What it does
Plane serves US-based companies hiring and paying workers at home and abroad. Its free human resources information system, or HRIS, includes a people directory, onboarding tasks and reports. Payroll and international employment are paid services.
In Payroll > Run payroll > Overview, review pending approvals, exceptions and payments ready to process. Open an item to adjust earnings, hours, reimbursements or notes before its deadline, then save and approve it. Pay schedules can use automatic approval. Approved expenses enter the next available pay period.
Contractor payroll still takes four business days with a funded balance. Vendors use one-time payments, not Unified Payroll. Allow for those differences when setting a payment date.
Platform and paid services
| Option | Price basis | Use |
|---|---|---|
| HRIS Platform | Free | Directory, reports, onboarding and time records |
| Contractors | USD 39 per contractor/month | Contractor payments and administration |
| US employees | USD 19 per employee/month | US payroll and tax processing |
| Employer of Record | Monthly per employee | International employment without your own local entity |
There is no minimum service charge or setup fee. A business can register for an account, with verification normally taking 3 to 5 business days. Contractors join by employer invitation: confirm the email, create a password and complete the requested personal, bank and tax details. They cannot start contractor onboarding through independent self-registration.
Strengths
- Payroll approval queues expose exceptions before processing
- Contractor onboarding gathers payment details and tax paperwork in one account
Watch out for
- Contractor payroll has a four-business-day processing period even when funds are available
- Vendors cannot be added to Unified Payroll
Best for
- US-based companies reviewing payroll for employees and overseas contractors
Sources
- Simple pricing plans — no PhD required | Plane (Oct 27, 2026)
- How to use Unified Payroll | Plane (Oct 27, 2026)
- What does Plane do? | Plane (Oct 27, 2026)
- Customer FAQs | Plane (Oct 27, 2026)
- How to set up your contractor account on Plane | Plane (Oct 27, 2026)
- Plane | Global payroll, HR and compliance (Oct 25, 2026)