Higher EOR score: 7.8 against 6.9.
Best for: Startups, growing companies and enterprises, the three segments Pebl writes a page for
Read review (Pebl)Oyster sells Employer of Record at $699 per employee a month and contractor management at $29 per contractor a month after 30 free days. Its pricing and EOR pages claim EOR in 120+ countries; we document 112 countries + 2 territories (Bermuda and Hong Kong) from its own pages. It says it holds a SOC 2 Type II report, and it publishes its Customer Terms.
Verdict
Best for
- Startups under 50 employees, pre-seed to Series A, in Oyster's own words
- SMB and mid-market companies hiring abroad, as Oyster describes its customers
- Teams making a first hire in a new country
- Teams employing staff in several countries
- Companies moving contractors onto employment
Not for
- Companies for which the EOR list price decides the choice
- Teams that need published support hours or a stated response target
- Buyers who need the legal employer named for each EOR country
- Stands out
- Terms and tooling: public Customer Terms that set no minimum term (30 days' written notice either side), no setup fee, a public API, 23 integrations in its directory, a contractor platform it calls fully self-serve, and contracts, IP assignment and invoices handled in the platform.
- Biggest limit
- Price, deposits and support detail. EOR at $699 sits higher than each of the 20 other USD-priced EOR offers we score, each EOR or contractor Service Agreement needs a deposit of at least one month's fees, and Oyster publishes no support hours or response target.
On this page
Services
| Service | Price | Basis | Score | Countries documented |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employer of Record | US$699[1][2][3] | per employee a month | Our score 6.9 of 10 | 112 countries + 2 territories |
| Contractor management | US$29[1][4][2] | per contractor a month | Our score 7.7 of 10 | 173 countries + 12 territories |
Top alternatives to Oyster
Providers with a higher EOR score from us than Oyster. How we score
Higher EOR score: 7.5 against 6.9.
Best for: Companies moving contractors onto local employment contracts, a use Remote's EOR page names
Read review (Remote)Rated higher than Oyster on Capterra, G2 and Trustpilot.
Best for: Startups and global enterprises, in Deel's own words
Read review (Deel)
Pricing
Setup fees and what each list price includes, by service. The EOR fee for a team follows under Cost at volume.
EOR cost at volume
Oyster’s EOR fee at its list price of US$699 per employee a month, for a team of 1, 10 and 50 employees.
| Employees | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$8,388 | |
| 10 | US$83,880 | |
| 50 | US$419,400 |
Provider fee only, before salary and employer contributions; list price from the provider’s page; volume discounts not included.[1][2][3]
EOR price against other providers
Oyster’s EOR list price next to the providers with the highest EOR score from us that price EOR per head a month in USD. They are picked by our score, not by price.
PeblUS$399
MultiplierUS$459a
DeelUS$599
RemoteUS$599
OysterUS$699
How we scored Oyster
Each service gets its own score from our five criteria. Review-platform ratings are not part of it.
Employer of Record Our score 6.9 of 10
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Contribution | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance | 30% | 6.8 | 2.04 | Entities on company registers: 3; Service agreement: published; Own security certifications: SOC 2; Licences: none recorded; Facts on record for this criterion: 3 of 4. |
| Coverage | 20% | 7.6 | 1.52 | Countries: 112 countries + 2 territories documented, 120 claimed (territories not counted); Reach: 69% of the widest provider of this service; Own entities on company registers: 2, 2% of documented countries; Facts on record for this criterion: 2 of 2. |
| Price | 20% | 6.0 | 1.20 | Price compared with 20 providers charging per person a month in USD; 100% of them charge less; Setup fee: none; Deposit: 1 month; Minimum term: none; Termination fee: none; Facts on record for this criterion: 5 of 5. |
| Platform | 15% | 8.2 | 1.23 | API: yes; Integrations: 23; Self-serve sign-up: not disclosed; Documents in the platform: contracts yes, IP assignment yes, closing documents yes; Facts on record for this criterion: 3 of 4. |
| Support | 15% | 6.0 | 0.90 | Live support channels: chat, tickets and email; Live support hours: not stated; Dedicated manager: on record, not confirmed; Stated onboarding time: not stated; Stated response target: not stated; Facts on record for this criterion: 1 of 5. |
| Our score | 6.9 |
Contractor management Our score 7.7 of 10
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Contribution | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance | 30% | 7.3 | 2.19 | Contracting entity on a company register: yes; Service agreement: published; Own security certifications: SOC 2; Licences: none recorded; Facts on record for this criterion: 3 of 4. |
| Coverage | 20% | 10.0 | 2.00 | Countries: 173 countries + 12 territories documented, 180 claimed (territories not counted); Reach: 95% of the widest provider of this service; Facts on record for this criterion: 1 of 1. |
| Price | 20% | 6.5 | 1.30 | Price compared with 16 providers charging per person a month in USD; 44% of them charge less; Setup fee: not disclosed; Deposit: 1 month; Minimum term: not disclosed; Termination fee: not disclosed; Facts on record for this criterion: 2 of 5. |
| Platform | 15% | 8.8 | 1.32 | API: yes; Integrations: 23; Self-serve sign-up: yes; Documents in the platform: contracts yes, IP assignment yes, closing documents yes; Payout methods: not disclosed; Facts on record for this criterion: 4 of 5. |
| Support | 15% | 6.0 | 0.90 | Live support channels: chat, tickets and email; Live support hours: not stated; Dedicated manager: on record, not confirmed; Stated onboarding time: not stated; Stated response target: not stated; Facts on record for this criterion: 1 of 5. |
| Our score | 7.7 |
Key facts
As the provider states them.
- Founded
- 2019
- Headquarters
- Distributed (registered in Delaware, US)
- Reach
- Global
- Deposit
- 1 month[1]
- Minimum term
- None
- Support
- chat, tickets, email, help center
- Integrations
- 23
Countries covered
Claimed is the provider’s own count. Documented countries are the ones with evidence from a company register or the provider’s own site; countries we list without evidence are not counted.
- Own entity on company registers: 2
- Other documented: 112
- Listed without evidence: 2
Employer of Record
Claimed: 120 countries · Documented: 112 countries + 2 territories
| Country | Entity | From | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
 Albania | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Argentina | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Armenia | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Australia | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Austria | Not disclosed | US$699 | Provider’s site, 7 Oct 2026 |
 Azerbaijan | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Bahamas | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Bangladesh | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Barbados | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Belarus | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Belgium | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Belize | — | US$699 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
Show 104 more countries
Contractor management
Claimed: 180 countries · Documented: 173 countries + 12 territories
| Country | Entity | From | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
 Afghanistan | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Albania | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Andorra | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Antigua And Barbuda | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Argentina | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Armenia | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
 Aruba | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Australia | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Austria | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Azerbaijan | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Bahamas | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Bangladesh | — | US$29 | Provider’s site, 15 Oct 2026 |
Show 173 more countries
Who it fits
- Company size
- 1–50 people
- Hiring patterns
- First hires in one country
- A team across many countries
- Converting contractors to employees
- Industries
- Software development
- Technology
- Professional services
- Agency
- E-commerce
- Healthcare
- Nonprofit
- Operations
- Utilities
- Segments it names
- Pre-seed to Series A and bootstrapped startups under 50 employees; SMB and mid-market companies
Pros and cons
Pros
- Contractor management claimed in 180+ countries; we document 173 countries + 12 territories from Oyster's country-availability page
- Contractors at $29 a month after a 30-day free trial, cheaper than 8 of the 16 other USD-priced contractor offers we score
- Contractor platform described by Oyster as fully self-serve
- Public Customer Terms for EOR and contractors that set no minimum term; either side can end on 30 days' written notice
- No extra charge for setup or onboarding, per the pricing FAQ
- Says it holds a SOC 2 Type II report with Security, Availability and Confidentiality in scope; the report sits on its Policy and Security Dashboard
- Public API and 23 integrations in its directory, plus Zapier
- Oyster HR, Inc. (Delaware) on GLEIF, and own EOR entities in the Netherlands and Spain on company registers
Cons
- EOR at $699 per employee a month, higher than each of the 20 other USD-priced EOR offers we score
- A deposit of at least one month's fees for each Service Agreement, contractors included, with top-ups Oyster can ask for on 5 days' notice
- No published support hours or response target
- Entity model not disclosed: 2 own entities on company registers against 112 countries documented for EOR
- SOC 2 Type II is the only certification listed; no ISO 27001
Reviews in brief
AI summary
Written by an AI model from the data on our pages on 15 Oct 2026. Not a recommendation, not our score, and not a quote from any assistant.
What does the data show about Oyster as an Employer of Record?
AI
Oyster lists EOR at $699 per employee a month with no setup fee, and its Customer Terms set no minimum term: either side can end on 30 days' notice. It claims 120+ EOR countries; we document 112 countries + 2 territories from its own pages. It says it holds a SOC 2 Type II report and offers a public API.
What the data does not show
Company registers show own entities only in the Netherlands and Spain; Oyster does not say whether it uses own entities or partners elsewhere. Its 48-hour onboarding figure is the fastest case it cites, with no maximum stated.
What are Oyster's main drawbacks?
AI
Price, deposits and support detail. EOR at $699 sits higher than each of the 20 other USD-priced EOR offers we score. Each Service Agreement, contractors included, needs a deposit of at least one month's fees, and Oyster can ask for more on 5 days' notice. Oyster publishes no support hours or response target.
What the data does not show
The data does not show deposit sizes above the one-month floor or how often top-ups are requested. No ISO 27001 certificate is listed.
Trust and registration
- Company register
- Certifications
More alternatives to Oyster
Providers with a higher EOR score from us than Oyster. How we score
- EOR price from
- US$459 per employee a month, billed annually
- EOR countries 160 claimed, 106 documented
- Onboarding 2–3 days
- Services EOR · COR · Contractors · Payroll
- Best for
- Companies from startups to enterprises, going by Multiplier's segment pages
- Not for
- Buyers who need the deposit amount before signing: Multiplier calculates it per contract
- Top pro
- Own SOC 2 (Type I and II), SOC 3 and ISO 27001:2022 on its security page; the AWS certifications listed there are kept apart as the host's
- Top con
- The "from" prices assume an annual contract. Monthly EOR costs $499 on Core and $559 on Growth, about 11% of countries are priced differently, and compliance-mandated add-ons come on top of EOR and COR
- G24.7/5· 2,124
Signals checked 29 Jun 2026
- EOR price from
- US$399 per employee a month
- EOR countries 180 claimed, 157 documented
- Onboarding 2–5 days
- Deposit 1 month
- Minimum term None
- Services EOR · Contractors · Payroll
- Best for
- Companies from startups to enterprises: Playroll has pages for each, and its case studies include startups under 100 staff and mid-market firms of 100 to 1,000
- Not for
- Contractors who want to be paid other than through Payoneer, the only payout route Playroll uses
- Top pro
- Its own country pages document EOR hiring in 151 countries + 6 territories, against a claim of 180+
- Top con
- A refundable deposit of one month's salary per EOR employee; the unused part comes back within two months of the last working day, or once claims are settled if that is later
- G24.7/5· 198
Signals checked 21 Jul 2026
- EOR price from
- €299 per employee a month
- EOR countries 180 claimed, 135 documented
- Onboarding 3–4 days
- Deposit 1 month
- Minimum term None
- Services EOR · COR · Contractors
- Best for
- Companies making their first hire in a new country through an employer of record
- Not for
- Buyers whose security review requires the vendor's own SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certificate
- Top pro
- EOR from €299 per employee a month on the pricing page, varying by country and headcount, with no setup or termination fee
- Top con
- SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 are held by AWS, its host; no Rivermate certificate is published
Questions people ask
Which services does Oyster offer?
Employer of Record and contractor management, which we cover here. Its Customer Terms name these as its two core services, the Team Member Service (EOR) and the Contractor Service. The pricing page also sells HR advisory (People Partner Services) at $300 an hour.
What does Oyster charge?
Oyster's pricing page gives EOR at $699 per employee a month and contractors at $29 per contractor a month, free for the first 30 days. It says annual discounts are available and that setup, onboarding and processing terminations cost nothing extra (oysterhr.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-15). A deposit comes on top; see below.
In how many countries can Oyster employ people?
Its pricing, EOR and startup pages say 120+. Its country-availability page lists 185 locations, 116 of them tagged Employer of Record, and warns that EOR in some (Albania is one) may take longer or need a minimum number of hires. We document 112 countries + 2 territories (Bermuda and Hong Kong) for EOR. For contractors it claims 180+, and the page lists all 185 locations: 173 countries + 12 territories. Company registers show own entities in the Netherlands and Spain; Oyster HR, Inc. is registered in Delaware.
Does Oyster ask for a deposit?
Yes, for EOR and contractors alike. The Customer Terms require an initial deposit for each Service Agreement, set by Oyster and never less than one month of fees, and allow supplementary deposits on 5 days' written notice, for example when monthly costs rise or Transition Costs are expected. Oyster holds the deposit with a security interest until nothing is owed, may use it for Transition Costs or overdue amounts, and returns the rest within 60 days. The pricing page calls the EOR deposit refundable.
Does Oyster charge for terminations?
There is no fee for processing a termination, per the pricing FAQ. The costs of ending employment, which the Customer Terms call Transition Costs (pay in lieu of notice, accrued vacation, severance and similar payments), are billed to the customer on top. Either side can end a Service Agreement on 30 days' written notice.
Sources
- Oyster pricing, Oyster · checked 15 Oct 2026
- Oyster Customer Terms & Conditions, Oyster · checked 15 Oct 2026
- Oyster country availability, Oyster · checked 15 Oct 2026
- Oyster Global Contractors, Oyster · checked 15 Oct 2026
How this page is built
Last checked: 15 Oct 2026.