WFA Companies 2026: 25 That Genuinely Hire From Anywhere

Half the companies that claim "remote-first" in 2026 are actually "remote within the US" or "remote within the EU". A short list of employers is genuinely WFA — they hire from any country where they can legally pay you, with no relocation, no surprise location clause on page 4 of the JD.

This is the 2026 list. Built from the postings we surface on the WFA Jobs board every day, cross-checked against each company's careers page. No cap on the criteria: a company makes the list only if it has hired at least 5 people across at least 3 continents in the last 12 months.

What companies hire WFA in 2026?

The 25 companies that most reliably hire work-from-anywhere in 2026 are GitLab, Automattic, Doist, Buffer, Zapier, Toptal, Aha!, Hotjar, Toggl, Remote.com, Deel, Andela, Canonical, 10up, Crossover, X-Team, Aragon AI, Tailscale, Sourcegraph, Replit, Vercel, PostHog, Supabase, Linear, and Cal.com. Each one has shipped public WFA hires in the last 12 months across at least three continents. Below is the head-to-head.

The 25 WFA companies — at a glance

All numbers Q1 2026. Hiring volume = postings per quarter relative to headcount.

How we picked the 25

The filter was strict:

• Hires across at least 3 continents in the last 12 months, publicly verifiable on LinkedIn or the company's own careers page.
• Explicit WFA language in JDs, not just "remote". Anything saying "remote within X country/region" was disqualified.
• A clear pay model, even if tier-based. Black-box pay is a red flag in 2026.
• At least 12 months of WFA hiring history. Companies that pivoted to remote during a recession and reversed don't count.

Companies that didn't make the cut despite a strong "remote" reputation include several US-only "remote-first" Series B startups, and a handful of EU companies that quietly hire only within the EU.

The four pay models in 2026

The companies above split into four pay models. The model matters more than the role for what you'll actually earn — see the WFA salary ranges post for the underlying numbers.

Single global band (Doist, Buffer, Toggl, Supabase, PostHog, Aragon AI, Canonical)

One band, same number anywhere on Earth. Usually ~60-75% of FAANG SF comp. The simplest model and the most fair across geos. The trade-off is the absolute number is lower than what a US-based engineer can earn at a US-only employer.

Tier-based (GitLab, Automattic, Zapier, Aha!, Hotjar, Remote, Deel, 10up, Tailscale, Sourcegraph, Replit, Vercel, Linear, Cal.com, Andela)

2-5 tiers, usually US / EU / LATAM / APAC / Africa. Pay can vary 1.5x-2x between top and bottom tier for the same role. Most series-B+ remote startups use this model. Read the tier you're in honestly before getting excited about the role.

Contractor flat (Toptal, Crossover, X-Team)

Flat hourly or daily rate, same globally. Usually 1099-style — you handle your own taxes, benefits, and time off. Strong if you're in a low-tax country and want maximum take-home; weak if you want stability.

Hybrid (a few of the above)

A few employers (Canonical historically, some bigger Vercel teams) blend tier-based base with a global equity grant. Equity rarely sits in tiers — it's almost always global.

The 6 best for engineers

If you're an engineer specifically and you want a short list: Vercel, Supabase, Linear, PostHog, Sourcegraph, Tailscale. All six have shipped real WFA engineering hires in the last 12 months, all six publish bands, all six have clean async cultures. The jobs board usually has at least one role from each in any given week.

The 4 best for non-engineering

For design, PM, marketing, ops, CS: GitLab, Automattic, Zapier, Doist. All four hire across functions with explicit WFA terms, and all four have public hiring processes that are fair to non-engineering candidates.

The 3 best for early-career

WFA roles for junior candidates are rare and worth flagging. The three companies most reliably hiring early-career talent in 2026 are Andela, Crossover, and X-Team — all three are explicitly built around training and placing junior talent globally. The trade-off is contractor-style employment.

How to actually apply to a WFA company

Three rules that beat the spray-and-pray approach:

• Apply through their careers page, not via aggregators. Most of these companies route aggregator applications through a slower pipeline. Direct apply = priority.
• Write the cover note like an async doc. Three short paragraphs, lead with one specific thing the company shipped recently, end with a clear next step.
• Reference a real artefact. A GitHub PR, a Notion doc, a Loom — anything that proves you can ship async work. The interview questions post has more on the take-home stage.

The companies page is the curated index — you can browse all the above (and others that have shipped at least one WFA hire) without scrolling through an aggregator.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest WFA company in 2026?

Deel and GitLab are the two largest fully-remote employers in 2026, each with 2,000+ headcount and hires across all continents. Canonical is the largest by tenure (fully-remote since 2004) at 1,200+ headcount.

Do WFA companies hire from any country?

No company hires from literally any country. Most maintain a list of supported countries, driven by what their payroll provider (Deel, Remote.com, Oyster) covers. The list usually includes ~40-80 countries, which still covers the vast majority of WFA candidates. Always ask for the list before assuming you qualify.

Are WFA companies hiring in 2026?

Yes, hiring volume across the 25 is up roughly 20% year-on-year vs 2025. The strongest growth is at infra and developer-tools companies (Vercel, Supabase, Linear, PostHog). Hiring at older WFA companies (GitLab, Automattic) is flat but steady.

Which WFA company pays the most?

GitLab, Vercel and Sourcegraph pay closest to US-only rates for engineering roles, especially at staff and principal level, thanks to higher US-tier bands and meaningful equity. Pure single-global-band employers (Doist, Buffer, Toggl) pay less in absolute terms but more fairly across tiers.

Where can I find more WFA companies?

The companies page on this site lists every verified WFA employer, including dozens beyond the top 25. The jobs board shows what they're actively hiring for today. If you're hiring rather than searching, the Feature a Job page is how you get in front of this audience.