹⁰ Papaya Global Pricing
¹¹ https://www.rippling.com
¹² Finance Cloud - Spend Management Software
¹³ Hire contractors internationally | G-P
¹⁴ Wise and G-P Launch Integration to Power Faster, Lower Cost Global Contractor Payments
¹⁵ https://goglobal.globalization-partners.com/selfserve/signup
¹⁶ Global Contractor Management Software & Services | Remote
¹⁷ Pricing & Plans: Low Flat Rates | Remote

All sources checked March 2024.


*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

Money without borders

Find out more

Tips, news and updates for your location