Softwr

Payroll · head to head

Oyster vs Refyne

Oyster logo

Oyster

Payroll

Hire globally, compliantly

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Refyne logo

Refyne

Payroll

Earned wage access for Indian employers, with a per withdrawal convenience fee

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; Refyne the employee pays a convenience fee on every withdrawal and Refyne does not publish the schedule, so an HR buyer approving it as a free benefit is approving a cost that lands on the lowest paid staff.
  • They diverge on capability: Oyster covers Global Employment, Refyne covers Payroll and attendance integration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Oyster and Refyne actually diverge.

Attributes where Oyster and Refyne differ
AttributeOysterRefyne
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
  • Expenses
  • BambooHR

Only in Refyne

  • Payroll and attendance integration
  • Employer policy controls
  • Instant withdrawal
  • Automatic payroll recovery
  • Employee app
  • Employer dashboard
  • Savings and insurance add ons
  • Multi entity 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 Refyne
  • Onboarding and paying international contractorsnot Refyne
  • Getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teamsnot Refyne

Refyne

  • A manufacturer with high attrition among shift workers who leave over payday cash gapsnot Oyster
  • A staffing company wanting a retention benefit that costs the employer little to deploynot Oyster
  • An employer replacing informal salary advances processed manually by finance every monthnot Oyster
  • A large retail or logistics operator standardising early wage access policy across many sitesnot 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

Refyne

  • The employee pays a convenience fee on every withdrawal and Refyne does not publish the schedule, so an HR buyer approving it as a free benefit is approving a cost that lands on the lowest paid staff.
  • A flat fee on a small withdrawal a few days before payday is expensive when annualised, which means the product can be more costly per rupee than the informal advances it replaces.
  • Because usage generates revenue, the provider's incentives favour higher withdrawal frequency, which runs against the financial wellbeing framing used to sell it internally.
  • It depends on accurate live attendance and payroll data, so employers with monthly batch payroll or unreliable attendance capture get conservative accrual limits that frustrate employees.
  • Earned wage access in India sits in an unsettled regulatory space between payroll advance and credit, and a Reserve Bank of India view that reclassifies it would change the product for existing customers mid contract.

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

Refyne

On request
  • Refyne for employers$undefined/year
    • Employer cost quoted per customer and often nil
    • Employees pay a flat convenience fee on each withdrawal
    • No interest charged, but the per withdrawal fee is not published

Which should you pick?

Choose Oyster if

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

Choose Refyne if

  • You need payroll and attendance integration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want employer policy controls.
Refyne review

Questions people ask

Is Oyster or Refyne better?
Neither clearly leads. Oyster starts at $29/month and Refyne at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Oyster or Refyne?
Oyster starts at $29/month and Refyne at On request.
Does Oyster or Refyne run on more platforms?
Oyster runs on Web, Ios, Android. Refyne 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 Refyne is typically brought in for.
What can Oyster do that Refyne cannot?
Oyster covers Global Employment, Payroll, Benefits, Compliance. Refyne covers Payroll and attendance integration, Employer policy controls, Instant withdrawal, Automatic payroll recovery.

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
Refyne: Does the employee pay to withdraw?

Yes. There is no interest, but a flat convenience fee is deducted per withdrawal. Get the exact schedule in writing before rollout.

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
Refyne: Does the employer pay anything?

Often little or nothing, which is precisely why the cost sits with the worker. Employers who want a genuinely free benefit must negotiate to absorb the fee.

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
Refyne: Is this a loan?

It is structured as access to already earned wages recovered at payroll, not as lending, but the regulatory classification in India is not fully settled.

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
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