Independent · Algorithm-scored · No pay-to-rank
Oyster EOR review
The decision layer
Should you pick Oyster?
// oyster at a glance
Oyster is an Employer of Record provider offering EOR, payroll and contractor payments. It scores 66/100 on the EOR Select index, covers 140 countries, and starts from $699 per employee per month.
- What it is
- Employer of Record (EOR, payroll and contractor payments)
- Select Score
- 66/100
- Country coverage
- 140 countries
- Entry EOR price
- from $699/mo
- Third-party rating
- 4.6/5 from 104 reviews
As of July 10, 2026 · scored by the EOR Select rating system (methodology)
// the verdict
The verdict
Oyster scores 66/100 on the Select Score, strongest on support and platform. EOR pricing starts from $699 per employee per month. Its weakest axis is pricing, the clearest trade-off to weigh before committing.
Oyster is an EOR platform founded in 2020, offering broad coverage across EOR, payroll, and contractor management. Its pricing sits toward the higher end of the market, and it carries a strong third-party review rating of 4.4 out of 5 across 1901 reviews. It is a fit for companies that prioritize platform capability and support quality over cost.
// strengths & watch-outs
Strengths and watch-outs
// strengths
- Broad country coverage (140 countries)
- 5 security certifications on file
- Wide integration support (8 integrations)
- Positive community sentiment on Reddit
// watch-outs
- Premium pricing, from $699/mo
// how it scores
How Oyster scores
Covers 140 countries, 76% of the 185-country benchmark.
EOR pricing from $699 per employee per month. Lower is scored higher.
5 security certifications on file, with a blended third-party review score of 4.61 out of 5 across 104 reviews (weighted by review volume).
8 listed integrations.
4 support channels on file, with a blended third-party review score of 4.61 out of 5 across 104 reviews (weighted by review volume).
Based on 19 approved Reddit mentions (8 positive, 6 neutral, 5 negative; 13 first-hand). First-hand accounts weigh more than second-hand remarks; 8 mentions from possible promotional accounts are down-weighted. Net community sentiment leans positive; Reputation scored 69.
The total is weighted by how much independent review evidence backs this provider, so it can sit below the average of the categories above. How scoring works
// watch our review
Watch our Oyster review
The data record
Oyster by the numbers
// pricing
What Oyster costs
EOR
per employee / month
Contractor
per employee / month
Payroll
Normalized starting prices from our dataset. Final pricing depends on country and headcount. Full Oyster pricing breakdown →
verified July 8, 2026provider pricing pages
// country coverage
Where Oyster operates
Verified Employer of Record coverage in 116 countries, from the same normalized dataset used to score every provider.
Show all 116 countries
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- United States
- Uruguay
- Albania
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- Georgia
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Mongolia
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Australia
- New Zealand
verified July 10, 2026normalized EOR coverage dataset
// platform & operations
How Oyster runs
Oyster integrates with 8 tools, holds 5 security certifications and bills clients in 4 currencies.
- Security & compliance
- soc2iso27001gdprhipaapci-dss
- Integrations
- BambooHRHiBobGreenhouseQuickBooks OnlineXeroNetSuiteWorkdayOkta
- Payroll & platform
- Multi-currencyAutomated taxTax filingPayslip generationEmployee portalAPI accessHRIS integrationCompliance dashboardDedicated support24/7 supportMobile appOn-demand pay
- Pay-run frequency
- Bi-weeklySemi-monthlyCustom
- Payment methods
- Bank transferWisePayPalCrypto
- Support channels
- Live chatDedicated CSMKnowledge base24/7 support
- Employee payouts
- Local currency, across 140 countries: 89 currencies including EUR, USD, GBP, INR
- Bills clients in
- CADEURGBPUSD
- Founded
- 2020
- Headquarters
- Charlotte, US
- Employees
- 501-1000
- Funding
- $291M
- CEO
- Tony Jamous
- Oyster on LinkedIn →
verified July 10, 2026provider disclosures
// fee transparency
What Oyster tells you before you ask
This scores only what Oyster publishes, not whether its prices are low. A cost counts as disclosed when we can link the provider’s own page stating it. See the full ranking or how this is scored.
verified July 8, 2026provider disclosures, own-domain sourced
Outside evidence
What the market says about Oyster
// reviews across the web
What Oyster customers say
10 reviews
View on G2 →91 reviews
View on Capterra →3 reviews
View on Trustpilot →242 reviews
View on Glassdoor →| Platform | Rating | Change | Reviews | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G2 | 4.4 | steady | 1,542 | +106 |
| Capterra | 4.6 | steady | 91 | steady |
| Trustpilot | 4.0 | steady | 268 | +2 |
// reddit reputation
Oyster on Reddit
Across 19 approved Reddit mentions of Oyster (as of Jun 2026), 42% were positive, 32% neutral and 26% negative. The most-discussed topics were compliance, onboarding, pricing. We screen each mention for relevance, then label sentiment. Unfiltered operator experience, separate from our Select Score.
19 mentions · 13 first-hand · 8 from promotional accounts, down-weighted
// key takeaways
What people praise
- Pricing (3)
Common complaints
- Compliance (5)
- Onboarding (2)
- Support (2)
Raw counts. The Reputation score also weighs recency, first-hand directness and author trust.
// most discussed topics
| Topic | Mentions | Sentiment |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance | 8 | Mostly negative |
| Onboarding | 4 | Mostly negative |
| Pricing | 4 | Mostly positive |
| Support | 3 | Mostly negative |
| Comparisons | 1 | Mixed |
Reputation subscore
This sentiment feeds the Reputation dimension of the Select Score.
We re-check Reddit monthly; newest mention as of Jun 2026. How we screen and score mentions →
// individual mentions
HR asked me to write a resignation letter to transition our EOR
“The HR team told me that in order to do this, we need to write a resignation letter to safeguard and later on will be given a contract from oyster. AFAIK this is not normal?”
AI summary: Employee describes being asked to write a resignation letter as part of a transition from Safeguard to Oyster as EOR, questioning whether this process is normal amid impending redundancy.
Best global payroll software experiences?
“Human support is their biggest strength - no chatbots when you need help. Platform feels dated but handles custom contracts well. Proactive on compliance changes which saved us headaches.”
AI summary: Author is early in testing Oyster for Asia-Pacific roles and found onboarding painless with a good employee experience, though it is still early days.
Best global payroll providers worth it long term?
“We’re expanding internationally and looking at global payroll solutions instead of setting up entities. Comparing Deel, Remote, Oyster, Papaya, etc but most content feels sponsored. For those who’ve used international payroll services Are costs really…”
AI summary: Post lists Oyster among providers being compared for global payroll but asks general questions without sharing any direct experience of it.
Best global payroll software experiences?
“If you're still heavy in APAC Oyster is okay but I’ve found that Brio HR handles the specific statutory stuff in those regions (like Malaysia/Singapore/Thailand) way more accurately !”
AI summary: Commenter says Oyster is okay for APAC but suggests Brio HR handles statutory requirements in Malaysia/Singapore/Thailand more accurately.
[CAN-ON] Converting a contractor to a full-time employee?
“Oyster is the second EOR we've used and have been happy with them.”
AI summary: HR professional says Oyster is their second EOR and they have been happy with it.
Best global payroll software experiences?
“Oyster is horble platform to work with. I catched them twice that they didnt paid health insurence on time, both times was urgency.”
AI summary: User reports Oyster failed to pay health insurance and taxes on time in Bosnia, made excuses, and is now consulting a lawyer about suing them.
Oyster, Remote or Workmotion for EU?
“Oyster giving us the most transparent pricing and the sharpest first-call rep, Remote covering the most countries through their own entities, and Workmotion getting the most consistent recommendations across Google, ChatGPT and Reddit threads on EU-native EOR.”
AI summary: Author evaluating Oyster among three EOR options notes Oyster stood out for transparent pricing and a strong first sales call, but seeks real platform experience with country-specific payroll quirks.
Employer of Record, remote hiring
“We use Oyster HR. It's nice because they just charge a flat rate per employee, not taking a percentage of salaries. No complaints!”
AI summary: Author's company uses Oyster HR as their EOR, praising the flat per-employee fee model with no complaints.
Employer of Record minimum effort
“Yeah we’ve decided to go with Oyster for a heavy discount on their EOR rate. Remote was similar.”
AI summary: User says their team chose Oyster after negotiating a heavy discount on their EOR rate, noting Remote was similarly priced.
Employer of Record, remote hiring
“I'd say local knowledge and compliance is big which is why i chose them, they offered chat directly on their website.”
AI summary: Employee chose Oyster themselves after evaluating it, citing strong local compliance knowledge and accessible chat support as key reasons.
Employer of Record minimum effort
“Remote, Deel and Oyster tend to be priced about the same after discount.”
AI summary: Brief comparison placing Oyster in the mid-tier price band alongside Remote and Deel after discounts.
what 800 international hires taught me before i fire'd at 51
“we had a Berlin hire whose maternity leave question sat unanswered for 11 days because the EOR's Berlin team turned out to be staffed in Bangalore.”
AI summary: Experienced HR consultant states Oyster is partner-only (no owned entities) across the board, framing this as a key risk factor in EOR selection.
Employer of Record (EOR) companies in Qatar
“oyster and globalization partners felt more structured but slower, while others were faster but less clear on the weird edge cases.”
AI summary: User found Oyster more structured on compliance but slower, with onboarding hampered by repeated document rejections.
umbrella vs EOR vs direct hire, how are UK teams handling contractors after JSL?
“i can't get a straight answer from any of them on which run UK as a true Employer of Record vs which run umbrella structures with EOR painted on the door, since the second one walks us straight back into the JSL liability we're trying to escape.”
AI summary: Head of People has Oyster on their EOR shortlist but cannot get a clear answer on whether it runs true EOR or an umbrella structure in the UK.
Concerning Experiences with Remote.com as an Employer of Record (EoR) Provider
“Happy as a 'clam' here and haven't had an issue in over 5 years.”
AI summary: User found Oyster HR and has been happy with the service for over 5 years with no issues.
Multiplier EOR reviews
“I have used Rippling and Oyster before, and know lots of people in the industry that have used others. Both great just depends on your situation.”
AI summary: Author used Oyster to hire engineers in Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico and describes it as a great option depending on the situation.
can a Dutch EOR hire still get the 30% ruling?
“the EOR reps i've talked to all dance around the question…”
AI summary: Oyster is mentioned as one of three shortlisted EOR options for a Dutch hire, but no specific experience or evaluation of Oyster is provided.
OysterHR experiences
“the local expert of record feel like complete scum bags. I negotiated a decent salary+health insurance but this local company seems to keep on dropping the rates”
AI summary: User reports Oyster HR's local NZ partner is misrepresenting salary figures by stripping leave allowances from the contract amount, describing the local entity as acting like 'complete scum bags'.
Alguien en nómina por Deel, Oyster o algo parecido?
“Si te contrataron por nómina via EOR como Deel, Multiplier, Papaya o alguna de esas plataformas, ¿te depositan en tu cuenta?, ¿te descuentan alguna tarifa por servicio?, ¿en realidad te dan de alta en una empresa mexicana?, ¿te dan recibo de nómina timbrado o…”
Translation: “If you were hired on payroll via an EOR like Deel, Multiplier, Papaya, or any of those platforms, do they deposit directly into your account? Do they deduct any service fee? Do they actually register you with a Mexican company? Do they give you a stamped payroll receipt or…”
AI summary: Mexican worker asks the community how EOR payroll platforms like Oyster (and others) handle deposits, service fees, local registration, and CFDI payslips in Mexico.
A note on Reddit: not every comment is a genuine, independent user. Some posts come from marketing agencies, competitors or the providers themselves. We screen mentions for relevance before they count toward a score, but we show this discussion as community signal, not verified fact, so weigh it with that in mind.
// founder on record
What Tony Jamous says on record
Tony Jamous (CEO & Co-founder, Oyster) across 14 analyzed podcast interviews (2021-2026). These are the company’s own claims in its founder’s words, on the record and linked to source, shown as evidence rather than endorsement. They play no part in the Select Score.
“Brain drain is the number one reason why emerging economies remain defined as emerging because they lose their best people to more developed economies. And 90% of them don't return back home. And what they send back home is merely 5% of their income.”
“The economical output of a worker is going to be less and less dependent on where they are located. And that's a great news for the world and great news for Oyster and our mission.”
“Drop everything you're doing and build this platform that makes global employment as easy as local employment.”
Quotes are extracted by AI from interview auto-captions, so wording is near-exact rather than verbatim; every quote links to its timestamped source video. Stance labels are the dominant position across the analyzed interviews, weighted toward the most recent. The full seven-founder corpus analysis lives on Employ Borderless, our parent publication.
History & background
Oyster track record & company
// the record over time
How Oyster has moved
Longitudinal readings we keep and most comparison sites don’t. Every point is a real dated snapshot.
Down 3 points since Jun 27, 2026.
| Date | Select Score |
|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2026 | 69/100 |
| Jul 1, 2026 | 69/100 |
| Jul 16, 2026 | 66/100 |
updated Jul 18, 2026weekly Select Score recompute
// recent updates
What changed for Oyster
Tracked changes to Oyster's Select Score and review ratings
- Select ScoreJul 16, 2026
Now 66/100, from 69.
- G2Jul 14, 2026
Rating now 4.4. +106 new reviews (1,542 total).
Review scores are re-verified weekly. How we verify the data →
// funding history
Oyster funding
$279M raised across 4 disclosed rounds
- Series D$59MSep 4, 2024$1.2B valuation · Led by Silver Lake Waterman
Emergence Capital, Stripes, Georgian, G2 Venture Partners, Endeavor Catalyst
Source → - Series C$150MApr 20, 2022$1B valuation · Led by Georgian
Salesforce Ventures, LinkedIn, Base10 Partners Advancement Initiative, Okta, Endeavor Catalyst, Stripes, Emergence Capital, PayPal Ventures, Slack Fund, Avid Ventures, PeopleTech Partners, HR Tech Investments
Source → - Series B$50MJun 1, 2021Led by Stripes
Emergence Capital, The Slack Fund, Avid Ventures
Source → - Series A$20MFeb 1, 2021
Emergence Capital, The Slack Fund
Source →
// inside the Oyster platform
Inside the Oyster platform
// head to head

