Oyster HR Review
Oyster is an 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 employee1
- Free trial
- Not for this category: Global Contractors free for 30 days, then USD 29 per contractor/month; no free trial stated for EOR1
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
Also listed in
How we evaluated Oyster HR
This review rests on the 22 facts this page shows, each checked against the source listed under “Sources”, most recently on . We did not test the product hands-on: the score uses only those verified facts, as our methodology explains; third-party ratings, where we quote them, never count in the score.
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: Published1
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: 11
Wide contractor coverage
Contractor contracts are available in 180+ countries and payments in 120+ currencies, with a misclassification analyzer.
Evidence: Countries supported: 1802
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: Yes3
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/mo1
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 Services1
Price at a glance
Oyster HR fees 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 provider fee at each plan’s published starting rate, before discounts and add-ons, from the published price model of each plan. Provider fee only: each employee’s salary and employer statutory costs are billed on top.
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 Services1
- Is Oyster an employer of record?
- Yes. Oyster provides EOR in 120+ countries and contractor contracts in 180+ countries.Based on EOR countries: 120+ countries1
- 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 fee1
- 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: Yes3
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 contracts4
- Payroll processing4
- Statutory benefits · not verified yet
- Supplemental benefits1
- Tax and social filings · not verified yet
- Onboarding and work authorization1
- Termination support1
- IP and confidentiality terms · not verified yet
- Expenses and equipment4
- Entity conversion · not verified yet
- Fee and currency transparency1
Specifications
Oyster HR integrations
Native integrations: A–L
Native integrations: N–X
Connected through Zapier
Oyster HR integration coverage
The 10 apps that employer of record (EOR) products document most often, and whether Oyster HR documents each.
10 of the 10 most-connected apps documented by Oyster HR; median of the 10 products compared: 5.5
- BambooHR · documented by 8 of 10
- HiBob · documented by 7 of 10
- NetSuite · documented by 7 of 10
- Workday · documented by 6 of 10
- ADP · documented by 5 of 10
- Personio · documented by 5 of 10
- QuickBooks · documented by 5 of 10
- Greenhouse · documented by 4 of 10
- Okta · documented by 4 of 10
- Slack · documented by 4 of 10
Integrations each vendor documents (native, marketplace, Zapier, API or named by the vendor), 10 live employer of record (EOR) products. Not documented does not mean not possible.
Where it ranks
- #2 of 4 scoredIndependent Contractor Management
Oyster HR alternatives
Rivermate83% similar
Skuad83% similar
Globalization Partners (G-P)70% similar
Multiplier70% similar
Playroll70% similar
Velocity Global70% similar
Compare Oyster HR
Security and compliance
Implementation and support
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, Visa Sponsorship, and Salary Insights.
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?
Our Oyster HR vs Deel comparison sets out when each one fits.
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 API (REST), with webhooks for event updates.
What does Oyster HR integrate with?
Documented examples include Ashby, Workable, TeamTailor, ADP Workforce Now, and 18 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.
How this page was made
What it is built from
22 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 8, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology
Independent review
Passed our independent review on Nov 1, 2026. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested Oyster HR hands-on: this page uses public information only.
Who made it
The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us
Independence and errors
Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction
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Oyster HR
What changed
IntegrationsWe now list Personio, Okta and 8 more in Oyster HR’s notable integrations.
IntegrationsWe no longer list webhooks in Oyster HR’s API type.
PublishedFirst published.
Sources
The 9 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- Oyster HR oysterhr.com/pricing“Employer of Record Hire, pay, and manage full-timers without entity setup USD 699 per employee/month” “Free for 30 days then USD 29 per contractor/month”
- Oyster HR oysterhr.com“Hire, pay, and care for talent in 180+ countries” “Compliant onboarding in as fast as 48 hours in 180+ countries”
- Oyster HR trust.oysterhr.com“Certificates and Audit ReportsSOC 1 Type 2SOC 2 Type 2”
- Oyster HR oysterhr.com/product/employer-of-record“Know your data is well protected on Oyster with GDPR and SOC2 compliant internal practices”
- Oyster HR oysterhr.com/developer-api“All with the Oyster API”
- Oyster HR docs.oysterhr.com/reference/post_oauth2-token-1“A refresh_token will be provided when requesting an authorization_code” “agreement_signedwebhookhiring”
- Oyster HR oysterhr.com/security“Oyster supports the use of two-factor authentication (2FA) via single sign-on (SSO) or by logging in with Google and enabling 2FA in your Google account”
- Oyster HR oysterhr.com/who-we-are“Back in 2019, Oyster began with a question: How can we make global employment easier for companies and talented workers?”
- Oyster HR oysterhr.com/integrations“Automatically sync employee record and termination data for full-time employees and contractors from Oyster to ADP”
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