1. Who this guide is for
This page is written for agencies, studios, and professional services teams that:
- Work with a mix of full time employees, contractors, and partner agencies
- Run multi-party projects across South Africa, LATAM, Europe, and the US
- Need compliance and payroll for employees plus a clean way to pay flexible suppliers
- Care about margins and project visibility, not only payroll or headcount
It also applies to construction, events, and design build teams that use a mix of on payroll staff and subcontractors on projects.
2. At a glance: Rafiki vs Deel vs Remote
In short:
- Deel is strongest for hiring and paying full time employees abroad through Employer of Record structures.
- Remote is similar, with a focus on global payroll and Employer of Record for employees.
- Rafiki is built for project based work, contractors, micro-agencies, and multi-party payments.
Many teams use Deel or Remote for full time staff and Rafiki for flexible, project based suppliers on the same client accounts.
3. Platform comparison
| Platform | Best for | Worker type | Project and multi-party support | Payment model | Indicative cost shape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafiki | Agencies and project teams paying contractors and partner agencies across borders | Contractors, micro-agencies, collectives, flexible teams | Yes, projects with built in split and merge logic | Per transaction and corridor, wallet to wallet and local off ramps | Low percentage fees, around 0.2 to 1.4 percent depending on corridor |
| Deel | Hiring and paying full time employees abroad via Employer of Record | Employees, some contractor support | Limited, focus on individual workers and payroll | Per seat and percentage of payroll or per worker fees | Higher fixed per worker and payroll based fees |
| Remote | Global payroll and Employer of Record for employees | Employees, some contractor support | Limited, not built for complex project splits | Per employee pricing plus payroll and compliance fees | Per seat and payroll style fees that make small flexible teams expensive |
Deel and Remote are powerful for full time employment and payroll. Rafiki is optimised for flexible work, multi-party projects, and contractor or agency payment flows, especially into South Africa and LATAM.
4. Where Rafiki fits alongside Deel and Remote
Rafiki is not a replacement for Employer of Record platforms. It is a complementary layer for project based work, contractors, and partner agencies.
4.1 When to use Rafiki
- You run campaigns, projects, or retainers with mixed internal teams and external partners.
- You pay several contributors per client account in different countries.
- You want instant or same day settlement to South Africa or LATAM at low cost.
- You need visibility on margin per project and client, not only payroll totals.
4.2 When to use Deel or Remote
- You want to hire full time employees in countries where you do not have an entity.
- You need Employer of Record and local payroll tax management.
- You want a single system of record for employee contracts, benefits, and HR processes.
4.3 Using Rafiki and Deel or Remote together
Many agencies and product companies use a blended model.
- Full time staff are hired and paid via Deel or Remote.
- Contractors, fractional specialists, and micro-agencies are paid via Rafiki.
- Client projects run through Rafiki OS so all work, time, and cross border payments share one workflow and ledger.
This keeps payroll stable while preserving flexibility and lower cost for project based work.
5. Workflow: Rafiki vs Deel vs Remote
5.1 Typical Employer of Record workflow (Deel or Remote)
- Hire full time employees through an EOR entity in the target country.
- Run monthly payroll for each employee.
- Handle taxes, benefits, and compliance at the employee level.
- Project work and cost allocation live in separate tools.
5.2 Rafiki workflow for project based teams
- Create a project in Rafiki with the client, scope, and revenue or cost shares.
- Invite internal team members, contractors, and partner agencies into the project.
- Log and approve time and deliverables.
- Issue a single invoice to the client.
- Receive one payment and let Rafiki route everyone’s share in the correct currency.
- Use Rafiki as the single ledger for project margin and payouts.
6. Cost shape and flexibility
The cost model is different between Rafiki and EOR platforms.
6.1 Rafiki cost shape
- Low percentage transaction fees, typically around 0.2 to 1.4 percent depending on corridor.
- No per seat or per employee pricing for contractors and agencies.
- Designed to make it economical to add or remove collaborators per project.
6.2 Deel and Remote cost shape
- Per employee pricing plus payroll and compliance fees.
- Employee level cost is sensible for stable headcount, less so for very flexible resourcing.
- Contractor features exist but are not optimised for multi-party project flows.
Deel and Remote are optimised for stable employment. Rafiki is optimised for flexible supply chains of contractors, agencies, and fractional talent.
7. Example scenarios
7.1 Global agency with core team on Deel and flexible bench on Rafiki
- The agency uses Deel to hire full time country leads in key markets.
- They use Rafiki to pay local contractors, creators, and micro-agencies attached to those retainers.
- Client invoices and project payment splits run through Rafiki OS.
7.2 Product company with Remote for employees and Rafiki for launch partners
- The product company uses Remote for core engineering and product teams.
- They use Rafiki to pay launch agencies, growth partners, and regional specialists in South Africa and LATAM.
- Campaigns and launches are tracked as projects in Rafiki with clear revenue shares.
7.3 Services firm moving away from only EOR for non core work
- A services firm originally put most overseas workers onto EOR.
- Over time, they moved non core, project based work to contractors and partner agencies.
- They continued to use EOR for leadership roles but switched contractor flows to Rafiki to reduce per head cost and increase flexibility.
8. Frequently asked questions
Is Rafiki an Employer of Record like Deel or Remote?
No. Rafiki is not an Employer of Record. It focuses on project based work and supports Contractor of Record and payment flows for contractors, agencies, and flexible teams.
Can Rafiki replace Deel or Remote?
Rafiki is not a full replacement for Deel or Remote if you rely on Employer of Record for employees. It is a better fit for your contractor, agency, and multi-party project flows, and it often runs alongside an EOR solution.
When should I choose Rafiki instead of an EOR?
Use Rafiki when you work with independent contractors, micro-agencies, or fractional talent and need project based billing and payments. Use an EOR when you want full time employees in a new country.
Can I use Rafiki together with Deel or Remote?
Yes. Many teams hire core employees through Deel or Remote and run all project based and contractor work through Rafiki. This keeps payroll and projects clearly separated and optimised.
Is Rafiki cheaper than Deel or Remote for contractors?
In many cases yes, because Rafiki does not charge per seat and focuses on low percentage transaction fees. This can be more economical for flexible, project heavy teams.
9. Next steps
If you are already using or considering Deel or Remote for employees, Rafiki can give you a cleaner, cheaper way to run project based work and contractor payments alongside that stack.
- Use Rafiki for multi-party projects, cross border contractor flows, and partner agencies.
- Keep Deel or Remote for stable full time roles that need Employer of Record coverage.
- Use Rafiki Talent Services if you also want help finding vetted fractional specialists and micro-agencies.
