Deel vs Oyster · scored on one rubric
Deel vs Oyster, compared on one rubric
Neither wins overall. On a published six-axis rubric, Deel leads platform and self-serve and holds current security certifications; Oyster contests pricing transparency with its published range and adds fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSMs and B-Corp certification. Neither itemises FX on salary conversions. Teamed, who produced this guide, leads the service model and employment intelligence and the path to your own entity, and contests pricing and coverage. No overall winner.
1,000+ companies advised
- 3
- Providers scored on one six-axis rubric: Deel, Oyster and Teamed
- $599
- Teamed flat fee, same headline as Deel, FX absorbed at zero markup
- 6
- Rubric axes scored, no overall winner
Disclosure
This guide was produced by Teamed, which is one of the three providers scored below on the same rubric as Deel and Oyster. We don't crown an overall winner. We score all three honestly, concede where the others lead, and say plainly when Deel or Oyster is the better fit.
Deel vs Oyster: which is better for global hiring?
Neither wins overall. On a published six-axis rubric, Deel leads platform and self-serve and holds current security certifications; Oyster contests pricing transparency with its published range and adds fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSMs and B-Corp certification. Neither itemises FX on salary conversions. Teamed, who produced this guide, leads the service model and employment intelligence and the path to your own entity, and contests pricing and coverage. No overall winner.
What is the Deel vs Oyster matchup?
Deel is one of the largest Employer of Record (EOR) platforms in the market: contractor management, payroll and compliance as the core product, across a broad country footprint. Oyster is an automation-first EOR and a certified B-Corp, built so a small team can hire internationally without a payroll specialist in-house. Deel reaches 150-plus countries, with full legal employment in 110+, and Oyster markets 180+ locations for all products (120+ for EOR), so both let you hire compliantly before you have a local legal entity in market.
The comparison turns on what you're optimising for. Deel has the more mature dedicated EOR product, one of the broadest native integration catalogues, established onboarding flows across its widest footprint, and current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications. Oyster has cleaner automated onboarding, dedicated customer success managers consistently praised on G2, SOC 2 Type II, and a published pricing range you can budget from day one. Neither itemises the FX terms on salary conversions in full. Neither tells you the month your own entity would cost less than EOR. Those are the questions this comparison is built to answer, using a six-axis rubric that applies equally to Teamed, who produced this guide and is the disclosed publisher below.
Methodology
How we scored this comparison
Three providers are scored 1 to 5 on six axes, with no weighted total and no overall winner. Different providers lead different columns. Teamed is scored on exactly the same axes as Deel and Oyster.
- Pricing transparency
- Whether the all-in cost of a hire (the fee, the deposit, onboarding, and offboarding or termination) is stated up front and predictable. Scored on clarity, not on price level: a flat published fee you can read beats a lower base with unstated setup, notice and exit terms. The FX rate on salary conversions is one clause of that test, not the whole frame.
- Coverage and compliance depth
- Depth and legal robustness of in-country coverage: the owned-entity versus partner structure behind each market, and whether real HR and legal experts with employment-law credentials handle the hard moments, from a contested exit to a complex termination in a market you have not hired in before. Broad-network players lead on raw breadth; owned-entity plus counsel depth leads on the difficult cases.
- Platform and self-serve
- Dashboard depth, integration breadth, API surface and speed to first payroll for teams that want to manage hiring and HR themselves, at scale.
- Security and certifications
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II held today: the certifications a procurement or security review asks to see, checked against each provider on 22 July 2026.
- Service model and employment intelligence
- Ongoing human employment expertise plus AI assistance across the lifecycle (for Teamed, the Ted layer): whether real HR and legal experts with the right credentials own the hard moments directly, and how well the system flags law changes and the crossover point before they reach you.
- Path to your own entity
- Whether the provider moves you from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, flags the crossover point, and can set up the entity through a service like Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO).
How we gathered evidence
The six axes are pricing transparency, coverage and compliance depth, platform and self-serve, security and certifications, service model and employment intelligence, and the path to your own entity. Pricing came from each provider's own pricing page (Deel and Teamed re-checked 22 July 2026; Oyster from oysterhr.com/pricing, verified 16 June 2026). Security reflects each provider's current published ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II status, re-checked 22 July 2026: Deel holds both, Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II with ISO less clearly published, and Teamed is aligned with accreditation in progress. Oyster's B-Corp status verified at oysterhr.com. G2 ratings from g2.com. Teamed's claims come from teamed.global.
Considered & excluded
- Remote, Rippling, Papaya Global, G-P, others: Covered in the dedicated best-of comparisons. This page focuses specifically on the Deel vs Oyster matchup.
How they score, criterion by criterion
There’s no overall winner. Each column is a different priority. Pick the ones that matter to you, then read the write-ups below.
| Provider | Pricing transparency | Coverage and compliance depth | Platform and self-serve | Security and certifications | Service model and employment intelligence | Path to your own entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | Leads | Leads | Leads | |||
| Oyster | Leads | |||||
| Teamed(us) | Leads | Leads |
Scored 1–5 on each criterion from the published rubric above. The highlighted cell leads that column. Teamed is scored on exactly the same criteria as every other provider.
#1
Deel
Best for: companies that want the most mature dedicated EOR platform, the deepest integration catalogue and current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications, and who will manage compliance questions through the platform rather than via a dedicated expert.
Deel is the largest dedicated EOR and contractor platform in this comparison, with the most mature cross-border hiring product and a broad established footprint: 150-plus reach and full legal employment in 110-plus countries. EOR pricing is from $599 per employee per month, a starting rate, and FX terms are not published. Its platform leads this rubric, with one of the broadest native integration catalogues in the category and polished self-serve flows.
On security, Deel holds current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, which puts it at the top of that column here. On coverage, its raw breadth contests the column: all the major hiring markets sit inside one footprint, though advisory depth on hard local edge cases is lighter than the specialist providers. For a team that wants a dedicated EOR with broad coverage, established processes and a deep integration surface, Deel is the reference point in this comparison.
The familiar catches remain. Deel doesn't publish what it charges on salary conversions, so the real cost depends on FX terms you can't see up front. Deel does not publish which plan includes its dedicated Slack or Teams support channel. Oyster consistently beats Deel on onboarding speed and dedicated CSM support per G2, and its B-Corp certification is a concrete advantage in values-based procurement. For a team that wants published pricing and a dedicated CSM from day one, Oyster is the stronger fit on those criteria.
- Countries
- 150-plus reach, full legal employment in 110+, via owned entities and vetted partners
- Entity model
- Mix of owned entities and vetted local partners across its established market footprint
- Onboarding
- Days to weeks, established flows across major markets
- Contractors
- Yes, contractor management and payment platform
- Pricing
- From $599 per employee per month, a starting rate · verified 2026-07-22
- G2
- 4.8/5
Strengths
- The most mature dedicated EOR product in this comparison, with onboarding flows built and tested across every major hiring corridor. Deel leads the platform column on this rubric.
- One of the broadest native integration catalogues in the category and a product that covers EOR, contractor management and HRIS in one place, so a global team can run on one account across employee types.
- Holds current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, so a procurement or security review that needs the certificate in hand today gets an immediate yes. Deel leads the security column here.
- From $599 is the market reference price for EOR, matching Teamed and the lower end of the Oyster range with no annual-billing requirement, backed by the largest G2 review base in the category.
Watch-outs
- Deel doesn't publish its FX terms on salary conversions. Industry analysis puts undisclosed EOR FX at 1.5 to 3% of salary, which adds to the real cost beyond the from $599 headline.
- Deel does not publish which plan includes its dedicated Slack or Teams support channel; confirm what your rate includes before you sign.
- Advisory depth on hard local employment-law edge cases is lighter than the specialist providers, and Oyster leads Deel on onboarding speed and dedicated CSM support per G2. If those matter most, Oyster is a stronger fit on those criteria.
Source: deel.com/pricing
#2
Oyster
Best for: fast-scaling teams that want clean automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and a certified B-Corp supplier, with a published pricing range they can budget from day one without a sales call.
Oyster is the automation-first, B-Corp certified alternative. Onboarding is fast and clean, dedicated customer success managers are consistently praised on G2, and pricing is published in a range of approximately $599 to $699 per employee per month. The product is built so a small team can run global hiring without a payroll specialist in-house, and the published, per-seat pricing means the first hire costs what the tenth does.
On pricing transparency, that published range contests the column: you can budget it from day one, with FX on salary conversions the one clause it does not itemise. On platform, the automated onboarding is among the fastest routes to a first payroll on this list. Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II, with its ISO 27001 status less clearly published, so it sits just behind the fully certified providers on the security column. The B-Corp certification is a concrete advantage with values-based procurement teams, where neither Deel nor Teamed qualifies.
The watch-outs are depth, not speed. Oyster's map runs through local partners across all markets, so compliance advisory depth varies by country, and the dedicated CSM layer handles triage and escalation rather than direct employment-law expertise. The lifecycle tooling is lighter, with no published standard path from EOR to your own entity. For a team that needs jurisdiction-specific employment-law experts on call, or a managed path to its own entities, the advisory service model at Teamed is the stronger fit.
- Countries
- 180+ locations all products, 120+ for EOR, via local partners
- Entity model
- Partner-led mix, 120+ countries for EOR (180+ locations all products)
- Onboarding
- Fast, automated; days to a few weeks
- Contractors
- Yes
- Pricing
- From ~$599 to $699 / employee / month · verified 2026-07-22
- G2
- 4.4/5 (1470)
Strengths
- Fast automated onboarding and dedicated CSMs consistently praised on G2 for responsiveness, among the quickest routes to a first payroll on this list. The product moves without a payroll specialist in-house.
- Published pricing range of approximately $599 to $699 per employee per month. You can budget it from day one without a sales call, which most of the category still requires, so it contests the pricing-transparency column.
- Certified B-Corp and holds SOC 2 Type II. A values-based supplier audit gets an immediate yes, ahead of both Deel and Teamed on B-Corp status.
- A G2 base of approximately 1,470 reviews at 4.4, giving solid third-party signal across company sizes, especially for teams on their first international hire.
Watch-outs
- FX on salary conversions is not separately itemised on the pricing page. The headline range is published, but the full cost depends on pinning the FX element down in writing.
- Compliance advisory depth is lighter than the owned-entity specialists, because the CSM layer handles triage and escalation rather than direct employment-law expertise. For contested terminations or complex exits in harder jurisdictions, this matters.
- Lighter lifecycle tooling, with no published managed path from EOR to your own entity as headcount builds.
Source: oysterhr.com/pricing
#3
Teamed
Us, scored on the same rubricBest for: rapidly growing companies with an international footprint that want the FX shown on salary conversions, real HR and legal experts when something goes wrong, and one partner from first contractor to their own entity.
Teamed produced this guide and is scored on exactly the same six axes as Deel and Oyster. The wedge is the service model and employment intelligence. Real HR and legal experts own the hard moments directly, with the Ted layer flagging law changes and the crossover point early. No AI bot wall, no ticket queue, no Enterprise plan required to reach a person.
On pricing, Teamed publishes a flat $599 USD or £479 GBP per employee per month and shows the applied FX rate on salary conversions next to the mid-market reference, absorbing it at zero markup on the fee. That contests the pricing-transparency column alongside Oyster's published range. On coverage, Teamed owns entities in 57 countries, backs them with DLA Piper as global counsel and vetted in-country partners, so real HR and legal experts handle the hard local edge cases in-house. Deel's raw breadth matches it on that column, so coverage is a genuine contest, not a Teamed win.
Teamed isn't trying to replace your HR stack. It's a focused global-employment platform that plugs into the tools you already run and acts as the partner you choose from your first contractor to your last entity, on one system with no re-onboarding. Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up your own entity in 100+ countries when the crossover arrives, which is why Teamed leads the path-to-your-own-entity column. On platform self-serve and on security certifications, it concedes to the leaders above.
- Countries
- 187+ (owned entities in 57 countries + vetted partners)
- Entity model
- Owned entities in 57 countries + vetted partners; sets up your own entity via GEMO in 100+
- Onboarding
- As little as 24 to 48 hours
- Contractors
- Yes, with misclassification cover (Guard / Protect)
- Pricing
- $599 USD / £479 GBP per employee per month, flat, FX absorbed · verified 2026-07-22
- G2
- 4.8/5
Strengths
- Real HR and legal experts own the hard employment-law moments directly, backed by DLA Piper as global counsel and vetted in-country partners, with the Ted layer flagging law changes and the crossover point early. Teamed leads the service model and employment intelligence column on this rubric.
- Publishes a flat $599 USD or £479 GBP fee and shows the applied FX rate next to the mid-market reference at zero markup on the fee. Neither Deel nor Oyster itemises FX on salary conversions, so Teamed contests the pricing-transparency column.
- One partner from first contractor to EOR to your own entity, on one system with no re-onboarding. GEMO sets up your entity in 100+ countries and Teamed flags the month it beats EOR on cost, so it leads the path-to-your-own-entity column.
- A focused global-employment platform that plugs into your existing stack rather than replacing it, rated 4.8 on G2. Quarterly reviews flag compliance changes before they become surprises, and the advisory model scales with your headcount.
Watch-outs
- Lighter self-serve platform and shallower automation than Deel or Oyster's onboarding flow. The model is advisory-first, not dashboard-first, so it concedes the platform column here.
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 aligned with accreditation in progress, so the badge isn't in hand yet. Deel holds both certifications and Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II. If your procurement or security review needs the certificate issued today, Teamed concedes the security column and you should ask for current reports and dates.
- Smaller brand and review base than Deel, and not B-Corp certified. A procurement team set on the market-leading name, or one that requires B-Corp status, will find Deel or Oyster a closer fit than Teamed.
Source: teamed.global/pricing
Why the shortlist matters
Behind every line item is a real person, in a real place.
The fee, the FX and the support model are not abstractions. They decide whether the person you hired in Barcelona or Rome is paid right, on time, by someone who knows their employment law. That is what the ranking is really measuring.
What each stakeholder evaluates
| Criterion | Legal | Finance | People Ops | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing and FX transparency | Ask for the FX policy in writing from all three. Confirm whether salary conversion uses the mid-market rate or an undisclosed spread. | Deel and Oyster don't separately itemise FX on salary conversions. Teamed shows the applied rate against mid-market and absorbs FX at zero markup. On a $190,000 gross salary, a 2% unitemised FX element is $3,800 per year per employee. | A published fee and an itemised invoice let you forecast the real cost per hire before the first payroll run. Oyster and Teamed publish; Deel publishes a starting rate only. | A timestamped rate against a public reference rate is an auditable record. An undisclosed spread is not. |
| Platform, self-serve and security | A self-serve platform speeds routine changes, but ask whether the contract review step in your jurisdiction is automated or supervised by a real HR or legal expert. | Deel leads on platform breadth and the deepest integration catalogue; Oyster on fast automated onboarding. Teamed is advisory-led and lighter on self-serve dashboard depth. Model which matters most for your hiring calendar. | Oyster leads on onboarding speed per G2. Deel's flows are the most established across the broadest footprint. Teamed is 24 to 48 hours on the advisory path, but lighter on self-serve dashboard depth. | Certifications sit here too: Deel holds current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II, and Teamed is aligned with accreditation in progress. If your review needs a certificate issued today, ask each provider for current reports and dates. |
| Service model and employment intelligence | Ask who handles a contested termination or a complex exit: a dedicated CSM, or a real HR or legal expert with jurisdiction-specific credentials. | Oyster's dedicated CSMs are praised for responsiveness. Deel does not publish which plan includes its dedicated Slack or Teams support channel. Teamed gives direct access to real HR and legal experts on all plans, with the Ted layer flagging law changes and the crossover point early. | You want a real person when it matters. Oyster CSMs handle triage and escalation. Teamed gives direct access to real HR and legal experts. The difference shows up most on hard employment-law moments. | A clear escalation path and employment-law expertise beat a routing queue for incident handling. |
Decision checklist
- Read the small print before you sign. Most EORs require a deposit and many layer on setup, offboarding, minimum-term, no-exit, termination or admin fees. Teamed takes a one-month refundable deposit, charges no onboarding or offboarding fees (an early-exit fee may apply if you leave within 3 months, set out in your contract), and sets the costs out up front.
- Ask every provider the edge-case questions buyers wish they had asked. Will my actual job title go on the contract, even a senior one like CFO? Can you run a shadow payroll if someone splits time across countries? Is contractor misclassification cover on by default or an opt-in add-on? A no on any of these can stall a hire or leave a gap.
- Choose Oyster if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support, a B-Corp certified supplier and a published pricing range you can budget matter most. Oyster contests the pricing-transparency column and leads on onboarding speed, and neither Deel nor Teamed carries B-Corp certification.
- Choose Deel if EOR maturity, platform breadth, the deepest integration catalogue, established onboarding flows and current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II matter most. Deel leads the platform and security columns on this rubric.
- Choose Teamed if the service model and employment intelligence and a managed path to your own entity are the priority, and you want the FX shown at zero markup. Teamed leads those two columns and contests pricing and coverage.
- Ask every provider one question first. Can you reach a real employment-law expert when a termination goes wrong, or does it route to a CSM or a ticket queue? The answer tells you most of what you need to know about the support model.
- If you're deciding between Deel and Oyster alone: ask whether you want a mature platform with deep integrations, broad established coverage and current certifications, or fast automated onboarding with a dedicated CSM and a published pricing range.
Honest take
When Deel or Oyster is the better fit.
- Choose Deel over Teamed if platform breadth, the deepest integration catalogue and a broad established EOR footprint matter more than a readable FX line or an advisory service model.
- Choose Oyster over Teamed if fast automated onboarding and a dedicated CSM relationship are the priority, or if B-Corp certification is a procurement requirement.
- Choose Deel or Oyster if your procurement review needs ISO 27001 or SOC 2 in hand today: Deel holds both, Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II, and Teamed is aligned with accreditation in progress.
- Teamed earns its weight when you have multiple countries, a growing headcount, or a hard compliance edge case. For one hire in a single straightforward market with no expansion plans, a simpler platform may be a better fit.
Teamed leads the service model and employment intelligence and the path to your own entity on this rubric, and contests pricing transparency and coverage. It concedes the platform column to Deel and security to the certified providers. A buyer with different priorities should pick accordingly. We'd rather lose the deal than mismatch the engagement.
Frequently asked questions
Deel vs Oyster: which is better for international hiring?
It depends on what you're optimising for. Deel is the better choice if you want a mature dedicated EOR with the deepest integrations, established onboarding across its broad footprint, and current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II. Oyster is the better choice if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority, with a published pricing range you can budget from day one. Neither itemises the FX on salary conversions in full. Teamed leads the service model and employment intelligence and the path to your own entity, and contests pricing transparency with Oyster and coverage with Deel, while conceding platform and security. There's no overall winner on this rubric.Is Oyster HR a certified B-Corp?
Yes. Oyster is a certified B-Corp, having met the B Lab verification standards for social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. It also holds SOC 2 Type II. Deel is not a certified B-Corp. Teamed is not a certified B-Corp. If your procurement team requires a certified B-Corp supplier, Oyster is the only one of the three that qualifies, and that is a concrete reason to choose it.Does Deel publish its FX terms?
No. Deel doesn't publish what it charges on salary conversions, so the real cost beyond the from $599 headline depends on FX terms you can't see up front. Industry analysis puts undisclosed EOR FX at 1.5 to 3% of salary. Oyster publishes a pricing range of approximately $599 to $699, but doesn't separately itemise FX markup on salary conversions. Teamed shows the applied rate against the mid-market reference and absorbs FX at zero markup on the fee.What does Oyster charge per employee per month?
Oyster publishes a pricing range of approximately $599 to $699 per employee per month (verified 2026-06-16 at oysterhr.com/pricing). The range reflects plan tier. FX markup on salary conversions is not separately itemised on the pricing page, so the total cost depends on the FX element within the range. Ask Oyster directly for the full cost breakdown including any FX on salary conversions before signing.Which is better for hiring in Germany, Deel or Oyster?
Germany is one of the hardest tests for any EOR, because strict dismissal-protection rules and mandatory employee-representation structures mean mistakes are expensive and slow to unwind. What matters is not whether Germany appears on a coverage list, but whether real HR and legal experts handle a contested exit or a complex termination directly. Teamed owns entities in 57 countries, backs them with DLA Piper as global counsel and vetted in-country partners, so those hard local edge cases are handled in-house rather than routed to a generalist queue. Oyster covers Germany through local partners with a dedicated customer success manager as the primary support layer. Deel covers Germany through its mixed entity and partner network. For Germany specifically, ask any provider for evidence that a real employment-law expert, not a ticket queue, owns the hard moments.How was this comparison scored, and who made it?
This comparison was produced by Teamed, one of the three providers scored on the same rubric. We score all three 1 to 5 on six axes, with no weighted total and no overall winner: pricing transparency, coverage and compliance depth, platform and self-serve, security and certifications, service model and employment intelligence, and the path to your own entity. Pricing was verified from each provider's own pricing page (Deel and Teamed re-checked 22 July 2026; Oyster on 16 June 2026). Security status was re-checked 22 July 2026. G2 ratings from g2.com. The named author is Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed.
Common questions
What is the difference between Deel and Oyster HR?
Deel is a mature dedicated EOR: deepest integrations, established onboarding across a broad footprint, current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, but FX not published and dedicated-support plan not published. Oyster is an automation-first B-Corp EOR: fast clean onboarding, dedicated CSMs, a published pricing range of $599 to $699, and SOC 2 Type II, but FX not separately itemised and lighter on compliance advisory depth. Teamed, who made this guide, shows FX against mid-market at zero markup and leads the service model and employment intelligence and the path to your own entity.Should I use Deel or Oyster for global employment?
Use Deel for dedicated EOR maturity, platform breadth, the deepest integrations and current security certifications. Use Oyster if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority. Use Teamed if the service model and employment intelligence come first: it absorbs FX at zero markup, shows the rate against mid-market, and moves you from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system.
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