This is the tight clash of the global HR titans: Oyster HR versus Remote.com. Both platforms simplify international EOR and multi-country payments beautifully. Oyster HR emphasizes rapid, broad country coverage and speed in hiring. Remote.com offers unmatched specialized tooling depth and a valuable free core HR solution.
Global EOR and payroll made simple.
We find Oyster HR to be a powerful, centralized solution for managing distributed teams globally, backed by strong client satisfaction. It offers competitive EOR services and essential contractor management tools to ensure full compliance worldwide. Overall, we recommend Oyster highly for companies needing fast, compliant global scaling with excellent support.
The essential HR engine for global hiring.
We observe that Remote is an extremely sophisticated platform designed to simplify global HR, payroll, and compliance across more than 90 countries. The permanent free HR management tool and transparent EOR pricing offer solid value. Overall, we recommend Remote as a robust and reliable solution for rapidly expanding international organizations.
Oyster is an all-in-one trusted platform for global employment. It helps you build distributed teams worldwide efficiently and ethically. The platform offers essential Employer of Record (EOR) services and consolidated multi-country payroll management. Oyster helps you hire full-time staff and contractors compliantly across the globe. You also get supportive employment experts offering guidance every step of the way. π‘
Remote is the comprehensive HR and payroll engine for growing global teams. Itβs built for simplicity but maintains enterprise-grade compliance across all operations. The platform lets you manage the entire employee lifecycle, from hire to retire. This is achieved by combining native payroll with smart HR automation.
Remote ensures you can hire compliantly anywhere, even offering Employer of Record (EOR) services. This allows you to employ global talent without establishing your own local legal entities. You can also easily onboard, pay, and manage international contractors using the built-in Contractor Management tools. Recruiting, HR, and payroll efforts are all centralized in one trusted experience. π‘
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Oyster HR offers faster EOR onboarding and covers more global hiring countries.
Oyster HR focuses on speed, promising to onboard full-time EOR talent in as fast as 48 hours. They also provide comprehensive EOR coverage across an industry-leading 120+ countries. This rapid deployment minimizes critical time-to-hire delays. Remote.com supports compliant EOR hiring in 90+ countries globally. Their onboarding is praised as quick and guided, utilizing a dedicated specialist for new hires. Remote.com ensures local payroll is paid on time, every time. The core difference is Oyster HR's explicit 48-hour speed guarantee and wider EOR reach. Remote.com's strength lies in its depth of tooling, not raw country count. If your primary goal is rapid expansion into the broadest range of territories, Oyster HR is the superior choice for speed and reach.
Remote.com offers a free, complete HRIS for direct employees; Oyster HR does not.
Oyster HR integrates essential HR features into its paid Contractor or EOR plans. They do not offer a separate, free core HRIS solution for managing existing direct employees. Global Payroll starts at $29/month. Remote.com provides its comprehensive HR Management solution permanently free for all direct employees. This includes time tracking, expense management, and document storage, plus a mobile app. This free HR management layer is a massive win for Remote.com users and cuts organizational overhead. It allows teams to centralize administration without an added subscription cost. Remote.com's free offering makes it incredibly valuable for organizations consolidating existing direct employees alongside new EOR hires.
Remote.com offers multiple tiers of high-value legal indemnity for contractors.
Oyster HR facilitates compliant contracts in 180+ countries and streamlines contractor payments starting at $29/month. You can manage expenses and time off efficiently. They offer a 30-day free trial on the Contractor plan. Remote.com offers higher-tier contractor indemnity, including Contractor Management Plus up to $100,000 in protection. They also offer the Contractor of Record (COR) service with uncapped indemnity and IP Guard protection. Remote.com covers 200+ jurisdictions. Remote.com provides significantly more robust financial protection against misclassification, a critical concern. Oyster HR focuses on standard contract compliance and ease of payment. Organizations with high compliance risk or large contractor pools should choose Remote.com for superior financial safeguards.
Remote.com is equipped for US hiring via PEO; Oyster HR specializes only outside the US.
Oyster HR's platform is designed almost exclusively for international hiring coverage (120+ EOR countries). They do not offer a dedicated product for simplifying internal US employment rules. Oyster HR focuses purely on skipping local entity setup globally. Remote.com offers the Professional Employer Organization (PEO) product starting at $99/month for US employees. PEO handles US-based payroll, taxes, and high-quality benefits across federal and state levels. Remote.com solves both domestic and international complexity. If your scaling strategy includes rapid and compliant hiring both inside and outside the United States, Remote.com is essential. Oyster HR necessitates a separate US HR solution. Remote.com users gain a unified US/Global management system, while Oyster HR users must integrate with a third-party PEO.
Remote.com beats Oyster HR on annual EOR pricing and offers several free/low-cost specialty modules.
Oyster HRβs EOR plan is $699/month, saving $1,200 annually per employee. Its Scale plan offers lower rates for companies hiring 3+ EOR employees annually. Contractor and Payroll plans both start at $29/month. Remote.com's EOR plan is also $699/month, but the annual rate is significantly lower at $599/month per employee. Remote.com offers highly specialized modular tools starting at low rates, like Payroll ($29) and Recruit ($199). Remote.com has a clearer cost advantage for long-term EOR contracts due to the definitive $599 annual rate. Remote.com also has the advantage of the free HR Management tool. While both are priced competitively, Remote.com provides superior value due to the free HRIS and highly efficient annual EOR discount structure.
Remote.com offers a dedicated AI-powered recruiting product, a capability Oyster HR lacks.
Oyster HR primarily focuses on the post-hiring lifecycle: compliance, payment, and management. Tools focus on administration, like the Employment Cost Calculator, rather than candidate sourcing. The platform integrates easily with your existing HR tech stack. Remote.com offers the optional Recruit product starting at $199/month for accelerated hiring. Recruit sources candidates from 800M+ profiles using AI matching. This speeds up the time to hire by potentially 10x. Remote.com gives you comprehensive pre-hiring tools under the same umbrella. This centralization ensures a smooth pipeline from sourcing to final onboarding and HR management. Companies prioritizing fast, data-driven global talent acquisition should leverage Remote.com's dedicated Recruit features.
Choosing between Oyster HR and Remote.com is a classic function versus speed debate. If your team prioritizes feature breadth and long-term cost savings, Remote.com is the clear winner here. However, if hyper-fast onboarding and absolute country reach are non-negotiable, Oyster HR provides a superior, rapid solution. Oyster HRβs superpower is its sheer speed and global reach, covering 120+ countries. You can onboard a core full-time EOR employee in as fast as 48 hours globally. They also offer the Scale plan, streamlining bulk EOR hiring for rapidly growing companies. Remote.com excels by offering a profoundly comprehensive, integrated HR stack. Their HR Management solution for all direct employees is permanently free. Remote.com also includes advanced tools like US PEO, dedicated Recruit sourcing, and higher contractor indemnity. The deciding factor should be the HRIS and US support layer. Remote.com is the smarter pick if you need free HR administration combined with specialized US PEO services. Choose Oyster HR if you must scale immediately into one of their exclusive 120+ EOR territories. In our final verdict, Remote.com offers more functional depth and stronger feature integration for the average scaling business. Oyster HR is highly reliable for quick deployment but Remote.com provides better overall value and tooling breadth.
Remote.com offers better starting value for small teams, as its HR Management solution is permanently free. Oyster HRβs paid Contractor plan starts at $29/month, offering a 30-day free trial. If you have any existing direct employees, Remote.com saves you money instantly.
No, both Oyster HR and Remote.com confirm they do not require a minimum number of employees or contractors. You pay monthly per active seat with both systems. Oyster HRβs Scale plan is the only exception, requiring 3+ annual EOR hires for volume discount pricing.
Oyster HR has the broader EOR reach, supporting full-time hiring in 120+ countries. Remote.com currently offers compliant EOR services in 90+ countries. If your target is an obscure location, Oyster HR might offer the coverage you need.
Remote.com is cheaper for annual EOR contracts at $599 per employee/month. Both platforms charge $699/month for monthly EOR service. Choosing the annual billing with Remote.com provides a definitive 14% discount.
No, Oyster HR focuses entirely on international EOR compliance outside the US. Remote.com is unique in offering a dedicated PEO product. Remote.com handles US-based hiring, taxes, and benefits starting from $99/month.
Remote.com offers superior protection, specifically through its high-tier plans. Remote.com includes options for uncapped indemnity via Contractor of Record (COR). Oyster HR focuses on standard compliant contract generation and payment.
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.