Heard vs Oyster HR
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Quick verdict: Pick Heard if you run a US therapy practice needing done-for-you books and taxes; pick Oyster HR if you're hiring employees or contractors abroad.
Best for: Solo therapists (LLC or sole prop) who want bookkeeping and taxes off their plate, S corp owners and group practices that need payroll bundled in
Read the full Heard reviewBest for: Companies hiring employees in multiple countries without setting up legal entities, Teams managing a mix of international employees and contractors
Read the full Oyster HR reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Heard vs Oyster HR: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Heard if
- You're a US therapist who wants bookkeeping and taxes fully handled.
- You want federal and state returns filed by therapy-specialist pros.
- You want banking, books, and payroll under one login.
Choose Oyster HR if
- You're hiring employees in multiple countries without legal entities.
- You want a risk-free 30-day trial for contractor management.
- You need expert HR guidance for global compliance and misclassification risk.
Heard vs Oyster HR: pros and cons
Heard
Heard pairs therapists with bookkeepers and tax pros who work only with private practices, bundling monthly bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, and full tax filing in one dashboard. Support is human and responsive, though annual plans are billed upfront and non-refundable. Overall, it's a strong fit for solo US practices that want taxes handled, provided you're comfortable committing a year.
Pros
- Specialist tax knowledge — Heard's team files returns only for mental health and wellness private practices, so therapy-specific deductions are tracked automatically instead of you hunting for them.
- Documented savings — providers using Heard save an average of 60 hours a year and $5,000 in taxes, per company figures.
- True all-in-one — monthly done-for-you bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, federal and state filing, banking, payroll, and S corp support run under a single login with plain-language reports.
Cons
- Narrow eligibility — only US-based, single-owner health and wellness practices (sole props, single-member LLCs, S corps) are supported — no C corps, multi-owner practices, or non-US businesses.
- Annual plans are billed upfront and non-refundable; Premium members can't downgrade, and Essential downgrades are only allowed if you haven't filed taxes with Heard yet.
- Extra costs stack up — a one-time catch-up bookkeeping fee of $99 per month in business this year applies at signup, Lite's annual tax filing is a $750 add-on, payroll runs $39/mo plus $6 per person via Gusto, and government and license filing fees are excluded.
Oyster HR
Oyster HR hires and pays your global team for you — employees in 180+ countries, contractors in the same hub, and real HR experts when things get tricky. The EOR plan costs $699 per employee monthly, and exact country-level costs aren't published. Overall, it's a strong pick for mid-market teams going global if the per-seat price fits your budget.
Pros
- Hire employees in 180+ countries without setting up legal entities, with onboarding in as little as 48 hours
- Multi-country payroll in 120+ currencies plus automated expenses, time-off, and reporting are built into the Employer of Record plan
- A dedicated point of contact and in-house HR experts are included rather than billed extra, with People Partner Services available at USD 300 per hour for complex situations
Cons
- The Employer of Record plan costs USD 699 per employee per month — over $8,300 per hire annually — which is steep for tight budgets compared with a local payroll provider
- Headline prices are per-seat rates only; exact country-level costs and the scope of the USD 300-per-hour People Partner rate aren't published, so you need to talk to sales
- No self-serve evaluation path for the EOR product — there's no free trial or published demo/refund terms on the site, and a refundable deposit is required for each EOR team member
Heard and Oyster HR in detail
Heard
Heard is a financial platform built for therapists and wellness practitioners in private practice. It combines bookkeeping, tax filing, business banking, payroll, and S corp support in one dashboard. A dedicated team reviews your books monthly, and experts answer questions with no per-question fees. It serves solo practices, LLCs, sole proprietors, S corps, and group practices—more than 5,000 therapists use it.
Standout features
- Monthly bookkeeping, done for you
- Taxes without the overwhelm
- S corp and payroll, made simple
- Real humans who know therapists
- One dashboard, plain-language reports
Use cases
- New practice, clean books from day one
- Tax season without the dread
- Group practice payroll, handled
Oyster HR
Oyster HR is an employer of record (EOR) platform. It hires and employs your international team members on your behalf, so you don't set up local offices or entities. You manage, onboard, and pay employees and contractors in one place, with in-house HR experts for guidance. It targets growing and mid-market companies hiring globally, and the company says it's the only B Corp-certified EOR.
Standout features
- Hire almost anywhere, without opening entities
- Real HR experts, not a ticket queue
- Compliance and admin handled quietly
- Contractors covered in the same hub
- Connected tools, cared-for employees
Use cases
- Hiring your first international employee, fast
- Managing employees and contractors in one place
- Staying compliant without becoming a legal expert
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Heard | Oyster HR |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $129/mo Lite | $29/mo Global Contractors |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30 days |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Per-user and flat plans |
| Cost for 1 user | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly | $29/moCheaper Global Contractors plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $3,495/mo Employer of Record plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 10 users | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $6,990/mo Employer of Record plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 25 users | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $17,475/mo Employer of Record plan, billed monthly |
| Plans | 3 | 3 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 13, 2026 | Prices not verified yet — see the vendor page. |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | No tracked prices yet |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 1 user (billed monthly), Oyster HR costs $29/mo vs Heard at $129/mo.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Heard and Oyster HR together?
Yes. They solve different problems: Heard manages a US therapy practice's books and taxes, while Oyster HR employs staff abroad. Practices hiring internationally could use both.
Do either offer free trials?
Oyster HR offers a 30-day free contractor trial. Heard publishes no free trial, but you can book a free demo before committing.