Oyster — Independent Software Review

The world is your Oyster

Compliance Transparency Index

Grade: A — Score: 90/100

Best For

• Companies hiring employees across multiple countries that want EOR, owned-entity payroll, and contractor management available through one global employment platform.
• People and payroll teams that already operate legal entities in supported countries and want centralized multi-country payroll with implementation support and published entity-level pricing.
• Distributed companies that need HRIS, ATS, accounting, and expense integrations alongside global employment workflows and payroll reporting.

Not Ideal For

• Companies that only need simple domestic payroll in one country and do not need global employment, contractor, or multi-entity workflows.
• Global Payroll buyers that do not already have legal entities in the countries where they want to employ staff and also do not want to use an Employer of Record.
• Buyers that require one flat platform price independent of entities and worker counts, because Oyster Global Payroll combines entity, team-member, implementation, and optional payment-processing charges.

Operational Overview

Pricing Structure

Employer of Record: From USD 699 per employee/month

• Employment in 120+ countries without a local entity
• Multi-country payroll
• Benefits administration
• Expenses and time off
• Onboarding and offboarding support
• Local expert guidance

Global Contractors: USD 29 per contractor/month; eligible new Oyster customers can receive the first month free

• Contractor hiring in 180+ countries
• Payments in 120+ currencies
• Contracts and e-signatures
• Identity verification
• Invoice and expense management
• Misclassification assessment

Global Payroll: From USD 290 per entity/month + USD 29 per team member/month; USD 500 implementation fee per entity

• Payroll implementation and parallel run where applicable
• Payroll calculations and approvals
• Expense management
• Time off tracking
• Payroll reports
• Payslip delivery
• Integrations
• Payroll specialists

Alternative Consideration

Consider switching to Deel: Deel also offers global payroll and compliance solutions but may have different pricing structures and features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Oyster use its own legal entities or local partners for Employer of Record hiring?

Oyster documents a mix of owned legal entities and local partners for Employer of Record delivery. Oyster remains the platform and support layer for the customer, but the legal employer structure can vary by country, so buyers with an owned-entity requirement should confirm the model for each target market.

Do companies need their own legal entities to use Oyster Global Payroll?

Yes. Oyster Global Payroll is designed for companies that already have legal entities in the countries where they want Oyster to run payroll. If the company does not have an entity in a target country, Oyster's Employer of Record service is the relevant employment model instead.

How does Oyster handle migration from an existing payroll provider?

Oyster requires a parallel payroll process when an existing entity moves from another payroll provider. Oyster says payroll information should normally be submitted at least six weeks before the first live payroll run, although some countries or setups can require a longer parallel period.

Can Oyster integrate with Workday, Personio, and other HR systems?

Yes. Oyster documents integrations with systems including Workday, Personio, BambooHR, HiBob, ADP Workforce Now, Greenhouse, and others. Integration scope varies by system, with examples including employee data, time off, and termination workflows, and administrator credentials or API access can be required for setup.

Does Oyster help assess contractor misclassification risk?

Yes. Oyster provides an employee misclassification assessment that considers factors such as country, working hours, remuneration, benefits, equipment, and other working conditions. The result is presented as a risk level and can be used to decide whether a contractor arrangement should be reviewed or converted to employment.

Does Oyster require a deposit for Employer of Record employees?

Yes. Oyster states that it requires a refundable deposit for Employer of Record Team Members to help ensure employment-related payments can be made on time. Oyster also states that standard setup, onboarding, access to HR experts, and termination processing are included in the subscription rather than charged as separate setup or offboarding fees.

What can employees manage themselves in Oyster?

Depending on the service and country, team members can use Oyster to complete onboarding, access payslips, submit or review expenses, manage time off, and maintain required payroll information. Global Payroll onboarding can require tax information and country-specific documents before payroll setup is complete.

Can Oyster connect to custom internal systems through an API?

Yes. Oyster provides an API for accessing account data and automating workflows such as syncing team member records, handling lifecycle events, retrieving employment information, and feeding reporting or internal applications. Oyster directs development teams to its API documentation for the current endpoint and authentication details.

Can Oyster synchronize employee offboarding with an HRIS?

Yes for supported integrations and worker types. For example, Oyster documents Personio termination synchronization for EOR, Global Payroll, and PEO team members, where a termination change in Personio creates a draft offboarding request in Oyster for review and submission.