Remofirst vs Oyster HR
As the trend towards remote work continues to grow, organizations are increasingly faced with the challenges of hiring and overseeing employees across various locations. Fortunately, numerous innovative tools have emerged to assist employers in navigating these complexities. Among the most effective solutions is the Global Employment Platform (GEP), an essential HR software designed to facilitate the management of teams worldwide.
In this review, we will be comparing Remofirst and Oyster, two leading providers in the GEP arena. Each platform offers a unique set of features tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses looking to expand their global reach. While both services share similar offerings, they excel in different areas, making it crucial to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses to determine which platform best aligns with your organization’s goals.
What You’ll Discover:
- In-Depth Feature Analysis: A thorough breakdown of the features and usability of both platforms.
- Pricing Comparison: A detailed look at the costs associated with each service to assist with effective budgeting.
- Pros and Cons: Unbiased assessments of the strengths and limitations of Remofirst and Oyster.
By the end of this review, you’ll be equipped with the insights needed to make an informed decision about which platform will best support your business in managing its global talent effectively.
Remofirst vs Oyster Overview
Feature | Remofirst | Oyster | Explanation |
User Reviews | G2: 4.5/5 Trustpilot: 3.7/5 | G2: 4.4/5 Trustpilot: 4.6/5 | Oyster has very good customer reviews, and Remofirst’s are moderately good. |
Pricing | $199/employee per month; $25/contractor per month | $599/ employee per month; $29/contractor per month | Both companies post their starting fees online. Oyster’s EOR price is a lot higher. |
User-friendliness | Very good | Very good | Both companies feature easy-to-use platforms. |
Customer Support | 24/7 live chat support | 24/7 live chat support | Both providers have live chat support at all times. |
Integrations | Good | Good | Oyster also has an API and can integrate with 15 apps, including Bamboo, Greenhouse, and Slack. Remofirst has an API and can integrate with some HRISs. |
Data security | Very good | Excellent | Both platforms are GDPR compliant. Oyster is also SOC 2 compliant. |
International hiring (EOR) | Excellent | Excellent | Remofirst supports hiring employees in 180+ and contractors in 150+. Oyster helps hire both in 180+ countries. |
Recruitment | Not offered | Not offered | Neither Remofirst nor Oyster offers direct recruitment services though Oyster helps to connect clients with recruiters. |
Benefits administration | Good | Very good | Remofirst helps employers give their workers add-on health insurance. Oyster offers insurance packages in 165+ countries. |
Payroll | Very good | Very good | Remofirst has somewhat limited payment methods and doesn’t offer separate global payroll service. Oyster has just started this service. It also has limited payment methods. |
Main Differences: Remofirst vs Oyster
When we’re comparing service providers in the GEP space, it can help to start with what they do that’s similar and then look at how they go in different directions.
In this case, Remofirst and Oyster overlap in providing their two main services, contractor management and employer of record (EOR) service. Both help employers hire and manage contractors, ensuring compliance globally. Both Remofirst and Oyster offer Employer of Record (EOR) services in over 180 countries worldwide.
Remofirst
Remofirst is an innovative player in the GEP market, specializing in simplifying the complexities of global employment. By focusing on affordability and compliance, Remofirst helps businesses seamlessly hire and manage employees in various countries, making it an attractive choice for small to medium-sized enterprises.
Services offered by Remofirst
- Employer of Record (EOR): Enables organizations to hire employees in over 180 countries, managing legal compliance and payroll on their behalf.
- Contractor Management: Facilitates the hiring and payment of contractors globally, ensuring proper classification and compliance with local laws.
- Global Payroll: Integrates payroll management as part of its EOR services, allowing businesses to handle salaries and taxes without additional complexity.
- Health Package Add-ons: Offers customizable health insurance options to support employee well-being and satisfaction.
Oyster
Oyster positions itself as a comprehensive solution for companies looking to expand their global workforce. Known for its user-friendly platform, Oyster streamlines the hiring process and provides valuable insights into compliance and payroll management, making it a popular choice among businesses aiming for a seamless global presence.
Services offered by Oyster
- Employer of Record (EOR): Provides EOR services in over 180 countries, ensuring compliance and efficient employee management.
- Contractor Management: Simplifies the process of hiring and managing contractors while maintaining compliance across borders.
- Global Payroll (Beta): Currently in beta testing, this service enables companies with their own entities to outsource payroll tasks, including salary calculations and tax handling.
- Recruitment Support: Connects clients with global recruitment channels, helping them tap into a broader talent pool without directly managing the recruitment process.
- Flexible Benefits Packages: Allows clients to choose from various tailored or pre-made benefits packages, including health insurance and equity options.
Remofirst Pricing
| Plan | Price per employee/contractor per month |
|---|---|
| Remofirst EOR | Starting at $199 per full-time employee/month |
| Remofirst Contractor | $25 per contractor/month |
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 |
Key Differences
Service Expansion
- Oyster: Currently beta testing its global payroll service, allowing companies with existing entities to outsource payroll functions.
- Remofirst: Includes global payroll as part of its EOR services but does not offer it separately.
Global Reach
- Both Remofirst and Oyster provide EOR services in over 180 countries, ensuring extensive global coverage for employers.
Pricing Transparency
- Remofirst: Starts at $199 per employee per month, making it a more budget-friendly option for many businesses, with an average range of $399 to $499.
- Oyster: Clear pricing model starting at $599 per employee per month, reflecting its comprehensive offerings.
Remofirst Pros and Cons
All global employment platforms have their distinct qualities and features that provide them with advantages and disadvantages. Remofirst’s include:
- Pros
Quick onboarding
Clients can onboard workers quickly by using Remofirst’s employee self-service portal. This lets them sign and upload documents conveniently. It can normally take just a few days to onboard through Remofirst though for a well-prepared employee, the process can actually be finished in a few hours.
Useful add-ons
When you need extras, it’s nice to find them offered by your main service provider so you don’t have to go looking elsewhere. Remofirst offers packages that include health insurance (including vision, dental, and wellness protection), visa and immigration services, equity management, and equipment provisioning. It even helps employers run background checks on job candidates.
Low fees
Remofirst offers a real opportunity for cost-savings by charging some of the lowest fees in the GEP industry. It charges just $199 per employee in a handful of the countries where it provides EOR services and for contractors, its $25/person per month is one of the lowest prices you’ll be able to find.
- Cons
No recruiting services
Unfortunately, many service providers leave out recruiting even though it’s a crucial step in global team management. Remofirst doesn’t provide recruitment services directly. However, it gives a list of recruiters around the world that it partners with and offers discounts for Remofirst users.
Platform limitations
Remofirst lacks features like time tracking, applicant tracking, recruitment management, and project management. This means it can’t stand alone as a full human resources management system (HRMS) or human resources information system (HRIS). You’ll have to use another system in conjunction with Remofirst’s platform.
Limited integrations
Unlike most GEPs, Remofirst has no convenient out-of-the-box integrations with popular HR, accounting, and communications tools. It does offer an API for custom integrations and can link to some HRISs. However, more pre-made integrations would make this platform a lot more convenient.
No mobile app
Remofirst doesn’t yet have a mobile app. Instead, it only offers web-based access for employers, employees, and contractors.
Oyster Pros and Cons
Oyster is a GEP that overlaps with many of the same services that Remofirst offers. This platform’s pros and cons include:
- Pros
Strong data security
Oyster is GDPR and SOC 2 compliant. It uses Amazon Web Services for its cloud hosting and institutes 2FA (two-factor authentication) to protect user data and privacy.
Benefits packages
Oyster offers benefits packages that can be used to fulfill legal obligations in 165+ countries or to enhance employee compensation packages. These include travel bonuses, equity plans, and health insurance plans. The packages can be tailored to the employer’s needs for compliance in any country.
Contractor price
Oyster offers a very low starting price for contractor management of $29/person per month. This low price makes its service affordable even for small businesses with very limited budgets.
- Cons
Limited integration
Oyster integrates out-of-the-box with just 15 popular apps, much less than many of its competitors. The good news is that one of these apps is Zapier, which helps it link to 5000 other tools. Still, more pre-made integrations would make Oyster a lot more convenient.
International focus
Oyster is a global employment platform that focuses on international hiring. Therefore, it doesn’t provide expanded professional employer organization support for employers in the US.
Lacks features
Oyster is missing out on some important features, including recruitment management, applicant tracking, analytics, workflow, and reporting. Like Remofirst, this means that it can’t be used on its own as an HRMS or HRIS, and you’ll need to manage HR in another system and link to the Oyster platform.
Head to Head Comparison: Remofirst vs Oyster Features
We’ve just had the chance to examine each platform’s specific strengths and weaknesses in isolation. While this is useful for gaining a picture of each one’s capabilities, it’s also necessary to compare these providers directly. While their service offerings overlap considerably, they don’t perform equally across all functions, and we want to find out which one does which things better.
User-friendly platform: It’s a tie
Both Remofirst and Oyster are relatively easy and simple platforms to manage. They’re not as complex as many of their competitors, and they both have intuitive user interfaces that even new users can quickly become accustomed to. With little to tell them apart, we’re calling it a tie in this category.
Resources: Oyster Wins
Remofirst offers only a few resources, such as a blog and a few ebooks, designed to help clients understand how to use its system more effectively. Oyster provides more, including a blog, employee cost calculation tools, and educational resources like webinars and self-study courses to help users expand their horizons.
Integration with other software: Oyster Wins
Remofirst has an API and can share data with some common HRIS tools but no out-of-the-box integrations. Oyster also has an API, but it can also integrate with 15 out-of-the-box apps like Bamboo, HiBob, Personio, Quickbooks, Salesforce, Slack, and Workday. While this isn’t many, one of them is Zapier which allows for the building of connections with over 5000 tools.
International hiring (EOR): Remofirst Wins
Remofirst can help organizations hire employees in 180+ countries. Its starting price is also extremely low: $199. While this is the price for only a small number of countries, and most others cost $399-499, it’s still one of the cheapest you’ll find in this industry. Oyster also provides EOR services in 180+ countries, but its price, starting at $599/employee per month, is far more expensive.
Contractor Solution: It’s a tie
Both Remofirst and Oyster offer contractor services, including hiring and managing benefits, compliance, and invoices. Remofirst’s price is slightly cheaper, but its range is smaller, and it manages contractors in 150+ countries. Oyster charges a little more but lets employers hire contractors in 180+ countries. We’re calling it a tie in this category as well.
Employee Benefits: It’s a tie
Remofirst lets employers offer add-on health care benefits for their employees, including packages for vision, dental, and wellness in 180+ countries. It also offers to administer employee equity plans that can enhance employee compensation. Oyster also offers health insurance, pensions, wellness, PTO, and relocation allowances to create total packages. It can tailor the packages to the requirements of 165+ countries. We see these services as relatively equal.
Payroll Management: Oyster Wins
Remofirst clients can only choose to be invoiced in five currencies and pay contractors only in transfers. Remofirst also doesn’t include time tracking or integration with financial software, so users must manually upload timesheets. Oyster is also limited in payment options and only lets clients pay in USD, GBP, or EUR. At the same time, Oyster can integrate with time-tracking software, making it more convenient. It also offers global payroll services separately from EOR services. For these reasons, we think Oyster is a more convenient choice for payroll.
Our Verdict: Remofirst vs Oyster
We’ve seen Remofirst vs Oyster independently and now head-to-head. Rather than choosing one of these two providers as an overall winner, our goal is to demonstrate where each one of them would be a better choice for the needs of your business.
When to choose Remofirst
Remofirst is a good choice for small and medium enterprises that need to hire globally but have limited budgets. It lets you hire employees and contractors worldwide and provide them with tailored benefits.
When to choose Oyster
Oyster is a good choice for medium-sized enterprises that want convenient software integration with their tech stacks, global hiring, and solid benefits offerings for their employees and contractors.
Our Solutions
- EOR from $199
- Employee Benefits
- Global Payroll
- International Recruitment
- Contractor Management
- Company Incorporation