Cloud Employee embeds senior engineers full-time into your team, tools and timezone, with one monthly fee covering HR and payroll. Its own site claims 300+ teams built, a 7-day first match, a 2:1 profile-to-hire ratio and 97% of engineers staying two years or more, with clients including Travelex, Hotelplan and Virgin Experience Days. Third-party pricing puts it at roughly $3,000 to $5,500 a month for Philippines-based engineers. The thing most comparisons get wrong is the geography: Cloud Employee is no longer a Philippines specialist. Its Locations menu now lists Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Philippines, and the site leads on the word “nearshore”. If you specifically want Asia, that dilution is the reason to look at these seven alternatives.
| Platform | Best For | Pricing Model | Key Difference from Cloud Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Talent | Dedicated senior engineers from Asia, with EOR included. | $3,000–$6,000/mo flat per engineer. $0 upfront. | Asia is the whole business, not one of three regions. |
| Full Scale | Philippines-only offshore teams that stay. | From ~$35/hr fully loaded. | Still purely Philippines, where Cloud Employee has diversified away. |
| Arcanys | Long-horizon Cebu engineering partnerships. | Quoted per engagement. | Swiss-founded and Philippines-rooted, built around multi-year teams. |
| Penbrothers | Philippine EOR plus recruitment, beyond engineering. | Per-employee monthly fee, quoted. | Covers non-technical roles Cloud Employee does not touch. |
| Proxify | European engineers at a nearshore premium. | Typically $35–$70+/hr. | The European half of what Cloud Employee now offers, done deeper. |
| Revelo | LatAm engineers on US hours. | Typically $3,000–$8,000/mo. | The Latin America half, with genuine US-timezone overlap. |
| Deel | Employing engineers you have already found. | EOR from ~$599/employee/mo. | Employment infrastructure only, with no engineers attached. |
1. Second Talent
The models are close enough that the difference comes down to focus. Both embed one vetted engineer full-time, both handle payroll and HR, both charge a flat monthly fee. Cloud Employee now spreads that across Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Philippines. Second Talent runs nine Asian markets and nothing else, with owned Employer of Record entities in each rather than partner arrangements, and a paid work sample before anyone reaches your shortlist. If Asia is where you want to hire, a specialist beats a generalist on pool depth and on knowing which local rule bites in which country.
✅ Pros vs. Cloud Employee
- Asia Is the Whole Business: Nine markets, not one region among three.
- Owned Entities: EOR run in-house in each market rather than through partners.
- Work Sample Before Shortlist: Five human vetting stages, ending in paid work.
- 24-Hour Shortlist: Against a stated seven days to first match.
- AI-Native by Default: Engineers who build with Claude Code, Cursor and Copilot every day, with AI-tool fluency assessed during vetting rather than assumed from a CV.
- Self-Serve or Managed: Search and shortlist the vetted bench yourself in the Second Talent platform, or brief a recruiter and get a matched shortlist in 24 hours.
❌ Cons vs. Cloud Employee
- No Nearshore Option: If you need US-hours overlap from LatAm, we cannot help.
- No Eastern Europe: Cloud Employee covers it, we do not.
- Engineering-First: Built around technical roles, with a limited non-technical bench alongside.
Best For
- Companies that decided on Asia and want depth rather than breadth.
- Teams with no entity in the region that want employment handled end to end.
- Buyers who want to see work before they interview.
Key Features
- Pre-vetted engineers across Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and India.
- Owned-entity EOR across nine Asian markets.
- 30-day replacement guarantee.
- Published benchmarks in the developer rate card.
- 92% talent retention across placements, with 200+ companies hiring through the platform.
Pricing Structure
$3,000 to $6,000 per engineer per month, flat. $0 upfront, pay only when you hire.
2. Full Scale
Full Scale is the like-for-like replacement if what you originally wanted from Cloud Employee was the Philippines. It has stayed exactly where Cloud Employee moved away from: engineers in Cebu, recruited and retained by Full Scale, working in your repo and your standups. It claims 200+ clients, 93%+ developer retention, Great Place to Work certification in the Philippines and a fifth Inc. 5000 listing, with rates from about $35 an hour fully loaded. Denver head office, Cebu engineering.
✅ Pros vs. Cloud Employee
- Genuinely Philippines-Only: No dilution across regions.
- Strong Retention Claim: 93%+ developer retention, which is the metric that actually costs you.
- Fast Start: Teams live in as little as seven days.
- US Entity: Denver head office simplifies contracting for American buyers.
❌ Cons vs. Cloud Employee
- Hourly, Not Flat Monthly: Harder to budget than a fixed per-engineer fee.
- One Country: No option to shift markets if Philippine rates move.
- Team-Shaped: Oriented to squads more than a single hire.
Best For
- Teams that wanted Philippines specifically and got nearshore instead.
- Companies building a squad rather than adding one engineer.
- US buyers who prefer a domestic contracting entity.
Key Features
- Dedicated Filipino engineers embedded in your team.
- Recruiting, payroll and retention handled by Full Scale.
- Product Driven methodology and AI tooling training.
- Case studies with AMC Theatres among others.
Pricing Structure
From around $35 an hour fully loaded, set by seniority and team size.
3. Arcanys
Arcanys is the other established Cebu option, Swiss-founded and oriented to long partnerships rather than quick placements. It fills the same gap Full Scale does, and the choice between them is usually about engagement length and how much process you want around the team. One practical note before you engage: Arcanys currently routes visitors to a scam-awareness page, which suggests active impersonation of its brand. Verify you are dealing with the company directly rather than a lookalike.
✅ Pros vs. Cloud Employee
- Philippines-Rooted: Cebu engineering, not a diversified region list.
- Long Partnerships: Built for multi-year team relationships.
- European Governance: Swiss founding and processes to match.
- Product Experience: Track record building products, not just filling seats.
❌ Cons vs. Cloud Employee
- Impersonation Warning: The company is publicly warning about scammers using its name.
- Opaque Pricing: Quoted per engagement with nothing published.
- Slower to Start: Partnership framing rather than a seven-day match.
Best For
- Companies planning a multi-year engineering relationship.
- Teams that want product thinking alongside delivery.
- European buyers who value Swiss governance.
Key Features
- Dedicated development teams based in Cebu.
- Product and engineering consulting alongside staffing.
- Long-term partnership engagement model.
- European management layer over Philippine delivery.
Pricing Structure
Quoted per engagement. Nothing published publicly.
4. Penbrothers
Penbrothers is the option when the Philippines hire is not only an engineer. It combines recruitment with Employer of Record and office infrastructure in Manila, and it covers operations, finance and support roles alongside technical ones. Against Cloud Employee it is broader in role coverage and narrower in geography, and it suits companies building a whole Philippine function rather than adding developers to an existing team.
✅ Pros vs. Cloud Employee
- Beyond Engineering: Operations, finance and support roles as well as developers.
- EOR Plus Recruitment: Both halves from one vendor.
- Physical Infrastructure: Office space in Manila if you want people co-located.
- Philippines Specialist: One market, understood properly.
❌ Cons vs. Cloud Employee
- Thinner Senior Engineering: Not a specialist developer pool.
- One Country: No regional flexibility at all.
- Less Embedded: Closer to staffing than to a team that joins your standups.
Best For
- Companies building a whole Philippine team, not just engineering.
- Teams that want office space alongside employment.
- Buyers hiring a mix of technical and non-technical roles.
Key Features
- Recruitment across technical and non-technical roles.
- Employer of Record and payroll in the Philippines.
- Office space and equipment in Manila.
- HR support for the employed team.
Pricing Structure
Per-employee monthly fee plus recruitment, quoted by role.
5. Proxify
If the region you actually wanted from Cloud Employee was Eastern Europe, Proxify does that one properly. It vets hard, has real depth across the continent, and offers European-hours overlap that Asia cannot match. Rates sit well above Philippine ones and below US ones. Our Proxify alternatives page covers the rest of the European field.
✅ Pros vs. Cloud Employee
- Deeper in Europe: A specialist where Cloud Employee is a generalist.
- European Overlap: Full working-day alignment for EU and UK teams.
- Strong Vetting: Low acceptance rate with technical interviews.
- Fast Matching: Shortlists in days.
❌ Cons vs. Cloud Employee
- Much More Expensive Than Asia: European rates, not Philippine ones.
- No Asia Option: Wrong vendor if the region was the point.
- Hourly Contracting: Less of an employment relationship.
Best For
- European teams that need same-hours collaboration.
- Companies where the Eastern Europe half of Cloud Employee was the draw.
- Roles where timezone matters more than cost.
Key Features
- Vetted European engineers across many specialisms.
- Technical interviews as part of screening.
- Fast shortlists and trial periods.
- Long-term contract engagements.
Pricing Structure
Typically $35 to $70+ per hour depending on seniority and country.
6. Revelo
And if the half you wanted was Latin America, Revelo is the specialist. Its pitch is the one thing Asia genuinely cannot offer a US team: real-time overlap with a San Francisco or New York working day. That overlap costs money, and the gap against Philippine rates is the price of it. Our Revelo alternatives comparison has the wider LatAm field.
✅ Pros vs. Cloud Employee
- Genuine US Overlap: Same working day, which Asia cannot provide.
- LatAm Depth: A specialist rather than one region of three.
- Vetted Pool: Technical screening before shortlist.
- Employment Support: Payroll and compliance handled.
❌ Cons vs. Cloud Employee
- More Expensive Than Asia: You pay for the timezone.
- No Asia Coverage: Wrong vendor if cost is the driver.
- Smaller Senior Pool: Than the largest Asian markets.
Best For
- US teams where synchronous collaboration is non-negotiable.
- Companies drawn to the LatAm half of Cloud Employee.
- Roles involving heavy pairing or live incident response.
Key Features
- Vetted Latin American engineers.
- US-timezone working hours by default.
- Payroll and compliance handled.
- Replacement support during onboarding.
Pricing Structure
Typically $3,000 to $8,000 per month depending on seniority.
7. Deel
If what you valued in Cloud Employee was the one-monthly-fee employment wrapper rather than the sourcing, Deel sells that on its own across 150+ countries, including every market discussed on this page. It will not find anyone. Paired with your own recruiting it usually comes out cheaper than a managed service; used alone it hands the hard part back to you. Our Deel alternatives page covers the EOR field.
✅ Pros vs. Cloud Employee
- Every Market Here: Philippines, Eastern Europe and LatAm all covered.
- Full HR Stack: HRIS, contractor management, equipment and visas.
- Procurement-Friendly: Recognised brand, quick vendor review.
- No Regional Lock-In: Change markets without changing vendor.
❌ Cons vs. Cloud Employee
- No Sourcing: Recruiting stays entirely yours.
- No Vetting: Quality is your problem.
- Per-Head Cost: Adds up against a bundled rate.
Best For
- Teams with their own pipeline that need compliant employment.
- Companies hiring across several regions at once.
- Organisations consolidating HR and payroll vendors.
Key Features
- EOR, payroll and contractor management in 150+ countries.
- Built-in HRIS with onboarding and time-off tracking.
- Immigration and visa support.
- Equipment procurement and retrieval.
Pricing Structure
EOR from around $599 per employee per month, varying by country.
How to Choose a Cloud Employee Alternative in 2026
Cloud Employee spread across three regions, which is good news if you wanted options and bad news if you wanted a specialist. Start by naming which region you actually want, because that single answer eliminates most of this list.
Pick the Region First, Then the Vendor
- If you wanted the Philippines: Full Scale or Arcanys for engineering squads, Penbrothers if the hire is not only technical, Second Talent if you want the option of eight other Asian markets alongside it.
- If you wanted Eastern Europe: Proxify, and pay European rates for European hours.
- If you wanted Latin America: Revelo, and pay for the US overlap.
- If you wanted the employment wrapper only: Deel, plus your own recruiting.
- If you genuinely want all three regions: stay with Cloud Employee. Nobody else on this list offers that spread.
The cost gap between these regions is the whole decision, and it is larger than most comparisons admit. A senior engineer in the Philippines runs well under half a comparable LatAm rate and a fraction of a European one, while a European engineer gives you a shared working day. Neither is right in the abstract. Work out how many hours of genuine overlap your team actually needs before you pay for them, then check the numbers in the developer rate card and the Asia Tech Salary Index.
If Asia is where you landed, tell us the role and we will come back within 24 hours with engineers who have already passed a work sample. If you have the people and need employment, our EOR service covers nine markets including Vietnam and the Philippines.
