Oyster
Global Payroll & HR Software | Hire in +180 Countries
Overview
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to simplify international hiring, payroll, and compliance for distributed teams. By acting as an Employer of Record (EOR), Oyster enables businesses to hire full-time employees across more than 180 countries without needing to establish local legal entities. The platform automates legal contracts, multi-currency payroll processing, tax withholdings, and localized benefits administration. In addition to EOR capabilities, Oyster offers global contractor management with localized contract generation, invoicing, and misclassification risk analysis. Teams can also access add-on features like visa sponsorship support, equitable salary benchmarking insights, and project-based HR advisory services through Oyster's People Partner experts. By unifying global payroll, contractor management, and HR compliance into a single interface, Oyster helps scaling companies expand their engineering, sales, and operational teams internationally while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Best for: Growing companies looking to hire, pay, and manage full-time international employees and contractors without setting up local entities.
Pros and cons
What works well
- Enables compliant employee onboarding in 180+ countries in as fast as 48 hours
- Includes free built-in tools like global salary insights and contractor misclassification analyzers
- Certified B Corp with dedicated expert support models and transparent pricing options
Where it falls short
- Full Employer of Record services carry a substantial monthly fee per employee
- No mobile native application specified for managing payroll on mobile devices
Pricing
Employer of Record
USD 699 per employee/month
Compliant global hiring, payroll, time-off, expenses, and onboarding support in 180+ countries.
Global Contractors
Free for 30 days
Instantly generate contracts, manage invoices, and send contractor payments in 120+ currencies.
People Services
USD 300 per hour
White-glove HR advisory and strategic guidance across global workforce operations.
User reviews
Frequently asked questions
How fast can Oyster onboard employees globally?
Oyster supports compliant onboarding in as fast as 48 hours across more than 180 supported countries.
Does Oyster offer a free trial?
Yes, Oyster provides a 30-day free trial for its global contractor management services.
How does Oyster help prevent contractor misclassification?
Oyster offers a free misclassification analyzer tool and provides global employment liability coverage options to minimize compliance risks.
Can Oyster assist with employee visa sponsorships?
Yes, Oyster offers visa sponsorship add-ons to help candidates obtain visas with guidance from immigration experts.
What advisory support does Oyster provide?
Oyster offers People Partner Services for project-based HR advisory, global talent strategies, and hands-on execution.
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