Oyster

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Oyster’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Oyster’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.

1. 1

   Best for startups paying contractors in many countries

   Oyster employs people for you in 120+ countries and pays contractors in 180+, with discounts for startups, nonprofits and B Corps.

2. 2

   Paid plans start at $29 a month for each person

   As its pricing page puts it: $29 per contractor / month, after 30 days free.

3. 3

   You can try it first

   Global Contractors is free for the first 30 days

4. 4

   It runs on Web

   Web.

5. 5

   Employer of record

   Hire full-time staff in 120+ countries without a local entity; Oyster employs them and handles onboarding, offboarding and local compliance.

6. 6

   Multi-country payroll

   Pays team members in 120+ currencies, with expenses, time off and reports handled in the same platform.

7. 7

   Global contractors

   Generate contracts in 180+ countries, verify identity, approve invoices and expenses, and check the risk of misclassifying a worker.

8. 8

   A 2.0 GPA, above 1 of 18

   That is against the other payroll services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

9. 9

   Keep it

   To replace Oyster you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

• 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.

Read from oysterhr.com on Oct 17, 2026.

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.

Oyster is made by Oyster HR, Inc.

Oyster's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 1.

It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 2 of 18) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).

Its paid plans start at $29 a month for each person, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 4 of the 13 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Deel, Remote and Rippling

The 3 tools Oyster is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

• 

  2.4GPA

  Deel

  From $29/mo

  Global payroll, contractor payments and employer of record.

  • Only Deel lists iOS and Android apps.

  Oyster and Deel compared in full
• 

  2.2GPA

  Remote

  From $29/mo

  Employer of record, global payroll and contractor payments.

  • Only Remote lists iOS and Android apps.
  • Remote also covers reports.

  Oyster and Remote compared in full
• 

  2.4GPA

  Rippling

  Paid

  HR, IT and finance platform with US and global payroll, by quote.

  • Only Rippling lists iOS and Android apps.
  • Rippling also covers workflow automation and time tracking.

  Oyster and Rippling compared in full

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 1,858

  tools graded

• 46

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries