Oyster
by Oyster HR, Inc
What is Oyster?
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Oyster Features
Automated payroll processing
Global payroll management
Compliance management
Employee self service portal
Direct deposit
Tax filing
View All 44 Features
Oyster Pricing Plans
Free
- Generate compliant contracts in 180+ countries
- Onboard contractors in minutes
- Pay invoices in 140+ currencies
- Manage expenses, allowances, time off, and reports in one place
Starter
- Onboard talent compliantly in 130+ countries in as fast as 48 hours
- Access deep local intelligence to guide you through all stages of global employment
- Set up payroll and manage expenses, allowances, and bonuses in 140+ currencies
- Reduce risk with confidentiality and IP assignment agreements, and insurance coverage exceeding $8 million
- Manage onboarding, time off, contract changes, equity, offboarding, and more
Oyster Resources
Oyster Screenshots
Description
Oyster at a Glance
| Company | Oyster HR, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States (fully distributed workforce) |
| Category | Employer of Record, global payroll, contractor management, HR advisory |
| Best for | Companies hiring globally without setting up local entities in every country |
| Coverage | 180+ countries for contractors, 120+ countries for EOR, 120+ currencies for payroll |
| Certifications | Certified B Corporation |
Oyster Overview
Oyster is a global Employer of Record (EOR) platform that helps companies hire, pay, and care for employees in 180+ countries without setting up local entities. The pitch is the most human EOR: from the first hire to the most sensitive people moments, HR experts work as an extension of the buyer team with empathy, accuracy, and local expertise.
The platform covers three product lines: Employer of Record for compliant full-time employment in 120+ countries, Global Contractors for freelance and short-term talent in 180+ countries, and People Services for white glove HR advisory. Oyster is a Certified B Corporation, and named customers include Kinsta and Laminar Projects.
Oyster Capabilities and Named Features
Employer of Record is the anchor product. Compliant employment in 120+ countries, multi-country payroll in 120+ currencies, automated expenses and time-off and reports, plus onboarding and offboarding specialists. Local experts provide end-to-end support so the buyer does not need to know every country rules.
Global Contractors covers freelance and short-term talent worldwide. Instant contracts in 180+ countries, contractor payments in 120+ currencies, in-app identity verification and onboarding, invoice and expense and contract management, and an Employee Misclassification Analyzer. The first 30 days are free.
People Services is white glove HR advice for the global workforce. Book HR experts by the hour for high-stakes people situations. The differentiator is built answers shaped by the buyer needs rather than a script, plus one point of contact who knows the business.
Add-ons expand the platform: Benefits packages compliant per country, Visa sponsorship with immigration experts, Salary Insights across 130+ countries, and People Partner Services for project-based HR advisory from Oyster senior experts.
Named feature list
- Employer of Record in 120+ countries
- Multi-country payroll in 120+ currencies
- Automated expenses, time-off, and reports
- Onboarding and offboarding specialists
- End-to-end support by local experts
- Global Contractors in 180+ countries
- Instant contract generation
- Contractor payments in 120+ currencies
- In-app identity verification and onboarding
- Invoice, expense, and contract management
- Employee Misclassification Analyzer
- People Services (HR advisory by the hour)
- One point of contact who knows the business
- Expert guidance for high-stakes people situations
- Compliant benefits packages by country
- Visa sponsorship with immigration experts
- Salary Insights across 130+ countries
- People Partner Services for project-based advisory
- a top peer review site Spring 2026 Best ROI winner
- Certified B Corporation
Oyster Pricing
Oyster publishes clear per-employee monthly pricing on the vendor pricing page in USD, EUR, GBP, and CAD. Employer of Record and Global Contractors have distinct rates, and Global Contractors is free for the first 30 days.
People Services is priced per hour for HR advisory. Add-ons (Benefits, Visa sponsorship, Salary Insights, People Partner Services) are quoted separately. Annual discounts are available across product lines.
| Tier | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Employer of Record | Per Employee/Month | Compliant full-time employment in 120+ countries. Multi-country payroll, automated expenses and time-off and reports, onboarding and offboarding specialists, end-to-end local expert support. Annual discounts available. |
| Global Contractors | Per Contractor/Month | Instant contracts in 180+ countries, contractor payments in 120+ currencies, in-app identity verification and onboarding, invoice and expense management, Employee Misclassification Analyzer. Free for 30 days. |
| People Services | Per Hour | White glove HR advisory. Book HR experts by the hour for high-stakes situations. Built answers, one point of contact. |
| Benefits Package | Add-on | Compliant, culturally aware benefits packages per country. |
| Visa Sponsorship | Add-on | Immigration expert support for candidate visa applications. |
| Salary Insights | Add-on | Salary bands across 130+ countries for competitive compensation planning. |
| People Partner Services | Add-on | Project-based HR advisory from senior Oyster experts. |
Oyster Pros
- 180+ country coverage for contractors and 120+ for EOR is one of the widest in the category.
- Human EOR positioning with named HR experts is a real differentiator against fully-transactional platforms.
- Certified B Corporation status matters for values-driven procurement.
- Global Contractors first 30 days free lowers the evaluation risk.
- Named customer references (Kinsta, Laminar Projects) plus a top peer review site Spring 2026 Best ROI validate the platform.
- Add-ons (Visa sponsorship, Salary Insights, People Partner Services) cover the full global HR lifecycle.
Oyster Cons and Trade-offs
- Per-employee monthly pricing on EOR is meaningful for smaller teams: buyers should model total headcount.
- People Services hourly pricing means unbounded HR advisory can escalate cost quickly.
- Category is competitive (Deel, Remote, Rippling EOR, Papaya Global): buyers should compare country coverage feature-by-feature.
- B Corp positioning may be less valued by transactional procurement teams that prioritize price only.
- Some very niche countries or specialized visa cases may require add-on People Partner Services engagement.
Oyster vs Alternatives
| Capability | Oyster | Deel | Remote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core focus | Human EOR with global reach plus HR advisory | Global payroll and EOR with broad country coverage | Global EOR and payroll with strong DEV community focus |
| EOR country coverage | 120+ countries | 150+ countries | 80+ countries |
| Contractor coverage | 180+ countries | 150+ countries | 180+ countries |
| B Corp status | Certified B Corporation | Not B Corp | Not B Corp |
| HR advisory model | People Services by the hour plus People Partner Services | Deel HR plus Deel IT | Remote HR advisory |
| Best for | Buyers wanting human EOR plus values-driven procurement | Buyers wanting broadest country coverage plus fintech features | Buyers wanting EOR plus strong developer culture |
Who Should Choose Oyster
Oyster is a fit for a distributed company hiring globally that values a human EOR model with named HR expertise plus B Corp values. Named customers include Kinsta and Laminar Projects. People Operations leaders who need HR advisory alongside payroll get the biggest lift from the People Services product.
It is less of a fit for buyers optimizing purely on lowest per-employee price (Deel or Remote may compete on that dimension), and for enterprises needing very niche country coverage that Oyster does not support natively. Very small teams may prefer contractor-only models until headcount grows.
Named Alternatives to Oyster
- Deel. Global payroll and EOR with broad country coverage. Chosen when the buyer wants the widest EOR country footprint plus fintech features.
- Remote. Global EOR and payroll with strong developer community focus. A better fit when the buyer prioritizes engineering team hiring plus community.
- Rippling EOR. EOR inside the Rippling HR and IT platform. Preferred when the buyer wants unified US payroll plus IT plus global EOR in one system.
- Papaya Global. Global payroll platform for enterprise. Chosen when the buyer is a large enterprise wanting deep payroll compliance.
- Multiplier. Global EOR and contractor management. A better fit when the buyer wants a competitive Deel and Remote alternative at scale.
Oyster Implementation and Deployment
Onboarding starts with a Book a Demo scoped to the specific countries and headcount the buyer is hiring into. Oyster HR experts partner with the buyer to configure country-specific employment terms and payroll setup.
Employer of Record deployments typically go live per country as new hires start. Local experts guide contract localization, tax registration, and benefits configuration. Payroll runs monthly with automated expenses, time-off, and reports.
Global Contractors setup is faster: instant contracts in 180+ countries plus in-app identity verification. Buyers typically start on the free 30 days to test workflow before committing longer term.
What Real Buyers Say About Oyster
The vendor publishes a named customer testimonial from Lidia Pereira (People Operations Director at Laminar Projects) describing Oyster compliance, service quality, and employee experience as amazing versus other EORs. Ana Sekulic (HR Generalist at Kinsta) describes the platform as super intuitive with responsive support. See the vendor Oyster home page for the current customer testimonial feed.
Public commentary on global HR buyer forums positions Oyster as one of the leading human-centered EOR alternatives to Deel and Remote, with the People Services model plus B Corp positioning as key differentiators.
The trade-off most reviewers name is per-employee monthly pricing that scales with headcount. Buyers should model total cost against Deel and Remote across the specific countries they hire into before committing.
Sources
- vendor website, Oyster Pricing page listing Employer of Record, People Services, and Global Contractors rates
- vendor website, Oyster home page describing 180+ country coverage, B Corp status, and human EOR positioning
Frequently Asked Questions about Oyster
What is Oyster?
A distributed-first Employer of Record (EOR) platform that helps companies hire, pay, and manage full-time employees and contractors across 180+ countries without setting up local entities. Certified B Corporation.
What countries does Oyster cover?
Employer of Record supports 120+ countries with multi-country payroll in 120+ currencies. Global Contractors extends to 180+ countries.
What is the difference between EOR and Global Contractors?
EOR is for full-time employees where Oyster becomes the legal employer in the country. Global Contractors is for freelance and short-term talent using contractor agreements and payments.
What is People Services?
White glove HR advisory priced per hour. Oyster HR experts guide high-stakes people situations with one point of contact who knows the business.
Is Global Contractors free?
The first 30 days are free. After that, Global Contractors is priced per contractor per month.
What add-ons are available?
Benefits packages, Visa sponsorship, Salary Insights across 130+ countries, and People Partner Services for project-based HR advisory.
Is Oyster a B Corporation?
Yes. Oyster is a Certified B Corporation.
Where is Oyster headquartered?
Oyster HR, Inc. is a United States company with a fully distributed global workforce.
The Bottom Line on Oyster
Oyster is a fit for a distributed company hiring globally that values a human EOR model with named HR expertise plus B Corp values. Named customers Kinsta and Laminar Projects plus a top peer review site Spring 2026 Best ROI recognition support the reference base.
The tradeoffs are per-employee monthly pricing and category competitiveness against Deel and Remote. Buyers optimizing purely on lowest price should model total cost across specific countries; buyers valuing HR advisory and B Corp status find Oyster differentiated.
A useful evaluation is to start Global Contractors on the free 30 days for a real freelance engagement, plus scope EOR pricing for the specific countries and headcount the buyer plans to hire into. That surfaces both the platform workflow and the total cost before signing.
Verified on 2026-08-01 against vendor website.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Oyster?
What countries does Oyster cover?
What is the difference between EOR and Global Contractors?
What is People Services?
Is Global Contractors free?
What add-ons are available?
Is Oyster a B Corporation?
Where is Oyster headquartered?
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