Employ
RecruitOyster vs Remote
Managing a globally distributed team presents challenges, especially when handling HR responsibilities, processing payroll, administering benefits, and ensuring compliance with each country’s laws. Navigating these complexities requires robust solutions that can streamline operations.
That’s where Employer of Record (EOR) services come into play. These cloud-based platforms are designed to simplify international employment by taking on administrative burdens and legal obligations.
This in-depth comparison will examine two leading EOR providers: Oyster HR and Remote.
We’ll explore each service’s unique features, highlight its strengths and weaknesses, and help you determine which platform best suits your business.
What You’ll Discover:
- Detailed Feature Analysis: An extensive look at what each platform offers regarding functionality and usability.
- Pricing Comparison: A breakdown of the costs associated with each service to help you budget effectively.
- Pros and Cons: Honest evaluations of the advantages and limitations of Oyster HR and Remote.
By the end of this article, you’ll have the insights needed to select the EOR service that will most effectively support your international team.
Oyster vs Remote Overview
Feature | Oyster | Remote | Explanation |
User Reviews | G2: 4.4/5 Trustpilot: 4.6/5 | G2: 4.6/5 Trustpilot: 4.7/5 | Both Oyster’s and Remote’s ratings are very good on both of these platforms, though Remote’s ratings are slightly higher. |
Pricing | $599/ employee per month; $29/contractor per month | $599/employee per month; $29/contractor per month | Both service providers post their basic fees online, and their basic starting fees are exactly the same. |
User-friendliness | Very good | Excellent | Remote has excellent reviews for ease of use and support. |
Customer Support | 24/7 live chat support | 24/5 live chat support | Oyster offers 24/7 live chat support, while Remote has live support just 24/5. |
Integrations | Very good | Very good | Oyster has an API and can integrate with 15 apps, including Bamboo, Greenhouse, and Slack. Remote offers an API and 17 integrations. Both integrate with Zapier, which enables 5000+ tools. |
Data security | Excellent | Excellent | Oyster is compliant with GDPR and SOC 2 standards. Remote is GDPR and SOC2 compliant and ISO 27001 certified. |
International hiring (EOR) | Excellent | Excellent | Oyster supports hiring employees in 130+ countries and contractors in 180+. Remote offers both services in 180+ countries. |
Recruitment | Not offered | Good | Remote has a built-in job board to connect with employees and contractors. Oyster doesn’t offer recruitment. |
Benefits administration | Very good | Very good | Both platforms allow add-on benefits packages like pensions and health insurance for employees. |
Payroll | Very good | Very good | Both providers offer comprehensive global payroll services. |
Main Differences: Oyster vs Remote
Both Oyster and Remote are companies that work on a software-as-a-solution (SaaS) model to provide services for their clients.
Both companies’ primary focus is EOR, or employer of record service, which allows organizations to hire employees legally worldwide.
By using their subsidiaries or partners as legal employers, EORs can contract employees to work directly for clients without entities in-country. They both also support contractor hiring and management. Both providers also offer global payroll services, running payroll for companies with distributed teams worldwide.
Oyster
Oyster is dedicated to simplifying global employment for businesses of all sizes. By providing a platform that handles compliance, payroll, and benefits, Oyster enables organizations to focus on their core operations without the complexities of international hiring.
Services offered by Oyster
- Employer of Record (EOR): Employ talent in over 180 countries, handling local compliance, payroll, and HR tasks.
- Contractor Management: Manage contractors at a competitive price point, with additional compliance monitoring.
- Payroll: Global payroll services that cover taxes, social security, and local legal requirements.
- Benefits Administration: Optional health insurance packages and employee equity plans to create attractive compensation structures.
- Software Integrations: Supports integration with 15 major platforms, including accounting and HR software.
Remote
Remote positions itself as a comprehensive solution for companies looking to hire and manage a global workforce. With a strong emphasis on compliance and intellectual property (IP) protection, Remote provides the tools necessary for businesses to operate seamlessly across multiple jurisdictions.
Services Offered by Remote
- Contractor Management: Efficient management of contractor relationships and payments.
- Global Payroll: Accurate and compliant payroll processing in numerous countries.
- Employer of Record (EOR): Legal employment solutions in various jurisdictions.
- Recruitment Services: Access to a built-in job board for talent acquisition.
- US-Based Services: PEO, payroll, and HR administration for US-based operations.
Oyster Pricing
| Plan | Price per employee/contractor per month |
|---|---|
| Oyster HR EOR | Starting at $599 per employee per month, up to $699 based on country selection |
| Oyster HR Global Payroll | $25 per employee/month |
| Oyster HR Contractor | $29 per contractor/month |
| Oyster HR Scale | On request |
Remote Pricing
| Plan | Price per employee/contractor per month |
|---|---|
| Remote EOR | Starting at $599 per full-time employee per month |
| Remote Contractor | $29 per contractor per month |
| Remote Payroll | $50 per full-time employee per month |
| Remote HR Management | Free |
| Remote Talent | Starting at $119 per contractor per month |
| Remote Contractor Management Plus | $99 per contractor per month |
Key Differences
Service Expansion
- Oyster: Primarily offers EOR services in a limited number of countries, making it less suitable for businesses with broader international needs.
- Remote: Provides EOR services in dozens of countries, accommodating a larger global footprint for companies.
Global Reach
- Oyster: Limited payroll coverage in only 15 countries, which may restrict options for businesses with international employees.
- Remote: Offers extensive payroll services across numerous countries, supporting companies with diverse global teams.
Pricing Transparency
- Oyster: Pricing varies significantly by location, and detailed costs may not always be readily available.
- Remote: While pricing also varies, Remote provides clearer information regarding its fees and services.
While both Oyster and Remote deliver valuable solutions for global hiring and payroll, the choice between them will largely depend on your specific business requirements. If you need extensive global coverage and recruitment support, Remote may be the better option. However, for companies seeking a simpler solution in a limited number of countries, Oyster could be a fitting choice.
To explore these platforms further and see which one aligns with your business needs, delve into our in-depth reviews of Oyster and Remote. Your global hiring success could depend on understanding the unique strengths each provider offers!
Oyster Pros and Cons
All service providers, no matter how similar, have their distinct features and ways of operating. These create distinct pros and cons for each of them. Remote’s specific pros and cons include:
- Pros
Benefits packages
Oyster allows employers to offer add-on benefits that include health, vision, dental, life, and wellness insurance, as well as private pensions. These benefits are offered in 165 countries around the world and can be added to employees’ or contractors’ compensation packages. In some countries, they’re mandatory, and Oyster adjusts them to comply with local requirements.
Contractor price
Oyster’s contractor management fee of $29/person per month is one of the lowest in the industry. This makes its services affordable even for small enterprises that have limited budgets.
Data security
To increase data security and privacy for its clients, Oyster is compliant with GDPR and SOC 2 standards. It uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for its platform’s cloud hosting and institutes 2FA (two-factor authentication) for extra access protection.
- Cons
Limited integration
Oyster offers fewer out-of-the-box integration opportunities with only 15 solutions. It does, however, integrate with Zapier, an app that links with 5000+ other software solutions. It also has an API available for developers to develop custom integrations. However, this is not as convenient as pre-made integrations.
No PEO services
Unlike other providers in this space, Oyster doesn’t work as a PEO or professional employer organization to manage HR, payroll, and benefits for clients who own their own entities.
Lacks features
Oyster lacks all the features that would make it a standalone human resources management system (HRMS). It lacks recruitment management, applicant tracking, analytics, workflow, and reporting features, which means you’ll need to link it with another HR system to manage your whole team.
Remote Pros and Cons
Remote is a similar global employment platform. Its specific advantages and disadvantages include:
- Pros
Scalability
Remote can handleRemote has the potential to be useful for businesses of all sizes and, with its integrations, can be used as the HR platform of choice for even large enterprises.
Data security
Remote is compliant with SOC 2 and GDPR standards and is ISO 27001 certified. It protects users from threats using encryption protocols, 2FA (two-factor authentication), and AWS cloud hosting.
User-friendly interface
Remote’s user interface (UI) is quick and easy to learn, and most new users can master the system in just a few weeks.
Mobile app
Remote includes a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. This app lets contractors and employees conveniently access their profiles and services on the platform.
Extensive remote work tools
Remote’s platform includes features like time-tracking, recruitment, invoice and expense management, and paid time off (PTO) management. It can, therefore, be used as a complete HR management system.
Benefits packages
Companies are able to provide pensions, mental health support, and health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance for their employees. Remote build these plans in compliance with local laws around the world.
- Cons
Support limitations
While many of its competitors offer support 24/5, Remote only offers live support 24/5. It also doesn’t offer phone support to most clients, only live chat and email. However, it still receives very good user reviews for client support.
Complex pricing
Remote’s basic starting prices are posted online, and it guarantees no hidden fees. It even provides an employee cost calculator to help employers assess costs. However, add-on packages and additional features are not priced online and must be obtained through sales quotes.
Limited payment options
Client payment options are limited to 12 major international currencies. These payments are exchanged and paid to employees in local currencies and to contractors in 160 currencies worldwide. Wise payments for contractors are available, but only seven billing currencies.
Head to Head Comparison: Oyster vs Remote Features
We’ve had the chance to look at each of these service providers independently to see the advantages and disadvantages of working with them. Next, we’ll compare them directly to see which one is a better choice according to different criteria. Instead of aiming to choose an overall champion, we want to highlight where each platform would be a better option for your business.
User-friendly platform: Remote Wins
Both Remote and Oyster have created platforms that have great user interfaces (UIs) and are intuitive for new users. Oyster’s site can be a bit harder to learn and Remote and can have a steeper learning curve. Users also give Remote a better score for ease of set-up. At the same time, Oyster provides 24/7 assistance for any difficulties, while Remote users only have access to support on weekdays. However, Remote is a far more comprehensive platform and can even be used as a standalone HR management system. That’s why we’re giving it to Remote.
Resources: It’s a tie
Oyster has a blog, employee cost calculation tools, and educational resources like webinars and self-study courses that all users can access. Remote provides country guides that give a lot of information about what it’s like to do business and hire employees in other countries. It also provides its clients with a misclassification risk tool and a useful employee cost calculator. These resources are quite similar in their usefulness.
Integration with other software: It’s a tie
Both platforms have limited integrations out-of-the-box. Oyster has 15, including Bamboo, HiBob, Personio, Quickbooks, Salesforce, Slack, and Workday. Remote offers 17, including Bamboo, HiBob, Gusto, Personio, and Slack. However, both of them offer APIs for custom integrations, plus they both integrate with Zapier, which gives access to over 5,000 other tools. While Remote has a slight advantage, they’re essentially even in this category.
International hiring (EOR): Remote Wins
Remote and Oyster both take care of hiring, onboarding and offboarding, payroll, taxes, and benefits administration for EOR full-time employees. Their starting prices are exactly the same, so we have to look at coverage. Remote wins this category because it provides EOR services in 180+ countries, while Oyster is limited to 130+.
Contractor Solution: Remote Wins
Once again, these two providers offer exactly the same price for contractor management – $29/contractor per month. They can also both support contractor hiring in over 180 countries. Oyster lets you pay out contractors in 140 global currencies. However, Remote gives you up to 160 currencies and also includes Wise transfers for convenience. Remote offers a recruitment service to help you find contractors.
Employee Benefits: It’s a tie
These providers both manage the administration of mandatory benefits like PTO and social security payments. They also both let you add on extra benefits packages that include pensions as well as health, wellness, vision, dental, and life insurance for employees and contractors. Neither provider gives their prices online for these services so we have to judge them to be equal.
Payroll Management: It’s a tie
Both platforms provide payroll management as part of their EOR services and separately. Oyster allows clients to pay invoices in just three currencies, while Remote offers invoices in 12 currencies. At the same time, Oyster’s price for payroll is $25/person per month, exactly half what Remote charges. For these reasons, we’ll call it a tie.
Our Verdict: Oyster vs Remote
Both Remote and Oyster are well-known names in the EOR and global employment platform spaces. Their prices for many services are exactly the same. Yet they also have some important differences that make them useful in different circumstances.
When to choose Oyster
Oyster offers cheaper payroll services, which can appeal to smaller organizations on tighter budgets. It’s also a competent EOR provider and contractor manager and can be a good choice for organizations that already have HR management software in place.
When to choose Remote
Remote is a great platform for businesses that want to scale. It has enough features to be used as an organization’s single HR platform and is a great choice for businesses that want to hire employees and contractors around the world and offer them added benefits.