Deel
Oyster HR
| Feature | Deel | Oyster HR |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $49/mo | Free / from $29/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-first-companies, startups, growing-teams, international-businesses | remote-first-startups, global-teams, hr-managers, scale-ups |
| Founded | 2019 | 2020 |
| Global Payroll | ✓ | ✗ |
| Contractor Payments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Compliance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Eor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Equipment Shipping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Immigration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Hr Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Global Hiring | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payroll | ✗ | ✓ |
| Benefits | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Off Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Expense Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Deel Pros
- Hire globally without setting up entities
- Handles compliance and contracts automatically
- Fast payments in local currencies
- Free for contractor management (up to a limit)
✗ Deel Cons
- EOR service is very expensive
- Customer support can be slow
- Platform can feel complex for small teams
✓ Oyster HR Pros
- Hire in 180+ countries with local compliance
- Beautiful and intuitive platform interface
- Automated employment agreements and onboarding
- Free plan for managing small contractor teams
✗ Oyster HR Cons
- EOR pricing on par with competitors ($599/mo)
- Limited customization for benefits packages
- Newer platform with less enterprise track record
The Verdict
Deel is built for remote first companies and startups, with a focus on global-payroll and contractor-payments. Oyster HR targets remote first startups and global teams and leads with global-hiring and payroll.
On pricing, Oyster HR is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $29/mo compared to $49/mo for Deel. That $20/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.