Founder services to hire your first people
The services every startup pays for sooner or later. Everything below helps you hire your first people, ranked by editor score.
Updated October 2026 · 10 listings
How to choose founder services to hire your first people
Pick founder services by the total cost at your size in a year, the startup perks they bundle, how easy it is to leave, and whether they serve your country. Open the account or start the trial only when you need it; most charge monthly from day one.
Gusto 🧾 ServicePaid
US payroll, benefits and HR in one place, with unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filing.
Deel 🧾 ServicePaid
Hire and pay contractors and employees in 150+ countries through EOR, contractor management and a US PEO.
Remote 🧾 ServicePaid
Employer of record, contractor management, payroll and a US PEO with published per-person prices.
Clerky 🧾 ServicePaid
Delaware incorporation plus the legal paperwork startups need for fundraising and hiring.
Cooley GO 🧾 ServiceFree
Free startup document generators and templates from law firm Cooley: SAFEs, NDAs, offer letters, incorporation.
Rippling 🧾 ServicePaid
Payroll, HR, IT and spend on one employee platform, sold per employee per month on a custom quote.
Justworks 🧾 ServicePaid
US payroll or a full PEO with access to group health insurance, plus EOR for hires abroad.
Oyster 🧾 ServicePaid
Global EOR and contractor payments with a startup discount of up to $1,200 per team member.
🔥 Oyster for Startups: up to $1,200 off EOR subscription fees per team member for the first 12 months (pre-seed to Series A, or bootstrapped under 50 staff).Every 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Free Delaware C-corp incorporation plus banking, payroll, bookkeeping and tax for startups.
Navan 🧾 ServiceFreemium
Free travel booking and expense management for companies with up to 300 employees.
🔥 Navan Business: free for companies with up to 300 employees, unlimited Navan Travel bookings, first 5 monthly expense users free (then $15/u