Tool profile
Oyster: cost, fit and limits
Oyster is an employer of record and global contractor platform made by Oyster HR, Inc. that employs staff in 120 plus countries, issues contractor contracts in 180 plus countries, and offers HR advisory, benefits and visa add-ons through one dashboard.
What to know first
Oyster prints three prices: employer of record at USD 699 per employee per month with annual discounts, Global Contractors at USD 29 per month and People Partner Services at USD 300 per hour. The pricing page switches between USD, EUR, GBP and CAD. The privacy policy places data on AWS servers in Ireland, and a SOC 2 Type II report is available. No AI feature is named.
Oyster at a glance
| Maker | Oyster HR, Inc., United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Entry price | USD 699 per employee per month |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Employer of Record Services in 2026, rank 9 of 13 |
| Website | oysterhr.com |
Who Oyster is best for
Companies that want expert HR hours
People Partner Services at USD 300 per hour supply senior HR advice for projects, which suits firms entering a region without an in-house specialist.
Teams that connect HR to chat tools
Slack, Asana, Microsoft Teams and Zapier connections, with an Oyster API, let HR requests and approvals move through tools staff already use.
European buyers sensitive to location
Employee data sits on AWS servers in Ireland according to the privacy policy, with an EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework listing, which helps with transfer questions.
Oyster plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Employer of Record | USD 699 per employee per month | Compliant employment in 120 plus countries, multi-country payroll in 120 plus currencies, automated expenses, time off and reports, with onboarding and offboarding specialists. Annual discounts available. |
| Global Contractors | USD 29 per contractor per month | Instant contracts in 180 plus countries, contractor payments in 120 plus currencies and in-app identity verification. |
| People Partner Services | USD 300 per hour | Project-based HR advisory from senior experts across the global workforce, billed by the hour and separate from the monthly employment fees. |
Checked November 2026.
What Oyster does
- Salary Insights
- Salary bands across 130 plus countries help set an offer before a contract goes out, though the pages read do not name the data sources behind them or say how often bands update.
- Benefits add-on
- A benefits package add-on provides tailored, locally compliant benefits for employees, so a company does not have to design cover separately in each country, though the pages read give no benefit list or price.
- Visa sponsorship add-on
- A visa sponsorship add-on supports global candidates who need to relocate, with pricing shown on request and not on the pricing page, so the cost of a work permit is a separate quote.
- Contractor payments
- Contractors are paid in 120 plus currencies with identity verification built into the app, which reduces fraud risk for first-time payees and saves a separate know-your-customer step.
- API and integrations
- HRIS, ATS and accounting integrations are listed, with an Oyster API named on the integrations page, which lets engineering teams automate employee data, though the pages read give no endpoint list or rate limits.
How Oyster handles your data
Oyster's privacy policy says data is stored on Amazon AWS servers in Ireland, and the security page describes the platform as hosted on AWS. A SOC 2 Type II report is available on the Policy and Security Dashboard, and the company lists the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and GDPR compliance. Data is kept only as long as necessary for the purposes and legal requirements. The pages we read do not state whether customer data trains AI models.
Where Oyster falls short in practice
- Top of the price range. USD 699 per employee per month is the highest printed employer of record fee in this ranking, so a team with one hire pays more than at Rivermate, Playroll or RemoFirst.
- No AI named. No AI assistant or AI feature appears on the pages read, which leaves a buyer without the quick answers that Pebl, Playroll or G-P describe.
- Narrower employment coverage. Employment is offered in 120 plus countries while contractor contracts reach 180 plus, so a hire in a less common country may fit only the contractor product.
Works with
Alternatives to Oyster
Oyster: common questions
Does Oyster give discounts on its USD 699 fee?
The pricing page says annual discounts are available on the employer of record product. The size of the discount and the commitment length are not shown, so ask for the discounted price in writing and compare it with the lower printed fees elsewhere.
Where does Oyster store employee data?
The privacy policy says data is stored on Amazon AWS servers in Ireland. The company also lists the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and GDPR compliance. Backups, support access from other regions and subprocessors are not detailed on the pages read, so request the processor list.
What are People Partner Services?
They are project-based HR advisory work from senior experts across the global workforce, priced at USD 300 per hour on the pricing page. They suit one-off projects such as designing a compensation structure, and they are billed separately from the monthly employment fee.
How does Oyster pay contractors?
Global Contractors costs USD 29 per month and covers instant contracts in 180 plus countries, contractor payments in 120 plus currencies and in-app identity verification. It does not shift misclassification liability in the way a contractor of record product does, so check the terms.
Does Oyster publish a security report?
A SOC 2 Type II report is available on the Policy and Security Dashboard, and GDPR compliance is stated. The pages read do not give the report period or scope, so request the current report and check that it covers the employer of record platform.