Payroll & Benefits · head to head
Oyster vs Namely
Namely
Payroll & Benefits
The HR platform that employees love
- From
- $18/employee/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Oyster has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Oyster employer of Record is $699 per employee per month, with the discount tied to annual billing; Namely limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- They diverge on capability: Oyster covers Global Employment, Namely covers HR Management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Oyster and Namely actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll & Benefits).
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 Oyster
- Global Employment
- Benefits
- Compliance
- Contractor Management
- Time Off
- Expenses
- BambooHR
- Lever
Only in Namely
- HR Management
- Benefits Administration
- Time Off Management
- Performance Management
- Onboarding
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
Both cover
- Payroll
- Greenhouse
- Slack
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Oyster
- Hiring employees abroad without setting up a local legal entitynot Namely
- Onboarding and paying international contractorsnot Namely
- Getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teamsnot Namely
Namely
No use cases recorded yet. See the Namely review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Namely
- Limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- Payroll limitations: better served for less complex organizations and struggles with complex time-and-attendance or multi-FEIN scenarios
- Missing ATS and surveys: lacks built-in applicant tracking system and pulse survey capabilities
- Slow support response times: pod-based support model has led to slow response times for customers
- Designed for specific market segment: best fit is mid-sized companies with 50-350 employees
Pricing, plan by plan
Oyster
Free- Contractor$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliant Contracts
- Invoicing
- Employee$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
Namely
$18/employee/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Namely review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Oyster if
- You need global employment.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want benefits.
Questions people ask
- Is Oyster or Namely better?
- Neither clearly leads. Oyster starts at Free and Namely at $18/employee/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Oyster or Namely?
- Oyster has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Oyster and $18/employee/month for Namely.
- Does Oyster or Namely run on more platforms?
- Oyster runs on Web, Ios, Android. Namely runs on Web.
- Can I use Oyster for free?
- Yes. Oyster has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Namely starts at $18/employee/month.
- What is Oyster best used for?
- Oyster is most often used for hiring employees abroad without setting up a local legal entity, onboarding and paying international contractors, getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teams. Of those, hiring employees abroad without setting up a local legal entity and onboarding and paying international contractors are not what Namely is typically brought in for.
- What can Oyster do that Namely cannot?
- Oyster covers Global Employment, Benefits, Compliance, Contractor Management. Namely covers HR Management, Benefits Administration, Time Off Management, Performance Management. Both handle Payroll, Greenhouse, Slack, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Namely: Does Namely support global payroll?
Namely primarily focuses on mid-sized US-based companies with 50-350 employees. While it can handle complex payroll scenarios, it is better served for less complex organizations and does not have extensive global payroll capabilities compared to enterprise platforms.
SourceNamely: What is included in Namely's Premium pricing?
Premium plans cost $18-24 per employee per month plus implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs. Plans include payroll, HR, benefits administration, time management, and talent management features.
SourceNamely: Does Namely include performance management features?
Yes, Namely offers customizable performance review modules enabling dynamic, ongoing feedback rather than traditional annual-only reviews. This is one of Namely's standout features.
SourceNamely: How long does Namely implementation typically take?
Namely is designed for mid-sized companies and implementation timelines vary based on complexity. The platform includes implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs in addition to monthly per-employee pricing.
Source