Plane
Plane operates an API-first global payroll, HR, and compliance platform serving fast-growing companies. It unifies US employee payroll, international contractor management across 240+ countries, and EOR hiring in 100+ countries. The platform features agent-native architecture with native MCP support for Claude and ChatGPT.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Plane firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Plane
- Legal name
- Pilot Platform Inc.
- Website
- https://plane.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Plane operates an API-first global payroll, HR, and compliance platform serving fast-growing companies. It unifies US employee payroll, international contractor management across 240+ countries, and EOR hiring in 100+ countries. The platform features agent-native architecture with native MCP support for Claude and ChatGPT.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Plane industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Global Payroll and HR Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Payroll (FSAMAKAB)
Keywords
Where Plane is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Plane business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Contractor Payroll Management: Per-contractor pricing at $39/month for managing global contractors. Covers payment processing, compliance, and contractor management in 240+ countries.
- US Employee Payroll: Per-US-employee pricing at $19/month for domestic employee payroll processing, tax compliance, and HRIS features.
- Employer of Record (EOR): Per-EOR-hire pricing at $499/month covering international employment, full compliance, benefits administration, and local employment contracts in 100+ countries.
- HRIS Platform: Included at no additional cost across all plans. Unified HRIS for all worker types including onboarding, PTO management, and team reporting.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | $39 per contractor per month - Global contractor management including payments in 240+ countries |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | $19 per U.S. employee per month - Domestic US payroll, tax compliance, and HRIS |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | $499 per EOR hire per month - International employment through employer of record in 100+ countries |
| Freemium | Monthly | $0 for HRIS - Unified HR information system for all worker types |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Plane product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Plane is an API-first global payroll, HR, and compliance platform that unifies US employee payroll, international contractor management in 240+ countries, and Employer of Record (EOR) services in 100+ countries within a single system. It provides an open API, CLI, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) support that allows AI agents and software to read payroll data, write changes, and trigger payroll runs, positioning itself as payroll infrastructure for the "agentic era."
Product overview
Plane is a unified global payroll, HR, and compliance platform designed for the 'agentic era.' The platform operates as a modular system centered on the Core Platform, with integrated products for Payroll, Contractors, EOR (Employer of Record), Contracts, Benefits, and Expense Management. Additional features include HRIS (at no cost), Plane Agent (AI teammate in beta), and Plane Balance. The platform supports contractors in 240+ countries and employees in 100+ countries, routing international payments through local rails for faster settlement and lower fees. API-first architecture with open API, CLI, and MCP support enables automation with AI agents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Plane Agent: AI-powered teammate that sits in Slack to answer payroll and HR questions, run reports, and handle routine back-office tasks.
- Plane Balance
Products and services
- Core Platform The foundational Plane platform that unifies global HR, payroll, and compliance for contractors and employees, serving as the central interface for all worker management. For fast-growing companies hiring from launch to IPO.
- Payroll Automated payroll processing for U.S. employees at $19 per employee per month, including state payroll tax registration when hiring in new states, QuickBooks journal entry automation, and tax compliance.
- Contractors Global contractor management supporting payments in 240+ countries with local payment rails, contractor-friendly exchange rates, compliance automation (W-8/W-9), and direct-to-bank-account payments at $39 per contractor per month.
- EOR (Employer of Record) Employer of Record service enabling companies to hire international employees in 100+ countries without establishing local entities at $499 per EOR hire per month, including full compliance, locally compliant contracts, benefits administration, and employer tax/security deposit handling.
- Contracts Contract generation and management with locally compliant agreements built around how each worker operates and where they live, supporting fixed or hourly rates and custom payment schedules.
- Benefits Employee benefits administration and management integrated into the Plane platform for domestic and international employees.
- Expense Management Expense tracking and management module for employees and contractors integrated within the Plane platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced payment processing time from hours to 10 minutes per month for contractors
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Plane
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Plane technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
Plane partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Plaid Technologies, Inc.corePlaid provides data aggregation services, enabling Plane to securely access and transmit user financial data from financial institutions. Users grant Plane and Plaid the right to access and transmit personal and financial information for bank account verification and payment processing.
- Dwolla, Inc.coreDwolla provides the payment infrastructure for ACH origination and bank account transfers on Plane's platform. Users may be required to open a Dwolla Platform account to access payment functionality. Funds are held by Dwolla's financial institution partners.
- dLocal Corp. LLPcoredLocal processes international payments to contractors in certain countries. Enables Plane to offer local currency payments and domestic bank transfers in supported regions. Users authorize Plane to share personal information with dLocal for payment processing.
- QuickBookscoreAccounting automation integration - Plane's accounting automation prepares journal entries for QuickBooks after every payroll run, enabling seamless financial record-keeping for customers.
- Claude (Anthropic)flagshipNative MCP (Model Context Protocol) support enabling Claude AI assistant to interact with Plane's payroll API, allowing AI agents to read payroll data, write changes, and trigger payroll runs directly.
- ChatGPT (OpenAI)flagshipNative MCP support enabling ChatGPT to connect to Plane's platform, allowing AI agents to execute payroll tasks and access payroll data programmatically.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Plane competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Deel: Deel is the leading global payroll and EOR platform, offering contractor management in 150+ countries and EOR in 100+ countries with a similar pricing and feature model to Plane. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor across Plane's contractor, US payroll, and EOR SKUs.
- Remote: Remote provides global HR, EOR, and contractor management with owned local entities in 80+ countries, competing directly with Plane on the EOR value proposition. Its owned-entity model contrasts with Plane's partner-rail approach but addresses the same buyer need.
- Rippling: Rippling unifies HR, payroll, IT, and spend management on a single platform for US and global employees, directly competing with Plane's unified payroll + HRIS positioning. Rippling's deeper IT and spend modules make it a frequent competitor in mid-market deals.
- Gusto: Gusto is a leading US payroll, HR, and benefits platform with a growing international footprint via its own EOR offering. It competes most directly with Plane on US employee payroll and HRIS, and increasingly on contractor and EOR pricing.
- Papaya Global: Papaya Global provides a global payroll and EOR platform with automation and compliance focus, targeting the same enterprise and fast-growing mid-market segments as Plane. Its automation-first positioning is thematically close to Plane's API-first pitch.
- Oyster HR: Oyster HR offers EOR, contractor management, and global hiring tools targeting distributed companies — a near-direct overlap with Plane's EOR and contractor products. It is a frequent direct comparison in mid-market EOR deals.
- Globalization Partners: Globalization Partners is an established EOR provider with owned entities in 180+ countries, often competing in mid-market and enterprise EOR deals where Plane also pitches. It represents the legacy, high-touch counterpart to Plane's API-first approach.
Emerging players
- Multiplier: Multiplier is a fast-growing EOR and global payroll provider competing on price and geographic breadth. It overlaps meaningfully with Plane's contractor and EOR SKUs and is a typical competitor in cost-sensitive segments.
Broad incumbents
- ADP: ADP is the dominant US payroll and HR incumbent with global payroll and EOR via ADP TotalSource. It is a broad incumbent rather than a direct disruptor, but competes in almost every enterprise payroll RFP Plane enters.
- Workday: Workday provides enterprise HCM, payroll, and global payroll solutions, competing in the upper end of the market where Plane's mid-market and enterprise prospects may also evaluate. It is a broad incumbent rather than a direct SMB competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Plane social profiles
Digital presencePlane compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Plane financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Plane leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Plane funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Plane M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Plane
What does Plane do?
Plane is an API-first global payroll, HR, and compliance platform that unifies US employee payroll, international contractor management in 240+ countries, and Employer of Record (EOR) services in 100+ countries within a single system. It provides an open API, CLI, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) support that allows AI agents and software to read payroll data, write changes, and trigger payroll runs, positioning itself as payroll infrastructure for the "agentic era."
Is Plane a public or private company?
Plane is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Plane founded?
Plane was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Plane based?
Plane is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Plane make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Contractor Payroll Management is the primary driver. The others are US Employee Payroll, employer of Record (EOR) and HRIS Platform.
Who are Plane's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Deel, Remote, Rippling, Gusto, Papaya Global, Oyster HR and Globalization Partners. Multiplier is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are ADP and Workday.
Does Plane have an API?
Yes. Plane offers an open API that allows agents and software to read payroll data, write changes, and trigger payroll runs. The API is available on every plan with included sandbox access. Plane also supports CLI (command-line interface) for direct terminal access, and MCP (Model Context Protocol) for connecting to AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT. The platform is described as 'API-first by design' with no partner program or additional fees required to use the API. Developer documentation is at plane.com/developers.
What industry is Plane in?
Plane's product category is Global Payroll and HR Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAKAB, Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Payroll.