Remote vs Oyster: which is better for international hiring?

Remote wins on owned-entity depth, platform maturity and a disclosed FX approach. Oyster wins on onboarding speed, dedicated CSMs and B-Corp certification. Neither provides zero-markup FX on salary conversions. Teamed leads on cost transparency, compliance depth via real HR and legal experts, and the lifecycle to your own entity. No overall winner.

Does Remote publish its FX terms?

Remote discloses a variable FX spread above mid-market, which is more transparent than Oyster (which does not separately itemise FX on its pricing page). The spread is variable and not zero markup. Teamed shows the rate against mid-market on every invoice and absorbs FX at zero markup.

Is Oyster HR a certified B-Corp?

Yes. Oyster is a certified B-Corp. Remote and Teamed are not. If B-Corp certification is a procurement requirement, Oyster is the only one of the three that qualifies.

What does Remote charge per employee per month?

Remote charges $599 per employee per month on annual billing, $699 month to month (verified 2026-06-15 at remote.com/pricing). Remote discloses a variable FX spread above mid-market on salary conversions, which adds to the real cost beyond the headline fee.

Which is better for hiring in Germany, Remote or Oyster?

Germany requires Betriebsrat and Kündigungsschutz expertise, not just coverage. Remote owns its German entity. Oyster covers Germany via local partners with CSM support. Teamed also owns its German entity and has real HR and legal experts with works council experience. Ask any provider for evidence of depth, not just coverage.

How was this comparison scored, and who made it?

Produced by Teamed, scored on the same rubric as Remote and Oyster. Three providers scored 1 to 5 on five criteria, no weighted total, no overall winner. Remote pricing verified 15 June 2026. Oyster pricing verified 16 June 2026. G2 ratings from g2.com. Author: Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed.

Remote vs Oyster · scored on one rubric

Remote vs Oyster, compared on one rubric

Neither wins overall. Remote leads on owned-entity depth and platform maturity. Oyster leads on onboarding speed and B-Corp certification. Remote discloses a variable FX spread; Oyster does not separately itemise FX. Teamed, who produced this guide, is the disclosed alternative when cost transparency and real legal expertise matter more.

Talk to an expert

1,000+ companies advised

3
Providers scored on one rubric: Remote, Oyster and Teamed: $599
Teamed fee, flat, same headline as Remote on annual billing: 0%
FX markup on the Teamed fee, shown vs the mid-market reference

Disclosure

This guide was produced by Teamed, which is one of the three providers scored below on the same rubric as Remote and Oyster. We don't crown an overall winner. We score all three honestly, concede where the others lead, and say plainly when Remote or Oyster is the better fit.

Last reviewed 16 June 2026By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

Remote vs Oyster: which is better for global hiring?

Key facts

Providers scored: 3Remote, Oyster and Teamed scored on one published rubric, 1 to 5 per criterion, no weighted total, no overall winner.Source: Teamed editorial methodology · 2026-06-16
Remote EOR fee: $599 annual / $699 monthly$599 per employee per month on annual billing, $699 on a rolling monthly basis. Remote discloses a variable FX spread above mid-market rather than hiding it, but the spread is not zero markup.Source: remote.com/pricing · 2026-06-15
Oyster EOR fee: $599 to $699Oyster publishes a pricing range of approximately $599 to $699 per employee per month. FX markup on salary conversions is not separately itemised on the pricing page.Source: oysterhr.com/pricing · 2026-06-16
FX transparency: Remote discloses; Oyster does not itemiseRemote publishes that it applies a variable spread above mid-market on salary conversions. Oyster publishes a pricing range but does not separately itemise FX. Teamed absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the applied rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice.Source: each provider pricing page · 2026-06-16

What is the Remote vs Oyster matchup?

Remote and Oyster are both dedicated Employer of Record (EOR) providers, but they were built with different priorities. Remote started as a product-led EOR and owns its employing entity in 90+ countries, with compliant employment, payroll and benefits as the core product. It discloses a variable FX spread on salary conversions rather than hiding it. The $599 rate requires annual billing; month to month rises to $699. Oyster is the automation-first alternative and a certified B-Corp, publishing a pricing range of approximately $599 to $699 across 180+ countries via its partner-led model and putting dedicated customer-success managers in front of buyers from day one.

The comparison turns on what you are optimising for. Remote suits teams that want a polished self-serve platform, a strong owned-entity compliance layer and EOR maturity across established corridors. Oyster suits teams that want fast clean onboarding, a dedicated CSM from day one and a certified B-Corp supplier for values-based procurement. Neither discloses FX on salary conversions at zero markup. Neither models the month your own entity starts to beat EOR. Those are the questions this rubric answers, applied equally to Teamed, who produced this guide.

Methodology

How we scored this comparison

Three providers are scored 1 to 5 on five criteria, with no weighted total and no overall winner. Different providers lead different columns. Teamed is scored on exactly the same criteria as Remote and Oyster.

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, complex 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 hiring and HR themselves, at scale.
Onboarding & speed: Speed to first payroll across the most common hiring markets, and how well the process holds up as headcount scales fast.
Lifecycle to entity: Whether the provider moves you from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, flags the crossover, and has a genuine path to entity setup.

How we gathered evidence

Remote pricing verified from remote.com/pricing on 15 June 2026. Oyster pricing verified from oysterhr.com/pricing on 16 June 2026. G2 ratings from g2.com, accessed 16 June 2026. Remote's entity model and coverage came from remote.com. Oyster's B-Corp status verified at oysterhr.com. Teamed's claims come from teamed.global.

Considered & excluded

Deel, Rippling, Papaya Global, G-P, Velocity Global, others: Covered in the dedicated best-of comparisons. This page focuses specifically on the Remote 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	Compliance & entity depth	Cost & FX transparency	Platform & self-serve	Onboarding & speed	Lifecycle to entity
Remote	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.

Remote

Best for: teams that want a dedicated, product-led EOR with the strongest owned-entity layer among $599-priced providers, a polished self-serve platform and disclosed FX terms across a broad market footprint.

Remote is the most entity-led dedicated EOR in this comparison. It owns its entity in 90+ countries, runs a polished self-serve dashboard and delivers mature benefits administration and IP-protection features for distributed teams. The $599 rate requires annual billing; month to month is $699. Local partners extend the map to roughly 180 countries for markets outside its core owned footprint.

Where Remote leads Oyster is entity depth and platform maturity. The compliance processes are built and tested across every major hiring corridor, with onboarding flows that have been doing this specific job for longer. Remote also leads Oyster on FX transparency: it discloses that it applies a variable spread above mid-market on salary conversions. The spread is still above mid-market, not zero markup, but at least you can see it is there and model it before signing.

The watch-outs for a cost-focused or flexibility-focused buyer: the $599 headline needs annual billing commitment ($699 month to month). The disclosed FX spread is variable, so the real cost shifts with the rate Remote applies that month. Advisory depth on standard plans is self-serve-led, not expert-first. For teams that want fast automated onboarding and a dedicated CSM from day one, Oyster is the stronger fit on those criteria.

Countries: ~180 via owned entities (90+) and vetted partners
Entity model: Owned-entity-led mix: 90+ countries through its own entity, extended via vetted local partners
Onboarding: Days, with polished self-serve flows across major markets
Contractors: Yes, contractor management alongside EOR
Pricing: $599 per employee per month (annual billing); $699 month to month · verified 2026-06-15
G2: 4.6/5

Strengths

Owns its entity in 90+ countries, the strongest owned-entity footprint among dedicated EOR providers at the $599 price point. Remote leads the compliance column on this rubric.
Discloses its FX approach on salary conversions rather than hiding it. A disclosed variable spread lets buyers model the cost before signing, ahead of Oyster which does not separately itemise FX on the pricing page.
Polished, product-led self-serve platform with mature benefits administration and in-product IP-protection features. Remote leads the platform column on this rubric, with onboarding flows well-established across every major hiring corridor.
$599 on annual billing matches the market reference price. G2 rated 4.6 across a large review base, with coverage spanning many countries and company sizes.

Watch-outs

The $599 headline requires annual billing. Month to month is $699. Model the billing commitment carefully if headcount is uncertain or the employment period is short.
The disclosed FX spread is variable, not zero. It still adds to the real cost beyond the $599 headline, even though you can see it is there. The exact charge shifts with the rate Remote applies at the time of conversion.
Advisory support is not the default response channel on standard plans. Self-serve flows handle most situations, which suits product-led buyers but is lighter than an expert-first model for hard employment-law edge cases.

Source: remote.com/pricing

Oyster

Best for: fast-scaling teams that want clean automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and a B-Corp certified supplier, with a published pricing range they can budget without a sales call.

Oyster is the automation-first alternative and a certified B-Corp. Onboarding is fast and clean, dedicated customer-success managers are consistently praised on G2 for responsiveness, 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.

Oyster leads the onboarding column on this rubric. That lead is structural: the product was designed from the ground up for speed and automation, and the dedicated CSM model means you have a responsive human contact from day one without unlocking a higher plan. The B-Corp certification is a concrete advantage with values-based procurement teams, where neither Remote nor Teamed qualifies.

The watch-outs are depth and entity structure. Oyster's map runs through local partners across all markets rather than a strong owned-entity layer like Remote's 90+ countries. FX markup on salary conversions is not separately itemised on the pricing page. 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 expertise on call, or a polished self-serve platform with a strong owned-entity layer, Remote or Teamed is the stronger fit.

Countries: 180+ via local partners
Entity model: Partner-led mix across 180+ countries
Onboarding: Fast, automated; typically days to a few weeks
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: From ~$599 to $699 / employee / month · verified 2026-06-16
G2: 4.4/5 (1470)

Strengths

Leads the onboarding column on this rubric. Fast automated onboarding and dedicated CSMs consistently praised on G2 for responsiveness. A human contact from day one with no plan upgrade required.
Certified B-Corp. A supplier audit for values-based procurement gets an immediate yes, ahead of both Remote and Teamed.
Published pricing range of approximately $599 to $699 per employee per month. You can budget it without a sales call, unlike providers that require a quote before any price is disclosed.
A G2 base of approximately 1,470 reviews at 4.4, providing solid third-party signal across company sizes, particularly for teams making their first international hire.

Watch-outs

FX markup on salary conversions is not separately itemised on the pricing page. The published range tells you the fee tier, but you cannot see the full cost until you pin down the FX element in writing.
Lighter owned-entity layer than Remote. Oyster's map runs through local partners across all markets, so compliance depth and direct accountability vary by country. Remote owns its entity in 90+ markets.
Lighter lifecycle tooling, with no published managed path from EOR to your own entity as headcount builds.

Source: oysterhr.com/pricing

Teamed

Us, scored on the same rubric

Best for: rapidly growing companies with an international footprint that want the real FX on salary conversions, a real person to reach when something goes wrong, and one partner from first contractor to last entity.

Teamed produced this guide and is scored on exactly the same rubric as Remote and Oyster. 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. Remote discloses a variable spread, which is more transparent than Oyster's unitemised approach, but the spread is not zero. Neither Remote nor Oyster models the month your own entity starts to beat EOR and moves you there. Teamed does.

Teamed brings deep compliance support through its human advisory layer. Real HR and legal experts with country-specific employment law credentials handle the hard moments directly: a contested exit, a works council question (Betriebsrat), a termination in a market you have not hired in before. Teamed operates through its own German entity and has real HR and legal experts with Betriebsrat experience on the team. G2 ranks Teamed #1 EOR for service, four years running. No AI bot wall, no ticket queue, no plan upgrade required.

Teamed is not trying to replace your HR stack. It plugs into the tools you already run and acts as the partner you choose for your global team, from your first contractor to your last legal entity, on one system with no re-onboarding. Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO) is the service that sets up your own entity in 100+ countries when the crossover arrives.

Countries: 180+ (owned entities in major markets + vetted partners)
Entity model: Owned entities in major markets + 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 at zero markup · verified 2026-06-16
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

Absorbs FX at zero markup on the fee and shows the applied rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice. Remote discloses a variable spread but it is not zero. Oyster does not separately itemise FX. Teamed leads the cost-transparency column on this rubric.
Real HR and legal experts with country-specific employment law credentials handle hard cases directly, with no AI bot wall and no plan upgrade required. G2 #1 EOR for service, four years running.
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; Teamed flags the month it is cheaper than EOR. 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.

Watch-outs

Lighter self-serve platform and shallower automation than Oyster's onboarding flow or Remote's mature product experience. The model is advisory-first, not dashboard-first.
Smaller brand and review base than Remote. A procurement team that needs a well-known name for sign-off may push back.
Teamed is not B-Corp certified. If B-Corp status is a procurement requirement, Oyster qualifies and neither Remote nor Teamed does.

Source: teamed.global/pricing

What each stakeholder evaluates

Criterion	Legal	Finance	People Ops	Security
FX and total cost	Ask for the FX policy in writing from all three. Remote discloses a variable spread above mid-market; confirm the rate before signing. Oyster does not separately itemise FX on the pricing page. Teamed shows the applied rate against mid-market and absorbs it at zero markup.	Remote discloses its variable FX spread, so you can model it before signing, but the spread is still above mid-market. Oyster publishes a pricing range but does not itemise FX, so the full cost is unclear without pinning it down in writing. Teamed removes the variable entirely at zero markup on the fee.	An itemised FX line on every invoice reduces reconciliation surprises at month-end. Remote publishes its approach; Teamed absorbs it at zero markup and shows the reference rate on every invoice line.	A timestamped applied rate shown against a public mid-market reference is an auditable record. A disclosed variable spread is more auditable than a concealed one, but less clean than zero markup.
Entity depth vs onboarding speed	Remote's 90+ owned entities mean one accountable employer with no partner margin layer in those markets. Ask Oyster which of your specific countries are owned versus partner-served before signing.	Remote's $599 requires annual billing commitment; month to month is $699. Oyster publishes a range of $599 to $699 without specifying a billing period difference, so confirm whether one applies before budgeting.	Oyster leads on onboarding speed and dedicated CSM availability. Remote leads on owned-entity compliance and platform maturity. The right choice depends on whether onboarding speed or compliance depth is the priority.	Owned entities reduce the partner sub-processing chain. A partner-led model has more links in the chain, which matters for your data-processing agreement review.
Human support model	Ask who handles a contested termination or works council question: a dedicated CSM with an escalation path, or a real HR or legal expert with jurisdiction-specific credentials handling the case directly.	Oyster's dedicated CSMs are praised for responsiveness. Remote's dedicated advisory support is not the default on standard plans. Teamed gives direct access to real HR and legal experts on all plans, with no higher plan required.	You want a real person when it matters, not an AI bot or a pooled queue. Oyster CSMs handle triage and escalation. Teamed gives direct access to real HR and legal experts. The difference shows up on hard employment-law moments.	A clear escalation path and employment-law expertise beat a routing queue for incident handling. Ask each provider who owns the case if something goes wrong.

Decision checklist

Choose Remote if owned-entity compliance, a polished self-serve platform and EOR maturity across established corridors are the priority. Remote leads the compliance and platform columns on this rubric, and annual billing is fine.
Choose Oyster if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority. Oyster leads the onboarding column on this rubric, and neither Remote nor Teamed carries B-Corp certification.
Choose Teamed if cost transparency matters, real HR and legal expertise in the loop are non-negotiable, and you want one partner from first contractor to last entity. Teamed leads cost transparency and lifecycle on this rubric.
Ask every provider one question first: can you reach a real person with employment-law experience when a termination goes wrong, or does it route to a ticket queue? The answer tells you most of what you need to know about the support model.
If you are deciding between Remote and Oyster alone: ask whether you want a polished product-led EOR with strong owned entities, or fast automated onboarding with a dedicated CSM and B-Corp certification.

Email this to legal

Honest take

When Remote or Oyster is the better fit.

Choose Remote over Teamed if product polish, a strong self-serve platform, the deepest owned-entity layer among $599-priced providers and annual billing are all acceptable. Remote leads compliance and platform on this rubric.
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 Remote or Oyster if a large, recognised brand matters for procurement sign-off or you need a well-established review base for due diligence.
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 cost transparency and lifecycle to entity on this rubric, not all five columns. A buyer with different priorities should pick accordingly. We'd rather lose the deal than mismatch the engagement.

Frequently asked questions

Remote vs Oyster: which is better for international hiring?
It depends on what you are optimising for. Remote is the better choice if you want a polished dedicated EOR with owned entities in 90+ countries, a strong self-serve product and EOR maturity across established corridors. Oyster is the better choice if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority. Remote discloses a variable FX spread; Oyster publishes a pricing range but does not separately itemise FX. For a company where cost transparency, real HR and legal expertise, and a path to your own entity matter, Teamed is the disclosed alternative. There is no overall winner on this rubric.
Does Remote publish its FX terms?
Yes, in part. Remote discloses that it applies a variable FX spread above mid-market on salary conversions, which is more transparent than Oyster's approach of publishing a pricing range without separately itemising FX. The spread is variable, so the exact charge changes with the rate at the time of conversion. It is not a fixed fee and it is not zero markup. Teamed shows the applied rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice and absorbs FX at zero markup on the fee. If you want to model your total cost before signing, Remote's disclosed approach is workable; if you want the variable eliminated, Teamed absorbs it.
Is Oyster HR a certified B-Corp?
Yes. Oyster is a certified B-Corp, having met B Lab verification standards for social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. Remote 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 over Remote or Teamed.
What does Remote charge per employee per month?
Remote charges $599 per employee per month on annual billing, rising to $699 on a rolling monthly basis (verified 2026-06-15 at remote.com/pricing). Remote also discloses a variable FX spread above mid-market on salary conversions, which adds to the real cost beyond the $599 headline. The spread is variable, so model it for your specific salary corridors before signing.
Which is better for hiring in Germany, Remote or Oyster?
Germany is the hardest test for any EOR, because works council (Betriebsrat) law and the Kündigungsschutzgesetz mean mistakes are expensive and slow to unwind. Remote owns its German entity. Oyster covers Germany via local partners, and the primary support layer is a dedicated CSM. Teamed also owns its German entity and has real HR and legal experts with Betriebsrat experience on the team. For Germany specifically, the question is not platform power or onboarding speed. It is whether your provider has someone who has handled a German works council case. Ask any provider for evidence of German employment law depth, not just whether Germany appears on their country list.
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. Remote pricing was verified from remote.com/pricing on 15 June 2026. Oyster pricing from oysterhr.com/pricing on 16 June 2026. G2 ratings from g2.com on 16 June 2026. The named author is Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed.

Common questions

What is the difference between Remote and Oyster HR?
Remote is a dedicated EOR built on owned entities in 90+ countries, with a polished self-serve platform and EOR maturity across established corridors. It discloses a variable FX spread on salary conversions. Oyster is an automation-first B-Corp EOR: fast clean onboarding, dedicated CSMs, published pricing of $599 to $699, partner-led map across 180+ countries. Remote leads entity depth and platform maturity. Oyster leads onboarding speed and B-Corp certification. Teamed, who produced this guide, absorbs FX at zero markup, has real HR and legal experts on all plans, and leads on the lifecycle to your own entity.
Should I use Remote or Oyster for global employment?
Use Remote for dedicated EOR maturity and owned-entity compliance across 90+ countries. Use Oyster if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority. Use Teamed if cost transparency and real HR and legal expertise 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.

For the buying committee

Share with your team

Send this page to legal, finance, or HR for review. They will see the same statutory data and source citations you did.

Want this scored for your countries?

Tell us your headcount and where you’re hiring. A real HR or legal expert sends back a quote and a like-for-like breakdown. No demo, no deck.

Talk to an expert