All industries · head to head
Basecamp vs Oyster

Basecamp
All industries
Project management & team collaboration software
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Oyster employer of Record is $699 per employee per month, with the discount tied to annual billing
- They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Oyster covers Global Employment.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Oyster actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Basecamp
- Message boards
- To-do lists
- Schedules
- Documents & files
- Group chat
- Check-in questions
- Hill Charts
- Email forwards
Only in Oyster
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
- Compliance
- Contractor Management
- Time Off
- Expenses
- BambooHR
Both cover
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Basecamp
- Project management for a small team in one placenot Oyster
- Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Oyster
- Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Oyster
- Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Oyster
Oyster
- Hiring employees abroad without setting up a local legal entitynot Basecamp
- Onboarding and paying international contractorsnot Basecamp
- Getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teamsnot Basecamp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Basecamp
- The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
- Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
- Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
- Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited
Oyster
- Employer of Record is $699 per employee per month, with the discount tied to annual billing
- A refundable deposit is required before an EOR engagement starts
- Contractor management is free for 30 days then $29 per contractor per month
- HR advisory through People Partner Services is billed at $300 per hour on top of the subscription
- A currency conversion fee applies when you pay Oyster in a currency other than the contract currency
- Payments are accepted only by direct debit or wire in USD, EUR, GBP or CAD
Pricing, plan by plan
Basecamp
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Basecamp review.
Oyster
Free- Contractor$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliant Contracts
- Invoicing
- Employee$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
Which should you pick?
Choose Basecamp if
- You need message boards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want to-do lists.
Choose Oyster if
- You need global employment.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want payroll.
Questions people ask
- Is Basecamp or Oyster better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Oyster at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Oyster?
- Basecamp starts at Free and Oyster at Free.
- Does Basecamp or Oyster run on more platforms?
- Basecamp runs on Web. Oyster runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Basecamp for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Basecamp best used for?
- Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Oyster is typically brought in for.
- What can Basecamp do that Oyster cannot?
- Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Oyster covers Global Employment, Payroll, Benefits, Compliance. Both handle Slack.
Related pages
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- Basecamp vs Velocity Global
- Oyster vs Clockwise
- Oyster vs Reclaim.ai
- Oyster vs Trello
- Oyster vs Roadmunk
- Oyster vs Toggl Plan
- Oyster vs GanttPRO
- Oyster vs MeisterTask
- Oyster vs Sunsama
- Oyster vs Craft Docs
- Oyster vs Freedcamp
- Oyster vs Hive
- Oyster vs Kanbanize
- Oyster vs LiquidPlanner
- Oyster vs Nifty
- Oyster vs Paymo
- Oyster vs Pipefy
- Oyster vs Podio
- Oyster vs ProofHub
- Oyster vs Gusto
- Oyster vs Paycom
- Oyster vs ADP Workforce Now
- Oyster vs Zenefits
- Oyster vs Ceridian Dayforce
- Oyster vs Sage Intacct
- Oyster vs UKG Pro
- Oyster vs Namely
- Oyster vs Papaya Global
- Oyster vs Paychex Flex
- Oyster vs Paylocity
- Oyster vs Remote
- Oyster vs TriNet
- Oyster vs Velocity Global

