Oyster HR Review
Oyster is a B Corp-certified employer of record and global contractor platform for hiring, paying and managing international teams without local entities, with public per-person pricing.
- Pricing model
- Per employee
- Free trial
- Yes
Best for
- Companies hiring a few EOR employees abroad
- Teams paying contractors in many countries
- Startups seeking published EOR pricing
Not ideal for
- US employers hiring only inside the US: Oyster is built for teams hiring abroad
- Buyers who want the lowest EOR fee: EOR is USD 699 per employee a month
- Companies that need a PEO for US co-employment
How we evaluated Oyster HR
This review rests on 20 facts checked against Oyster HR’s official pricing pages and documentation, most recently on . We did not test the product hands-on: the score and the pros and cons use only those verified facts, as our methodology explains, and third-party ratings are quoted, never scored.
Our verdict
Oyster is an employer of record and contractor platform with published USD pricing: $699 per active team member per month for EOR and $29 per contractor per month. It has no minimum headcount and no setup fee, but EOR requires a refundable deposit.
Strengths
Published USD pricing
EOR is $699 per active team member per month, Global Contractors $29 per contractor per month, and People Partner Services $300 per hour.
Evidence: Price transparency: Published
No minimum, no setup fee
The FAQ states no minimum team size, and setup, onboarding, HR expert access and terminations are included in the subscription fee.
Evidence: Minimum employees: 1
Wide contractor coverage
Contractor contracts are available in 180+ countries and payments in 120+ currencies, with a misclassification analyzer.
Evidence: Countries supported: 180
Trust center attestations
The trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 1 Type 2, and the vendor states GDPR compliance.
Evidence: SOC 2 Type II: Yes
Weaknesses
High EOR monthly fee
EOR is $699 per active team member per month, with seat-based annual billing at a reduced fee available.
Evidence: Starting price per employee: $699/employee/mo
Deposit and other charges
EOR requires a refundable deposit, and currency conversion fees apply when paying in a different currency.
Evidence: Extra costs: Refundable deposit required for EOR team members to initiate the engagement, Currency conversion fee if paying in a currency different from the contract currency, Optional Oyster Shell misclassification protection add-on (aggregate protection up to USD 500,000) for contractors, Optional add-ons: benefits package, visa sponsorship, salary insights, People Partner Services
Price at a glance
Starting price per employee
$699/employee/mo
Pricing model
Per employee
Price transparency
Published
Free trial
Yes
Minimum employees
1
Oyster HR cost at 10 to 100 employees
- Employer of Record$699/employee/mo
| Employees | Employer of Record |
|---|---|
| 10 | $6,990/mo |
| 25 | $17,475/mo |
| 50 | $34,950/mo |
| 100 | $69,900/mo |
Monthly list price before discounts, add-ons and taxes, from the published price model of each plan.
Quick answers
- How much does Oyster cost?
- Employer of Record is $699 per active team member per month, and Global Contractors is $29 per contractor per month after 30 free days. Add-ons and a refundable EOR deposit are extra.Based on Extra costs: Refundable deposit required for EOR team members to initiate the engagement, Currency conversion fee if paying in a currency different from the contract currency, Optional Oyster Shell misclassification protection add-on (aggregate protection up to USD 500,000) for contractors, Optional add-ons: benefits package, visa sponsorship, salary insights, People Partner Services
- Is Oyster an employer of record?
- Yes. Oyster provides EOR in 120+ countries and contractor contracts in 180+ countries.Based on EOR countries: 120
- Does Oyster charge a setup fee?
- No. Setup, onboarding, HR expert access and terminations are included in the subscription fee.Based on Implementation fee: None; setup, onboarding, HR expert access and terminations are included in the subscription fee
- Is Oyster SOC 2 compliant?
- Yes. The trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 1 Type 2, and the vendor states GDPR compliance.Based on SOC 2 Type II: Yes
Coverage of core employer of record (EOR) capabilities
Each core capability we evaluate in Employer of Record (EOR), checked against Oyster HR’s own documentation. “Not verified yet” means we have not confirmed it either way, not that it is missing.
7 verified of 12 core capabilities
Employer of Record (EOR)
- Local employment · not verified yet
- Local employment contracts
- Payroll processing
- Statutory benefits · not verified yet
- Supplemental benefits
- Tax and social filings · not verified yet
- Onboarding and work authorization
- Termination support
- IP and confidentiality terms · not verified yet
- Expenses and equipment
- Entity conversion · not verified yet
- Fee and currency transparency
Specifications
Fit
- Countries supported
- 180
Product
- Modules
- Employer of Record, Global Contractors, People Partner Services, Employee Benefits, Visa Sponsorship, Salary Insights
Integrations
- Open API
- Yes
- API type
- REST
- Webhooks
- Yes
Oyster HR integrations
Partner and marketplace apps
Oyster HR integration coverage
The 10 apps that employer of record (EOR) products document most often, and whether Oyster HR documents each.
3 of the 10 most-connected apps documented by Oyster HR; median of the 10 products compared: 4.5
- BambooHR · documented by 7 of 10
- HiBob · documented by 6 of 10
- ADP Workforce Now · documented by 5 of 10
- NetSuite · documented by 5 of 10
- Personio · documented by 4 of 10
- Slack · documented by 4 of 10
- Workday · documented by 4 of 10
- Ashby · documented by 3 of 10
- Greenhouse · documented by 3 of 10
- Gusto · documented by 3 of 10
Integrations each vendor documents (native, marketplace, Zapier or API), 10 live employer of record (EOR) products. Not documented does not mean not possible.
Oyster HR alternatives
- Globalization Partners (G-P)70% similar
Compare Oyster HR
Security and compliance
- SOC 2 Type IIYes
- GDPR programYes
- Single sign-onYes
Implementation and support
- Typical implementation
- As fast as 48 hours to onboard
- Implementation fee
- None; setup, onboarding, HR expert access and terminations are included in the subscription fee
Oyster HR: frequently asked questions
Is Oyster legit?
Yes. Oyster HR began in 2019, holds SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 reports and publishes a trust center.
What is Oyster HR used for?
Oyster HR, on the market since 2019, is an employer of record (EOR) product. Its modules include Employer of Record, Global Contractors, People Partner Services, Employee Benefits, and 2 more.
What are the best alternatives to Oyster HR?
In our employer of record (EOR) ranking, the highest-scored products other than Oyster HR are Remote, Velocity Global, and Deel. Compared side by side, by reason to switch: Oyster HR alternatives.
Which is better, Oyster HR or Deel?
It depends on the team. Choose Oyster HR if: you mostly pay contractors: $29 a month each, free for the first 30 days. Choose Deel if: you hire employees abroad: EOR at $599 a month in 130+ countries. The full comparison: Oyster HR vs Deel.
What are the pros and cons of Oyster HR?
Strengths documented on the vendor’s own pages: published USD pricing, no minimum, no setup fee, and wide contractor coverage. It is less suited to US employers hiring only inside the US: Oyster is built for teams hiring abroad and buyers who want the lowest EOR fee: EOR is USD 699 per employee a month.
Does Oyster HR have an API?
Yes. Oyster HR offers an open API (REST) to customers, with webhooks for event updates.
What does Oyster HR integrate with?
Oyster HR documents integrations, including Ashby, Workable, TeamTailor, ADP Workforce Now, and 8 more. Every documented connection: Oyster HR integrations.
How long does it take to implement Oyster HR?
Oyster HR states a typical implementation of as fast as 48 hours to onboard. Implementation fee: none; setup, onboarding, HR expert access and terminations are included in the subscription fee.
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What changed
IntegrationsOyster HR no longer lists webhooks in its API type.
PublishedFirst published.
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