Top US-Based Remote Companies Hiring Globally in 2026 (An Honest List)

I got a lot of emails this week. They all asked the same thing: which US companies hire people who live outside the US? So I thought, let's just talk about it here.

I get why people ask this. Most "best remote companies" lists are not very helpful. They are old. Or they are written by someone who never even applied to these jobs. They just show 50 logos with no real reason why.

So I want to do this in a different way.

Let's be honest for a second.

Job hunting is hard. And job hunting for a remote job at a US company, when you live outside the US, is even harder.

You scroll on LinkedIn for an hour. You find a "remote" job. But it says you must live in Texas. You apply anyway. No reply comes back. Then you do it all again.

I've been there. A lot of people I know have been there too. It's tiring. And most job lists online don't really help. They just throw names at you and nothing else.

I don't want to do that here.

Instead, I want to show you a few US companies that really do hire people from other countries. I'll tell you why they're good. And I'll give you a quick tip for each one, so your application stands out. No big fancy words. Just real talk, like a friend giving you advice.

First, a quick reality check

Before we get into names, here's something worth knowing. US companies aren't pulling back from hiring globally. If anything, they're doing it more, alongside hiring at home, not instead of it.

What's changed is how they build teams. Work isn't tied to a city anymore. A company headquartered in San Francisco can have your future manager in Lisbon and your future teammate in Manila. That's just normal now.

This matters for you because it means the opportunity is real. You're not chasing a trend. You're chasing something that's already the standard way a lot of these companies operate.

Okay. Let's get into it.

1. GitLab

GitLab is about as remote-first as it gets. We're talking thousands of employees spread across 60+ countries, with zero central office to speak of.

What makes them great for international hires: they put their entire company handbook online, for anyone to read. Not just employees. Anyone. It covers how they hire, how they pay people, how decisions get made. You can study it before you even apply.

Heads-up: Because everything's public, GitLab expects you to have actually read it. If you reference something specific from the handbook in your application or interview, it shows you did your homework instead of mass-applying. That alone puts you ahead of most candidates.

2. Automatic (the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce)

Automattic has employees in nearly 100 countries. One detail I really like: they pay the same salary for the same role, regardless of where you live. A developer in Lagos and a developer in Seattle get paid the same. That's rare, and it's worth seeking out.

Heads-up: Their hiring process includes a paid trial project before any final offer. It's not a trick, it's just how they confirm you can actually do the work async, without someone hovering over you. Treat the trial like a real job, not a test. That's when they're watching closest.

3. Zapier

Zapier has never had an office. Not one, ever. They're fully distributed with hundreds of employees across 40+ countries.

Why it's good for international candidates: they're upfront that they don't care where you live, they care whether you can manage your own time and communicate clearly without someone checking in on you constantly.

Heads-up: Zapier looks specifically for proof you can self-manage. If you've worked remotely before, talk about results, not hours logged. If you haven't, freelance work or even open-source contributions count. Show them you don't need a manager standing over your shoulder.

4. Atlassian

Atlassian runs something they call "Team Anywhere," which spans well over a dozen countries through separate legal entities. It's a bigger, more corporate environment than GitLab or Zapier, which can actually be a plus if you want more structure and stability.

Heads-up: Because Atlassian is larger, expect a more traditional, multi-stage interview process. Lean into your specific, measurable accomplishments. Big companies love numbers, so quantify your impact wherever you can.

5. CrowdStrike

CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company that runs remote-first across a global workforce. If you're in security, DevOps, or related technical fields, they're worth watching closely.

Heads-up: Cybersecurity roles often involve background checks and sometimes clearance-adjacent requirements, even remote ones. Don't be surprised if the process takes longer than a typical tech application. Patience pays off here.

6. Doist (makers of Todoist and Twist)

Smaller team, but worth mentioning because they're fiercely async-first. If endless Zoom meetings drain you, this is the kind of company that gets it. They communicate mostly through writing.

Heads-up: Your writing is the interview here, more than usual. If your cover letter or application is sloppy, that's a bigger red flag for a company like Doist than it would be elsewhere. Slow down and write it properly.

7. Buffer

Buffer's been remote since 2013, and they're known for being unusually open about salaries and how they operate, including running on a 4-day work week setup for a while now.

Heads-up: Buffer's culture is built on transparency. If you mention their actual values or public blog posts in your application instead of generic "I love your mission" lines, it lands a lot better.

A few honest tips that apply across all of these

I don't want to just hand you a list and walk away, so here's what I'd actually tell you if we were talking about this over coffee.

Go straight to the careers page. A lot of these roles get filled before they even hit LinkedIn or Indeed. Bookmark 15-20 company pages and check them weekly. It's not glamorous, but it works.

Expect writing-heavy applications. These companies live and breathe async communication. A clear, well-written cover letter does more for you here than it would at a typical office job.

Don't skip the "why us" part. I know it's tempting to copy-paste the same application everywhere when you're applying to 30 places a week. But these companies can usually tell. A few specific lines about why their remote setup or values fit you go a long way.

If there's a trial project, treat it like the real job. That stage isn't a formality. It's often the actual deciding factor.

Be upfront about time zones early. Don't let it come up awkwardly later. If you can flex your hours for overlap, say so. If you can't, say that too. Honesty here builds trust fast.

Okay, your turn

I know this list isn't going to fix the whole job hunt for you. I wish it were that easy. But I hope it gives you a few real places to start instead of another generic "Top 50 Companies" list that doesn't tell you anything useful.

So tell me, what's been the hardest part of your remote job search so far? Is it the radio silence after applying? The time zone juggling? Companies that say "remote" but mean "remote, but only in these 12 states"?

Drop it in the comments. I'd genuinely like to know what you're running into, and maybe we can help each other out.