Oyster vs RemoFirst: pricing, features and which to choose
Oyster
Employ Borderless Standard · 9 of 10 pillars
- EOR from
- $699
- Countries
- 132
RemoFirst
Employ Borderless Standard · 9 of 10 pillars
- EOR from
- $199
- Countries
- 193
RemoFirst takes every priority we can separate them on: lowest cost, widest country coverage, features, compliance, customer support, analytics & reporting and best overall score.
This is an independent comparison by Employ Borderless.
Oyster vs RemoFirst: which should you pick?
The right choice comes down to what you are optimising for. Here is who wins on each priority, straight from our scoring and pricing data.
| If your priority is | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest cost |  RemoFirst | $199 vs $699/mo for EOR |
| Widest country coverage | RemoFirst | 193 vs 132 countries |
| Features | RemoFirst | 4.7 vs 4.3 out of 5 |
| Compliance | RemoFirst | 4.7 vs 4.4 out of 5 |
| Customer support | RemoFirst | 4.6 vs 4.3 out of 5 |
| Analytics & reporting | RemoFirst | 4.5 vs 4.3 out of 5 |
| Best overall score | RemoFirst | 4.7 vs 4.3 out of 5 |
How we make money: Employ Borderless earns commissions and pre-negotiated discounts when you choose a provider through us. You pay nothing for our recommendation. Our methodology is independent of partner economics. If a provider is wrong for you, we say so.
Oyster covers 132 countries and RemoFirst covers 193. Employer of record starts from $699 per employee per month at Oyster and $199 at RemoFirst.
This page sets out what each one is strongest at, where each gives ground, and which of the two suits your situation. In short: Oyster suits growing companies looking for strong global compliance support and fast onboarding in all major markets; RemoFirst suits companies of any size that want some of the lowest EOR pricing we track, with fast human support and predictable per-employee pricing.
How do Oyster and RemoFirst compare on our ratings?
I've scored both providers across 10 categories based on independent research, user feedback, and hands-on testing where providers grant access. Here's how they stack up.
average of the 26 providers we rate
Features
Country coverage
Pricing
User experience
Customer support
Integrations
Mobile app
Analytics & reporting
Security
Compliance
Why you can trust our reviews
We combine structured research with real-world global hiring experience. Our methodology is built by operators who've spent years working with EOR, PEO, and payroll providers across multiple markets.
- 10+ years in global hiring - hands-on experience selecting and working with EOR providers
- 5-layer research methodology - demos where providers grant access, review platforms (G2, Trustpilot, Capterra), communities, and provider validation
- The Employ Borderless Standard - our 10-pillar rating framework, scored out of 5 in half steps across features, country coverage, pricing, UX, support, integrations, mobile, analytics, security, and compliance
- Weighted review analysis - platforms with more reviews have higher impact (e.g. 2000 > 30)
- Independent - rankings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships
Built by practitioners, not publishers - so you can rely on it for real hiring decisions.
What is Oyster?
On the Employ Borderless Standard, Oyster scores 4.3 out of 5. It is priced from $699/mo and operates across 132+ countries.
Oyster HR is an Employer of Record (EOR) and a global employment platform that allows companies to hire and manage international workers in 132+ countries without setting up local legal entities. Founded in 2020, the company focuses on supporting distributed teams.
Oyster’s services include international employment contracts, payroll processing, benefits administration, and ongoing local compliance in each country where it operates.
Focus on employee experience
Oyster places more emphasis on the employee experience than traditional EOR providers.Alongside core employment services, the platform includes Oyster Academy for professional development, as well as tools designed to support onboarding and cross-cultural collaboration.
What this means for you: Oyster acts as more than a compliance partner. The platform is designed to help companies build and maintain engaged global teams, not just employ them on paper.
Typical customers
Oyster primarily serves mid-market and enterprise companies with 50 or more employees, but I've also seen a few startups in their customer base.The limiting factor here is the higher rate for Employer of Record (EOR) services.
The platform attracts companies that value consistency, employee satisfaction, and long-term retention, even when that means paying more than low-cost EOR alternatives.
| Founded | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, US |
| CEO | Tony Jamous |
| Employees | 501-1,000 |
| Total funding | $291M |
What is RemoFirst?
We rate RemoFirst 4.7 out of 5. Expect pricing from $199/mo, spanning 193+ countries.
RemoFirst was founded in 2021 by Nurasyl Serik and Volodymyr Fedoriv, is headquartered in San Francisco, has raised $39 million and employs between 201 and 500 people. It sells two things: employer of record services for hiring employees abroad without a local entity, and contractor management for paying freelancers compliantly.
Your contract is with RemoFirst. In most countries the legal employer of your hire is an in-country partner that RemoFirst manages; we have confirmed that model in 34 countries and have no owned entities on file. RemoFirst issues the employment contract, runs payroll, files taxes and statutory contributions and administers benefits. You manage the work. For a first hire abroad that replaces the three to six months it takes to set up your own entity.
Beyond EOR and contractors it offers RemoHealth, one health insurance program across countries, RemoTech equipment provisioning, and visa and work-permit support in 85+ countries.
| Founded | 2021 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, US |
| CEO | Nurasyl Serik |
| Employees | 201-500 |
| Total funding | $39M |
What are the key features of Oyster vs RemoFirst?
When you're choosing between EOR providers, it comes down to what each one actually does for you. Some focus on payroll processing, others specialize in compliance management, and some offer better employee benefits. Here's what sets these two apart.
Oyster key features
Oyster creates employment contracts that match local labor laws. They also handle job postings, offers, and onboarding.
The platform calculates pay, taxes, and deductions, and pays employees in their local currency on schedule.
Oyster monitors labor laws and tax rules in each country where you hire. Clients receive alerts when local laws change.
They offer health insurance, retirement plans, and other benefits tailored to local requirements. Most markets include multiple-tier options.
Both worker types are handled on the same platform. Clients can convert contractors to employees if/when they need to.
Includes help with work permits and immigration paperwork in more than 60 countries.
Provides training courses for skill development. This is the main separator between Oyster and other providers.
RemoFirst key features
RemoFirst issues the compliant employment contract, registers the employee with local authorities and handles tax withholdings and social contributions, from $199 per employee per month; its pricing page notes the fee may vary with local requirements.
Payroll in 100+ currencies with local withholdings and mandatory deductions, on monthly, bi-weekly or weekly cycles depending on the country.
Compliant contractor agreements free to manage; invoicing and local-currency payments at $25 per contractor per month, in a dashboard that mirrors the employee workflow.
RemoHealth health insurance across countries with optional dental and vision, plus laptop and equipment provisioning through RemoTech.
Tax filings, paid time off, parental leave, termination rules and other country-specific requirements, handled by RemoFirst and its in-country partners.
Employees request leave in the platform, entitlements are calculated from local labour law, managers approve in the same place and a calendar shows who is out.
What benefits do Oyster and RemoFirst offer?
Features are one thing, but how do they actually help your business? Think faster onboarding, fewer compliance headaches, and smoother payroll runs. Here are the real benefits you'll get from each provider.
Oyster benefits
Hiring faster in new countries
Oyster clients can onboard employees within a few days instead of waiting three to six months to set up a legal entity.
Staying current with labor laws
The platform tracks regulation changes across countries so clients don't have to research employment requirements for each market.
Skipping entity setup costs
Avoiding entity setup can save $50,000 to $200,000 per country. At $699, Oyster monthly fee is easier to justify when hiring multiple employees in the same market.
Scaling without legal blockers
Add employees in new markets without setting up infrastructure first.
One dashboard for everyone
Oyster allows you to manage payroll, benefits, and compliance for all countries in one system.
RemoFirst benefits
Lower fees at scale
A ten-person international team costs from $1,990 a month at RemoFirst against from $5,990 at Deel, before salaries and statutory costs. The fee difference grows with every hire.
No foreign entity to set up or run
You skip incorporation, local registrations and the ongoing accounting and filings of a subsidiary, and you can leave a country as easily as you entered it.
You can hire the candidate you found
You are not waiting on company formation before someone can start, so the timeline turns on documents and local registration instead.
Compliance risk moves to the employer of record
RemoFirst and its in-country partners carry the statutory obligations of the employer, which is the point of using an EOR in a country you do not know.
Payroll in one place
One invoice, in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, SGD or ILS, for employees paid in their own currency across every country.
Scale up and down freely
No minimum commitment is published, so you can add a hire for a project and let them go at the end of it without a contract penalty.
Benefits without local insurers
RemoHealth gives every employee the same health plan, which is easier to recruit with and simpler to run than a policy per country.
How do Oyster and RemoFirst compare on pricing?
Let's talk money. EOR pricing can be tricky - some providers quote low monthly fees but charge extra for setup, onboarding, or additional services. Here's what each provider charges for their main services.
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Employer of record | $699per employee/month | $199per employee/month |
| Contractors | $29per employee/month | $25per employee/month |
Pricing sourced from Oyster's pricing page · verified Oct 2026
Pricing sourced from RemoFirst's pricing page · verified Oct 2026
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What are the pros and cons of Oyster vs RemoFirst?
No EOR provider is perfect - they all have their sweet spots and pain points. Getting honest about what works and what doesn't will save you from unpleasant surprises down the road. Here's the real talk on both providers.
Oyster
- +
Employee development
Oyster Academy includes training and professional development tools. This sets Oyster apart from EOR providers that focus only on compliance and payroll.
- +
Designed for remote teams
The platform is well-suited to distributed teams, particularly in collaboration across regions.
- +
Strong global coverage
Hiring is supported in 132+ countries, with benefits aligned to local expectations. This allows Oyster clients to attract better talent.
- +
Simple compliance tracking
Labor law updates appear directly on the platform in real time. This reduces the need to monitor changes separately as the client company grows.
- +
Built-in cost calculator
Shows expected employment costs across different countries upfront.
- +
Ethical employment standards
Oyster’s focus on fair pay and responsible hiring supports companies planning for sustainable, long-term growth.
- −
Premium rates
EOR services cost $699 per employee per month. Some budget providers charge less for similar coverage (for example, RemoFirst at $199 per month).
- −
Add-on costs
Salary bands, visa sponsorship, and premium benefits cost extra.
- −
Limited self-service
Some routine workflows are less automated compared to platforms like Deel. In some cases, more human intervention can mean delayed hires.
RemoFirst
- +
One of the lowest published EOR prices
From $199 per employee per month across the 193 countries and territories we have verified. Deel lists from $599 and Remote from $699 for the same service.
- +
You hire without setting up an entity
The limit is document turnaround and local registration rather than company formation. Setting up your own entity takes months.
- +
Compliance handled end to end
Contracts, payroll taxes, statutory contributions and filings in every country covered, with RemoFirst taking legal responsibility as the employer of record.
- +
Free contractor management
Compliant contractor agreements free to manage, and local-currency payments at $25 per contractor per month, in the same platform as your employees.
- +
No setup fee, deposit or minimum term published
The price page lists the per-employee fee and nothing else. Confirm the unpublished items in writing; the cost section says which.
- +
One health insurance program
RemoHealth covers employees across countries from one plan, with dental and vision as options, so you do not manage a local insurer per country.
- +
A platform HR staff learn in a session
Employee management, payroll and compliance tracking in a clean interface with little to configure.
- −
Basic reporting
Payroll summaries and headcount only. No custom dashboards, so workforce analysis happens in another tool.
- −
Few integrations
BambooHR, Workday, ADP Workforce Now and GoCardless, plus payroll exports. No public API.
- −
A young platform
Founded in 2021, RemoFirst is still adding features that older providers have, such as multi-country payroll consolidation.
- −
Limited contract customisation
Fewer localisation options for employment contracts and policies, which matters for specialised roles and regulated industries.
Where Oyster and RemoFirst both frustrate users
What people flag on Reddit
Approved community mentions, summarised. First-hand accounts shown first; mentions from accounts we consider promotional are excluded.
Oyster
Former employee of a company that used Oyster HR says its proprietary system for expenses and time tracking was time-consuming and ranks it their least favourite EOR.First-hand
r/askswitzerlandUser reports Oyster HR's local NZ partner is misrepresenting salary figures by stripping leave allowances from the contract amount, describing the local entity as acting like 'complete scum bags'.First-hand
r/PersonalFinanceNZ
RemoFirst
User reports post-sales issues with RemoFirst: health insurance costs and payroll timing differed from what was represented, and the onboarding handoff from sales was rough.First-hand
r/humanresourcesEmployee reports RemoFirst delivered contracts two weeks late and that the account manager was frequently unavailable.First-hand
r/remoteworkCommenter notes RemoFirst uses in-country partners for EOR delivery and flags that low-cost providers like RemoFirst can have hidden fees.
r/remotework
What do customers say about Oyster vs RemoFirst?
Don't just take my word for it. Here's what actual users say about working with these providers on major review platforms.
| | |
|---|---|---|
 G2 | 4.4 1,610 reviews | 4.5 414 reviews |
 Trustpilot | 3.8 271 reviews | 4.1 72 reviews |
 Capterra | 4.6 91 reviews | 4.0 4 reviews |
 Glassdoor | 4.0 242 reviews | 3.8 36 reviews |
Ratings sourced directly from each platform. Last updated August 2026.
Customer support: Oyster vs RemoFirst
When things go wrong (and they will), you want to know someone's got your back. Great support can make the difference between a minor hiccup and a major disaster. Here's how these providers handle support.
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Support availability | Business Hours | 24/7 |
| Dedicated account manager | Yes | - |
| Support languages | English | - |
| Self-service resources | Yes | - |
Complete comparison table
Every detail that matters when choosing an EOR provider. Compare pricing, features, country coverage, and support options in one easy-to-scan table.
| Feature |  Oyster |  RemoFirst |
|---|---|---|
| EOR pricing | From $699/mo | From $199/mo |
| Countries | 132+ | 193+ |
| Overall rating | 4.3 out of 5 | 4.7 out of 5 |
| API available | — | |
| Webhook support | — | |
| Dedicated account manager | — | |
| Self-service resources | — |
Pick Oyster if, pick RemoFirst if
Compared August 2026
Pick Oyster if
- Growing companies looking for strong global compliance support and fast onboarding in all major markets
- Employee development
- Designed for remote teams
- Strong global coverage
Skip Oyster if
- Businesses that need deep HR reporting, heavy customization, or lower-cost EOR options
- Premium rates
- Add-on costs
- Limited self-service
Pick RemoFirst if
- Companies of any size that want some of the lowest EOR pricing we track, with fast human support and predictable per-employee pricing.
- One of the lowest published EOR prices
- You hire without setting up an entity
- Compliance handled end to end
Skip RemoFirst if
- Teams that need owned entities in every market, or enterprise-grade reporting and integrations.
- Basic reporting
- Few integrations
- A young platform
Which provider should you choose?
Different companies have different needs. Your team size, budget, and where you're hiring all play a role in which provider will work best for you. Here's how to pick the right fit.
Choose Oyster if:
Oyster suits growing companies looking for strong global compliance support and fast onboarding in all major markets.
Employer of record runs from $699 per employee per month, against RemoFirst's $199. It covers 132 countries to RemoFirst's 193.
Its strength: Guided onboarding paired with employee self-service for pay, benefits, and compliance. Where it gives ground: Limited reporting flexibility and fewer in-platform admin controls.
Choose RemoFirst if:
RemoFirst suits companies of any size that want some of the lowest EOR pricing we track, with fast human support and predictable per-employee pricing.
Employer of record runs from $199 per employee per month, against Oyster's $699. It covers 193 countries to Oyster's 132.
Its strength: EOR pricing of $199 per employee monthly across 193 countries and territories: 67% less than Deel ($599) and 72% less than Remote ($699). Where it gives ground: Basic reporting and fewer integrations than Deel or Remote.
When to consider alternatives
Sometimes neither option is quite right. Maybe you need rock-bottom pricing, enterprise-level features, or coverage in a specific country these providers don't serve well. Here are some other EOR providers worth checking out.
Remote
Companies who want strong protection of intellectual property (IP) and legal risk coverage when hiring internationally
Read review
Deel
Growing companies hiring internationally with a mix of contractors and full-time employees
Read review
Hire with Columbus
Companies hiring 5 or more international employees who want to keep costs low and predictable
Read reviewNot sure which is right for you? Get a free, personalized recommendation based on your team and budget.
Frequently asked questions
Oyster HR and Remofirst offer global employment solutions but have some key differences.
Oyster HR is known for its extensive compliance management and is often preferred by larger companies or those with complex international hiring needs. It offers a more comprehensive suite of HR tools and integrations.
Remofirst, on the other hand, is generally more cost-effective and is often favored by small to medium-sized businesses and startups. It offers faster onboarding and a more streamlined approach to global hiring.
Oyster HR typically has a higher price point, with EOR services starting at $699 per employee per month, with discounts on annual billing.
They also offer contractor management at $29 per month per contractor. Remofirst, focusing on affordability, offers more competitive pricing with EOR services starting at $199 per employee per month and free contractor management, with payments at $25 per month per contractor.
However, it’s important to note that pricing can vary based on specific business needs and the number of employees.
Both Oyster HR and Remofirst prioritize compliance management, but Oyster HR is often considered to have a slight edge in this area.
Oyster HR is known for its strong focus on compliance, offering real-time updates on employment laws and built-in compliance checks.
Remofirst also ensures compliance with local labor laws across multiple jurisdictions but may not offer as robust a system for particularly challenging markets.
The best choice depends on the specific countries you’re hiring in and the complexity of your compliance needs.
Oyster HR and Remofirst offer global payroll and benefits administration services.
Oyster HR provides a comprehensive global payroll solution that handles multiple currencies and offers customizable global benefits packages.
Remofirst also centralizes multi-country payroll, automates tax withholding, and offers customizable benefits packages, including local health insurance options.
The main difference lies in the level of customization and the specific features offered within these services.
For a small business just beginning to hire internationally, Remofirst might be the more suitable option.
Its competitive pricing structure and focus on serving small to medium-sized businesses make it an attractive choice for companies with limited budgets.
Remofirst also offers fast onboarding (within 24-48 hours) and a straightforward approach to global hiring.
However, if the small business anticipates rapid growth or has complex compliance needs, Oyster HR’s more comprehensive services might be worth the higher cost.
It’s always best to evaluate your business needs, growth plans, and budget when making this decision.
Still not sure?
Get a free, personalized recommendation based on your team size, budget, and hiring countries.