Your first India hire.
Done right the first time.
Scale your founding team without the complexity. Hire in India with Versatile EOR, Contractor of Record, or recruitment. 5-day onboarding. $149/mo EOR with first month free. No India entity required.
Built for startup
founders first.
Whether you're making your first India hire or scaling your founding team from 5 to 50 people, Versatile handles the complexity so you don't have to.
First-time India hirers
You need your first strong engineer in India. Not a full team yet, but one hire that changes the trajectory. PF, ESI, compliance - Versatile handles all of it.
Founders who value speed
Your CTO candidate is ready to start in 2 weeks. You don't have time for 10-week entity setup. 5 business days. That's it. Then payroll runs itself.
Teams scaling 1 to 50
You started with contractors. Now you want full-time talent. No switching providers. Versatile grows with you - same platform, same account manager, same peace of mind.
Three ways to hire
in India.
Pick the structure that fits your needs today. Switch anytime as you scale.
Full-time employees with complete statutory coverage. PF, ESI, TDS, gratuity, benefits.
per employee (first month free)
Specialist contractors for short-term projects. IP protection, TDS, compliant invoicing.
Per-engagement pricing
Founder-led talent sourcing with culture-fit screening. 50+ parameters evaluated.
Success-based fee
The 6 reasons we're
built for founders.
Not just another EOR platform. These are structural advantages that actually matter at seed stage.
USD invoicing
Your invoice is fixed USD (or GBP). No FX exposure. A Bangalore engineer at 15 lakh INR/year costs you $149/mo in fixed USD. Your CFO knows the exact number. Competitors invoice INR or route through foreign holding.
India-native, not adapted
HQ in Bangalore. New Labour Code 2025-26, Basic+DA as 50% CTC, PF 12%, ESI 3.25%, Gratuity 4.81%. This is core product, not bolted on. Sagar Chainani, 50+ placements. Direct access.
First month free
$149/mo EOR - month 1 free. $49/mo managed payroll - month 1 free. This is risk reversal, not a discount. You only pay if Versatile delivers. No setup fees, no exit fees, ever.
5-day onboarding SLA
Day 1: Agreement. Day 2: Offer letter. Day 3: Contract. Day 4: PF + ESI. Day 5: Payroll live. Documented. Competitors take 2-3 weeks. You can't wait that long.
No hidden fees
$0 setup fee. $0 exit fee. What's on the website is what's on your invoice. No surprise compliance add-ons. No "professional service fees." Just transparent pricing.
Founder-led
You talk to Sagar. Not a support ticket queue. Your account manager is reachable during India and US/UK hours, knows your team by name, responds same business day.
Employees vs Contractors
in India.
Know the trade-offs before you hire. Different situations call for different structures.
| Criteria | Full-Time Employee (EOR) | Contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Long-term team members, core roles, retention | Specialists, short-term projects, part-time |
| Cost per hire (annual) | ~$20,955 (15L CTC + PF + gratuity + EOR) | Variable (project-based, 10-15K per month typical) |
| Tax compliance | PF, ESI, TDS, Gratuity - Versatile handles | TDS, GST, contract law - Versatile handles |
| Commitment required | Longer-term (implied) | Project-based, flexible exit |
| IP protection | Automatic (work-for-hire) | Explicit IP clause needed |
| Compliance risk | Eliminated via EOR structure | Mitigated with proper contract |
| Onboarding time | 5 business days | 2-3 days (less setup) |
| Retention concerns | Benefits, gratuity, culture build loyalty | Project ends, relationship ends |
| Team dynamics | Full integration, equity/stock possible | External relationship, no equity |
| When to transition | Hire as employee from day 1 for core roles | Use contractors for overflow or specialists |
Bottom line: Hiring your first India engineer as a full-time employee costs less than most founders think ($149/mo EOR + salary). You get better retention, full IP protection, and compliance peace of mind. Contractors are great for specialists - use both, depending on the role.
The real outcomes
that matter.
Not vanity metrics. Founder-level impact.
Entity setup = 10+ weeks + accountant calls
Your employee gets paid on schedule. Zero payroll headaches.
PF, ESI, TDS, gratuity, professional tax - all handled
No lock-in. You can cancel anytime with zero penalty.
How we get you
from prospect to payroll.
5 business days, start to finish. Every step documented.
Compliance we handle.
So you don't.
One contract. One compliance framework. Everything.
PF - Provident Fund
EPFO registration + 12% employee contribution + 12% employer match. Retirement security built in.
ESI - Employee State Insurance
ESIC registration + 3.25% employer contribution. Health + disability + maternity coverage.
TDS - Tax Deducted at Source
Automatic salary tax deductions. Monthly filing with income tax authorities. Zero penalties.
Gratuity
4.81% annual provision. Paid at exit or 5-year service mark. Statutory obligation met.
Professional Tax
State-specific (all 28 states + 8 UTs). Monthly deductions filed. Covered across India.
Labour Law + POSH Act
Sexual harassment policy, workplace complaint mechanism, labour law registrations, audit-ready.
Statutory Registrations
Factory Act, Shops and Establishment Act, state labour authority approvals. All ticked off.
Monthly Reconciliation
Every month: payroll audit, tax reconciliation, statutory filing cross-checks. Zero surprises.
Annual Audit Readiness
Full audit trail. Statutory compliance reports. Ready for your external auditor, anytime.
"I've placed 50+ engineers in India startups. Most founder mistakes come down to two things: moving too slow, and not understanding India's compliance depth. We built Versatile to eliminate both. Your first India hire should take 5 days, not 10 weeks. The team you hire should be mission-fit, not just resume-fit. And you should sleep at night knowing every statute is covered. That's what we do."
How LinkedIn hired top 1% design
contractors in India and stayed compliant.
LinkedIn needed specialist design contractors in India - not generalists, but top-tier product designers who could integrate with their global team. The compliance challenge: Indian contractor law requires specific agreements, TDS deductions, IP assignment, and misclassification risk awareness. Getting this wrong at LinkedIn's scale creates legal exposure.
Sourced and vetted top 1% design candidates against 50+ culture and skill parameters. Drafted legally robust contractor agreements under Indian law. Set up TDS registration and monthly deductions. Created IP assignment clauses ensuring all work product belongs to LinkedIn. Handled GST invoicing. Contractors onboarded compliant and productive within days.
Contractors managed through Versatile. Monthly TDS filings happen automatically. Contract renewals are tracked. Regulatory changes in Indian contractor law are applied proactively. LinkedIn manages the design work. Versatile manages everything else.
"I wholeheartedly recommend Versatile for their exceptional efforts in solving our hiring challenges. Their team understands the India talent landscape and delivers candidates who actually fit our culture."
"Versatile's team displayed professionalism throughout the engagement. They found us talent that we couldn't source on our own, and the compliance side was completely hands-off for us."
What you'll pay.
No surprises.
First month free on all services. No setup fees, no exit fees, ever.
What's not included: No setup fees. No compliance surcharges. No "professional service fees." No exit penalties. The price on the website is the price you pay, month after month.
Ready to grow your India team?
Schedule 30 minutes with our team. We'll map out your hiring plan, answer compliance questions, and show you exactly how we can help.
Talk to an ExpertFor Startups Hiring
in India.
Setting up a Private Limited company in India takes 6-10 weeks and costs $15,000-25,000. You need an Indian director resident in India. With Versatile, you're hiring in 5 days at $0 setup cost - no local director required. Beyond 50 employees, entity setup may make financial sense, and Versatile supports that transition.
Day 1: Agreement signed. Day 2: Offer letter sent to your candidate. Day 3: Employment contract finalized. Day 4: PF and ESI registration submitted. Day 5: First payroll live. This is our documented 5-day onboarding SLA - faster than any competitor.
EOR is built for that growth. The per-employee cost stays at $149/mo whether you have 1 or 50 employees. At 50+, transitioning to your own entity may make financial sense. Versatile supports the transition seamlessly - you don't switch providers.
Your invoice is in fixed USD (or GBP). No FX exposure. A Bangalore engineer on 15 lakh INR/year costs you $149/mo in fixed USD - not an INR estimate that shifts with exchange rates. This is structural - Versatile invoices you, not the other way around.
Versatile is India-native. HQ in Bangalore. 50+ placements in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune. Our compliance team files directly with EPFO, ESIC, and state tax authorities - not through third-party processors. We understand New Labour Code 2025-26, Basic+DA requirements, PF 12%, ESI 3.25%, gratuity 4.81%. This is core product, not bolted on.
Recruitment candidates are screened against 50+ culture-fit parameters specific to startup environments. We evaluate communication depth, comfort with autonomy, fast-moving dynamics, and remote-first work patterns. This isn't resume matching - it's founder-led talent sourcing focused on team cohesion.
Yes. Start with EOR for your first 1-2 full-time hires. If you need contract specialists, switch to Contractor of Record. Both operate under the same India-native compliance framework. No need to change your payroll provider mid-journey.
Month 1 EOR fee ($149) is free. Month 1 managed payroll ($49) is free if applicable. This is risk reversal, not a discount. You only pay if Versatile delivers. No setup fees, no exit fees, ever.