Oyster: A 360° Review

Getting Started with Oyster EOR Platform

The Oyster company was founded in 2020 with a firm belief that the best jobs should be accessible to everyone. Since then, Oyster has been on a long-term mission to enable companies worldwide to hire talent from anywhere. Guided by core values of elevating talent, building trust, and thriving together, Oyster’s executive team has built an active community network around their solution, connecting people with shared ambitions.

In doing so, Oyster has experienced significant growth since its foundation, achieving a valuation of $1.2 billion as of September 2024. With over 650 employees and Oyster HR headquarters in the US, the company continues to expand its presence across both domestic and global markets. But how well does it perform in the eyes of experts and users? In this comprehensive Oyster review, we’ll cover all the essentials.

Oyster Employer of Record: Snapshot of Key Stats

Oyster EOR is a comprehensive global employment platform designed to simplify hiring, managing, and paying talent across borders. Its features enable seamless, automated and compliant employment, payroll, and benefits administration in 180+ countries without establishing local entities or navigating complex labor laws.

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The Oyster Employer of Record solution claims to help businesses unlock the potential of a distributed workforce. Here’s how he makes it achieve it:

• All-in-one platform for global employment needs.
• A suite of tools for ensuring a 5-star experience for international teams.
• A multi-functional solution with compliant, automated hiring and deep local intelligence.

Speaking of the solution’s capabilities, the Oyster HR platform is dedicated to integrating features to tackle complex challenges: navigating international payroll systems, tailoring localized benefits packages, and a cumbersome process of managing a global workforce and compliance.

Oyster HR Benefits for Businesses

Oyster’s extensive capabilities are widely adopted across various industries and company sizes. In this section, we’ll delve into the major cases where Oyster has transformed business operations and how exactly it did that.

Case №1: Scaling internationally

Oyster EOR streamlines global employment by simplifying payroll management and ensuring compliance across multiple countries. With features like automated contract generation, self-serve tools for employees, and multi-currency payroll support, the platform reduces administrative complexity while delivering a seamless and compliant employment experience.

Examples:

• Kinsta scaled to 46 countries with Oyster, now serving businesses in 128 countries.
• Lokalise gets 142 new hires worldwide across 45 countries using Oyster.

Case №2: Streamlining HR and business operations

Oyster’s HR capabilities empower businesses to easily manage a global workforce by offering tools for seamless Oyster hiring, onboarding, and compliance. Its features, including automated contractor onboarding, user-friendly self-service options, and robust compliance support, streamline operations, reduce risks, and enable efficient scaling across multiple countries.

Examples:

• Zabal Media saves 40 hours a month with Oyster.
• Worldsensing achieved up to 25% year-to-year business growth.
• Juno gained the ability to hire 3-4 employees in a single day with Oyster’s platform

Case №3: Maximizing cost efficiency

Oyster empowers businesses to maximize cost efficiency while managing a global workforce by streamlining hiring, onboarding, and compliance processes. With features like automated contract generation, centralized payroll management, and integrated legal support, the platform helps companies reduce administrative overhead, save on legal costs, and scale operations efficiently across multiple countries.

Examples:

• Demodesk saves €3000 per employee per year thanks to local compliance management with Oyster;
• Kinsta reduced its global employment costs by $29,000 per year;
• Zabal Media saves $120,000 annually by streamlining onboarding and payments using Oyster.

Oyster Review Based on 4Ps Evaluation

A successful EOR platform should excel in multiple areas. Therefore, we’ve created evaluation methodology considering various EOR platform aspects: platform experience, functionality robustness, global coverage efficiency, and value for money. Let’s see how Oyster measures up in each category.

Oyster Performance (Features and Functionality)

Evaluation label: Comprehensive

Oyster excels in simplifying global employment with a suite of robust features tailored to businesses managing international teams. For example, Oyster’s analytics dashboard offers detailed insights into salary breakdowns, benefits utilization, and compliance metrics for data-driven decisions. Its robust functionality helps businesses streamline a variety of payroll tasks: multi-currency calculations, tax filings, and compliance tracking, to name a few. Automations for onboarding, payroll, and compliance make Oyster a strong contender for global companies.

Additionally, the platform also provides customizable region-specific benefits packages for both full-time employees and contractors, thus ensuring flexibility for diverse global teams.Based on our expert evaluation of the platform’s performance and functionality, Oyster’s global-first approach makes it a standout option for companies looking to scale across borders. However, its users report that limitations exist when handling highly complex tax scenarios or addressing hyper-specific regulatory requirements in certain countries, such as those in the APAC region, where Oyster relies on sub-vendors.

Oyster Presence (Geographical Coverage)

Evaluation label: 100% Anywherer

Oyster’s localized expertise ensures businesses can operate seamlessly in diverse regions while maintaining legal compliance. Key offerings include automated multi-currency payroll processing in over 120 currencies and compliance support in 180+ countries. The platform also provides region-specific benefits packages, such as tailored health insurance and retirement plans, to meet local regulatory and employee expectations.

However, even though Oyster’s dedicated tools help businesses handle compliance with local labor laws quite efficiently, potential complexities should be considered. Like many global EOR solutions, it may face challenges in addressing the nuances of specific local regulations, sometimes requiring additional intervention.

Oyster Pricing (Transparency & Value)

Evaluation label: Transparent

Oyster offers competitive and flexible pricing, with subscription models that cater to businesses of various sizes. While generally clear and straightforward – however, businesses should still carefully review potential hidden fees or region-specific charges to ensure the platform’s total cost aligns with their budget and operational needs.

The value of Oyster is notable for its global reach and services – yet, costs for additional features or legal support in niche regions may increase the overall Oyster HR pricing for some companies.

Oyster Platform Experience (Technology & User Experience)

Evaluation label: Modern

The Oyster platform provides an intuitive interface with a clean, user-friendly design to simplify global workforce management. Its users report that processes like payroll, compliance, onboarding, and benefits are easy to navigate and manage from a single platform. The platform also supports a wide range of integrations to enhance functionality and workflow efficiency, from HRIS to expense management to ATS and beyond. And “a cherry on top” – the Oyster’s virtual assistant, “Pearl,” which provides step-by-step guidance and ensures compliance with local employment laws, thus further enhancing the user experience.

In the meantime, while the centralized dashboard and self-service features are well-received, some users report a learning curve during initial onboarding and occasional delays in issue resolution, which slightly lowers the average Oyster score in this domain.

Based on our evaluation, the Oyster platform proves itself a reliable global growth catalyst solution that simplifies global workforce management. Even though some users have reported challenges with navigating complex tax scenarios, occasional platform bugs, and limited guidance, Oyster’s intuitive platform, robust automation, and support for compliance in 180+ countries make it a strong choice for scaling organizations.

Oyster Pros and Cons: What Users Think

Even though expert all-rounded assessments provide detailed insights into EOR platforms like Oyster, nothing compares to user experience and personal insights. Therefore, in this section featuring Oyster HR reviews, we’ve covered a user perspective on the solution’s robustness and efficiency.
Explore the Oyster pros and cons as further analyzed by real Oyster users.

Positive Feedback About Oyster

Personal approach

Ease of navigation

Dedicated support

Ease of use for contractors

Extra Considerations About Oyster Reported by Its Users

Benefits limitations

Local presence in some of the regions

Security considerations

Oyster HR Platform: Main Services at a Glance

Global Payroll

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The Oyster payroll module simplifies international payroll management. Currently, Oyster payroll for direct employees is available in 26 countries, while the platform supports payroll for full-time employees in 130+ countries and contractors in 180+ countries. 

With global payroll operations consolidated into one user-friendly platform, along with localized currency support and automated compliance, Oyster empowers businesses to manage global payroll with over 99% accuracy.

Oyster payroll reviews highlight the following capabilities:

• Built-in compliance with local tax and labor regulations.
• Real-time payroll tracking and approval with simple workflows.
• Benchmarking of payroll cycles, gross-to-net reports, employee deduction details, and other intuitive dashboards for business insights.
• Integration with leading HRIS systems like BambooHR, Workday, Expensify, etc.

Contractor Management

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The Oyster contractor management module is specifically designed to streamline contractors’ hiring, onboarding, and payment processes. 

The solution efficiently automates compliance checks, supports multi-currency payments in 120+ currencies, provides customizable contract templates, and ensures compliance, thus significantly simplifying contractor management.

Oyster contractor management highlights are the following:

• Streamlined end-to-end contractor onboarding.
• Support for flexible payment structures like PAYG and fixed schedules.
• Customizable contracts with compliant templates tailored to specific regions.
• Centralized management of invoices, expenses, and contract terms.

Employment Cost Calculator

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The Oyster Employment Cost Calculator provides businesses with accurate insights into the total cost of hiring employees globally. By factoring in salaries, taxes, benefits, and compliance requirements for over 180 countries, the Oyster HR cost calculator simplifies workforce planning and budgeting.

Here’s how businesses can benefit from it:

• Getting a detailed cost breakdown, including salaries, taxes, and benefits, helping businesses avoid unexpected expenses.
• Gaining transparent insights into the financial implications of hiring across different countries.
• Leveraging improved cost control thanks to the identification of cost-effective hiring locations
• Automating calculations that eliminate manual efforts or external consultations.

Compliance Management

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The Oyster compliance management solutions help businesses navigate global labor laws, mitigate misclassification risks, and maintain regulatory compliance across 180+ countries. With tools like automated compliance checks and Oyster Shell protection, companies can ensure lawful hiring practices and reduce potential liabilities.

Key Oyster compliance-oriented features include:

• Misclassification risk mitigation with Oyster Shell up to $500,000 in coverage.
• Legal templates tailored to specific regions and legal requirements.
• Centralized compliance oversight, from tax filings to legal updates and beyond.

Benefits Administration

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Oyster HR benefits solutions are tailored to help businesses provide competitive and compliant benefits packages to employees and contractors worldwide.

Oyster makes both global and local benefits options available, including the following:

• Global packages featuring a wide range of benefits, including Oyster insurance options, mental health support, vision, telehealth services, maternity care, and dental coverage.
• Localized benefits packages tailored to specific countries, their local laws, and market expectations.
• A variety of packages (Essential, Competitive, or Best-In-Class) allowing for flexible benefit levels.
• Optional add-on benefits are customizable to specific employer requirements, from wellness programs to educational opportunities.

Automated Agreement Management

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The Oyster global hiring solutions are designed to simplify international recruitment, onboarding, and workforce management. With automated hiring flows, country-specific insights, and compliant contract generation, Oyster enables businesses to hire confidently and efficiently. With Oyster, businesses can onboard talent globally in as fast as 48 hours while maintaining compliance and delivering an exceptional employee experience.

Key Oyster global hiring features include:

• Automated hiring flows with pre-built hiring templates and auto-generated compliant agreements.
• Contract quality scores to align with local labor laws.
• E-signatures to simplify contract finalization for seamless onboarding.

Salary Insights

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The Oyster Salary Insights tool provides businesses with comprehensive, accurate data on compensation worldwide: salaries, statutory requirements, benefits, equity options — all these details empower businesses to create competitive and fair compensation packages. It thus simplifies not only compensation planning but the entire global hiring process.

Its key feature capabilities include:

• Salary benchmarks across 130+ countries for various roles and job levels.
• Benefits and equity data to efficiently build fair and competitive compensation packages.
• Intelligent tools to find relevant job titles and precise salary data for specific roles.

Integrations

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Oyster integrates with a wide range of tools to help businesses streamline not only hiring and payroll but the entire global workforce management process.

Oyster’s featured integrations include:

• HRIS — TriNet, Personio, Workday BambooHR, HiBob
• Expense management — Concur Expense, Expensify
• ERP — NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Xero
• Team management tools  — Slack, Zapier
• ATS — Greenhouse
• Equity management solutions — Carta
• Security — Okta

Extra Oyster Features

While Oyster’s core functionality is already robust, the platform leverages extra value with its additional capabilities that further streamline global hiring processes. Let’s review some of them:

• Efficient hiring and workforce management: Oyster’s virtual hiring assistant, pre-built hiring templates, and handy onboarding workflows allow for streamlined and more efficient global hiring.
• Data-driven efficiency: integrated solutions for process optimization, real-time notifications, and API connections with tools like Slack, BambooHR, and Zapier enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and centralize workforce management on a single platform.
• Strategic decision-making: with extra tools featured by Oyster like the contractor vs. full-time analyzer, equity assessment, Benefits Advisor, and others, businesses can make informed decisions about workforce structure, compensation, compliance, equity, and competitive global hiring strategies.

A Closer Look at Oyster EOR Pricing

Oyster EOR pricing* is often praised for its flexibility and the ability to cater to businesses of all sizes with tailored options based on their global employment needs. The Oyster cost typically starts at $399 per employee per month, covering essential EOR services like compliant employment contracts, payroll management, and localized benefits administration.

However, consider that Oyster collects a refundable deposit, and not all pricing details are fully transparent. For certain add-on products, such as visa sponsorship and customized benefits packages, you will need to contact the sales team for a quote.

Beyond the base plan, additional fees may apply for optional features or advanced services:

• Localized benefits administration – starts at $10 per employee per month, depending on the region and package.
• Contractor-to-employee conversion – available by custom quote based on jurisdiction and complexity.
• Global payroll compliance tools – included in standard plans, with enhanced solutions available by custom quote.
• Employee engagement and analytics – advanced reporting features available starting at $15 per employee per month.
• Custom integrations – costs vary based on integration requirements, available upon request.

*As pricing is subject to change, we are listing the prices as they stand in December 2024.

How Does Oyster Work? A Quick Walkthrough

As mentioned above, onboarding and navigating the Oyster platform is highly intuitive. Above that, for those opting for the Contractor plan, Oyster offers a 30-day trial — thus, Oyster users can explore Oyster’s capabilities for free before committing to their paid EOR services. 

Additionally, while the company does not particularly promote Oyster consulting services, they do offer a tailored demo to help you better understand the platform. However, even without the demo, the entire onboarding process is highly intuitive. Let’s review it further.

With Oyster onboarding for employers, they can seamlessly add new hires, assign tasks such as submitting tax forms and contracts, and manage compliance across multiple countries. Pre-built onboarding workflows and templates provided by Oyster are also particularly useful at these initial stages.

Likewise, Oyster simplifies the onboarding experience for employees, allowing new hires to complete their setup quickly and efficiently. Through a personalized onboarding portal, employees can fill out required documents, set up payroll details, select benefits packages tailored to their region, and complete assigned training modules. The platform also serves as a centralized hub where employees can track their onboarding progress, submit necessary information, and communicate with HR for support. And let’s not forget Oyster Academy — a portfolio of free, self-paced courses to help professionals and businesses excel in remote work, covering distributed work fundamentals, leadership skills, and compliance best practices.

Conclusions from OysterHR Reviews

Oyster HR emerges as a strong contender in the global EOR space. Aimed at simplifying international hiring, payroll, compliance, and benefits administration in over 180 countries, Oyster provides a suite of robust solutions for businesses managing distributed teams. By simplifying complex global hiring processes and ensuring compliance, Oyster empowers companies to scale their international workforce seamlessly and cost-effectively. Meantime, businesses should assess their specific needs, especially when hiring in regions with complex local regulations.

Oyster HR Platform FAQs

Discover how Oyster can support your specific global hiring and HR needs –  book a free demo with the Oyster team!