What is Oyster HR?
Oyster was founded in January 2020 by Tony Jamous and Jack Mardack so companies could hire in countries where they have no legal entity. It now runs Employer of Record in 120+ countries and contractor management in 180+. Hadi Moussa took over as CEO in January 2026, and Jamous is now Executive Chairman.
Oyster’s own entity or a vetted local partner becomes the legal employer. It issues the contract, runs local payroll, files employer taxes and handles statutory benefits, while you direct the work. Onboarding takes as little as 48 hours, and longer in markets that require local registration.
Pricing is published: $699 per employee per month for EOR, $29 per contractor after a 30-day trial, and $300 an hour for HR advisory. Budget for the refundable deposit on every EOR hire, which Oyster holds until offboarding clears.
Only Remote’s monthly rate matches Oyster’s $699. Deel and Remote on annual billing list $599, Multiplier starts from $459, and RemoFirst from $199. On ten hires, Oyster costs $28,800 a year more than Multiplier, a premium it has to justify with named success managers and an in-house legal team.
Oyster HR: Key Facts
A quick look at Oyster HR’s company background, funding, and operational scale.
Founded
January 2020
Headquarters
Remote-first; company announcements issued from San Francisco
Co-Founders / CEO
Tony Jamous & Jack Mardack; Hadi Moussa, CEO since January 2026
Employees
About 500 (2026)
Total Funding
Nearly $300M
Valuation
$1.2B (last reported)
Annual Revenue
Around $100M, per CEO Hadi Moussa (2026)
Customers
Count not disclosed; named clients include Lokalise, Chili Piper, Kinsta, Automattic, Brex, Superside
Core Services
Employer of Record, Global Contractors, People Partner Services, Employee Benefits, Visa Sponsorship, Salary Insights
Support Types
Named customer contacts, in-house HR and legal experts, onboarding and offboarding specialists, help centre
Oyster HR Review: Editor’s Verdict
Oyster is a compliance-first EOR for mid-market teams hiring 5 to 30 people abroad who value expert support over the lowest fee. At $699 per employee per month, it matches only Remote’s monthly rate and costs more than every other major platform we track.
Oyster publishes every core rate and charges nothing extra for onboarding or terminations. The catch is the rate itself: $699 a month, plus a deposit on every hire.
Reviewers keep returning to onboarding speed and a support team that knows the account, and G2 users score ease of use 9.0 across 1,296 ratings. Users rate Oyster 4.3 for that day-to-day experience; our 3.8 also weighs the undisclosed entity split, an unpublished FX fee and deposit terms that user ratings rarely capture.
Before signing, get three answers in writing: which of your countries run on Oyster’s own entities rather than partners, the conversion rate applied when billing and contract currencies differ, and the deposit per hire. Oyster publishes none of the three.
Editorial Score Breakdown
Oyster HR Pros & Cons 2026
Oyster wins on transparency and service, and loses on price and what it leaves unpublished. Both columns draw on Oyster’s own terms and recurring themes across 1,909 reviews.
Strengths
Every core rate published
EOR at $699, contractors at $29 and advisory at $300 an hour all sit on the public pricing page, so budgeting starts before the first sales call.
Terminations cost nothing extra
Setup, onboarding, HR expert access and terminations are all inside the subscription.
$29 contractor plan
After a 30-day free trial, contractors cost $29 a month each, $20 under Deel’s $49. Across 20 contractors that returns $4,800 a year.
Reusable annual EOR seats
Annual billing buys seats rather than people, so an empty seat covers a backfill at no added cost.
Admins need no training
Non-HR managers run hires without onboarding sessions, and ease of use is the single most cited positive in G2 reviews.
Areas to Watch
Top EOR list price
$699 sits $100 above Deel, $240 above Multiplier and $500 above RemoFirst. On a $3,000 monthly salary, the fee alone adds 23% before statutory costs.
Entity split never published
Oyster uses owned entities and vetted partners without saying which countries run on which. Remote, by contrast, states 100% owned coverage.
FX fee undisclosed
The conversion fee exists, but the rate does not appear anywhere.
Deposit on every hire
Each EOR engagement needs a refundable deposit before it starts, returned only after offboarding and final invoices clear. The pricing page gives no amount.
EOR reach is 120+, not 180+
The 180+ headline counts contractor locations, a wider set than where Oyster can employ people.
Trustpilot score trails rivals
Oyster holds 3.8 from 271 Trustpilot reviews while Deel, Remote and Multiplier sit between 4.6 and 4.9, and only 18 new reviews arrived in the past year.
Oyster HR Top Features
Two things set Oyster apart at this price: HR and legal experts employed in-house rather than outsourced, and contractor misclassification cover with a published limit. Most of the rest is dependable mid-market infrastructure.
In-House HR and Legal Experts.
DifferentiatorCountry questions go to Oyster’s own HR and legal staff instead of a partner’s inbox, and that access is included in the EOR fee. The model earns its keep in high-stakes moments such as a German termination, where a procedural slip turns into a tribunal claim. It is also the reason most buyers give for accepting the $699 rate.
Oyster Shell Misclassification Cover.
DifferentiatorShell assesses whether a contractor engagement would hold up under local law, then backs the assessment with aggregate protection up to $500,000. It attaches to the Global Contractors subscription, not EOR. Companies with large contractor pools get a priced answer to a risk most platforms hand straight back to the client.
Certified B Corp Employment.
DifferentiatorOyster holds B Corp certification, and says no other employer of record does. Its employment practices are audited against an external standard rather than self-reported. Nonprofits and fellow B Corps can also apply for discounted pricing through the Oyster for Impact programme.
Legal-Reviewed Contracts.
CoreEmployment agreements are generated per country and legally reviewed before signature, with no charge for later changes.
Multi-Country Payroll.
CorePayroll runs in 120+ currencies with employer tax filing handled in-country. You pay Oyster in USD, EUR, GBP or CAD, by direct debit or wire.
48-Hour Onboarding.
CoreOyster quotes 48 hours from signed offer to onboarded employee in straightforward markets, backed by dedicated onboarding specialists.
Employee Self-Service.
CoreTeam members submit expenses, request time off and download payslips themselves. Reviewers do flag reporting as thin.
Cost Calculator and Salary Insights.
CoreA free calculator models employer costs by country, and Salary Insights adds pay bands across 130+ countries for building offers.
Visa Sponsorship.
Add-onImmigration specialists handle work permits and relocations, priced outside the EOR subscription.
People Partner Services.
Add-onProject-based HR advisory at $300 an hour, covering EOR staff and people on your own entities. It suits a discrete job like a restructure, not ongoing HR capacity.
Is Oyster HR the Right EOR for You?
Oyster pays off where expert support and compliance carry more weight than the monthly fee. Where cost or entity ownership decides the deal, a named alternative fits better.
Best For
- Mid-market teams hiring 5 to 30 employees across several countries
- Buyers who want in-house experts on terminations and disputes
- Procurement teams that score suppliers on B Corp or ESG credentials
- Companies running large contractor pools alongside EOR hires
- Nonprofits and B Corps eligible for Oyster for Impact discounts
- Roles with predictable churn that can reuse annual seats
Skip If
- Price decides the deal: RemoFirst starts at $199 and Multiplier from $459
- You need owned entities confirmed everywhere: Remote states 100% owned
- You are hiring one or two people on modest salaries, where $699 is a large share of gross pay
- You want HR, IT and devices in one system: Rippling is built for that
- Your stack depends on a deep integration library: Deel connects to far more tools
- Your target country falls outside Oyster’s 120+ EOR markets
Oyster HR Country Coverage
Hire and pay employees compliantly across 120+ countries. The grid shows a sample; the full list is on Oyster HR.
Oyster HR Pricing 2026
Oyster prices three separate products, each on a different billing unit. Only the $699 Employer of Record product makes Oyster the legal employer; the $29 contractor plan is not a cheaper route to employment.
Oyster HR Integrations
Oyster lists 22 native integrations, all free with an Oyster account. ADP Workforce Now connects through Oyster’s listing on the ADP Marketplace, and Workday, HiBob and Personio keep employee records and time off in sync. The 500+ figure on Oyster’s integrations page is reached through Zapier and the public API, which we do not count as native.
HRIS & Workforce Management
ADP Workforce NowWorkdayBambooHR HRISHiBobPersonioTriNetFactorialLuccaHumaansApplicant Tracking & Recruiting
GreenhouseAshbyWorkableTeamtailorBambooHR ATSAccounting, Finance & Expense
NetSuiteQuickBooks OnlineXeroSAP Concur ExpenseExpensifySecurity, Equity & Collaboration
OktaCartaSlackHow Oyster HR Compares to Alternatives
Five head-to-head comparisons across the eight factors that matter most at procurement stage. Green marks an Oyster HR advantage; red means the competitor leads.
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Oyster HR User Community Ratings & Reviews
Scores come from 1,909 reviews across G2, Trustpilot and Capterra, read for recurring themes rather than averaged. Ease of use and onboarding speed score highest at 4.6; pricing and value sits lowest at 3.8, and it is the one dimension where criticism is close to universal.
G2
4.4/5
1,547 reviews
Trustpilot
3.8/5
271 reviews
Capterra
4.6/5
91 reviews
Ratings confirmed 30 September 2026. Trustpilot skews toward employees paid through Oyster rather than the buyers who administer it, and only 18 of its 271 reviews arrived in the past year; Trustpilot notes Oyster has not invited reviews recently. Sentiment percentages use Trustpilot’s published star split combined with our reading of G2 and Capterra reviews, whose star splits are not published.
User Sentiments: Based on 1,909 verified reviews
Ease of Use
Non-HR admins run hires unaided; Capterra users rate ease of use 4.7
Features & Functionality
Core EOR workflow is complete; reporting depth draws repeat criticism
Compliance & Risk Management
In-house legal answers are why buyers say they feel covered
Payroll Accuracy & Timeliness
Mostly on time, though employees on Trustpilot report delayed SWIFT transfers
Customer Support Quality
Account contacts praised, yet G2 tags 141 reviews with poor support
Pricing & Value
Transparent rates welcomed; the per-head fee is called steep on all three platforms
Onboarding Speed & Experience
Hires completed inside 48 hours are the most repeated praise
Platform Stability & Integrations
Stable day to day; integration depth is a recurring gap
Benefits Administration Quality
Local plans work, but lower-tier insurance packages draw complaints
Global Coverage & Scalability
Scales across markets; partner-run countries add response lag
Oyster HR EOR: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions buyers ask before evaluating Oyster HR as an Employer of Record solution.
How much does Oyster HR cost?
Oyster’s Employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month. Contractors cost $29 each per month after a 30-day free trial, and People Partner Services advisory is $300 an hour. These are platform fees only: gross salary, employer contributions and statutory benefits sit on top, and annual seat-based billing lowers the EOR rate.
How many countries does Oyster HR cover for EOR?
Oyster employs people through its EOR in 120+ countries. The 180+ figure in its marketing counts contractor locations, and some EOR countries carry longer timelines or a minimum number of hires.
Does Oyster HR use its own legal entities?
Partly. Oyster runs a hybrid model of owned entities and vetted local partners, but does not publish which countries use which. If entity ownership matters to your legal team, get the model for each target country in writing before signing.
How fast can Oyster HR onboard an employee?
In as little as 48 hours in straightforward markets. Countries that require local registration take longer.
What is the difference between Oyster’s contractor plan and its EOR?
Only the EOR makes Oyster the legal employer. The $29 contractor plan covers contracts, invoicing and payments, but the worker stays independent and misclassification risk stays with you unless you add Oyster Shell, which offers aggregate protection up to $500,000. Converting a contractor to EOR moves the fee from $29 to $699 a month.
What compliance certifications does Oyster HR hold?
Oyster is a certified B Corp, and says it is the only employer of record with that certification. Its employment agreements are legally reviewed for each country, and in-house HR and legal experts handle country-specific questions.
Is Oyster HR a good fit for small businesses?
Only when the hires are well paid or compliance-sensitive. There is no minimum headcount, but on a $3,000 monthly salary the $699 fee adds 23% before statutory costs. Teams making one or two lower-salary hires usually get better economics from Multiplier, from $459, or RemoFirst at $199.
How does Oyster HR handle terminations?
Oyster manages terminations under local labour law and includes them in the subscription at no extra charge.
Does Oyster HR require a security deposit?
Yes. Every EOR hire needs a refundable deposit before the engagement starts, and Oyster returns it only after offboarding completes and all invoices are settled. The pricing page does not state the amount.
Does Oyster HR charge a currency conversion fee?
Yes, but only when you pay Oyster in a currency different from the employment contract currency. Oyster accepts USD, EUR, GBP and CAD and does not publish the conversion rate, so request it in writing during procurement.
