Best entity management providers and software · 2026
The best entity management providers and software in 2026
For companies that employ people through their own entities abroad, or are moving staff off EOR onto one, Teamed is the best entity management provider.
Teamed gives you a designated person who has done this before, real HR and legal experts you can reach when it matters, and one system from your first contractor to your tenth entity. Its Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) covers 100+ countries. For the widest corporate-services footprint, use CSC, TMF Group or Vistra. Global enterprises wanting governance software should use Diligent Entities or Athennian.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 on G2
- 8
- Entity management providers and tools scored on one rubric
- 100+
- Countries where Teamed GEMO sets up and manages your entity
- Zero
- FX markup on salary conversions, in any currency pairing
Disclosure
Teamed wrote this list, put itself first, and scores every provider on the same published criteria, itself included.
What are the best entity management providers and software in 2026?
For companies that employ people through their own entities abroad, or are moving staff off EOR onto one, Teamed is the best entity management provider. Teamed gives you a designated person who has done this before, real HR and legal experts you can reach when it matters, and one system from your first contractor to your tenth entity.
Its Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) covers 100+ countries. For the widest corporate-services footprint, use CSC, TMF Group or Vistra. Global enterprises wanting governance software should use Diligent Entities or Athennian.
Our pick: Teamed, best for companies that employ people through their own entities abroad, or are moving staff off EOR onto one, and want one provider to set the entity up, run its payroll and handle its ongoing governance.
What is entity management?
Entity management is the work of forming a company in another country and keeping it legal: its registrations, directors, registers, annual filings and accounts, and, if it employs people, its payroll. Some providers do that work for you. Others sell software that holds the records while your own team files.
The market splits into three types. Corporate-services firms such as CSC, TMF Group and Vistra form and run entities across many jurisdictions as a managed service. Governance software such as Diligent Entities and Athennian keeps entity records, structure charts and deadlines for a legal team that already has its entities. Employment-led providers, Teamed GEMO, Deel and Remote, start you on an employer of record and set up an entity when you need one. Large accounting firms also do entity work, usually alongside tax.
Who can set up and run a foreign subsidiary, including payroll and filings?
Six of the eight form the company and run payroll on it: Teamed, CSC, TMF Group, Vistra, Deel and Remote. Five of those six say they also handle the annual filings or ongoing governance. Diligent Entities and Athennian are software your own team uses. Each cell says what the provider says it does, with the page we read on 15 October 2026.
| Provider | Forms the company | Runs payroll on it | Annual filings | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teamed | Yes, under GEMO: incorporation and registrationsteamed.global/entity-management | Yes, through Global Payroll on your own entitiesteamed.global/global-payroll | Ongoing governance, under GEMOteamed.global/entity-management | 100+ (GEMO)teamed.global/entity-management |
| CSC | Yes: formation, incorporation and dissolutioncscglobal.com subsidiary management | Yes, payroll services for your entitiescscglobal.com global payroll | Yes: annual accounts and annual returnscscglobal.com subsidiary management | More than 140 jurisdictionscscglobal.com subsidiary management |
| TMF Group | Yes: incorporation to liquidationtmf-group.com corporate services | Yes, through its payroll and HR service linetmf-group.com payroll and HR | Yes: annual filings, records and registerstmf-group.com compliance and governance | 87 jurisdictionstmf-group.com global entity management |
| Vistra | Yes: formation through to liquidationvistra.com entity management | Yes, through its payroll and HR linevistra.com payroll and HR | Yes: annual renewals and statutory documentsvistra.com entity management | 100+ countriesvistra.com entity management |
| Deel | Yes: incorporation and required registrationsdeel.com corporate services | Yes: payroll on your own entities in 130+ countriesdeel.com/pricing | Yes, through Entity Maintenancedeel.com corporate services | No entity-setup country count publisheddeel.com corporate services |
| Remote | Yes: incorporation, compliance and bankingremote.com global entity setup | Yes: payroll on your existing entitiesremote.com global payroll | Not described on its entity setup pageremote.com global entity setup | Payroll in 100+ countries; no entity-setup count publishedremote.com global payroll |
| Diligent Entities | No, it is softwarediligent.com/products/entities | Nodiligent.com/products/entities | Tracks due dates; e-filing in select jurisdictionsdiligent.com entity compliance | Tracks obligations across 100+ jurisdictionsdiligent.com/products/entities |
| Athennian | No, it is softwareathennian.com | Noathennian.com | Tracks compliance dates; supported e-filingsathennian.com/pricing | Entities in over 150 countries managed on itathennian.com |
Services or software?
- You have dozens of entities and a legal team that files for itself. Governance software fits: Diligent Entities or Athennian.
- You run entities in many jurisdictions and want one firm to file for you. A corporate-services firm fits: CSC, TMF Group or Vistra.
- You are opening your first few subsidiaries and will employ people in them. Teamed is the best choice: one provider for the entity, its payroll and the people on it.
Already own your subsidiaries? Teamed's Global Payroll runs compliant, multi-country payroll for companies that keep their own entities, on the same platform as Teamed's EOR and entity management.
Methodology
How we scored this comparison
Eight providers and tools are scored 1 to 5 on six axes. There's no weighted total: different providers lead different columns, because they are built for different jobs. Teamed is scored on exactly the same axes as the rest.
- Pricing transparency
- Whether the all-in cost of running your entities (the fee or subscription, any deposit, setup, and ongoing filing or exit costs) is stated up front and predictable. Scored on clarity, not price level: a published fee you can read beats a quote you cannot compare. The FX rate on cross-currency salary conversions is one clause of that test, not the whole frame.
- Global entity coverage and compliance
- Depth and legal robustness of in-country coverage: the countries where the provider can incorporate and maintain legal entities, the structure behind that coverage, and the statutory compliance it carries once the entity is live, from annual filings and registered office to how fast a real in-country expert responds at the hard moments. Breadth matters if you operate across many countries; depth matters if you operate in a few complex ones.
- Platform and self-serve
- Dashboard depth, document management, group structure visualisation, integration and API surface, and self-serve flows. Specialist governance software leads here; full-service corporate-services providers often deliver by service rather than product.
- Security and certifications
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II held today, as each provider states them on its own site: the certifications a procurement or security review asks to see before entity and payroll data moves onto a platform. Checked against each provider on 15 October 2026.
- Service model and employment intelligence
- Ongoing human employment expertise plus AI assistance across the lifecycle (for Teamed, the Ted layer): whether the provider runs payroll, statutory benefits and HR through the entity once it is live, whether real HR and legal experts own the hard employment moments directly, and how well the system flags law changes and the crossover point before they reach you.
- Path to your own entity
- Whether the provider moves you from contractor to EOR to your own legal entity on one system, models the crossover point before you ask, and can set up and run the entity through a service like Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) without re-papering employees.
How we gathered evidence
The six axes are pricing transparency, global entity coverage and compliance, platform and self-serve, security and certifications, the service model and employment intelligence, and the path from EOR to your own entity. Every provider fact on this page was read on that provider's own site on 15 October 2026, and each cell in the table above links to the page we read. Where a provider does not publish pricing, we say so. We do not use third-party price estimates or review-site claims.
Considered & excluded
We scored the providers and tools a company setting up and running its own entities abroad would realistically shortlist: corporate-services firms, employment-led providers with entity services, and specialist governance software.
- Globalization Partners (G-P) and Atlas HXM: Employer of record providers, scored on our best EOR providers list. This list covers providers and software for entities a company owns itself.
- Computershare and the large accounting firms: Their entity work usually sits inside a wider registry, audit or tax engagement, rather than a service a company forming its first entities would shortlist on its own.
- Blueprint OneWorld (Wolters Kluwer): Diligent Entities and Athennian cover the governance software category on this rubric.
How they score, criterion by criterion
Each column is a different priority. Pick the ones that matter to you, then read the write-ups below.
| Provider | Pricing transparency | Global entity coverage and compliance | Platform and self-serve | Security and certifications | Service model and employment intelligence | Path to your own entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teamed(us) | Leads | Leads | Leads | |||
| CSC | Leads | Leads | ||||
| TMF Group | ||||||
| Vistra | ||||||
| Deel | ||||||
| Remote | ||||||
| Diligent Entities | Leads | |||||
| Athennian |
Scored 1–5 on each criterion from the published rubric above. The highlighted cell leads that column. Teamed is scored on exactly the same criteria as every other provider.
#1
Teamed
Us, scored on the same rubricBest for: companies that employ people through their own entities abroad, or are moving staff off EOR onto one, and want one provider to set the entity up, run its payroll and handle its ongoing governance.
Teamed built Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) for companies that open a subsidiary to employ people. GEMO covers incorporation, registrations, payroll-readiness and ongoing governance in 100+ countries. Teamed also models the month your own entity beats EOR, per country, and shows it before you ask.
The service is the difference. Real HR and legal experts come on every Teamed plan, assigned within 24 hours, with a first response within 15 minutes, 24/5. A designated person who has done this before owns your account. Teamed's Global Payroll runs compliant, multi-country payroll for companies that keep their own entities, on the same platform as Teamed's EOR and entity management.
Your people move from Teamed EOR to your own entity with no re-onboarding, on one system from your first contractor to your tenth entity. DLA Piper is its global counsel, and Teamed is rated 4.8 out of 5 on G2. If you need governance software for dozens of entities you already own, Diligent Entities or Athennian fits better.
- Countries
- 100+ for entity setup and management (GEMO)
- Entity model
- Sets up and manages your own entity in 100+ countries (GEMO); Teamed owns entities in 57 countries
- Onboarding
- EOR-to-entity move with no re-onboarding; GEMO entity formation timeline varies by jurisdiction
- Contractors
- Yes, Guard and Protect misclassification cover, on the same system as EOR and GEMO
- Pricing
- From $599 per employee per month (EOR, zero FX markup); GEMO quoted per entity or project · verified 2026-10-15
- G2
- 4.8/5
Strengths
- GEMO covers incorporation, registrations, payroll-readiness and ongoing governance in 100+ countries, on the same platform as Teamed EOR.
- Global Payroll runs compliant, multi-country payroll for companies that keep their own entities, on the same platform as Teamed's EOR and entity management.
- Real HR and legal experts on every plan, assigned within 24 hours, with a first response within 15 minutes, 24/5. Rated 4.8 out of 5 on G2.
- Per-country crossover modelling: Teamed shows the month your own entity beats EOR before you ask, and moves your people across with no re-onboarding.
Watch-outs
- Lighter self-serve platform and shallower API than the specialist governance software. The model is advisory and service-led, not dashboard-first, so teams used to deep self-serve will feel the gap.
- CSC states coverage in more than 140 jurisdictions for traditional corporate services, wider than the 100+ countries GEMO covers.
- Teamed backs security with audited controls, GDPR compliance and DLA Piper as global counsel. A procurement team with a hard certification gate should check the current status.
Source: teamed.global/entity-management
#2
CSC
Best for: in-house legal teams at multinationals that want one corporate-services firm, with its own entity management software, to run subsidiaries across many jurisdictions.
CSC is a corporate-services firm with more than 125 years behind it and more than 8,500 people, and says it serves 90% of the Fortune 500 across its services. Its global subsidiary management covers formation to dissolution, director services, registered office, annual accounts and annual returns, and a global compliance calendar, in more than 140 jurisdictions.
CSC also sells its own software, CSC Entity Management, with minute books, structure charts, compliance due dates and e-filing to Companies House and the SEC. Payroll services for clients’ own entities run through a central global payroll team. CSC says it works with no affiliates and no networked partners.
CSC frames the service for in-house legal teams that need a global provider, and it suits a group with many entities and a legal department. It does not publish prices for subsidiary management: you make an inquiry. The software is sold on one flat fee with unlimited users, but the amount is not published.
- Countries
- More than 140 jurisdictions
- Entity model
- Corporate services delivered by CSC itself; CSC says it uses no affiliates or networked partners
- Onboarding
- Scoped per engagement, starting from an inquiry
- Contractors
- Not part of the services scored here
- Pricing
- Not published; subsidiary management by inquiry, software on one flat fee (amount not published) · verified 2026-10-15
Strengths
- Subsidiary management in more than 140 jurisdictions, from formation and director services to dissolution and strike-off.
- Annual compliance as a managed service: annual accounts and annual returns, corporate documents, beneficial ownership registers and a global compliance calendar.
- Its own software, CSC Entity Management, with minute books, structure charts, compliance due dates and e-filing to Companies House and the SEC.
- Payroll services for clients’ own entities, and ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 Type II audited controls stated on its own site.
Watch-outs
- No published price for subsidiary management; CSC asks you to make an inquiry before you can compare.
- Framed for in-house legal teams at large groups, which can be more than a company forming its first entity needs.
- The software is priced on one flat fee with unlimited users, but CSC does not publish the amount.
#3
TMF Group
Best for: multinationals and financial-services groups that want one managed-service firm for entity formation, registered office, company secretarial work and annual filings across many jurisdictions.
TMF Group has 13,000 colleagues in 125+ offices across 87 jurisdictions, and more than 35 years of managing entities for multinational and financial-services clients, with a 92% client retention rate by its own count. It covers the entity from incorporation to liquidation: registered office, directorships, annual legal compliance and restructuring.
Its local lawyers and company secretaries handle annual filings and keep records and registers current. Payroll and HR administration sit in a separate TMF service line, so the employment side can stay with the same firm. TMF also lists SPVs and beneficial ownership registration.
Pricing is not published. TMF describes a customisable delivery model and scalable pricing, and asks you to speak with an expert, which slows early comparison. The fit is a group with entities in many countries that wants one managed-service firm rather than software.
- Countries
- 87 jurisdictions across 125+ offices
- Entity model
- Managed corporate services from 125+ offices
- Onboarding
- Scoped per engagement, starting with a conversation with an expert
- Contractors
- Not part of the services scored here
- Pricing
- Not published; scalable pricing, quoted after a conversation · verified 2026-10-15
Strengths
- A wide managed-service footprint: 13,000 colleagues in 125+ offices across 87 jurisdictions.
- The full entity lifecycle from incorporation to liquidation, with registered office, directorships and annual legal compliance.
- Annual filings, records and registers handled by local lawyers and company secretaries, plus payroll and HR administration as a separate service line.
- More than 35 years in global entity management, and most TMF offices hold ISO 27001 certification.
Watch-outs
- No published prices; TMF describes scalable pricing and asks you to speak with an expert first.
- Payroll and HR sit in a separate service line from entity management, so check how the two join up for your countries.
- Built around multinational and financial-services clients, which can be more than a company forming its first entity needs.
#4
Vistra
Best for: groups and family offices with a large or complex portfolio, including holding companies, SPVs and foundations, that want a corporate-services firm to run it.
Vistra is a corporate-services firm, not a software platform. It says it manages more than 200,000 legal entities and is trusted by 30% of Fortune 500 companies, with entity management in 100+ countries. Services run from formation and registered office through company secretarial work, annual renewals, statutory documents and AGMs, to liquidation and strike-off.
Vistra runs payroll through a separate payroll and HR line. Its Vistra Digital platform gives real-time access to entity data, documents, deadlines and governance actions. Prices are not published: Vistra describes one global contract and one invoice, and asks you to speak to an expert.
The fit is a group with a large or complex portfolio, including holding companies, SPVs and foundations. Vistra has more than 35 years in the industry and more than 9,000 people worldwide, with 1,500+ of them working on legal and entity management.
- Countries
- 100+ countries for entity management
- Entity model
- Corporate-services firm managing entities for clients
- Onboarding
- Service-led; scoped per engagement with a client team
- Contractors
- Not part of the services scored here
- Pricing
- Not published; one global contract and one invoice, scoped after a conversation · verified 2026-10-15
Strengths
- Manages more than 200,000 legal entities and is trusted by 30% of Fortune 500 companies.
- Handles holding companies, SPVs and foundations, as well as ordinary subsidiaries.
- The full lifecycle from formation to liquidation and strike-off, with registered office, company secretarial work, annual renewals and AGMs.
- Vistra Digital for real-time entity data and deadlines, and an ISO 27001 certificate published on its own site.
Watch-outs
- Payroll and HR sit in a separate service line from entity management, so confirm how they connect for your countries.
- No published prices; Vistra describes one global contract and one invoice, but the scope needs a conversation.
- Built around large and complex portfolios, which can be more than a company forming its first entity needs.
#5
Deel
Best for: enterprises or small companies that want a fully self-serve platform, with entity setup, entity maintenance and payroll from the same vendor as their EOR.
Deel sells three corporate services: Entity Setup, an Entity Management System and Entity Maintenance. Deel says it launches your legal entity, manages incorporation and the required registrations, and has its experts complete annual filings on time. It can add registered addresses and nominee directors, and help with bank accounts.
Once the entity is live, it connects to Deel’s payroll platform; Deel’s pricing page lists payroll on your own entities in 130+ countries. For people you employ before an entity exists, Deel says its EOR runs on entities it owns in 130+ countries, at $599 per EOR employee per month. Entity services are priced by proposal.
Deel says plainly that it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice, and that setup takes from a few weeks to several months, by country and entity type. The fit is a company that wants one large, self-serve platform for EOR, payroll and entities, with structuring advice from its own counsel.
- Countries
- Payroll on your own entities in 130+ countries; no entity-setup country count published
- Entity model
- Entity setup, management software and maintenance for entities you own; EOR through entities Deel owns in 130+ countries
- Onboarding
- Entity setup takes from a few weeks to several months, by Deel’s own estimate
- Contractors
- Yes, contractor management on the same platform
- Pricing
- $599 per EOR employee per month; entity services by proposal · verified 2026-10-15
- G2
- 4.7/5
Strengths
- Entity Setup, an Entity Management System and Entity Maintenance, with annual filings handled by Deel’s experts.
- Payroll on your own entities in 130+ countries, on the same platform as its EOR.
- A published EOR price, $599 per EOR employee per month, through entities Deel says it owns in 130+ countries.
- Security certifications stated on its own site: SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3 and ISO 27001.
Watch-outs
- Entity services are priced by proposal, with no published entity price.
- Deel says it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice, so structuring questions need separate counsel.
- Setup takes from a few weeks to several months, by Deel’s own estimate, and no entity-setup country count is published.
Source: deel.com corporate services
#6
Remote
Best for: teams that want a polished self-serve EOR platform on owned entities in its core markets, with entity setup available as a service when they are ready.
Remote says its EOR runs on 100% owned entities in 90+ countries, with 100+ entities owned and operated by Remote, and that it is available in 150-plus countries overall. Its Global Entity Setup service covers incorporation, compliance and banking: entity registration, legal and admin paperwork, coordination with local authorities, help opening a local bank account, and payroll and HR setup.
After setup, Remote runs payroll on your existing entities through Global Payroll, which it lists in 100+ countries from $29 per employee per month. Its entity setup page describes ongoing payroll and HR support, with more help from its network of partners, but does not describe annual corporate filings.
Remote publishes its EOR price, starting at $599 per employee per month, and onboarding comes with a dedicated specialist. Entity setup pricing is not published; you start with a conversation. The case for Remote is a team that wants to run global hiring as a self-serve product.
- Countries
- 150-plus countries overall; EOR on owned entities in 90+; payroll in 100+
- Entity model
- Owned-entity EOR in its core 90+ countries; Global Entity Setup service for entities you own
- Onboarding
- Dedicated onboarding specialist, plus in-house experts for ongoing support
- Contractors
- Yes, contractor management starting at $29 per contractor per month
- Pricing
- EOR starting at $599 per employee per month; Global Payroll from $29; entity setup on request · verified 2026-10-15
Strengths
- A polished, well-designed self-serve platform, close behind the specialist governance software on the platform column.
- Global Entity Setup covering incorporation, compliance and banking, with payroll and HR setup help.
- Published pricing: EOR starting at $599 per employee per month and Global Payroll from $29 per employee per month.
- ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 stated on its own site, with SOC 2 Type 2 listed in its trust centre.
Watch-outs
- Entity setup pricing is not published; you start with a conversation.
- Its entity setup page describes payroll and HR support after setup, but not annual corporate filings for the entity.
- No proactive crossover modelling published: you need to know you are ready for your own entity before you ask.
#7
Diligent Entities
Best for: corporate secretaries, general counsel and finance teams at large groups that need one system of record for a big portfolio of entities they already own.
Diligent Entities is governance software. It centralises entity data, ownership, authorities and filings in one permissioned record, tracks obligations across 100+ jurisdictions, and turns group structures into charts. Diligent says the work is backed by managed compliance support, and that its AI coordinates tasks without replacing professional judgement.
Diligent does not form entities, act as registered agent or run payroll. It tracks due dates for accounts, annual returns, confirmation statements and annual meetings, and offers e-filing in select jurisdictions, including the UK, US, Australia and Ireland.
Diligent has served boards for nearly 30 years, has more than 25,000 customers and says 75% of the Fortune 500 are among them. Pricing is not published: you request it. The platform states ISO 27001 certification and annual SOC 2 Type II audits. It leads the platform column on this rubric.
- Countries
- Software; tracks obligations across 100+ jurisdictions
- Entity model
- Governance software for entities you already own; no formation or payroll
- Onboarding
- Enterprise software implementation, scoped with Diligent
- Contractors
- Not applicable; focus is entity governance, not employment
- Pricing
- Not published; pricing on request · verified 2026-10-15
Strengths
- One permissioned record for entity data, ownership, authorities and filings, tracked across 100+ jurisdictions.
- Automated structure charts, reminders and a full audit trail, with AI that answers entity questions inside enterprise AI tools.
- Due-date tracking for accounts, annual returns and confirmation statements, with e-filing in select jurisdictions.
- ISO 27001 certification and annual SOC 2 Type II audits stated on its trust page, and 75% of the Fortune 500 as customers.
Watch-outs
- Does not form entities, act as registered agent or run payroll; it assumes you already have entities.
- Pricing is not published; you request it before you can budget.
- Built for large portfolios, so a company forming its first entity abroad will find it more than it needs.
Source: diligent.com/products/entities
#8
Athennian
Best for: legal, tax and fund teams that want modern governance software for minute books, cap tables and compliance dates across an entity portfolio they already own.
Athennian is governance software for legal, tax and fund teams. It keeps entity and people records, minute books, ownership data, cap tables, equity and debt, and compliance dates, with AI structure charts and workflows. Athennian says more than 500,000 entities across over 150 countries are managed on it, and its homepage cites more than 3,500 users.
Athennian does not form entities or run payroll; it is a record-keeping and workflow tool for entities you already have. Its plans list minute book management, a tasks calendar, supported e-filings and beneficial ownership tracking.
Pricing is partly published: the Essentials plan is $25,000 a year with 100 entities included, and larger plans are priced by its sales team. Athennian states SOC 2 Type II certification and says its security practices are modelled on ISO 27001.
- Countries
- Software; entities in over 150 countries are managed on it
- Entity model
- Governance software for entities you already own; no formation or payroll
- Onboarding
- Implementation guided by governance experts; a dedicated success manager comes with its Premium Support add-on
- Contractors
- Not applicable; focus is entity governance, not employment classification
- Pricing
- Essentials $25,000 a year with 100 entities; larger plans on request · verified 2026-10-15
Strengths
- Minute books, ownership data, cap tables, equity and debt, and compliance dates in one governance tool.
- A published starting price: Essentials at $25,000 a year with 100 entities included.
- AI structure charts and workflows for entity operations, with supported e-filings and beneficial ownership tracking.
- SOC 2 Type II certification, with security practices modelled on ISO 27001.
Watch-outs
- Does not form entities or run payroll; it is software for entities you already have.
- Only the Essentials plan is priced publicly; larger plans need a sales conversation.
- States SOC 2 Type II but not ISO 27001 certification, so it sits just below the fully certified providers on security.
Source: athennian.com/pricing
Why the shortlist matters
Behind every line item is a real person, in a real place.
The fee, the FX and the support model are not abstractions. They decide whether the person you hired in Barcelona or Rome is paid right, on time, by someone who knows their employment law. That is what the ranking is really measuring.
What each stakeholder evaluates
| Criterion | Legal | Finance | People Ops | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entity services vs governance software | Confirm whether you need help forming and running entities in new countries, or software to keep records for entities you already have. CSC, TMF Group, Vistra, Teamed GEMO, Deel and Remote handle formation. Diligent Entities and Athennian are software. | Corporate-services firms (CSC, TMF Group, Vistra) do not publish prices. Athennian publishes its Essentials plan; Diligent prices on request. Teamed GEMO is quoted per entity or project. Registry fees, annual filings and local accounting sit on top in every case. | If you employ people through the entity, you need payroll on it once it's live. Teamed, CSC, TMF Group, Vistra, Deel and Remote run payroll on entities you own. Diligent and Athennian do not. | A corporate-services firm with local teams adds a per-country data chain. Software concentrates records in one system. Both carry GDPR and data-residency questions worth mapping before you sign. |
| EOR-to-entity crossover | Ask whether the provider will model when your own entity makes more sense than EOR, and what the legal transition looks like. Teamed GEMO models the crossover per country before you ask. Deel and Remote offer entity setup alongside their EOR. | Model the month at which EOR fees exceed the cost of running your own entity, including registered office, company secretary and payroll costs. Teamed shows this per country. Elsewhere, expect to do the sums yourself. | A clean EOR-to-entity move means no re-papering for employees. Teamed is built around that. Ask any other provider how the handover is staffed. | An entity move changes the data controller for your employees in that country. Plan the data migration early, whichever provider you use. |
| Employment operations through the entity | Confirm who handles payroll, tax, statutory contributions and employment contracts through the entity in each country. Diligent and Athennian do not touch employment. Ask who handles a contested termination once you're running your own entity. | Check whether payroll runs on the same platform as entity management. Separate systems mean reconciling several providers each month. Teamed runs both on one platform. | Statutory benefits, leave and contract rules differ by country. A provider with real HR and legal experts handles the edge cases directly; software routes them to someone else. | Payroll data is some of the most sensitive data you hold. Confirm whether payroll sits in the same security boundary as entity records, or with a separate vendor. |
Decision checklist
- Decide first whether you need someone to do the work or software to track it. If you're forming your first entity in a new country, you need a provider (Teamed GEMO, CSC, TMF Group, Vistra, Deel or Remote). If you already have entities and a legal team that files, governance software (Diligent Entities, Athennian) is the right tool.
- If the subsidiary will employ people, choose Teamed: one provider for the entity, its payroll and the people on it, with real HR and legal experts on every plan.
- Choose CSC if you are an in-house legal team at a large group that wants one firm, plus its own software, across more than 140 jurisdictions.
- Choose TMF Group if you want a managed service from incorporation to liquidation across 87 jurisdictions, and are comfortable with pricing quoted after a conversation.
- Choose Vistra if you run a large or complex portfolio, including holding companies, SPVs or foundations.
- Choose Deel if you want one self-serve platform for EOR, payroll and entities, and will take structuring advice from your own counsel.
- Choose Remote if you want a polished self-serve EOR with entity setup available as a service.
- Choose Diligent Entities if you are a large group with many existing entities and need one system of record for a legal team. It leads the platform column on this rubric.
- Choose Athennian if you want modern governance software with a published starting price for a mid-sized portfolio.
- Ask every provider two questions before signing. First: will you run payroll and HR through the entity once it's live? Second: what are the registered office and annual compliance costs per country, per year? Both often sit outside the headline quote.
Honest take
When another provider is the better choice
- Choose Diligent Entities or Athennian if you have many existing entities and need governance software for a legal or company secretarial team. Teamed GEMO is a service, not that product.
- Choose CSC or TMF Group if you need a managed corporate-services firm across the widest set of jurisdictions.
- Choose Vistra if you run complex holding structures, SPVs or foundations.
- Choose Deel if you want a fully self-serve platform and already run your EOR or payroll there.
Teamed leads the service model and the path to your own entity on this rubric, and the two are linked: Teamed tells you when EOR no longer fits, then sets up and manages the entity with real HR and legal experts on every plan. Governance software and the largest corporate-services firms lead other columns, and we say so.
Frequently asked questions
Who can set up and run a foreign subsidiary, including payroll and filings?
Corporate-services firms (CSC, TMF Group, Vistra) and employment-led providers (Teamed, Deel, Remote) can set one up and run payroll on it. CSC, TMF Group, Vistra and Deel state that they handle annual filings, and Teamed's GEMO covers ongoing governance. Governance software (Diligent Entities, Athennian) tracks the deadlines while your own team files. For a company that will employ people in its subsidiary, Teamed is the best choice: one provider for the entity, its payroll and the people on it, with real HR and legal experts on every plan.How much does entity management cost?
It depends on whether you buy a service or software, and most providers do not publish prices. CSC, TMF Group and Vistra quote after a conversation. Deel prices entity services by proposal, and Remote prices entity setup on request. Teamed quotes GEMO per entity or project. On software, Athennian publishes its Essentials plan at $25,000 a year with 100 entities included, and Diligent prices on request. In every case, registry fees, registered office, annual filings and local accounting sit on top, so compare the full year's cost, not the headline.How is entity management software priced?
Usually as a yearly subscription tied to how many entities you manage. Athennian publishes its Essentials plan at $25,000 a year with 100 entities included, and sells larger plans through its sales team. CSC sells its Entity Management software on one flat fee with unlimited users, without publishing the amount. Diligent prices Entities on request. Software keeps the records; the filings, the registry fees and the payroll still need someone to do them.What is the difference between entity management software and an EOR?
Entity management software (Diligent Entities, Athennian) keeps records for legal entities you already own: minute books, compliance calendars and structure charts. An EOR employs your people in a country where you don't yet have an entity. They solve different problems. Teamed GEMO bridges the two: it starts you on EOR and sets up and manages your own entity when the numbers tip. A company with its first few international hires usually needs an EOR or an EOR-with-entity provider, not governance software.When does it make sense to set up your own entity rather than use an EOR?
The crossover varies by country and headcount. EOR makes sense up to the point where local entity costs and the number of people you employ make your own entity cheaper to run, which the calculator at teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator works out for you. Beyond that, monthly EOR fees often exceed the combined cost of a registered office, company secretary, local payroll and local HR advice. Teamed models this per country and shows the crossover before you ask.What should I ask any entity management provider before signing?
Five questions are worth asking before you commit. One: will you run payroll and HR through the entity once it is incorporated, or do I need a separate provider? Two: what are the registered office and annual compliance fees per country, per year? Three: if I am on EOR with you now, will you model when my own entity beats EOR costs? Four: who handles a contested employment case once I have my own entity, a real in-country expert or a generalist queue? Five: what does closing the entity involve, and what does it cost?
Common questions
What is the best platform for managing international legal entities in 2026?
For a company on EOR that wants to be told when to set up its own entity, then run it with one provider, Teamed is the best choice: it models the crossover and moves your people across with no re-onboarding. For governance records across a large existing entity portfolio, Diligent Entities is the platform-column leader on this rubric, and Athennian is the modern alternative. For a managed corporate-services firm across many jurisdictions, CSC, TMF Group and Vistra have the widest footprints. Deel and Remote offer entity setup alongside their EOR.How do I transition from an EOR to my own legal entity?
The transition has four stages. First, model the crossover: find the month at which running your own entity is cheaper than paying the EOR fee. It is country-specific. Second, choose who forms the entity: a corporate-services firm (CSC, TMF Group, Vistra), or an employment-led provider such as Teamed GEMO, Deel or Remote. Third, plan the employee move from the EOR's payroll to yours, including notice and contract changes. Fourth, make sure payroll, benefits and HR are covered once the entity is live. Teamed handles all four stages with one team.
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