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ToolGPA

Deel vs Oyster

We give Deel a 2.4 GPA and Oyster a 2.0, out of 4.0. Deel grades higher on value for money, features and ease of use. Oyster grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on platforms.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

Deel

Global payroll, contractor payments and employer of record

From $29/mo
Full detailsdeel.com

Oyster

Employer of record and contractor payments in 120+ countries

Free trial · from $29/mo
Full detailsoysterhr.com

How we grade them

2.4GPADeelFair2.0GPAOysterFair
Value for money
CGraded against the other employer-of-record services, since EOR is a different kind of thing: $599 a person a month, $2,995 for five, the usual rate with Remote and Justworks. Its US payroll is $29 a person, $145 for five, dearer than most US tools.
DGraded against the other employer-of-record services: $699 a person a month billed monthly, $3,495 for five, $100 a head more than Deel and Remote and the dearest here. Annual seats cost less, but the page gives no figure.
Free plan and trial
FNo free plan or trial: Deel offers a demo instead. Pricing is month to month with no long-term contract, which helps, but you pay from the start.
CGlobal Contractors is free for the first 30 days, and opening an account costs nothing. Employer of record has no trial, so the main product is paid from the first hire.
Features
BEmployer of record and payroll in 130+ countries, US payroll in all 50 states, contractor payments in 120+ currencies, contractor of record and a US PEO. The whole job of paying people wherever they are.
CEmployer of record in 120+ countries and contractors in 180+, with ID checks and a misclassification checker. Hiring abroad is covered, but the listing shows no payroll for your own entities and no US PEO, which Deel and Remote both sell.
Ease of use
A4.84 from about 3,200 App Store ratings. US payroll is yours to run yourself, or a Deel payroll manager can run it on the managed option.
CNo App Store rating on record. Onboarding specialists help, but each EOR hire needs a refundable deposit and setting up with Oyster's team.
Platforms and integrations
BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, BambooHR, Greenhouse, Ashby, Slack and Google Workspace. No desktop app.
BWeb only, with no mobile app in the pages read, but it links to Slack, Ashby and Workable and to 5,000+ apps through Zapier, and there's an API.
Best forhiring and paying people in other countriesstartups paying contractors in many countries

The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Deel and Oyster. How we grade

Price against what you get

Deel starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Oyster starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.3.

Deel scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other payroll services on the chart, none scores higher than Deel for less, and 2 score higher than Oyster for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$5$10$20$50$100More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessDeelOyster

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
The full chart of payroll services, and the best at every price

Where they differ

  • Deel starts at $29 per employee / month for self-service US payroll. Oyster starts at $29 per contractor / month, after 30 days free.
  • Only Deel lists iOS and Android apps.
In commonWebExpense trackingPayroll

At a glance

DeelOyster
PricingPaidFree trial
Starts at$29 per employee / month for self-service US payroll$29 per contractor / month, after 30 days free
Free planNoneNone
Free trialNone listedGlobal Contractors is free for the first 30 days
Web
iOS
Android
Made byDeelOyster HR, Inc.
Price read fromdeel.comoysterhr.com
CheckedOct 17, 2026Oct 17, 2026

Who each one suits

Deel

  • Companies paying contractors in several countries
  • Hiring abroad without setting up a local company
  • US startups that want payroll and global hires in one system

Oyster

  • Startups making their first hires in other countries
  • Teams paying contractors in many countries and currencies
  • Nonprofits and B Corps eligible for its impact discounts

Worth knowing

Deel

  • Employer of record costs $599 per employee a month, against $29 for payroll where you have your own entity.
  • Deel's US PEO is shown at $125 per employee a month on one tab and $110 to $147 on others, depending on the plan and health benefits.
  • Pricing is month to month with no long-term contract; Deel offers a demo rather than a free trial.
  • Covers 130+ countries for EOR and payroll and the US for PEO; the pricing page does not list the countries.

Oyster

  • HR advice from People Partner Services is billed at $300 an hour, and benefits, visas and Oyster Shell cover cost extra.
  • Each EOR hire needs a refundable deposit, and a conversion fee applies if you pay in a currency other than the contract's.
  • Covers 120+ countries for EOR and 180+ for contractors; the pricing page does not list them. Billing is in USD, EUR, GBP or CAD.
  • It runs in a web browser; the pages read mention no mobile app.

Key features

Deel

Contractor payments
Pay contractors in 120+ currencies from automatically created invoices, with compliant contracts and tax form collection.
Employer of record
Hire full-time staff in 130+ countries without a local entity; Deel employs them and runs their payroll, benefits and compliance.
US and global payroll
Run US payroll in all 50 states yourself or have Deel manage it, and run payroll for your own entities in 130+ countries.
US PEO
Co-employment for US companies with an entity: Deel handles payroll, tax, HR and state registrations, with or without its health benefits.
Payroll add-ons
Global benefits management and treasury at $10 per employee a month, expenses from $8, and Payroll Connect at $5 to view other payroll vendors.
Integrations
Connects to QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite for accounting, and to BambooHR, Greenhouse, Ashby and Slack.

Oyster

Employer of record
Hire full-time staff in 120+ countries without a local entity; Oyster employs them and handles onboarding, offboarding and local compliance.
Multi-country payroll
Pays team members in 120+ currencies, with expenses, time off and reports handled in the same platform.
Global contractors
Generate contracts in 180+ countries, verify identity, approve invoices and expenses, and check the risk of misclassifying a worker.
Reusable annual seats
Annual EOR seats cost less than monthly billing and can be reused for a new hire or a backfill when someone leaves.
Add-on services
Benefits packages, visa sponsorship, salary bands for 130+ countries and Oyster Shell misclassification cover of up to $500,000.
Integrations and API
Approve time off and expenses in Slack, sync data from ATS and HRIS tools such as Ashby and Workable, link 5,000+ apps through Zapier, or use the API.

Plans

Deel

  • Deel Payroll: US$29

    per employee / month, self-service, billed monthly

    Payroll in all 50 states with federal, state and local tax filing, W-2s and new-hire reporting. A managed option adds a Deel payroll manager.

  • Deel Payroll: Global$29

    per employee / month, billed monthly

    Payroll in 130+ countries where you have an entity, with local tax filings, run by Deel's experts; your own team can run it in the US and Canada.

  • Contractors$49

    per contractor / month, billed monthly

    Contracts, automated invoicing, tax form collection and payments to contractors in 120+ currencies. You classify the contractors yourself.

  • Contractor of Record$325

    per contractor / month, billed monthly

    Deel takes on the contractor relationship and the classification liability.

  • Employer of Record$599

    per employee / month, billed monthly

    Deel legally employs your hire in 130+ countries, handling contracts, payroll, taxes, benefits and local compliance.

Oyster

  • Global Contractors$29

    per contractor / month, after 30 days free

    Contracts in 180+ countries, payments in 120+ currencies, ID checks, invoice and expense handling and a misclassification analyzer.

  • Employer of Record$699

    per employee / month, billed monthly

    Employment in 120+ countries with multi-currency payroll, expenses, time off, onboarding specialists and local experts. Annual seats cost less.

Ways to pay less

Deel

  • Other savings

    3 months of PEO platform fees free

    New PEO order forms signed between July 15 and December 31, 2026 with a term of at least two years get 3 months of platform fees credited at the end of the term.

Oyster

  • Startups

    Startup discount of up to $1,200 per hire

    Companies that raised pre-seed, seed or Series A, or are bootstrapped with under 50 employees, save up to $1,200 per team member on EOR fees in their first 12 months.

  • Nonprofit

    Oyster for Impact discounts

    Certified nonprofits and B Corporations anywhere can enroll in Oyster for Impact for discounts on Oyster's global employment products.

  • Annual discount

    Lower EOR fee with annual seats

    Oyster sells Employer of Record seats billed annually at a reduced fee; the pricing page does not give the figure.

  • Other savings

    Oyster for Refugees

    Companies hiring refugee talent through Oyster can do so at no cost or at a discount, according to its pricing page.

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