Oyster HR Review 2025: Pros, Cons, Features & Pricing
Oyster HR is an all-in-one HR and employee management platform built for global teams. It is commonly used by HR professionals, recruiters, and people managers to support tasks like hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits administration, and maintaining employee records. It provides a central system to manage HR processes and help businesses comply with local regulations across multiple countries.
Oyster HR addresses common pain points like managing international payroll services, providing localized benefits packages, and ensuring compliance with employment laws in different regions. Its best features are hiring compliantly in over 180 countries, automating payroll and payments in 120+ currencies, and providing country-specific benefits and perks to global team members. The automated payroll processing system provided by Oyster HR simplifies payroll across borders with ease.
Oyster HR Evaluation Summary
- From $25/employee/month
- 30-day free trial
Why Trust Our Software Reviews
Oyster HR Overview
In this review, I'm sharing my analysis and evaluation based on my hands-on experience with Oyster HR. But first, if you're beginning your search for the best EOR, check out my picks of the best employer of record services.
You probably already know Oyster HR is among the most popular employers of record, but you may need a better understanding of what's good and not so good about it. This in-depth Oyster HR review will walk you through the pros and cons, features, and functionality to help you better understand its capabilities and suitability for your needs.
pros
-
Payroll processing: Oyster HR handles all aspects of global payroll, including taxes, deductions, and payments made in local currencies.
-
Benefits management: Oyster HR provides localized benefits packages that are customized for each employee's country.
-
Onboarding: Oyster HR simplifies the onboarding of new hires with compliant employment contracts and digital signing.
cons
-
Separate platform: Oyster HR is a standalone platform that does not directly integrate with some popular HR and payroll systems.
-
No PEO option: Oyster HR only offers employer-of-record services and does not provide a professional employer organization (PEO) co-employment model.
-
Limited countries: Oyster HR supports hiring employees in 180 countries, fewer than other global EOR providers.
Is Oyster HR Right For Your Needs?
Who would Be A Good Fit For Oyster HR?
-
Remote teams
Oyster HR makes hiring and paying remote workers in over 180 countries hassle-free while complying with local employment laws.
-
Startups
Oyster's self-service platform and transparent pricing are well-suited for fast-moving startups looking to scale their global team quickly.
-
Fast Growth
Companies experiencing rapid headcount growth globally can use Oyster to onboard new hires in days instead of months.
-
HR departments
Oyster's dashboard gives HR teams visibility into their global workforce for headcount planning, payroll, and people analytics.
-
Tech companies
Software and tech firms with geographically distributed teams find Oyster's automated compliance, payroll, and benefits administration across 180+ countries very helpful.
-
Emerging markets
Oyster HR simplifies hiring with a global network of pre-screened, market-savvy candidates.
Who would Be A Bad Fit For Oyster HR?
-
Enterprise firms
Very large organizations may require more customization, integrations, and service-level agreements than Oyster provides.
-
National firms
Companies without plans to hire internationally would not benefit from a global employment platform like Oyster.
-
Staffing agencies
Firms that recruit, hire, and manage client talent are not a fit, as Oyster is designed for direct employment.
-
Specific countries
Oyster does not support hiring in some countries, such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria, due to legal restrictions.
-
Gig workers
Oyster is for full-time employees, so companies primarily engaging short-term contractors should consider other options.
How We Test & Score Our Tools
We’ve spent years building, refining, and improving our software testing and scoring system. The rubric is designed to capture the nuances of software selection and what makes a tool effective, focusing on critical aspects of the decision-making process.
Below, you can see exactly how our testing and scoring works across seven criteria. It allows us to provide an unbiased evaluation of the software based on core functionality, standout features, ease of use, onboarding, customer support, integrations, customer reviews, and value for money.
Core Functionality (25% of final score)
The starting point of our evaluation is always the core functionality of the tool. Does it have the basic features and functions that a user would expect to see? Are any of those core features locked to higher-tiered pricing plans? At its core, we expect a tool to stand up against the baseline capabilities of its competitors.
Standout Features (25% of final score)
Next, we evaluate uncommon standout features that go above and beyond the core functionality typically found in tools of its kind. A high score reflects specialized or unique features that make the product faster, more efficient, or offer additional value to the user.
We also evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the software. Tools offering plentiful native integrations, 3rd party connections, and API access to build custom integrations score best.
Ease of Use (10% of final score)
We consider how quick and easy it is to execute the tasks defined in the core functionality using the tool. High scoring software is well designed, intuitive to use, offers mobile apps, provides templates, and makes relatively complex tasks seem simple.
Onboarding (10% of final score)
We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new platform, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use a tool with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the tool with no experience. High scoring solutions indicate little or no support is required.
Customer Support (10% of final score)
We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base.Tools and companies that provide real-time support score best, while chatbots score worst.
Customer Reviews (10% of final score)
Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promoter score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the tool again for the core functionality. A high scoring software reflects a high net promoter score from current or past customers.
Value for Money (10% of final score)
Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. Software that delivers more, for less, will score higher.
Core Features
Employee onboarding
Oyster HR handles the onboarding process for new global talents, including generating localized employment contracts, collecting necessary documents, and setting up payroll. Their automated workflows and self-serve platform streamline the onboarding experience.
Global payroll
Oyster administers multi-country payroll, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time in their local currency. They also handle complex tax withholdings, benefits deductions, and reporting requirements in each country.
Compliance management
Oyster keeps companies compliant with local employment laws and tax regulations in over 180 countries. Their localized contracts are drafted and updated regularly by in-house legal experts to mitigate compliance risks.
Benefits administration
Oyster offers country-specific health insurance plans and other statutory benefits, handles employee enrollments and ongoing administration, and allows employees to access benefits information and submit claims through the platform.
HR support
Oyster's in-country HR specialists guide international employees and their managers. They are available to answer questions, help with performance management, and advise on cultural norms and best practices.
Employee offboarding
When employment ends, Oyster handles the offboarding process, including terminating contracts and benefits, facilitating severance package calculations and reimbursements where applicable, and issuing proof of employment. This ensures that offboarding is adequately managed in each country.
Standout Features
Global hiring guides
Oyster offers an extensive library of country guides covering employment laws, typical costs, cultural norms, and more for over 180 countries. These guides help companies understand what to expect when hiring in a new country and make informed decisions.
IP protection
Oyster provides guidance and contract clauses to help protect a company's intellectual property when engaging international contractors and employees. It also educates teams on best practices for safeguarding confidential information.
Ease of Use
Oyster HR is highly intuitive for hiring managers and employees. It has a straightforward digital onboarding process and automated workflows that handle paperwork and country-specific requirements. The self-serve functionality empowers employees to access pay stubs, benefits information, and company policies, while HR tasks like time off requests and expenses are straightforward within the platform.
Onboarding
Oyster's customer onboarding is thorough and personalized. Each client is assigned a dedicated account manager for platform configuration, training, and ongoing support. The team collaborates closely with key stakeholders to set up hiring workflows, document templates, and approval chains tailored to the company's international hiring needs.
Oyster offers various training options, including video tutorials, step-by-step guides, live sessions, and extensive FAQ resources. Their hands-on and consultative approach ensures a smooth implementation and helps customers achieve global hiring success from day one.
Customer Support
Oyster HR offers customer support through email for general inquiries, phone support for urgent issues, and scheduled video calls for detailed discussions and training.
Their online help center provides a searchable database of articles and FAQs, while a status page keeps customers informed about system performance and maintenance. Product updates and new releases are communicated regularly to keep users informed.
Integrations
Oyster HR integrates natively with BambooHR, Workday, Hibob, Greenhouse, Carta, Personio, and Okta.
Oyster also offers a Zapier integration to connect with additional third parties.
Value for Money
In my experience, Oyster HR is generally considered on the higher end of the pricing spectrum for Employer of Record services. The investment reflects its extensive feature set and user-friendly interface, positioning it as a premium solution in the market.
Oyster HR offers four main subscription plans:
- Contractors: Starts at $29 per contractor per month. Includes compliance, payments, and expense management.
- Global Payroll: Starts at $25 per employee per month. Covers payroll processing, compliance, and tax filings.
- Employer of Record: Starts at $699 per employee per month. Encompasses full employment services, including benefits administration and compliance.
- Scale Plan: Custom pricing for hiring three or more full-time employees. Offers tailored discounts and additional support for high-volume hiring needs.
While Oyster provides a strong feature set, companies should be prepared for higher costs per employee, which could accumulate quickly for organizations with large international teams. I recommend getting a custom quote and comparing it to other EOR providers to determine if Oyster delivers enough value to justify the premium fees.
Oyster HR Specs
- API
- Application Tracking
- CRM Integration
- Database Search
- Email Integration
- Employee Database
- Employee Onboarding
- Employee Training
- External Integrations
- Google Apps Integration
- Payroll
- Report & Compliance
- Timesheets
Oyster HR FAQs
What is Oyster HR?
Is there a mobile app for Oyster HR?
Is Oyster HR HIPAA compliant?
Is Oyster HR SOC 2 compliant?
Is Oyster HR secure?
Is Oyster HR FedRAMP certified?
Is Oyster HR GDPR compliant?
Can I import existing employee data into Oyster HR?
Oyster HR Company Overview & History
Oyster HR is a global employment platform that enables companies to hire, pay, and manage remote workers compliantly in different countries. It is a distributed company with around 500 employees working remotely worldwide. Oyster's headquarters is located in London.
Oyster provides an all-in-one platform that automates and simplifies global HR processes like hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and compliance for companies employing remote workers internationally. Some of Oyster's notable clients include Coinbase, Deel, Quora, GitLab, and Webflow.
In 2022, Oyster raised $150 million in Series C funding at a valuation of over $1 billion, making it a unicorn company. The round was led by Georgian, a fintech company. Oyster has raised $227 million in funding from investors, including Salesforce Ventures, Stripes, Emergence Capital, PayPal Ventures, Slack Fund, Avid Ventures, PeopleTech Partners, and HR Tech Investments.
Oyster HR Major Milestones
- January 2020: Founded by Tony Jamous and Jack Mardack
- June 2020: Launched Oyster platform
- June 2021: Raised $50M Series B at a $475M valuation
- April 2022: Raised $150M Series C at a $1B+ valuation
- June 2022: Expanded platform to support hiring in over 180 countries