Lever
Oyster HR
| Feature | Lever | Oyster HR |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Contact sales | From $29/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | tech-companies, growing-companies, talent-teams, recruiters | remote-first-companies, global-teams, startups, international-employers |
| Founded | 2012 | 2019 |
| Ats | ✓ | ✗ |
| Talent Crm | ✓ | ✗ |
| Nurture Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ |
| Interview Scheduling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integrations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Global Hiring | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payroll | ✗ | ✓ |
| Benefits | ✗ | ✓ |
| Compliance | ✗ | ✓ |
| Contractor Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Off | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Lever Pros
- Combined ATS + CRM
- Great candidate experience
- Nurture campaigns
- Clean UI
✗ Lever Cons
- Expensive
- Limited reporting
- Customization constraints
✓ Oyster HR Pros
- Hire in 180+ countries
- Handles local compliance
- Good contractor management
- Modern interface
✗ Oyster HR Cons
- Expensive EOR service
- Limited HRIS features
- Support quality varies
The Verdict
Lever is built for tech companies and growing companies, with a focus on ats and talent-crm. Oyster HR targets remote first companies and global teams and leads with global-hiring and payroll.
Lever uses custom enterprise pricing, while Oyster HR starts at $29/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
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.