Oyster vs Velocity Global · scored on one rubric · 2026
Oyster vs Velocity Global, compared on one rubric in 2026
Neither wins overall. Velocity Global (now Pebl) leads on platform depth and a broad integration catalogue. Oyster leads on onboarding speed, dedicated support and B-Corp certification. Neither discloses its FX on salary conversions. We scored both on one rubric, then introduced Teamed as the disclosed publisher and recommended alternative.
Rated 4.8 on G2 for service
- 3
- EOR providers scored on one rubric, no overall winner
- $599
- Teamed fee, flat, FX absorbed at zero markup
- 5
- Rubric criteria scored per provider, no weighted total
Disclosure
This guide was produced by Teamed, which is one of the three providers scored below on the same rubric as Oyster and Velocity Global. We score all three honestly, let each lead the columns it genuinely wins, and introduce Teamed only after as the disclosed publisher and recommended alternative. We don't crown an overall winner.
Oyster vs Velocity Global: which EOR should you choose in 2026?
Neither wins overall. Velocity Global (now Pebl) leads on platform depth and a broad integration catalogue. Oyster leads on onboarding speed, dedicated support and B-Corp certification. Neither discloses its FX on salary conversions. We scored both on one rubric, then introduced Teamed as the disclosed publisher and recommended alternative.
What is the Oyster vs Velocity Global choice?
Oyster and Velocity Global are two of the most recognised Employer of Record (EOR) platforms for companies hiring internationally. An EOR legally employs your people abroad and handles payroll, contracts and statutory contributions, so you can hire compliantly without a local entity. Oyster is a certified B-Corp with a published flat fee, human expert support and fast automated onboarding. Velocity Global rebranded as Pebl in September 2025 and repositioned as an AI-first platform with a lower headline price and a broad integration catalogue.
Both reach a wide international network through a mix of owned entities and vetted local partners. Oyster puts its product energy into onboarding speed, a dedicated hiring success manager and published support SLAs. Velocity Global (Pebl) puts it into platform depth, AI-assisted delivery and a centralised Global Work Platform. Neither publishes its FX on salary conversions. Neither offers a managed path from EOR to your own entity. These two gaps define where a third option enters the picture.
Methodology
How we scored this comparison
Three providers are scored 1 to 5 on five criteria, with no weighted total and no overall winner. Oyster leads the onboarding column. Velocity Global (Pebl) leads the platform column. Teamed, the publisher, leads cost transparency, compliance depth and lifecycle to entity. Teamed is scored on exactly the same rubric as Oyster and Velocity Global and introduced as the recommended alternative after the direct comparison.
- Compliance & entity depth
- Coverage breadth, entity ownership mix, and access to real HR and legal experts with country-specific employment law credentials for hard cases: contested exits, contested terminations, works council questions.
- Cost & FX transparency
- Whether the headline fee is the real bill. FX margin on salary conversion disclosed and itemised, no undisclosed spread or surprise setup fees.
- Platform & self-serve
- Dashboard depth, integration breadth and API surface for teams that want to manage global hiring without a payroll specialist in-house.
- Onboarding & speed
- Speed to first payroll and how well the onboarding process holds up as a fast-growing team adds people quickly.
- Lifecycle to entity
- Whether the provider moves you from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, flags the crossover point, and has a genuine path to entity setup.
How we gathered evidence
Pricing came from each provider's own pricing page (Oyster verified 17 June 2026 at oysterhr.com/pricing; Velocity Global verified 17 June 2026 at hellopebl.com/eor-pricing, the page velocityglobal.com/pricing 301-redirects to; Teamed verified 17 June 2026 at teamed.global/pricing). G2 ratings came from g2.com on 17 June 2026, read from search-engine snippets since G2 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch. Entity model and coverage claims came from each provider's own site and, for Velocity Global, the September 2025 rebrand press release on GlobeNewswire. Teamed's claims come from teamed.global.
Considered & excluded
We scored Oyster and Velocity Global as the two providers buyers compare most directly on this query, with Teamed scored as the disclosed publisher and recommended alternative.
- Deel, Remote, Rippling, Papaya Global, G-P, Multiplier: Covered in the dedicated best-of comparisons. This page focuses on the Oyster vs Velocity Global matchup with Teamed as the recommended alternative.
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 | Compliance & entity depth | Cost & FX transparency | Platform & self-serve | Onboarding & speed | Lifecycle to entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oyster | Leads | ||||
| Velocity Global (now Pebl) | Leads | ||||
| Teamed(us) | Leads | 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
Oyster
Best for: fast-scaling teams that want automated onboarding, a dedicated hiring success manager from day one, B-Corp certification and a published flat price they can budget without a sales call.
Oyster is the automation-first, B-Corp certified EOR in this comparison. Onboarding is fast and clean, with a dedicated hiring success manager on every engagement and a published support SLA of 24-hour response and resolution under 72 hours. The price is a flat $699 per employee per month, with no setup, onboarding or termination charges. The product is built so a small team can run global hiring without a payroll specialist in-house.
Oyster leads the onboarding column on this rubric. That lead is structural: the product was designed for speed and automation, and the dedicated hiring success manager model gives teams a responsive human from day one without needing to reach a premium tier. The B-Corp certification is a concrete advantage in values-based procurement, where neither Velocity Global (Pebl) nor Teamed qualifies.
The watch-outs are in the fine print. Oyster requires a refundable deposit to start an EOR engagement, with no amount or formula published. It charges a currency-conversion fee on any currency mismatch, again with no rate published. White-glove HR advisory is billed separately at $300 an hour. There is no productised path from EOR to your own entity. For a team that needs jurisdiction-specific employment-law expertise on demand, or a managed route to its own entities, Teamed is the stronger fit.
- Countries
- 180+ all products, 120+ for EOR
- Entity model
- Hybrid, owns or partners with local entities; no published split
- Onboarding
- Fast, automated; dedicated hiring success manager; 24h response SLA, resolution under 72h
- Contractors
- Yes, $29/contractor/month with strong misclassification and IP tooling
- Pricing
- $699 / employee / month, flat (annual discounts noted, not published) · verified 2026-06-17
- G2
- 4.4/5 (1447)
Strengths
- Leads the onboarding column on this rubric. Dedicated hiring success managers are consistently praised on G2 for responsiveness, and the published support SLA (24-hour response, resolution under 72 hours) sets a clear expectation from day one.
- Certified B-Corp. A supplier audit for values-based procurement gets an immediate yes, which Velocity Global (Pebl) and Teamed cannot match.
- Flat published EOR fee of $699 with free essentials included: no setup, onboarding, HR-expert-access or termination processing charges, stated verbatim on the pricing page.
- A large social-proof base on G2, approximately 1,447 reviews at 4.4, plus its own SOC 2 Type II and GDPR posture.
Watch-outs
- Requires a refundable deposit to start an EOR engagement, with no amount or formula published. A currency-conversion fee applies on any currency mismatch, with no rate published.
- White-glove HR advisory is billed separately at $300 an hour rather than included, and there is no productised path from EOR to your own entity as headcount builds.
- Most of its EOR map runs through local partners, with no owned-versus-partner split published, so ask about the chain in your specific countries before weighting the compliance score.
Source: oysterhr.com/pricing
#2
Velocity Global (now Pebl)
Best for: companies that want broad reach, a deep platform and integration catalogue, enterprise-grade compliance posture, and are comfortable with an AI-first day-to-day support model.
Velocity Global rebranded to Pebl in September 2025 and repositioned as an AI-first global hiring platform. It publishes a flat $399 per employee per month, described on its own pricing page as its lowest standard pricing ever. Reach spans 185+ countries, with owned entities in 65 of them. The platform carries 250+ published integrations across HRIS, finance, ATS and collaboration tools, with Workday, ADP Workforce Now, BambooHR, HiBob and UKG Pro among the named connectors.
Velocity Global (Pebl) leads the platform column on this rubric. The 250+ integration catalogue is published on its own integrations page. Its centralised Global Work Platform is positioned as the system of record for global employment data, with bidirectional sync feeding to and from partner HRIS systems. The AI assistant Alfie, backed by 200+ in-country legal and hiring experts, handles day-to-day queries and routes to a human specialist when expertise is needed.
The cost watch-outs are real. No FX terms are published anywhere on the company pages. Third-party reviewers report an undisclosed spread and some report a refundable security deposit, though neither appears on any primary page so we frame these as buyer and reviewer reports. Most of the map is partner-served, 65 owned entities against 185+ countries of reach. The customer experience is still settling after the September 2025 rebrand.
- Countries
- 185+ reach, owned entities in 65
- Entity model
- Owned entities in 65 markets, in-country partners for the rest
- Onboarding
- AI-led via Alfie assistant, onboarding in as little as 24 hours claimed
- Contractors
- Yes, contractor management across 180+ countries (no price published)
- Pricing
- $399 / employee / month, flat (FX terms not published) · verified 2026-06-17
- G2
- 4.6/5 (514)
Strengths
- Leads the platform column on this rubric. A published catalogue of 250+ integrations across HRIS, finance, ATS and collaboration tools, with the centralised Global Work Platform as the system of record and bidirectional sync to major HR stacks.
- One of the widest published footprints in the category, 185+ countries including all 50 US states, with owned entities in 65 and in-country partners beyond.
- Enterprise-grade compliance posture: ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR, plus an in-house legal team backed by Baker McKenzie.
- A low flat headline of $399 per employee per month on its own pricing page, easy to compare at a glance, with no named setup or termination charges listed alongside the fee.
Watch-outs
- Publishes no FX terms on its own pages. Third-party reviewers report an undisclosed spread and some report a refundable security deposit, neither of which appears on the company's public pages.
- Most of its reach is partner-served, 65 owned entities against 185+ countries, so ask which of your countries are owned rather than partner-served before weighting the price.
- Day-to-day support is AI-first through the Alfie assistant, which smart-routes to a human specialist when expertise is needed. The customer experience is still settling after the September 2025 rebrand to Pebl.
Source: hellopebl.com/eor-pricing
#3
Teamed
Us, scored on the same rubricBest for: rapidly growing companies with an international footprint that want the real FX on every salary invoice, a real person when something goes wrong, and one partner from first contractor through EOR to their own entity.
Teamed produced this guide and is scored on exactly the same rubric as Oyster and Velocity Global. The wedge is honesty. Teamed shows the applied FX rate on salary conversions next to the mid-market reference and absorbs it at zero markup on the fee. Neither Oyster nor Velocity Global (Pebl) does this. Teamed also models the month your own entity starts to beat EOR and moves you there on one system.
Compliance runs through real HR and legal experts with country-specific employment law credentials who handle hard moments directly: a contested exit, a works council (Betriebsrat) question, a termination in a market you haven't hired in before. Teamed has its own German entity for German employment law depth. No AI bot wall, no support tier to unlock, no ticket queue. Rated 4.8 on G2 for service.
Teamed isn't trying to replace your HR stack. It plugs into the tools you already run and is the partner you choose for your global team, from your first contractor to your last legal entity via Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO), on one system with no re-onboarding. The self-serve platform is lighter than Oyster or Velocity Global (Pebl). The advisory depth is the argument for it.
- Countries
- 180+ (owned entities in major markets, vetted partners elsewhere)
- Entity model
- Owned entities in major markets, vetted partners elsewhere; sets up your own entity via GEMO in 90+
- Onboarding
- As little as 24 to 48 hours, with real expert support through the transition
- Contractors
- Yes, with misclassification cover (Guard / Protect)
- Pricing
- $599 USD / £479 GBP / employee / month, flat, FX absorbed · verified 2026-06-17
- G2
- 4.8/5
Strengths
- Shows the applied FX rate next to the mid-market reference and absorbs FX at zero markup on the fee. Models the month your own entity beats EOR. Neither Oyster nor Velocity Global (Pebl) does either of these. Teamed leads the cost-transparency column.
- Real HR and legal experts with country-specific employment law credentials handle hard cases directly, including works council (Betriebsrat) questions via Teamed's own German entity. No AI bot wall, no support tier to unlock. Rated 4.8 on G2.
- One partner from first contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, with crossover monitoring and no re-onboarding. GEMO sets up your entity in 90+ countries when the crossover arrives. Teamed leads the lifecycle column.
- Focused partner that plugs into your existing stack rather than replacing it. Quarterly reviews flag compliance changes before they become surprises, and the advisory model scales with your headcount across multiple countries.
Watch-outs
- Lighter self-serve platform than Oyster or Velocity Global (Pebl). The model is advisory-first, not dashboard-first, so it suits teams that want a partner over a product.
- Smaller brand and review base than both Oyster and Velocity Global (Pebl). A procurement team that weights market recognition will notice.
- The advisory depth earns its weight across multiple countries or a growing headcount. If you have one hire in one country and no plans to add more, a faster self-serve platform may suit you better.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FX on salary conversions | Ask for the FX policy in writing from all three before signing. Confirm whether salary conversion uses mid-market, a disclosed spread or an undisclosed margin. | Oyster charges a currency-conversion fee on any currency mismatch, with no rate published. Velocity Global (Pebl) publishes no FX terms at all. Teamed shows the applied rate against mid-market and absorbs FX at zero markup. Run the math on your salary volumes before comparing the headlines. | An itemised FX line on every invoice avoids per-country reconciliation work when salaries change or headcount grows. | A timestamped rate against a published reference is an auditable record. An undisclosed spread is not. |
| Owned entity or partner | Ask whether the provider hires via an owned entity or a vetted partner in each country you hire in. It changes who carries the employer obligations. | Velocity Global (Pebl) publishes 65 owned entities against 185+ countries of reach. Oyster discloses a hybrid model but no split. Teamed owns entities in major markets and uses vetted partners elsewhere. Ask per country before comparing total cost. | Real HR and legal experts with direct accountability beat a generalist partner queue at the hard moments: a contested termination or a compliance change. | Owned entity means one data-processing chain rather than a partner sub-processor. |
| Human support versus AI-first routing | Ask who handles a contested termination: a dedicated support manager, an AI assistant that routes to a human, or a real employment-law expert. | Oyster's dedicated hiring success managers are praised for responsiveness but triage rather than provide direct employment-law advice. Velocity Global (Pebl) routes day-to-day support through its Alfie AI assistant first. Teamed includes real HR and legal expert access at every plan with no AI bot wall. | You want a real person at the hard moments. Oyster gives you a dedicated hiring success manager. Velocity Global (Pebl) gives you AI-first routing to a human specialist. Teamed gives you real HR and legal experts with no bot wall. | A dedicated contact and a clear escalation path to employment-law expertise beat an AI routing queue for incident handling. |
Decision checklist
- Read the small print before you sign. Most EORs require a deposit and may layer on setup, offboarding, minimum-term or admin fees. Teamed takes a one-month refundable deposit, charges no onboarding or offboarding fees, and sets the costs out up front.
- Choose Oyster if fast automated onboarding, a dedicated hiring success manager from day one and a certified B-Corp supplier matter most. Oyster leads the onboarding column on this rubric, and neither Velocity Global (Pebl) nor Teamed carries B-Corp certification.
- Choose Velocity Global (Pebl) if broad reach, a deep platform with 250+ integrations and enterprise-grade compliance posture are the priority, and an AI-first support model suits your team.
- Choose Teamed if cost transparency is non-negotiable, you want real HR and legal experts at any plan tier, and you need one partner that moves you from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system.
- Get the FX in writing from all three before comparing them. Neither Oyster nor Velocity Global (Pebl) publishes its FX rate. The headline prices differ by $300 a month, but the salary-conversion cost is where the real comparison lives.
- Ask every provider one question: can I reach a real HR or legal expert when something goes wrong, or does it go to an AI assistant and a ticket queue? That question tells you more than the pricing page.
Honest take
When Oyster or Velocity Global is the better fit.
- Choose Oyster if fast automated onboarding, a dedicated hiring success manager relationship and B-Corp certification are the priority. Neither Velocity Global (Pebl) nor Teamed qualifies on B-Corp, and Oyster's onboarding automation is the strongest in this comparison.
- Choose Oyster over Teamed if you want a product-led experience with clean automated flows and a dedicated support relationship, and the advisory model is more than you need at your current scale.
- Choose Velocity Global (Pebl) if broad reach, a deep platform with 250+ integrations and enterprise-grade compliance posture (ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type 2, in-house legal team backed by Baker McKenzie) matter most.
- Choose Velocity Global (Pebl) over Teamed if platform depth and integration breadth are the priority, and the $399 flat headline suits your budget after pinning down the FX terms.
Teamed leads cost transparency, compliance depth and lifecycle to entity on this rubric. It doesn't lead every column. A buyer with different priorities should pick differently. We'd rather lose the deal than mismatch the engagement.
Frequently asked questions
Oyster vs Velocity Global: which is better?
Neither is universally better. Oyster leads on onboarding speed, dedicated hiring success managers and B-Corp certification, with a flat $699 published price. Velocity Global (Pebl) leads on platform depth, a 250+ integration catalogue and a lower $399 headline. Neither discloses its FX on salary conversions. For a team that wants cost transparency alongside compliance depth and a managed path to its own entity, Teamed is the alternative to score.Does Oyster or Velocity Global own its entities?
Both use a mix of owned entities and local partners. Velocity Global (Pebl) published 65 owned entities against 185+ countries of reach in its September 2025 rebrand press release, with the balance served through in-country partners. Oyster discloses a hybrid model on its own pages but does not publish an owned-versus-partner split or count. Every EOR in this category, including Teamed, delivers through this kind of mix. Ask each provider directly whether your specific country is owned or partner-served.Is Velocity Global (Pebl) cheaper than Oyster?
Velocity Global (Pebl) publishes a flat $399 per employee per month, versus Oyster's flat $699. But the real cost comparison is in the FX line. Neither provider publishes its FX on salary conversions. Across the EOR category an undisclosed FX margin typically runs in the 1.5 to 3% range. Get the FX fee in writing from both before comparing. Teamed sits at $599 and absorbs FX at zero markup, with the rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice.What happened to Velocity Global?
Velocity Global rebranded to Pebl in September 2025. velocityglobal.com 301-redirects to hellopebl.com. The company repositioned as an AI-first global hiring platform, keeping the same EOR product and global coverage. The G2 product page is now titled Pebl (formerly Velocity Global). For current pricing and product details, the live site is hellopebl.com.Is Oyster HR a good Employer of Record?
Yes, for the buyer it's built for. Oyster has a G2 rating of 4.4 across approximately 1,447 reviews, a flat published price with free essentials, dedicated hiring success managers consistently praised for responsiveness and a published support SLA. Its automated onboarding is fast and clean. The caveats: a refundable deposit is required with no amount published, a currency-conversion fee applies on currency mismatch with no rate published, white-glove HR advisory is billed separately at $300 an hour, and there is no productised path to your own entity.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 five criteria, with no weighted total and no overall winner. Oyster pricing was verified on 17 June 2026 at oysterhr.com/pricing. Velocity Global (Pebl) pricing was verified on 17 June 2026 at hellopebl.com/eor-pricing. Teamed pricing was verified on 17 June 2026 at teamed.global/pricing. G2 ratings were accessed on 17 June 2026. The named author is Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed.
Common questions
Oyster vs Velocity Global, which global EOR platform should I choose?
It depends on your priorities. Oyster leads on onboarding speed, dedicated hiring success managers and B-Corp certification, with a flat $699 published price. Velocity Global (Pebl) leads on platform depth, 250+ integrations and a flat $399 headline. Neither publishes its FX on salary conversions. Teamed, which produced this guide, sits at $599, absorbs FX at zero markup with the rate shown, and includes real HR and legal experts at any tier, plus a managed path to your own entity via GEMO. Choose Oyster for onboarding and B-Corp, Velocity Global for platform and a lower base, or Teamed for cost transparency and lifecycle advisory.What is the difference between Oyster HR and Velocity Global?
Both reach a wide international network. Oyster: B-Corp certified, $699/month flat with free essentials, dedicated hiring success managers, fast automated onboarding, 24-hour response SLA, no FX rate published. Velocity Global (Pebl): $399/month flat, 185+ countries, 65 owned entities, 250+ integrations, AI-first support via Alfie, ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type 2, no FX terms published. Oyster leads onboarding. Velocity Global leads platform. Neither discloses FX on salary conversions.
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