Remote vs Oyster · scored on one rubric
Remote vs Oyster, compared on one rubric
No single winner. Remote leads coverage depth and platform maturity, and ties Teamed on pricing transparency. Oyster leads the platform column outright on fast automated onboarding, and holds B-Corp certification. Remote and Oyster both hold current security certifications; Teamed is aligned with accreditation in progress. Teamed, who produced this guide, leads the service model and employment intelligence column and the path to your own entity.
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
- 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 six-axis 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.
Remote vs Oyster: which is better for global hiring?
No single winner. Remote leads coverage depth and platform maturity, and ties Teamed on pricing transparency. Oyster leads the platform column outright on fast automated onboarding, and holds B-Corp certification. Remote and Oyster both hold current security certifications; Teamed is aligned with accreditation in progress. Teamed, who produced this guide, leads the service model and employment intelligence column and the path to your own entity.
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, and holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II today. 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. It holds SOC 2 Type II, with its ISO 27001 status less clearly published.
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 current security certifications. 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 six 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.
- 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. FX on salary conversions is one clause of that test, never the whole frame.
- Coverage and compliance depth
- Depth and legal robustness of in-country coverage across the markets a growing company is most likely to hire in: the owned-entity versus partner structure behind each market, and how fast a real HR or legal expert responds at the hard moments, from a contested exit to a complex termination.
- Platform and self-serve
- Product surface, self-serve flows, integration depth and speed to first payroll for teams that want to run hiring and HR themselves, at scale.
- Security and certifications
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II held today: the certifications a security or procurement 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 country-specific credentials own the hard moments directly, and how well the system flags compliance 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 has a genuine path to entity setup, such as Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO).
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. Security certifications were re-checked against each provider's current published status on 22 July 2026: Remote holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II; Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II, with ISO 27001 status less clearly published. Teamed's claims come from teamed.global.
Considered & excluded
- Deel, Rippling, Papaya Global, G-P, Pebl (formerly 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 | Pricing transparency | Coverage and compliance depth | Platform and self-serve | Security and certifications | Service model and employment intelligence | Path to your own entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote | 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
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, current security certifications 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. It also holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II today, the certifications a security review asks to see.
Where Remote leads on this rubric is coverage depth and platform maturity. The compliance processes are built and tested across every major hiring corridor, with self-serve flows that have been doing this specific job for longer. Remote also discloses that it applies a variable spread above mid-market on salary conversions rather than hiding it, one clause inside an otherwise clear, predictable published fee. That fee structure is why Remote ties Teamed on the pricing column here: the spread itself is still above mid-market, not zero markup, but you can see it is there and model it before signing.
The watch-outs for a cost-focused or advisory-focused buyer: the $599 headline needs annual billing commitment ($699 month to month). Advisory depth on standard plans is self-serve-led, not expert-first, so Remote concedes the service model and employment intelligence column here, and there is no proactive flag for the month your own entity starts to beat EOR. For teams that want fast automated onboarding built into the platform itself, or a dedicated CSM relationship, 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 2026-07-22
- 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 coverage column on this rubric.
- Publishes a flat, predictable headline fee and discloses its FX approach on salary conversions rather than hiding it. Remote ties Teamed on the pricing column here, ahead of Oyster, which publishes a range but does not separately itemise FX.
- 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 self-serve flows well-established across every major hiring corridor.
- Holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II today, leading the security column on this rubric. 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 concedes the service model and employment intelligence column: no direct line to a real HR or legal expert on standard plans, and no proactive crossover-to-entity signal.
Source: remote.com/pricing
#2
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. It holds SOC 2 Type II today; its ISO 27001 status is less clearly published, so it sits just behind Remote on the security column.
Oyster leads the platform 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 entity depth and advisory depth. Oyster's map runs through local partners across all markets rather than a strong owned-entity layer like Remote's 90+ countries or Teamed's owned-entity-plus-counsel model, so it concedes the coverage column here. The dedicated CSMs provide a responsive human layer, but that isn't the same as a real HR or legal expert with country-specific employment-law credentials handling a case directly, and 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 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 2026-07-22
- G2
- 4.4/5 (1470)
Strengths
- Leads the platform 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.
- Publishes a pricing range of approximately $599 to $699 per employee per month, budgetable without a sales call. It sits just behind the flat-fee providers on the pricing column, since a range is workable but a single flat number reads clearer still.
- Holds SOC 2 Type II today, ahead of providers with no published certification, though its ISO 27001 status is less clear. A G2 base of approximately 1,470 reviews at 4.4 provides solid third-party signal across company sizes.
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, and concedes the coverage column here. Oyster's map runs through local partners across all markets, so compliance depth and direct accountability vary by country.
- Lighter lifecycle tooling, with no published managed path from EOR to your own entity as headcount builds. The CSM model is a strong human layer, but it is not a substitute for a real HR or legal expert owning a hard case directly.
Source: oysterhr.com/pricing
#3
Teamed
Us, scored on the same rubricBest for: rapidly growing companies with an international footprint that want a clear, predictable fee, 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 pricing wedge is clarity: Teamed shows the applied FX rate on salary conversions next to the mid-market reference and absorbs it at zero markup on the fee, a flat $599 USD / £479 GBP headline that ties Remote on the pricing column here. Oyster's published range sits a point behind. None of the three claims to be the cheapest; this column scores clarity, not price level.
Teamed's coverage comes through its human advisory layer. Teamed owns entities in 57 countries and backs them with DLA Piper as global counsel and vetted in-country partners, so real HR and legal experts handle hard local edge cases directly: a contested exit, a complex termination, a market Teamed hasn't hired in for this buyer before. That contests the coverage column with Remote's larger owned-entity count on a different structure, fewer owned entities but a deep counsel-and-partner layer behind every one of them. No AI bot wall, no ticket queue, no plan upgrade required for that advisory layer.
Teamed is a focused global-employment platform, not a HRIS, and it plugs into the tools you already run rather than asking you to migrate, which is a deliberate concession on the platform column that both Remote and Oyster lead here. Where Teamed leads is the lifecycle: Global Entity and Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and runs your own entity in 100+ countries when the crossover arrives, on one system with no re-onboarding, from your first contractor to your last legal entity.
- Countries
- 187+ countries covered (own entities in 57 countries + vetted partners)
- Entity model
- Own entities in 57 countries + vetted partners; sets up and runs your own entity in 100+ countries via GEMO
- 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 2026-07-22
- G2
- 4.8/5
Strengths
- Ties Remote on the pricing column: a flat $599 USD / £479 GBP fee with FX absorbed at zero markup and the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice. Oyster's published range doesn't itemise FX at all.
- Owns entities in 57 countries and backs them with DLA Piper as global counsel plus vetted in-country partners, so real HR and legal experts handle hard local edge cases directly. Contests the coverage column with Remote's larger owned-entity count on a different structure.
- Real HR and legal experts with country-specific employment-law credentials handle hard cases directly, with the Ted layer flagging changes and the crossover point early. No AI bot wall and no plan upgrade required. Teamed leads the service model and employment intelligence column on this rubric.
- One partner from first contractor to EOR to your own entity, on one system with no re-onboarding. GEMO sets up and runs your own entity in 100+ countries; Teamed leads the lifecycle column on this rubric.
Watch-outs
- Lighter self-serve platform and shallower automation than Oyster's onboarding flow or Remote's mature product experience. Teamed is a focused global-employment platform, not a HRIS, and concedes the platform column to both.
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 aligned, with accreditation in progress. Remote holds both ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II today, and Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II, so Teamed concedes the security column here. If a certificate issued today is a hard requirement, ask each provider for its current audit report and date.
- The advisory model earns its weight with a growing headcount or multiple countries. For a single experimental hire with no plans to scale, or a procurement team set on a market-leading name and its larger review base, a lighter self-serve platform may fit 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 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 platform 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 platform speed and dedicated CSM availability. Remote leads on owned-entity coverage and platform maturity. The right choice depends on whether onboarding speed or coverage 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. Remote and Oyster both hold current security certifications; confirm scope and audit date directly. |
| Human support model | Ask who handles a contested termination or a complex compliance question: a dedicated CSM with an escalation path, or a real HR or legal expert with country-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
- 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.
- Choose Remote if owned-entity coverage, a polished self-serve platform, current security certifications and EOR maturity across established corridors are the priority. Remote leads the coverage and platform columns on this rubric and ties Teamed on pricing transparency, and annual billing is fine.
- Choose Oyster if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority. Oyster leads the platform column on this rubric, and neither Remote nor Teamed carries B-Corp certification.
- Choose Teamed if pricing clarity matters, real HR and legal expertise in the loop are non-negotiable, and you want one partner from first contractor to last entity. Teamed ties Remote on pricing transparency and leads the service model, employment intelligence and lifecycle-to-entity columns on this rubric.
- Ask every provider one question first: can you reach a real person with employment-law experience when something goes wrong, or does it route to a ticket queue? The answer tells you most of what you need to know about the service model.
- If your procurement review needs a certificate in hand today: Remote holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II with ISO 27001 status less clearly published, and Teamed is aligned with accreditation in progress, so it concedes this column for now.
- If you are deciding between Remote and Oyster alone: ask whether you want a polished product-led EOR with strong owned entities and current certifications, or a platform built for fast automated onboarding with a dedicated CSM and B-Corp certification.
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 coverage and platform on this rubric and ties Teamed on pricing transparency.
- 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. Oyster leads the platform column here.
- Choose Remote or Oyster if your procurement review needs a current ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certificate in hand today. Both hold certification that Teamed, aligned with accreditation in progress, does not have yet.
- 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 ties Remote on pricing transparency and leads the service model and employment intelligence and the path to your own entity on this rubric, not every column: it concedes platform to both Remote and Oyster, and security to their current certifications. 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 current ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certification. Oyster is the better choice if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority; it holds SOC 2 Type II, with its ISO 27001 status less clearly published. Remote discloses a variable FX spread; Oyster publishes a pricing range but does not separately itemise FX. For a company where pricing clarity, real HR and legal expertise, and a path to your own entity matter, Teamed is the disclosed alternative: it ties Remote on pricing transparency and leads on service model, employment intelligence and the lifecycle to your own entity. 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. Both Remote's disclosed spread and Teamed's zero-markup approach score well on this rubric's pricing-transparency column, because it rewards clarity, not price level; Oyster's unitemised range scores a point lower. 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.Do Remote, Oyster or Teamed hold ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification today?
Remote holds both ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II today, the certifications a security or procurement review usually asks to see. Oyster holds SOC 2 Type II; its ISO 27001 status is less clearly published, so confirm current status with Oyster directly. Teamed is ISO 27001 and SOC 2 aligned, with accreditation in progress: neither certificate is in hand yet. If a certificate issued today is a hard procurement requirement, Remote is the strongest fit of the three on this specific question. Ask any provider for its current audit report and date rather than relying on a marketing page.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 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. Security certifications were re-checked against each provider's current published status on 22 July 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, EOR maturity across established corridors, and current security certifications. 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, SOC 2 Type II certification. Remote leads coverage and platform maturity and security. Oyster leads platform on onboarding speed and B-Corp certification. Teamed, who produced this guide, ties Remote on pricing transparency, has real HR and legal experts on all plans, and leads on service model, employment intelligence and the lifecycle to your own entity.Should I use Remote or Oyster for global employment?
Use Remote for dedicated EOR maturity, owned-entity coverage across 90+ countries and current security certifications. Use Oyster if fast automated onboarding, dedicated CSM support and B-Corp certification are the priority. Use Teamed if pricing clarity and real HR and legal expertise come first: it ties Remote on pricing transparency, shows the rate against mid-market, and moves you from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, while conceding platform and security to the other two.
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.
The honest path
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.
