Teamed vs Oyster
Teamed vs Oyster, scored on ten dimensions
Teamed is a focused global employment system. Contractor, EOR, your own entity, all on one stack. It leads on cost clarity, on support without an hourly meter, and on advice about the right model wherever you start. Oyster runs a polished, largely self-serve product with a clean flat price, fast automated onboarding and formal certification. Choose on whether Oyster's self-serve polish beats Teamed's clarity, included expertise and entity path.
1,000+ companies advised
- $599
- Teamed flat fee per employee per month. Every line on the invoice is itemised.
- 24-48h
- Teamed time to first payroll in straightforward markets.
- 4.8
- Teamed G2 rating.
Disclosure
Teamed produced this comparison and is one of the two providers in it. We score what a buyer actually weighs. We name where Oyster leads: a more polished self-serve product, faster automated onboarding, and formal certification we cannot yet match. We don't claim to win every column.
Teamed vs Oyster: which one should you choose in 2026?
Teamed is a focused global employment system. Contractor, EOR, your own entity, all on one stack. It leads on cost clarity, on support without an hourly meter, and on advice about the right model wherever you start. Oyster runs a polished, largely self-serve product with a clean flat price, fast automated onboarding and formal certification. Choose on whether Oyster's self-serve polish beats Teamed's clarity, included expertise and entity path.
The short version
- Compare the all-in cost, not the base. Oyster publishes a clean $699 flat, but it does not publish its deposit formula or its currency-conversion rate. Teamed itemises every line.
- Teamed is a focused global employment platform, contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system. It doesn't replace your HRIS. It connects to the systems you already run. Oyster runs the more polished self-serve product.
- You reach a real HR or legal expert on every plan, with no hourly advisory meter. Not a chatbot, not a ticket queue.
- Whatever you start with, contractor, EOR or an entity, Teamed advises you on the model that fits, and tells you when to change.
At a glance
Teamed
Rated 4.8 on G2
Best for: fast-growing companies with an international footprint that want global employment run properly, real HR and legal experts they can reach without an hourly meter, and advice on the right model wherever they start.
Oyster
Rated 4.4 on G2
Best for: teams that want a polished, largely self-serve onboarding and a single clean flat published price, who have checked the refundable deposit and the currency-conversion fee and are comfortable with both.
Shared by both: contractor and EOR on one platform · broad global coverage (Teamed 187+ countries, Oyster 180+) · a real, human, expert-led support model on every plan
| Where it matters | Who leads | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Headline price | Draw | Both publish a single clean flat fee, so neither buries the base. Teamed is $599 per employee per month, Oyster $699. A clean flat price is a genuine Oyster strength too. Teamed's base is a little lower, but the base is not the bill. Weigh the all-in, not the sticker. |
| Cost clarity | Teamed | The base is only part of the bill. Oyster publishes a clean $699, but it requires a refundable deposit whose formula it does not publish and charges a currency-conversion fee whose rate it does not publish. Teamed itemises every line. FX is absorbed at zero markup, with the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference. The deposit and exit terms are set out before you sign. The point isn't a lower price. It's that you see the whole number. |
| Support | Teamed | Both put real people on every plan, so the floor is close. Oyster includes essentials and runs a 24-hour response SLA, which is a real human model. The gap is the meter. Oyster's white-glove HR advisory is a separate add-on at $300 per hour, so a complex case can start a clock. Teamed includes real HR and legal experts on every plan, with no hourly advisory line. Rated 4.8 on G2 against Oyster's 4.4. |
| Platform | Oyster | Oyster runs a more polished, guided self-serve product, and that is a genuine strength. If an automated, largely self-serve flow is your priority, Oyster leads here. Teamed is a focused global employment platform, contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, and it connects to the tools you already run rather than replacing them. Different shapes for different buyers. |
| Employment intelligence | Teamed | Teamed runs Ted, an AI layer inside the platform. It handles the routine, so you're seen fast. It learns from patterns across customers, so a problem solved once is solved for everyone. It flags law changes and the crossover point before they reach you. Real people approve every outcome. Oyster doesn't frame this as a capability. |
| Compliance and in-country coverage | Teamed | Teamed delivers compliance in layers, and publishes how. Its own legal entities in 57 countries. DLA Piper as global counsel for a consistent standard across borders. Specialist in-country partners on top where a jurisdiction needs them. The best answer isn't always an owned entity. Sometimes it's the right in-country partner, and Teamed shows you which stands behind each country. Oyster discloses a hybrid owned-or-partner model and runs its own in-house legal team, but it doesn't publish an owned-entity count, so you can see less of the structure. |
| Coverage breadth | Draw | Teamed reaches 187+ countries, 57 through its own entities and the rest through vetted partners. Oyster reaches 180+ across all products, 120+ for EOR specifically, through its own owned-or-partner mix. The totals are close enough that they shouldn't decide it. What matters is the model behind the countries you actually hire in. |
| Security and certifications | Oyster | Oyster is an established, certified platform, a certified B Corp with a formal security programme buyers can request reports on. Teamed's security controls and processes are in place, with the audit underway, so the certificate isn't issued yet. If your review needs a badge in hand today, that gap favours Oyster. Ask both for current reports and dates. |
| Onboarding speed | Oyster | Oyster markets onboarding in as fast as 48 hours through a polished self-serve flow, with a dedicated Hiring Success Manager. That speed is a genuine strength. Teamed publishes 24 to 48 hours to first payroll in straightforward markets. Both are fast, and time to a paid employee varies by jurisdiction more than by vendor. Ask both for their time to first payroll in your countries. |
| Path to your own entity | Teamed | EOR is a stage, not the finish. Teamed advises you on the right model wherever you start, contractor, EOR or your own entity, and tells you when it's time to move. Then it builds and runs the entity on the same system via GEMO in 100+ countries, with no re-onboarding. Oyster positions EOR as the alternative to your own entity and publishes education on the choice, but it doesn't sell crossover modelling or a managed-entity product. |
Teamed on G2
Who Teamed is for
Teamed is built for the forgotten middle. Fast-growing companies with an international footprint that want their global employment run properly, an HR or legal expert they can reach without a meter, and advice on the right model wherever they start. If you're hiring at senior salary bands across several countries and want to see what you're signing, this is your fit.
Not the right fit if
- Teams that want a polished, largely self-serve onboarding above all. Oyster runs a guided self-serve flow and can onboard in as fast as 48 hours. If automated onboarding is the priority, that is a genuine Oyster strength.
- Teams whose procurement needs a security badge in hand today. Teamed's controls are in place with the audit underway, so the certificate isn't issued yet. Ask both providers for their current security reports and dates before you decide.
- Teams that want the whole HR, IT and payroll stack on one login. A broad all-in-one suite like Deel or Rippling consolidates more of the stack. Teamed connects to the tools you already run rather than replacing them.
Find your pick in 20 seconds
| If you are… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Polished self-serve onboarding and a flat published price | Oyster | A guided self-serve flow and onboarding in as fast as 48 hours, once you have checked the deposit and the currency-conversion fee. |
| A readable invoice with FX shown at zero markup | Teamed | FX shown against the mid-market reference at zero markup on the fee, on every invoice, with the deposit and exit terms set out before you sign. |
| Real HR and legal experts without an hourly advisory meter | Teamed | Real HR and legal experts included on every plan, with no separate hourly advisory line. |
| A route from EOR to your own entity, with someone to model it | Teamed | Teamed models the crossover per country and, via GEMO, sets up and keeps running your own entity in 100+ countries. |
What is the Teamed vs Oyster comparison?
An Employer of Record (EOR) legally employs your people in a country through its own entity or a vetted local partner. It issues the contract, runs payroll, remits income tax and statutory contributions, and carries the employer obligations while you direct the work. You can hire compliantly in a market before you have a legal entity there.
Oyster reaches 180+ countries across all products, 120+ for EOR specifically, and publishes a clean flat USD 699 per employee per month. It runs a polished, largely self-serve platform, markets onboarding in as fast as 48 hours, is a certified B Corp, and includes essentials with a 24-hour response SLA. Alongside the base it requires a refundable deposit whose formula it does not publish and charges a currency-conversion fee whose rate it does not publish, so the all-in number is harder to forecast, and its white-glove HR advisory is billed separately at USD 300 per hour. Teamed reaches 187+ countries and is flat at $599. It is a focused global employment system, not an HR suite: contractor to EOR to your own entity on one stack, connecting to the tools you already run rather than replacing them, with FX absorbed at zero markup and the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference.
Every EOR delivers through a mix of owned entities and vetted in-country partners, Teamed and Oyster both. What differs is how much of the structure you can see. Teamed publishes three layers: its own legal entities in 57 countries, DLA Piper as global counsel for a consistent standard across borders, and specialist in-country partners on top where a jurisdiction needs them. The best answer isn't always an owned entity. Sometimes the right in-country partner gives you better local depth, and Teamed shows you which stands behind each country. Oyster discloses a hybrid owned-or-partner model and runs its own in-house legal team, but it doesn't publish an owned-entity count.
The two are built for different buyers. If a polished self-serve product, a single flat published price or formal certification decides it, Oyster is the stronger answer. If you want global employment run properly by people you can reach, with a readable invoice and advice on the right model wherever you start, that is what Teamed is for.
Pricing
Oyster's $699 is a clean, single flat price, and that is a genuine strength. The reasons teams still weigh the number sit just off the headline. Oyster requires a refundable deposit whose formula it does not publish, and it charges a currency-conversion fee that applies whenever you pay in a currency different from the contract currency, with no rate disclosed. Teamed is $599 flat and itemises every line. It absorbs FX at zero markup, with the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference. Its exit terms are set out before you sign. The point isn't that one number is lower. It's that you can see the whole cost.
| Detail | Teamed | Oyster |
|---|---|---|
| Published base | $599 USD / £479 GBP per employee per month, flat. No annual commitment required. | Flat USD 699 per employee per month, annual discounts available but no annual figure published. |
| What sits around the fee | Every line itemised. FX absorbed at zero markup, shown against the mid-market reference. Exit terms are in the contract. No setup fees. | A refundable deposit applies, with no amount or formula published. A currency-conversion fee applies on currency mismatch, with the rate not published. |
| Deposit to start | A refundable deposit of one month of salary, set out before you sign. Standard for the EOR model. | A refundable deposit is required for every EOR engagement, with no amount or formula published. |
See the all-in number
Model both on the same basis before you decide. A clean base with an unpublished conversion rate and an unpublished deposit formula can land above a base that itemises everything. Ask both for the full contract, not the pricing page.
Support
Access to a person is close, and we say so. Oyster runs a real human model. It includes setup, onboarding, HR-expert access and termination processing in the subscription, gives a dedicated Hiring Success Manager for onboarding, and publishes a 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution SLA. The friction switchers report is the meter: its white-glove HR advisory, People Partner Services, is billed separately at $300 per hour, so a complex, project-based question can start a clock. Teamed includes real HR and legal experts on every plan, with no hourly advisory line, and is rated 4.8 on G2 for service. Behind the people sits Ted, handling the routine so you're seen fast. A real person approves every outcome.
| Detail | Teamed | Oyster |
|---|---|---|
| Standard support | Real HR and legal experts on every plan, no bot wall, a real escalation contact who knows your account. | Essentials included, a dedicated Hiring Success Manager for onboarding, 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution SLA. |
| Complex HR advisory | Included on every plan. No separate hourly advisory line for complex cases. | White-glove HR advisory (People Partner Services) billed separately at $300 per hour. |
| Service rating | Rated 4.8 on G2 for service. | Rated 4.4 on G2. |
On a hard case
The test isn't the average ticket. It's the contested exit or the audit. Ask both whether that goes to a real HR or legal expert who knows your account without a meter, or into a separate hourly advisory line.
Platform
This is where Oyster leads. It runs a more polished, guided self-serve product, and if an automated, largely self-serve flow is your priority, that is a genuine reason to prefer it. Teamed is a focused global employment platform. It does contractor, EOR and your own entity on one system, and it connects to the tools you already run rather than asking you to move into a new one. Focused is the design, not a gap. The depth goes into global employment, and the rest plugs in.
| Detail | Teamed | Oyster |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Focused global employment platform. Contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system. Connects to the HRIS and payroll you already run. | A polished, guided self-serve product with a strong automated onboarding flow. |
| Best fit | When you want global employment done properly alongside the stack you already run. | When a fast, automated, largely self-serve onboarding is the priority. |
Name the systems you run
Teamed integrates with the tools you already use rather than replacing them. Tell both providers your stack, and ask what connects today, not what is on a roadmap.
Compliance
Every EOR runs on a mix of owned entities and in-country partners. What differs is how much of the structure you can see. Teamed publishes it. Its own entities in 57 countries. DLA Piper as global counsel, holding a consistent standard across borders. Specialist in-country partners on top where a jurisdiction needs them. The best answer isn't always an owned entity. Sometimes the right in-country partner gives you better local depth, and Teamed shows you which stands behind each country. Oyster discloses a hybrid owned-or-partner model and runs a real in-house legal team, so this is closer than it looks. The difference is that Oyster doesn't publish an owned-entity count, so you can see less of the structure behind a given country.
| Detail | Teamed | Oyster |
|---|---|---|
| How compliance is delivered | Own entities in 57 countries, DLA Piper as global counsel, best in-country partners on top. The structure is published. | A hybrid owned-or-partner model is disclosed, but no owned-entity count is published. |
| Depth on the hard cases | Real HR and legal experts with local employment-law experience handle contested terminations, consultations and audits directly. | An in-house legal team works with local experts. Ask whether a given country is an owned entity or a partner, and who stands behind a contested case. |
Ask what's behind the flag
A coverage map is a list of countries. For each one you hire in, ask whether the employer is an entity the provider owns or an in-country partner, and who handles it when a case gets difficult. Ask it of both.
Your own entity
EOR is a stage, not the destination. Teamed advises you on the right model from your first hire onward, contractor, EOR or your own entity. It models the crossover per country and tells you when to move. Then, via GEMO, it builds and runs the entity on the same system in 100+ countries, with no re-onboarding. Oyster positions EOR as the alternative to your own entity and publishes education on the choice, but there's no crossover modelling tool and no managed-entity product.
| Detail | Teamed | Oyster |
|---|---|---|
| When to move | Models the crossover month per country and tells you when your own entity beats EOR. | Publishes education on EOR-or-entity, but no modelling tool. |
| Making the move | GEMO builds and runs your entity in 100+ countries on the same system, with no re-onboarding of existing employees. | No managed-entity product; entity setup is referenced only via a third-party partner. |
Ask before you sign
Ask your provider whether they'll tell you when to move to your own entity, and whether they can build it on the same system. Advice you get before you need it beats a guide you find afterward.
Why the comparison 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 the comparison worth running.
What each stakeholder evaluates
| Criterion | Legal | Finance | People Ops | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you actually pay | Ask both for the currency-conversion policy, the deposit requirement and the exit terms in writing before signing. Oyster publishes a base, but not a conversion rate or a deposit formula. Teamed absorbs conversion at zero markup on the fee, and sets the terms out before you sign. | Oyster publishes a clean $699 base, and that clarity is real. What it doesn't publish is the conversion rate, the deposit formula, or the hourly advisory cost. Undisclosed EOR currency conversion typically runs about 1.5 to 3% of salary, a variable you cannot forecast from a pricing page. Model those on both sides. The published base is a starting point, not a total. | Either way, your payroll team reconciles salary conversions every month. Ask what rate they will see on the invoice, and whether they can check it against a public reference. | A timestamped applied rate shown against a public mid-market reference is an auditable record. An undisclosed conversion rate is not. |
| Support when it matters | A contested termination, a consultation or a tax-authority question needs a real employment-law expert. Ask whether one is available on your plan without a billing gate, or whether the advisory work meters. On Oyster, white-glove HR advisory is $300 per hour; on Teamed, real experts are included on every plan. | Teamed is rated 4.8 on G2, Oyster 4.4, and both run a human model, so the floor is close. Factor the advisory meter into the budget: if your work involves several complex cases, an hourly advisory line adds up, whereas Teamed includes that expertise on every plan. | A real person when it matters, not a meter starting. Ted sits behind the humans, handling the routine and flagging law changes and the crossover point early, with people approving every outcome. | A direct line to a real escalation contact beats an automated flow for incident handling. Know before you sign who you reach when something goes wrong at speed. |
| The path to your own entity | EOR is a transitional model. Ask whether the provider tells you when the crossover point arrives, and whether it can set up the entity on the same system without re-onboarding your employees. | Teamed models the crossover month when your own entity beats EOR, and flags it. Ask whether your provider will do the same, or stay quiet. | A managed transition on the same system means your employees keep their contracts and their history. No re-onboarding, no gap in coverage. | Your own entity gives you full control over data residency and employment contracts in that country. Teamed sets it up in 100+ countries on the same system you already use. |
How switching from Oyster to Teamed works
Most switches take four to six weeks. The operational plan is what takes the time, not the paperwork. Teamed reads your Oyster MSA, times every step to your payroll calendar and notice period, and runs phased cutovers so overlap is contained and employees never notice a gap.
Step 1
Read the Oyster MSA and bring your invoice
Teamed reads your current Oyster MSA for notice period, minimum term, exit and data-portability terms, and unbundles your latest invoice line by line: gross salary, statutory at cost, platform fee, the deposit, and any currency-conversion residual. You see exactly what the switch changes and where the numbers land.
Step 2
Map the cutover to the payroll calendar
Teamed builds the plan per country or per employee cohort and aligns the switch date to the next clean payroll cycle and the Oyster notice window, so no employee straddles two payrolls and you avoid a double-billing month. Benefits continuity and employee communications are scheduled in. Nothing moves until the plan is agreed.
Step 3
Issue new contracts and brief employees
New compliant employment contracts issue under Teamed, with benefits enrolments held so cover never lapses. Employees receive their new payslip structure before the first pay cycle, with FX shown against the mid-market reference. Records come across with no re-onboarding overhead, under maker-checker sign-off.
Step 4
Close the Oyster engagement on the notice window
Teamed manages the Oyster offboarding timeline against the notice period in your MSA, confirms the deposit-return process, and keeps the overlap short so you are not double-billed. The final cutover step executes only after you sign it off.
Dyke Yaxley · UK chartered accountancy
100% audit capacity added. Zero entity setup.
- Audit capacity in 2024
- +100%
- Compliance issues across the engagement
- 0
- South Africa hires, both retained
- 2
- Entity setup required
- None
Challenge
Dyke Yaxley, a UK chartered accountancy with over a century of history, was turning down audit work in 2024. Local UK talent supply for qualified auditors had not kept pace with client demand. Cross-border hiring felt legally involved for a firm whose brand sits on compliance discipline.
Approach
Dyke Yaxley partnered with Teamed to hire two qualified audit professionals in South Africa via EOR. Teamed handled the South African employment-law side end-to-end: compliant contract, local payroll, statutory tax obligations, and onboarding logistics. No entity setup, no South African legal counsel on retainer, no permanent-establishment exposure.
Result
Both hires exceeded expectations on technical work, client satisfaction, and cultural fit. Audit capacity doubled in 2024. Zero compliance issues across the engagement. The firm went from declining new audit work to confidently taking on additional clients.
Interactive tool
Unbundle your current Oyster invoice
Paste your headcount and salary mix. The unbundling calculator shows the deposit, the currency-conversion residual and the all-in cost on your current Oyster invoice, and what the same team looks like with FX absorbed at zero markup. Compare a clean base against a flat fee on the same basis, not on the headline.
Decision checklist
- Choose Teamed for cost clarity. Every line itemised, FX absorbed at zero markup and shown against the mid-market reference, deposit and exit terms set out before you sign.
- Choose Teamed to reach a real HR or legal expert on any plan, with no hourly advisory meter. Not a chatbot, not a queue.
- Choose Teamed for in-country compliance you can see. Own entities, DLA Piper as global counsel, and the best in-country partners, with the structure published.
- Choose Teamed for advice on the right model wherever you start, and a provider that builds your own entity on the same system when the time comes.
- Choose Oyster if a polished, largely self-serve onboarding and a single clean flat published price decide it, and you have checked the refundable deposit and the currency-conversion fee and are comfortable with both.
Honest take
When Oyster is the better choice
- Choose Oyster if a polished, automated, largely self-serve onboarding is your priority. Oyster runs a guided hiring flow and can onboard a team member in as fast as 48 hours, which is a genuine strength.
- Choose Oyster if a single published flat price of $699 is the structure your finance team prefers, and you have already checked the refundable deposit and the currency-conversion fee and are comfortable with both.
- Choose Oyster if its B Corp certification and large G2 review base matter to your procurement process, or if you need a security badge in hand today, and the support you get works for your team.
Teamed leads on cost clarity, support without a meter, in-country compliance you can see, and advice on the right model. It doesn't lead on self-serve polish, on fast automated onboarding, or on formal certification, and this page says so. If Oyster's product suits you and its all-in cost works once you have modelled both, it may be the right call. We'd rather say that than win a deal that's wrong for both sides.
Questions to ask any EOR before you sign
- 1What deposit or pre-funding do you require, and which setup, onboarding, minimum-term, offboarding, termination or admin costs are in the contract? Read it line by line before you sign.
- 2When I need help, do I reach a real person who knows my account without a meter, or does complex advice route to a separate hourly advisory line?
- 3In each country I am hiring in, is the employer an entity you own or an in-country partner, and who handles a contested case?
- 4When my headcount in a country grows, will you tell me when my own entity beats EOR, or do I have to work it out myself?
- 5Will you show the applied currency-conversion rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice?
- 6Can you phase a switch one country or cohort at a time so any overlap period is short and controlled?
Frequently asked questions
How do Teamed and Oyster compare on price?
Both publish a single flat fee, so neither buries the base. Teamed is $599 per employee per month, Oyster $699, so Teamed's base is a little lower. We don't sell on price, and the base is not the bill. Oyster's number is clean, but it also requires a refundable deposit whose formula it doesn't publish and a currency-conversion fee whose rate it doesn't publish. Teamed itemises every line, absorbs conversion at zero markup on the fee, and shows the applied rate against the mid-market reference. Get both sets of terms in writing, model them on the same basis, then decide. The point isn't the sticker. It's that you see the whole number.What is Ted?
Ted is Teamed's AI layer, built into the platform rather than bolted onto the front of it. It handles the routine, so you're seen fast. It learns from patterns across customers, so a problem solved once doesn't have to be solved again. It flags law changes and the crossover point before they reach you. Real people approve every outcome. The intent is that AI gets you to the right expert faster and catches issues while they're small, rather than standing between you and a human. You can always reach a person directly.How does Teamed handle in-country legal compliance?
In three layers, and it publishes the structure. First, Teamed's own legal entities, in 57 countries. Second, DLA Piper as global counsel, holding a consistent legal standard across borders. Third, specialist in-country partners on top, where a jurisdiction needs local depth. Owning an entity is the floor, not the whole job. And the best answer isn't always an owned entity: sometimes the right in-country partner gives you better local depth. Teamed shows you which model stands behind each country. Oyster discloses a hybrid model and runs its own in-house legal team, so this is closer than with providers who publish nothing, but Oyster doesn't publish an owned-entity count, so you can see less of the structure behind a given country.Can I switch from Oyster to Teamed?
Yes. Most EOR contracts are month-to-month or carry a 30 to 90-day notice period. The harder part is the operational cutover: contract timing, payroll-calendar alignment, benefits continuity, and employee communications. Teamed runs phased cutovers, one country or one cohort at a time, so the overlap period is contained. Bring your current Oyster invoice and MSA, and Teamed maps the cutover plan, timing the switch date to the next clean payroll cycle inside the notice window so no employee straddles two payrolls. Most switches complete in four to six weeks.How do Teamed and Oyster compare on support?
Both run a real human model, so the floor is close. Oyster includes essentials, gives a dedicated Hiring Success Manager for onboarding, and publishes a 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution SLA, and is rated 4.4 on G2. The meaningful difference for a switcher is the meter: Oyster's white-glove HR advisory, People Partner Services, is billed separately at $300 per hour, so a complex project can start a clock. Teamed includes real HR and legal experts on every plan with no hourly advisory line, and is rated 4.8 on G2. Behind the humans, Ted handles the routine and flags law changes and the crossover point early, with people approving every outcome. For a contested exit or a jurisdiction you haven't hired in before, Teamed's model is the fit. For a polished self-serve experience, Oyster leads.Does Oyster charge a deposit and a currency-conversion fee?
Yes. Oyster's own pricing page states it requires a refundable deposit for EOR Team Members to start an engagement, with no amount or formula published, and that it charges a currency-conversion fee that applies when you pay in a currency different from the contract currency, with no rate published. Setup, onboarding, HR-expert access and termination processing are included in the subscription. Teamed also takes a refundable deposit equal to one month of salary, standard for the EOR model, but it absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the applied rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice.
Common questions
Teamed vs Oyster, which is better for a company hiring across Europe?
It depends which of two buyers you are. Oyster runs a polished, largely self-serve product, publishes a clean flat $699, onboards in as fast as 48 hours, and is a certified B Corp. If self-serve polish, a single flat price or formal certification decides it, Oyster is the stronger answer. Teamed is $599 flat and a focused global employment system: contractor to EOR to your own entity on one stack, connecting to the tools you already run. It leads on cost clarity (every line itemised, FX at zero markup shown against the mid-market reference), support (real HR and legal experts on every plan, no hourly advisory meter), in-country compliance (own entities in 57 countries, DLA Piper as global counsel, best in-country partners, structure published), and advice on the right model wherever you start. For a company hiring at senior salary bands across several European markets that wants employment run properly by people it can reach, Teamed is the stronger fit.Should I leave Oyster, or is staying the better call?
Leave Oyster if your reasons are cost readability, metered HR advisory, or the lack of a path to your own entity. Oyster requires a refundable deposit and charges a currency-conversion fee whose rate it doesn't publish, bills white-glove HR advisory at $300 per hour, and doesn't sell crossover modelling or a managed-entity product. Teamed addresses all three: FX shown at zero markup on the fee, real HR and legal experts on every plan, and GEMO to set up and run your own entity in 100+ countries. Stay on Oyster if a fast, automated self-serve onboarding and a flat published price suit you, and you've checked the deposit and the currency-conversion fee and are comfortable with both. Both run a real human support model, so this is about which structure fits, not whether Oyster is a poor provider.
For the buying committee
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The honest path
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