Softwr

Payroll · head to head

Oyster vs PayFit

Oyster logo

Oyster

Payroll

Hire globally, compliantly

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PayFit logo

PayFit

Payroll

Native payroll and HR for small and mid-sized companies in a small number of European countries

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Oyster employer of Record is $699 per employee per month, with the discount tied to annual billing; PayFit coverage is limited to a handful of European countries and the company withdrew from Germany in 2023, so any buyer with expansion plans should assume the country they need next will not be supported.
  • They diverge on capability: Oyster covers Global Employment, PayFit covers Native payroll engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Oyster and PayFit actually diverge.

Attributes where Oyster and PayFit differ
AttributeOysterPayFit
Starting price$29/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).

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
  • Payroll
  • Benefits
  • Compliance
  • Contractor Management
  • Time Off
  • BambooHR
  • Greenhouse

Only in PayFit

  • Native payroll engine
  • Statutory filing
  • Payslip generation
  • Time off management
  • Employee records
  • Automated variable pay
  • Accounting export

Both cover

  • Expenses

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 PayFit
  • Onboarding and paying international contractorsnot PayFit
  • Getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teamsnot PayFit

PayFit

  • A French company of 50 people leaving a payroll bureau that charges per payslip and returns work slowlynot Oyster
  • A Spanish or Italian employer that needs payroll calculated in-country rather than routed through an intermediarynot Oyster
  • A UK subsidiary of a European group that wants payroll on the same platform as the parent where the country is supportednot Oyster
  • A finance team that wants payroll journals exported directly into the local accounting system without manual mappingnot Oyster

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

PayFit

  • Coverage is limited to a handful of European countries and the company withdrew from Germany in 2023, so any buyer with expansion plans should assume the country they need next will not be supported.
  • There is no employer of record capability, so hiring one person in an unsupported country means adding a separate vendor and a separate employment model.
  • The HR modules cover time off, expenses and records but do not replace an HRIS, and companies with performance, learning or ATS requirements will run PayFit alongside another system.
  • Pricing is quoted per country as a platform fee plus a per employee charge, which makes cross-border cost comparison awkward and means a small subsidiary can carry a disproportionate fixed cost.
  • The product is built for small and mid-sized employers, and companies past a few hundred employees report hitting limits in complex collective agreement handling and in bulk data correction workflows.

Pricing, plan by plan

Oyster

$29/month
  • Global Contractors$29/month
    • Instant contracts in 180+ countries
    • Contractor payments in 120+ currencies
    • Identity verification
  • Employer of Record (EOR)$699/month
    • Compliant employment in 120+ countries
    • Multi-country payroll in 120+ currencies
    • Automated expenses, time-off, and reports

PayFit

On request
  • PayFit$undefined/year
    • Monthly platform fee plus a charge per paid employee
    • Pricing differs by country of employment
    • Payroll calculation and statutory filing

Which should you pick?

Choose Oyster if

  • You need global employment.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want payroll.
Oyster review

Choose PayFit if

  • You need native payroll engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want statutory filing.
PayFit review

Questions people ask

Is Oyster or PayFit better?
Neither clearly leads. Oyster starts at $29/month and PayFit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Oyster or PayFit?
Oyster starts at $29/month and PayFit at On request.
Does Oyster or PayFit run on more platforms?
Oyster runs on Web, Ios, Android. PayFit runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 PayFit is typically brought in for.
What can Oyster do that PayFit cannot?
Oyster covers Global Employment, Payroll, Benefits, Compliance. PayFit covers Native payroll engine, Statutory filing, Payslip generation, Time off management. Both handle Expenses.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Oyster: How much does Oyster charge for Employer of Record services?

Oyster charges $699 per employee per month for EOR services, with annual discounts available. Setup, onboarding, and offboarding are included with no additional charges.

Source
PayFit: Which countries does PayFit actually calculate payroll in?

It runs its own payroll engine for the countries it sells in, currently France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, and it closed its German operation in 2023.

Oyster: How much does Oyster charge for Global Contractors?

Oyster's Global Contractors tier costs $29 per contractor per month after a free 30-day trial. The plan covers instant contracts in 180+ countries, payments in 120+ currencies, and contractor management tools.

Source
PayFit: Is it native payroll or aggregation through a local partner?

Native. Country rules are written and maintained in the company own domain-specific language, so calculation and filing are PayFit responsibilities rather than a partner obligation.

Oyster: What discounts does Oyster offer?

Oyster offers discounts for nonprofits and B-corps through its 'Oyster for Impact' program, startup savings of up to $1,200 on EOR subscriptions, and discounted or waived pricing for refugee support programs.

Source
PayFit: Can PayFit employ staff on my behalf?

No. It is payroll software for entities you already have. Employment in a country without your own entity needs an employer of record.

Oyster: What payment methods does Oyster accept?

Oyster accepts payment by direct debit, wire transfer, and auto-withdrawal. The platform supports multiple currencies including USD, EUR, GBP, and CAD, with fees applied only when paying in a currency different from the contract currency.

Source
PayFit: Does it handle collective bargaining agreements?

Common French and Spanish agreements are supported, but unusual or heavily negotiated agreements can require manual handling.

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