Oyster EOR review 2026
An independent, calculation-driven look at Oyster: what it publishes, what it doesn't, where it operates, what a hire actually costs, and how it ranks against the rest of the market.
EOR Lens is independent. We do not accept payment for rankings or ratings, we publish no star scores, and every figure on this page is either a published provider fact with a source, or a number our calculation methodology derives. Some outbound links are affiliate links; see our affiliate disclosure.
Oyster at a glance
- EOR pricing
- $699/employee/month
- Contractor pricing
- $29/contractor/month
- Managed payroll
- Not publicly disclosed
- FX markup
- 2.50% (EOR Lens estimate)
- Setup fee
- None
- Contract term
- month-to-month
- Cancellation notice
- Not publicly disclosed
- Immigration support
- Not publicly disclosed
- EOR country coverage
- 56 published markets
- Entity model
- Partner network
Best suited to: Teams that want a published price and a polished onboarding experience.
Figures marked as published in the transparency section below are quoted from the provider's own pages. Anything labelled an EOR Lens estimate is our research figure, used so providers can be compared consistently, and should be confirmed in your quote. Last verified 2026-09-04.
What a hire costs through Oyster
Cheapest in United Kingdom at this salary is RemoFirst at $7,784/month, a difference of $6,174 a year.
Uses the same calculation engine as the main calculator: converted base salary, United Kingdom statutory employer costs, the provider fee with FX spread, and amortised one-time fees.
Where Oyster operates
Oyster publishes hiring coverage in 56 countries across 4 regions. Countries not listed here are not published as supported; confirm directly with the provider.
Source: Oyster's own country pages (checked 2026-09-05).
Linked countries have a full employer cost breakdown on EOR Lens; the rest are published by the provider but not yet modelled here.
Oyster contractor pricing
Engaging someone as a contractor rather than employing them through an EOR is a different product with different pricing and different risk. This is what Oyster publishes for contractors.
- Global Contractors
- $29 per contractor per month
First 30 days are free; the fee starts once a contractor is engaged.
Source: Free for 30 days, then USD 29 per contractor/month
www.oysterhr.com, checked 2026-09-05.
Contractor fees exclude currency conversion and payment costs, which are charged separately by most providers. Misclassifying an employee as a contractor carries back-tax and penalty risk that dwarfs the monthly fee. Compare every published contractor price on the contractor pricing page.
Oyster vs alternatives
Figures without a label are published by the provider. "(est.)" marks an EOR Lens research figure used for like-for-like comparison. "Not publicly disclosed" means the provider does not state it publicly, which is not the same as the answer being unfavourable.
| Factor | Oyster | Remote | Deel | Rippling EOR | Papaya Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EOR base fee | $699/employee/month | $699/employee/month | $599/employee/month | $500 (est.) | From $499/employee/month |
| Contractor fee | $29 | $29 | $49 | Not publicly disclosed | $5 |
| EOR coverage | 56 published | 92 published | 115 published | 63 published | 128 published |
| Entity model | Partner network | 100% owned entities | Mixed (owned + partners) | Partner network | Mixed (owned + partners) |
| FX disclosure | 2.50% (est.) | 0.50% (est.) | 3.00% (est.) | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Deposit | Refundable deposit required; number of months not published | No standard deposit; reserve payments only in rare high-risk cases | 1 month(s) (est.) | 1 month(s) (est.) | 1 month(s) (est.) |
| Setup fee | None | None | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Contract term | month-to-month (est.) | month-to-month (est.) | month-to-month (est.) | month-to-month (est.) | 12-month (est.) |
| Immigration support | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Best suited to | Teams that want a published price and a polished onboarding experience. | Audit-sensitive hires where an owned entity in the country matters. | Broadest country coverage, especially LATAM, where owned entities matter. | Teams already running Rippling HRIS that want EOR inside the same system. | Enterprises combining global payroll and EOR with heavy reporting needs. |
Oyster strengths and limitations
Where Oyster is strong
- Polished UX
- Transparent pricing
Where Oyster is weaker
- Mid-tier on price
Pricing transparency: what Oyster publishes
Oyster publishes 4 of 8 facts we check on every provider. Each published fact below carries a quote, a source link and the date we checked it.
FX markup
Not publicly disclosed; confirm with providerNo published FX margin; 2.5% modelled on EOR Lens is our research estimate.
Security deposit / pre-funding
Refundable deposit required; number of months not published“A refundable deposit is required to start an engagement”
Source · checked 2026-09-04
Minimum headcount
Not publicly disclosed; confirm with providerMinimum contract term
Not publicly disclosed; confirm with providerSupport response commitment
Not publicly disclosed; confirm with providerFAQ
Oyster publishes $699/employee/month. The all-in monthly cost also includes the employee's gross salary, statutory employer costs in the hire country, currency conversion and any one-time fees. Use the cost checker on this page for a specific country and salary.
Oyster publishes EOR coverage in 56 markets, listed in full on this page. Countries outside that list are not published as supported.
Not on headline price alone. Deel ($599), Papaya Global ($499) publish lower per-employee fees. Ranking on total cost depends on the hire country and salary, which the cost checker above calculates.
Oyster does not publish a currency conversion margin. Our calculator applies an EOR Lens estimate of 2.50% so that providers can be compared on a like-for-like basis. Ask for the margin and the payments it applies to in writing.
Oyster publishes its deposit position: Refundable deposit required; number of months not published
Oyster operates through a partner network rather than owned entities in most markets.
Oyster does not publish an immigration or visa support offering. This is not published by the provider, so confirm it in writing before you sign.
Yes. Oyster lists contractor management at $29/contractor/month.
Remote, Deel, Rippling EOR, Papaya Global are the closest alternatives on published pricing and coverage. Which one is cheapest depends entirely on the hire country, so run the same salary through the calculator to see.
Sources
- Oyster pricingchecked 2026-09-04
- Oyster published country coveragechecked 2026-09-05
Evaluating Oyster?
$699/employee/month confirmed on oysterhr.com/pricing (4 Sep 2026). Oyster charges no setup, onboarding or offboarding fees, but does require a refundable deposit to start an engagement; it does not publish how many months, so one month is modelled here.