Payroll & Benefits · head to head
Oyster vs Setmore

Setmore
Scheduling & Booking
Free appointment scheduling and customer management
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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; Setmore free plan limited to 4 users maximum
- They diverge on capability: Oyster covers Global Employment, Setmore covers Unlimited appointments.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Oyster and Setmore actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Oyster
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
- Compliance
- Contractor Management
- Time Off
- Expenses
- BambooHR
Only in Setmore
- Unlimited appointments
- Online booking
- Calendar synchronization
- Customer database
- Email reminders
- SMS reminders
- Mobile app
- Custom branding
Both cover
- 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 Setmore
- Onboarding and paying international contractorsnot Setmore
- Getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teamsnot Setmore
Setmore
- Online appointment and booking managementnot Oyster
- Service provider scheduling platformnot Oyster
- Customer communication via email and SMS remindersnot 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
Setmore
- Free plan limited to 4 users maximum
- Free plan limited to 200 appointments per month
- Live receptionist add-on limited to US only
- Custom enterprise pricing not published
Pricing, plan by plan
Oyster
Free- Contractor$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliant Contracts
- Invoicing
- Employee$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
Setmore
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Setmore 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 payroll.
Choose Setmore if
- You need unlimited appointments.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want online booking.
Questions people ask
- Is Oyster or Setmore better?
- Neither clearly leads. Oyster starts at Free and Setmore at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Oyster or Setmore?
- Oyster starts at Free and Setmore at Free.
- Does Oyster or Setmore run on more platforms?
- Oyster runs on Web, Ios, Android. Setmore runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- 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 Setmore is typically brought in for.
- What can Oyster do that Setmore cannot?
- Oyster covers Global Employment, Payroll, Benefits, Compliance. Setmore covers Unlimited appointments, Online booking, Calendar synchronization, Customer database. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- 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
- Oyster vs Calendly
- Oyster vs Cal.com
- Oyster vs Motion
- Oyster vs Acuity Scheduling
- Oyster vs Appointlet
- Oyster vs Appointy
- Oyster vs 10to8
- Oyster vs Booksy
- Oyster vs Boulevard
- Oyster vs Doodle
- Oyster vs Fresha
- Oyster vs GlossGenius
- Oyster vs Schedulicity
- Oyster vs Square Appointments
- Oyster vs When2meet
- Oyster vs Zenoti
- Oyster vs Airbnb
- Oyster vs Booker by Mindbody
- Setmore vs Gusto
- Setmore vs Paycom
- Setmore vs ADP Workforce Now
- Setmore vs Zenefits
- Setmore vs Ceridian Dayforce
- Setmore vs Sage Intacct
- Setmore vs UKG Pro
- Setmore vs Namely
- Setmore vs Papaya Global
- Setmore vs Paychex Flex
- Setmore vs Paylocity
- Setmore vs Remote
- Setmore vs TriNet
- Setmore vs Velocity Global
- Setmore vs Calendly
- Setmore vs Cal.com
- Setmore vs Motion
- Setmore vs Acuity Scheduling
- Setmore vs Appointlet
- Setmore vs Appointy
- Setmore vs 10to8
- Setmore vs Booksy
- Setmore vs Boulevard
- Setmore vs Doodle
- Setmore vs Fresha
- Setmore vs GlossGenius
- Setmore vs Schedulicity
- Setmore vs Square Appointments
- Setmore vs When2meet
- Setmore vs Zenoti
- Setmore vs Airbnb
- Setmore vs Booker by Mindbody

