Software · head to head
Oyster vs Remote
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; Remote employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
- They diverge on capability: Oyster covers Global Employment, Remote covers Global Payroll.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Oyster and Remote actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Time Off
- Expenses
- NetSuite
Only in Remote
- Global Payroll
- EOR Services
- Equity Management
- HRIS
- Xero
Both cover
- Benefits
- Compliance
- Contractor Management
- BambooHR
- Greenhouse
- Lever
- QuickBooks
- 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 Remote
- Onboarding and paying international contractorsnot Remote
- Getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teamsnot Remote
Remote
- Employing staff in countries where you have no legal entity through an employer of recordnot Oyster
- Paying and managing international contractors with compliant agreementsnot Oyster
- Running payroll and HR records for a distributed workforcenot 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
Remote
- Employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
- Global Payroll carries an implementation fee to set up entities plus a recurring payroll delivery fee on top of the $29 per employee per month rate
- Contractor Management Plus is $99 per contractor per month against $29 for the standard tier
- The Equity product is limited to Delaware C-Corps
- The PEO product bills in USD only and requires a US bank account
- Remote states it collects reserve payments in high risk circumstances, so an upfront deposit is possible
Pricing, plan by plan
Oyster
Free- Contractor$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliant Contracts
- Invoicing
- Employee$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
Remote
Free- Contractor Management$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliance
- Contracts
- Employer of Record$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
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 payroll.
Choose Remote if
- You need global payroll.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want eor services.
Questions people ask
- Is Oyster or Remote better?
- Neither clearly leads. Oyster starts at Free and Remote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Oyster or Remote?
- Oyster starts at Free and Remote at Free.
- Does Oyster or Remote run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Oyster for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Remote is typically brought in for.
- What can Oyster do that Remote cannot?
- Oyster covers Global Employment, Payroll, Time Off, Expenses. Remote covers Global Payroll, EOR Services, Equity Management, HRIS. Both handle Benefits, Compliance, Contractor Management, BambooHR.