- Employer of Record: Oyster becomes the legal employer for full-time hires and handles local contracts, payroll, benefits and employment support.
- Global Contractors: A separate self-service product covers contractor agreements, onboarding, invoices, expenses and payments.
- Employment changes: EOR support covers onboarding, ongoing employment needs and offboarding.
- People Partner Services: Project-based HR advice and hands-on support are purchased separately.
- Country checks: Availability, benefits and local support depend on the country and worker type.
Oyster HR
Employer-of-record hiring, contractor payments, and project-based global HR support.
Updated August 11, 2026
Oyster HR Overview
Oyster helps companies employ people in countries where they do not have a local entity. Its employer-of-record service combines an online platform with local HR support for contracts, onboarding, payroll, benefits and changes during employment.
A separate contractor product handles agreements, invoices, expenses and international payments for independent workers. Oyster also offers project-based People Partner Services for companies that need help with policies, employee relations or difficult cases, including staff who are not employed through Oyster.
Key Features
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Global Contractors | US$29/contractor/month after the first month | Contractor contracts, onboarding, invoices and payments. The first month is free. |
| Employer of Record | US$699/employee/month | Local employment, payroll, benefits and compliance support |
| People Partner Services | US$300/hour | Project-based HR advice and hands-on support with no minimum commitment |
Free trial: no general Oyster or EOR trial is listed. Global Contractors is free for the first month, but Oyster does not extend that offer to EOR employment. Use the billing unit for the actual worker or service.
Pricing source: Oyster pricing page
Pros
| Competitor | Where this tool may fit better |
|---|---|
| Deel | Against Deel, Oyster separates contractor management, employer-of-record hiring and people services clearly on its pricing page. The worker type is settled before the cost comparison starts. That prevents a contractor plan from being mistaken for the price of every global hire. |
| Remote | Oyster places contractor management and EOR hiring beside optional people services. A team comparing Remote gets several clear ways to add local employment help. The product is easy to frame around global hiring instead of a general HR suite. |
| Papaya Global | If Papaya Global is on the shortlist, Oyster publishes a contractor price and a separate EOR amount, which gives buyers an early budget reference. That visibility is useful when other global workforce providers require a proposal before showing costs. |
Cons
| Competitor | Where the rival may have the edge |
|---|---|
| Deel | Deel and Oyster must be compared using the same worker type. Oyster’s contractor price is far below its EOR price and cannot stand in for the cost of hiring an employee. Compare like-for-like services, country coverage and payment features before declaring either provider less expensive. |
| Remote | Remote may cover a planned country or benefit differently. Oyster’s payment methods, benefits and employment coverage also vary by country and worker type. Oyster buyers should verify each planned country and escalation route instead of relying on the global headline alone. |
| Papaya Global | Papaya Global may fit a complex multi-country payroll project better. Oyster bills its advisory People Partner Services separately from contractor and EOR plans. A company needing complex multi-country payroll may find Papaya’s wider payroll focus closer to the project, even though its price requires a quote. |
Reviews
- Oyster reviews on Trustpilot (3.8/5 from 271 reviews): Recent reviewers praise a clean app, simple onboarding and on-time payments. Other recent reviews report held or delayed wages, SSO login problems, slow payment tracing and late country-specific employment documents.
- Reddit: employee experience with Oyster: The commenter said they had no problems while employed through Oyster and found the EOR arrangement unobtrusive. The original poster was worried about support and local presence in Greece.
The feedback varies by country and worker type. Buyers should test the support and escalation route for each planned location.
