Oyster HR pricing: EOR and contractor costs explained
Oyster HR's pricing page shows a few clear numbers. EOR costs $699 per employee per month on monthly billing. Contractor management costs $29 per contractor per month after a 30-day free trial. HR advisory through People Partner Services costs $300 per hour. What the page does not show is the annual EOR rate: Oyster says annual billing is discounted but does not publish the figure, so your real cost on a longer commitment needs a sales conversation.
This pricing breakdown covers what each product costs, where the published prices match reality, and where they diverge. The analysis uses Oyster's pricing page at oysterhr.com/pricing, checked September 2026, plus industry benchmarks. If you are comparing Oyster against Deel, Remote, or Papaya Global, the competitor pricing section provides the context you need to make a cost-informed decision.
Oyster HR pricing overview: what the published rates actually cover and where costs vary
How much does Oyster HR cost?
Oyster charges $699 per employee per month for Employer of Record and $29 per contractor per month for contractor payments, after a 30-day free contractor trial. Annual EOR billing is discounted, but Oyster does not publish the annual rate. Setup, onboarding and offboarding are included, and a refundable deposit is required for EOR hires.
Prices verified Sep 2026. Sources: Oyster pricing page, eorHQ Oyster review 2026.
Oyster HR structures its pricing around a few products. EOR costs $699 per employee per month on monthly billing and covers the legal employer-of-record relationship, compliance, benefits administration, and payroll in 120+ countries. The contractor product costs $29 per contractor per month and covers agreements, invoicing, and payments in 180+ countries. People Partner Services adds HR advisory at $300 per hour. Setup, onboarding, and offboarding are included in the EOR fee.
The EOR pricing requires the most scrutiny. At $699 per month, Oyster's monthly list price matches Remote and sits $100 above Deel's $599. The annual billing discount is the lever that matters, and Oyster does not publish it. Total employment costs also vary widely by country. France, Germany, Brazil, and Japan are markets where employer contributions and mandatory benefits push the all-in cost well above the platform fee on every platform, not just Oyster.
The contractor pricing at $29 per month is competitive and straightforward. It matches Remote's Standard contractor plan and undercuts Deel by $20 per contractor per month. For a company managing 20 contractors, the annual savings versus Deel is $4,800. The 30-day free trial lets you test the contractor product before paying.
Oyster's pricing page no longer lists a custom Scale plan. Instead, it offers an annual, seat-based billing option for EOR with an unpublished discount. For companies scaling beyond 20 EOR employees, the annual rate you negotiate determines whether Oyster is cost-competitive with Deel ($599) and with Remote's reported $599 annual rate.
| Plan | Price | Billing unit | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer of Record | $699 per employee/mo billed monthly; annual billing discounted (rate not published) | per EOR employee per month | Legal employment in 120+ countries with payroll, benefits, compliance; setup, onboarding and offboarding at no extra charge. |
| Global Contractors | $29 per contractor/mo (first 30 days free) | per active contractor per month | Contracts, invoicing and payments to contractors in 180+ countries. |
| People Partner Services | $300 per hour | hourly, project-based | HR advisory work such as policy design and international expansion planning. |
| Free account | $0 | free until you engage a worker | Platform access and global HR tools; fees start once you engage a contractor, EOR or payroll team member. |
What Oyster HR costs for 10, 50 and 200 employees
| Plan | 10 employees | 50 employees | 200 employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer of Record | $6,990/mo | $34,950/mo | $139,800/mo |
| Global Contractors | $290/mo | $1,450/mo | $5,800/mo |
Platform fees only; salary, employer contributions, benefits and a refundable EOR deposit are extra.
Prices verified Sep 2026. Sources: Oyster pricing page, eorHQ Oyster review 2026.
Oyster HR pricing breakdown: EOR, contractor, and annual billing costs
For companies hiring their first 1 to 10 international employees, the standard EOR product on monthly billing is the simplest entry point, at $699 per employee per month. The guided hiring experience adds value during this phase. Get country-specific total cost estimates for your target markets before committing.
For companies with 20 or more EOR employees, ask about annual billing early. At $699 per month, the monthly rate becomes expensive at volume, and the annual discount is where the savings happen. Get the annual quote in writing with clear per-employee pricing, and compare it against Deel's $599 and Remote's $699 monthly (reported $599 annual) at the same volume.
Oyster HR EOR: what the $699 price covers
The EOR product covers the legal employment relationship, employment contract generation, payroll processing, tax withholding and compliance, statutory benefit administration, onboarding workflow management, time-off tracking, and ongoing compliance monitoring. The published price of $699 per employee per month on monthly billing covers Oyster's platform and service fee, including setup, onboarding, and offboarding. It does not include the employee's salary, employer-side statutory contributions, or mandatory benefit costs, and Oyster requires a refundable deposit for each EOR hire. Annual billing is discounted by an amount Oyster does not publish.
Oyster HR Contractor — the $29 rate and what it includes
The contractor product at $29 per contractor per month covers contractor agreement generation with locally compliant templates, invoice management and approval workflows, and payments in multiple currencies across 180+ countries. New customers get a 30-day free trial. The pricing is flat and does not vary by country, making it the most predictable element of Oyster's pricing. For companies managing both contractors and EOR employees, one platform simplifies vendor management and contractor-to-employee conversion.
Oyster HR annual billing and People Partner Services
Oyster's pricing page no longer shows a Scale plan. For volume buyers, the relevant option is annual, seat-based EOR billing, which Oyster says is discounted but does not price publicly. Oyster also sells People Partner Services, project-based HR advisory at $300 per hour, for work such as policy design and international expansion planning. For companies with 20 or more EOR employees, the annual billing negotiation is the most important pricing conversation, since every $50 off the monthly rate saves $12,000 a year at 20 employees.
How Oyster HR pricing compares to Deel, Remote, and Papaya Global
Oyster HR vs Deel on price
Deel lists EOR at $599 per employee per month; Oyster lists $699 on monthly billing. On contractor management, Oyster at $29 per contractor is $20 cheaper than Deel at $49. For a company with 10 EOR employees and 20 contractors, Oyster's annual cost at list prices is $83,880 (EOR) plus $6,960 (contractors) = $90,840. Deel's equivalent cost is $71,880 (EOR) plus $11,760 (contractors) = $83,640. At this mix, Deel is $7,200 cheaper unless Oyster's annual discount closes the gap. The balance tips toward Oyster only when contractor volume is high relative to EOR headcount.
Oyster HR vs Remote on price: coverage breadth versus entity ownership
Remote lists EOR at $699 per employee per month, the same as Oyster's monthly rate, and third-party reviews report Remote at $599 with annual billing. Oyster lists EOR in 120+ countries. Remote's Standard contractor management at $29 matches Oyster. Remote also publishes global payroll at $29 per employee per month plus implementation fees, while Oyster does not publish a payroll price. For companies planning to establish their own entities eventually, Remote's published payroll product gives a clearer transition cost.
Oyster HR vs Papaya Global on price: mid-market versus enterprise positioning
Papaya Global publishes EOR from $499 per employee per month, though buyers report quotes of $650 to $770 (estimates). Its Payroll Plus product starts at $29 per employee per month, and contractor management starts at $5 per contractor per month. For companies that need both EOR and entity-based payroll, Papaya Global's combined offering may be more cost-effective. For companies that want a published, all-in EOR price with setup and offboarding included, Oyster's $699 rate is simpler to budget.
Oyster HR pricing buyer checklist: what to verify before signing an EOR contract
Request country-specific EOR pricing in writing for every target market
Get written per-employee EOR quotes that include Oyster's platform fee (and annual rate, if you commit), the refundable deposit, estimated statutory contributions, and any mandatory benefit costs for each country where you plan to hire. Compare these all-in costs against Deel's and Remote's published rates.
Ask which countries are served by owned entities versus local partners
Oyster lists EOR coverage in 120+ countries through a mix of owned entities and partners, and contractor payments in 180+ countries. Countries served by partners may have different onboarding timelines and service quality than owned-entity markets. Get a breakdown for your specific target countries.
Get annual billing pricing early if you expect more than 20 EOR employees
Annual billing is where Oyster's volume economics live. Request a written proposal with the annual per-employee rate, any seat commitments, deposit terms, and support SLAs. Compare the annual total cost against Deel and Remote at the same volume.
Confirm payroll pricing for long-term cost projections
Oyster's pricing page does not publish a price for payroll on your own entities. If your scaling plan includes establishing entities in high-headcount countries, ask Oyster for payroll pricing or plan for a separate payroll provider. Deel's Global Payroll is reported at $29 per employee per month plus $1,000 per entity, and Remote lists $29 per employee per month plus implementation fees.
Verify the contractor-to-EOR conversion process and any associated fees
If you plan to start workers as contractors and convert some to EOR employees, confirm the conversion process, timeline, and whether any fees apply beyond the standard EOR rate. Managing both employment types in Oyster only helps if the conversion is smooth.
Oyster HR pricing should be evaluated in the context of team size, operating complexity, and the commercial metric that makes cost rise over time.
Buyers should use this page to understand more than the headline price. The real decision usually depends on implementation scope, support level, add-on exposure, and whether the pricing model still makes sense once the team grows.
- Clarify whether cost scales by employee count, recruiter seats, payroll runs, locations, or another metric.
- Confirm what implementation, premium support, compliance, or service add-ons do to total spend.
- Model pricing against the actual team size and operating complexity expected over the next 12 months.
Is Oyster HR worth the price?
Oyster HR's pricing is simple to read but not cheap at list: EOR costs $699 per employee per month on monthly billing, $100 above Deel, and the $29 contractor rate is the joint-lowest among major platforms, with a 30-day free trial. Setup, onboarding, and offboarding are included, but the annual discount and deposit amounts are not published. For companies hiring their first 5 to 20 international employees, Oyster's guided hiring experience adds value. For volume buyers, the annual billing negotiation determines whether Oyster stays competitive with Deel and Remote.
Frequently asked questions about Oyster HR pricing
How much does Oyster HR EOR cost per employee?
Oyster HR lists EOR at $699 per employee per month on monthly billing, according to oysterhr.com/pricing, checked September 2026. Annual billing is discounted, but Oyster does not publish the annual rate. Setup, onboarding, and offboarding are included, and Oyster requires a refundable deposit for each EOR hire. Salary, employer contributions, and mandatory benefits are extra, so request country-specific cost estimates for your target markets.
How much does Oyster HR contractor management cost?
Oyster HR contractor management costs $29 per contractor per month after a 30-day free trial. This rate matches Remote's Standard contractor plan and is $20 cheaper than Deel at $49 per contractor. The fee covers contractor agreements, invoicing, and payments to contractors in 180+ countries.
Is Oyster HR cheaper than Deel?
For contractor management, yes. Oyster at $29 per contractor is $20 cheaper than Deel at $49. For EOR, no, at list price: Oyster charges $699 per employee per month on monthly billing, $100 more than Deel's $599. Oyster offers an annual billing discount that may narrow the gap, but the rate is not published, so get written quotes from both before comparing.
Does Oyster HR offer volume discounts?
Oyster offers a discount for annual billing on EOR, using a seat-based model, but does not publish the discount. Its pricing page no longer shows a separate Scale plan. Buyers with larger EOR deployments should ask sales for annual and volume pricing in writing and compare it against Deel, Remote, and G-P at the same headcount.
What is not included in Oyster HR's published pricing?
The published pricing covers Oyster's platform and service fees. It does not include employee salaries, employer-side statutory contributions, mandatory benefits costs, or supplemental benefits. These employer costs vary significantly by country and often exceed the platform fee. Oyster also requires a refundable deposit for EOR hires, which ties up cash until the employee is offboarded.
Does Oyster HR offer a free trial?
Partly. Creating an Oyster account is free, and fees start only once you engage a contractor, EOR employee, or payroll team member. Contractor management comes with a 30-day free trial, after which it costs $29 per contractor per month. There is no free trial for EOR; you pay $699 per employee per month (monthly billing) once an EOR hire starts.