Is Teamed cheaper than Oyster?

On the published headline Teamed is $599 flat, Oyster lists $699 with annual discounts, so the two sit close. The all-in bill is what matters. Oyster adds a conditional currency-conversion fee with no published rate. It also requires a deposit with no published amount. Teamed itemises every line and absorbs conversion at zero markup. Model both on the same basis, then decide.

Ted is Teamed's AI layer inside the platform. It handles the routine, learns from patterns across customers, and flags law changes and the crossover point early. People approve every outcome, and you can always reach a person directly.

How does Teamed handle in-country legal compliance?

In three published layers: Teamed's own entities in 57 countries, DLA Piper as global counsel for cross-border consistency, and specialist in-country partners on top where needed. The best answer isn't always an owned entity. Teamed shows which model stands behind each country. Oyster doesn't publish its owned-versus-partner split.

When should I move from EOR to my own entity?

Below roughly 10 to 15 full-time employees in most European markets, EOR tends to stay more cost-effective. Above that the per-seat fee approaches fixed entity costs. Teamed models the crossover per country, flags it, and builds the entity via GEMO on the same system with no re-onboarding.

Yes. Oyster is a certified B-Corp. Teamed is not. If B-Corp certification is a procurement requirement, Oyster clears it and Teamed does not. That is a genuine reason to choose Oyster that we cannot match.

How do Teamed and Oyster compare on support?

Teamed: 4.8 on G2. Oyster: 4.4 across ~1,470 reviews, with success managers consistently praised for onboarding and responsiveness. Teamed gives direct HR and legal expert access on all plans, no chatbot wall, no hourly meter. Both are good. Choose on onboarding speed vs employment-law advisory depth.

Can I switch from Oyster to Teamed?

Yes. Most EOR contracts are month-to-month or 30 to 90-day notice. Bring your Oyster contract and Teamed maps the cutover plan. The operational switch (payroll calendar, benefits, employee comms) takes four to six weeks. Teamed runs phased cutovers, one country or cohort at a time. Employees do not re-onboard.

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, support and in-country compliance, and it advises you on the right model wherever you start. Oyster onboards fast, is a certified B-Corp, and runs a polished self-serve platform. Choose on whether onboarding speed and certification beat clarity and depth.

Talk to an expert

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.

Last reviewed 22 July 2026By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

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: automated onboarding, and its certified B-Corp status. We don't claim to win every column.

Teamed vs Oyster: which one should you choose in 2026?

The short version

Compare the all-in cost, not the sticker. Oyster's headline is easy to budget, but it adds a conditional currency-conversion fee and a refundable deposit it puts no number on. Teamed itemises every line, and absorbs conversion at zero markup.
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 is a polished self-serve EOR that stops at EOR.
You reach a real HR or legal expert when it matters. Not a chatbot, not a ticket queue, not a separate hourly meter.
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, and advice on the right model wherever they start.

Oyster

Rated 4.4 on G2

Best for: teams that want fast automated onboarding, need a certified B-Corp supplier to clear a procurement screen, or run contractor-heavy operations that want a broad self-serve payments platform.

Shared by both: contractor and EOR on one platform · broad global coverage (Teamed 187+ countries, Oyster 180+ across all products) · human, expert-led support rather than a chatbot wall

Where it matters	Who leads	Why
Headline price	Draw	Both publish a flat headline. Oyster lists $699 with annual discounts, and third parties note the rate can land lower at higher volumes. Teamed is $599 flat with no annual commitment. On the published sticker the two sit close, so weigh cost clarity next.
Cost clarity	Teamed	The headline is only part of the bill. Oyster adds a conditional currency-conversion fee when you pay in a currency other than the contract currency, and publishes no rate for it. It also requires a refundable deposit it puts no number on. Teamed itemises every line. FX is absorbed at zero markup, with the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference, and the exit terms are set out before you sign.
Support	Teamed	Both put real people on every plan, so this is close. Oyster gives every customer a dedicated success contact and publishes a 24-hour response, sub-72-hour resolution SLA, and it is well rated for onboarding on G2. Teamed leads on the hard cases. You reach an HR or legal expert directly, with no support tier to unlock and no separate hourly meter. Oyster bills project-based HR advisory at $300 per hour.
Platform	Teamed	Two focused platforms, built around different centres of gravity. Oyster runs a polished self-serve product and moves fast. Teamed is a focused global employment platform that spans the whole lifecycle, contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system, and connects to the tools you already run rather than replacing them. Oyster's platform stops at EOR, with no managed path to your own entity.
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 entities in 57 countries. DLA Piper as global counsel for cross-border consistency. 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 states it owns or partners with local entities across its coverage, but doesn't publish the split, so you can't see which of your countries sit on an owned entity.
Coverage breadth	Draw	Teamed reaches 187+ countries. Oyster reaches 180+ across its products, 120+ for EOR. Both mix owned entities and partners. 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 a certified B-Corp, an external certification Teamed doesn't hold. On security specifically, Teamed's controls and processes are in place with the audit underway, so the certificate isn't issued yet. If your review needs a particular badge in hand, ISO 27001 or SOC 2, ask both for current reports and dates.
Onboarding speed	Oyster	Oyster leads automated onboarding. A guided in-platform flow can onboard in as fast as 48 hours, and it's consistently praised for onboarding on G2. Teamed is advisory-led with a lighter self-serve dashboard, and publishes 24 to 48 hours to first payroll in straightforward markets. If a fast, self-serve onboarding flow is the priority, Oyster is the better fit.
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 the entity via GEMO in 100+ countries and runs it on the same system, with no re-onboarding. Oyster positions EOR as the alternative to your own entity, and sells no entity-setup service or crossover modelling.

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, and advice on the right model wherever they start. If you're hiring at senior salary bands across several countries and want to know what you're signing, this is your fit.

Not the right fit if

Enterprises above 1,000 seats needing owned-entity governance at scale. Globalization Partners or Papaya Global carry the widest owned-entity footprint and enterprise governance.
Teams where the lowest published base is the deciding factor. Native Teams or Multiplier publish lower headline EOR rates. Get the deposit and exit terms in writing, then compare the real all-in cost.
Teams that want one platform to run all of HR, IT and payroll. Rippling or Deel have the deepest all-in-one product. Teamed connects to those tools rather than replacing them.

Find your pick in 20 seconds

If you are…	Start with	Why
Fastest automated onboarding or a certified B-Corp supplier is the priority	Oyster	Oyster leads automated onboarding, publishes a 24-hour response SLA, and is a certified B-Corp that clears values-based procurement.
Contractor-heavy operation wanting a broad self-serve payments platform	Oyster	Global Contractors at $29 per contractor per month with payments in 120+ currencies and bulk invoicing.
Contractor, EOR and your own entity unified on one system, run properly	Teamed	One system across the whole lifecycle, with real HR and legal experts and advice on the right model wherever you start.
You want to be told when your own entity beats EOR	Teamed	Teamed models the crossover per country, tells you when to move, and builds the entity on the same system.

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 its products, 120+ for EOR, and lists $699 per employee per month with annual discounts. It runs a clean self-serve platform, onboards fast, gives every customer a dedicated success contact, and is a certified B-Corp. 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.

Every EOR delivers through a mix of owned entities and vetted in-country partners, Teamed and Oyster both. What differs is whether you can see the structure. 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 states it owns or partners with local entities across its coverage, but doesn't publish the owned-versus-partner split or an owned-entity count, so ask which of your countries sit on an Oyster-owned entity and which on a partner.

The two are built for different buyers. If fast automated onboarding, a certified B-Corp supplier or a headline you can budget from day one decides it, Oyster is the stronger answer. If you want global employment run properly by people you can reach, with advice on the right model wherever you start, that is what Teamed is for.

Pricing

Teamed publishes $599 flat and absorbs FX at zero markup, with the applied rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice line. Oyster lists $699 with annual discounts, and its own pricing page adds two variables to price in: a refundable EOR deposit with no published amount, and a conditional currency-conversion fee that applies when you pay in a currency different from the contract currency, with no rate or spread disclosed. The point isn't the sticker at all. It's that you can see the whole cost.

Detail	Teamed	Oyster
EOR fee	$599 USD / £479 GBP per employee per month, flat. No annual commitment required.	$699 per employee per month, with annual discounts available. Third parties note the headline typically applies at three or more EOR hires.
FX on salary conversions	Zero markup. Applied rate shown against the mid-market reference on every invoice line.	A conditional currency-conversion fee applies when you pay in a currency different from the contract currency. No rate or spread is published.
Deposit and setup fees	No setup or offboarding fees. A refundable deposit of one month of salary is required to start.	A refundable EOR deposit is required, with no amount or formula published. Setup, onboarding and termination processing are stated as included in the subscription fee.

Read the contract on both sides

Ask each provider for the FX policy and the deposit formula in writing before you sign. Teamed absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the mid-market reference on every invoice. Oyster requires a refundable EOR deposit and charges a conditional currency-conversion fee, and publishes a figure for neither.

Support

Both run a human, expert-led support model, which is why this is close on responsiveness. Oyster gives every customer a dedicated success contact and publishes a 24-hour response, sub-72-hour resolution SLA, and its account management is consistently praised on G2. The distinction is who advises when a contested termination or a collective consultation arrives. Teamed puts real HR and legal experts on every plan with no separate meter. Oyster includes standard HR-expert access but bills project-based advisory (People Partner Services) separately at $300 per hour. Behind Teamed's people sits Ted, handling the routine so you're seen fast, with a real person approving every outcome.

Detail	Teamed	Oyster
Reaching a person	Direct access to real HR and legal experts on all plans. No support tier to unlock, no shared ticket queue as the default first response.	A dedicated success contact for onboarding, with a published 24-hour response, sub-72-hour resolution SLA.
Project-based HR advisory	Included in the relationship. Real HR and legal experts advise without a separate hourly meter.	Project-based People Partner Services billed separately at $300 per hour.
What the system does for you	Ted handles the routine, learns from patterns across customers, and flags law changes and the crossover point early. People approve every outcome.	Responsive and well rated for onboarding, but reactive by design.

On a hard case

The test isn't the average ticket. It's the contested exit or the audit. Oyster's success managers are consistently praised on G2 for responsiveness. Ask both whether a hard employment-law question goes to a real HR or legal expert who knows your account, or into a queue or an hourly meter. For straightforward hiring, a strong account manager often covers everything you need.

Platform

This is close, and it turns on shape. Oyster runs a polished self-serve product built to onboard fast, and that automation is a genuine strength. Teamed is a focused global employment platform that spans the whole lifecycle: contractor, EOR and your own entity on one system, connecting to the HRIS and payroll 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 across the lifecycle, and the rest plugs in. Oyster's platform stops at EOR, with no managed path to your own entity.

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.	Polished self-serve EOR and contractor product, built to onboard fast without a payroll specialist in-house.
Best fit	When you want the whole employment lifecycle run properly alongside the stack you already run.	When a fast, clean self-serve onboarding flow is the top priority.

Where Oyster genuinely leads

If fast automated onboarding and a certified B-Corp supplier are your top criteria, Oyster is the better fit and we say so directly. Its onboarding flow is built to move fast, and its B-Corp credential clears procurement screens Teamed does not.

Compliance

Every EOR runs on a mix of owned entities and in-country partners. What differs is whether you can see the structure. 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 states it owns or partners with local entities across its coverage, but doesn't publish the split, so you can't tell which countries sit on an owned entity.

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.	Owns or partners with local entities across 180+ countries. The owned-versus-partner split is not published.
Depth on the hard cases	Real HR and legal experts with local employment-law experience handle contested terminations, collective consultations and audits directly.	A dedicated success contact is the primary layer, with project-based advisory at $300 per hour. 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.

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 it builds the entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) in 100+ countries and runs it on the same system, with no re-onboarding. Oyster positions EOR as the alternative to opening your own entity, and sells no entity-setup service or crossover modelling as a product. On contractors the fit is genuinely mixed: Oyster runs a broader self-serve payments product, while Teamed builds contractor cover around EOR through Guard and Protect, with Protect taking on the misclassification liability itself.

Detail	Teamed	Oyster
When to move	Models the crossover month per country and tells you when your own entity beats EOR.	Positions EOR as the alternative to your own entity. No crossover modelling sold as a product.
Making the move	Builds and runs your entity via GEMO in 100+ countries on the same system, with no re-onboarding of existing employees.	No entity-setup service on the same system.
Contractor management	Contractor cover via Guard (up to $10,000 per case, you remain the engager) and Protect (Teamed engages the contractor and takes on the misclassification liability).	Dedicated Global Contractors product at $29 per contractor per month. Payments in 120+ currencies, bulk invoicing, a free misclassification test, and country-specific IP agreements in 30 countries.

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 headline but not a conversion methodology, and requires a deposit it puts no number on. Teamed absorbs conversion at zero markup on the fee, and sets the terms out before you sign.	Oyster lists a headline you can budget from, but it does not itemise the currency-conversion cost, the deposit or the exit terms. Model those on both sides. On a $190,000 salary, an unitemised FX element of 2% is $3,800 a year for one employee, so pin the conversion policy down in writing before you sign. Teamed removes that variable with zero-markup absorption on the fee and shows the mid-market reference on every invoice line.	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. The line that reads "FX rate: mid-market" is the one that matters.	A timestamped applied rate shown against a public mid-market reference is an auditable record. A headline without a separate conversion line is harder to audit at year-end.
Support when it matters	A contested termination, a collective consultation, or a tax question in a new jurisdiction needs a real employment-law expert. Ask whether real HR and legal experts with country-specific experience are your default contact, or whether a success manager handles the triage and escalates.	Teamed is rated 4.8 on G2, Oyster 4.4, and Oyster is consistently praised for onboarding, so this is close on responsiveness. The difference is the hard case. Teamed gives direct expert access on all plans with no hourly meter. Oyster bills project-based advisory at $300 per hour.	A real person when it matters, not a ticket queue. 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. Oyster success managers are praised for responsiveness. Teamed is rated 4.8 on G2.
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. Oyster does not sell this as a standard service. Ask whether your provider will model it, or stay quiet.	A managed transition via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) 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 time, not the paperwork. Teamed runs phased cutovers, so overlap is contained and employees never notice a gap.

Step 1
Bring your Oyster invoice
Share your current Oyster invoice. Teamed unbundles it line by line: gross salary, statutory at cost, platform fee, any conversion residual. You see exactly what the switch means in numbers before anything moves.
Step 2
Map the operational plan
Teamed builds the cutover plan per country or per employee cohort: notice-period alignment, payroll-calendar sync, benefits continuity, employee communications. Nothing moves until the plan is agreed.
Step 3
Issue new contracts
New compliant employment contracts issue under Teamed. Employees receive their new payslip structure before the first pay cycle, with FX shown against mid-market. No re-onboarding overhead.
Step 4
Close the Oyster relationship
Teamed manages the Oyster termination timeline and keeps you out of a double-billing period. Most EOR contracts are month-to-month or carry a notice period. Teamed maps the calendar and manages the exit.

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.

Read the full case study →

Interactive tool

Model both invoices side by side

Paste your headcount and salary mix. The unbundling calculator separates gross salary, statutory costs at cost, the platform fee and any conversion residual. Compare a flat fee against a published range on the same basis, not on the headline.

Open the unbundling calculator

Decision checklist

Choose Teamed for cost clarity. Every line is itemised, and the applied FX rate sits against the mid-market reference at zero markup. The deposit and exit terms are set out before you sign.
Choose Teamed to reach a real HR or legal expert on any plan, with no separate hourly meter. Not a chatbot, not a queue.
Choose Teamed for in-country compliance you can see. Own entities in 57 countries, 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 fast, automated onboarding matters most. Oyster leads the onboarding column and its success managers are consistently praised on G2.
Choose Oyster if a certified B-Corp supplier is a procurement requirement. Oyster is a certified B-Corp; Teamed is not.

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Honest take

When Oyster is the better choice

Choose Oyster if automated onboarding speed is the primary criterion. Its platform is built to move fast, its onboarding flow is consistently praised on G2, and a team without a dedicated payroll specialist can run a hire end to end.
Choose Oyster if B-Corp certification is a requirement in your supplier audit. Oyster is a certified B-Corp and clears values-based procurement screens that Teamed does not.
Choose Oyster if a dedicated success-manager relationship works well for your team and that model covers the employment-law questions you face. For straightforward hiring with no contested terminations, a good success contact often covers everything you need.

Teamed leads on cost clarity, support, in-country compliance and advice on the right model. It doesn't lead on automated onboarding or on external certification, and this page says so. If speed and a values-certified supplier are the priority, Oyster 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, or do queries route back to a portal and an account manager that keeps changing?
3What is your currency-conversion policy on salary payments, and will you show the applied rate against the mid-market reference on every invoice?
4In each country I am hiring in, is the employer an entity you own or an in-country partner, and who handles a contested case?
5When 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?

Frequently asked questions

Is Teamed cheaper than Oyster?
On the published headline, Teamed is flat at $599 per employee per month with no annual commitment, and Oyster lists $699 with annual discounts noted (oysterhr.com/pricing). The two sit close once Oyster's discounts and volume pricing are in, so the headline shouldn't decide it. The bill that lands on your account is the all-in one. Oyster adds a conditional currency-conversion fee with no published rate, and a refundable deposit with no published amount. Teamed itemises every line, absorbs conversion at zero markup, 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 states it owns or partners with local entities across its coverage, but doesn't publish the split, so you can't tell from the outside whether a country is served by an owned entity or a partner.
When should I move from EOR to my own entity?
The crossover point depends on headcount and salary mix in each country. As a rough guide, EOR stays more cost-effective than your own entity below roughly 10 to 15 full-time employees in most European markets. Above that, the cumulative per-seat fee approaches the fixed cost of a registered entity, a local director where needed, bookkeeping, and annual filings. Teamed models this crossover per country and flags the month your own entity gets cheaper. It then builds and runs the entity via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) in 100+ countries on the same system, with no re-onboarding of existing employees. Wherever you start, Teamed advises you on the model that fits.
Is Oyster a B-Corp?
Yes. Oyster is a certified B-Corp, which means it has met the B Lab verification standards for social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. Teamed is not a B-Corp. If your procurement team requires a certified B-Corp supplier, Oyster clears that screen and Teamed does not. That is a concrete reason to choose Oyster that Teamed cannot match, and it is worth naming directly.
How do Teamed and Oyster compare on support?
Teamed is rated 4.8 on G2. Oyster is rated 4.4 across approximately 1,470 G2 reviews. Oyster's success managers are a genuine differentiator: reviewers consistently praise the onboarding experience and responsiveness. Teamed's difference is the advisory model: direct access to real HR and legal experts on all plans, with no chatbot wall and no separate hourly meter for employment-law questions. Both are good options. If you need fast onboarding and a strong account relationship, Oyster's success managers deliver. If you need real employment-law expertise on call, Teamed's advisory model is the fit.
Can I switch from Oyster to Teamed?
Yes. Most EOR contracts are month-to-month or carry a 30 to 90-day notice period. Bring your current Oyster contract to Teamed and the team maps the cutover plan: contract timing, payroll-calendar alignment, benefits continuity and employee communications. The operational switch typically takes four to six weeks. Teamed runs phased cutovers, one country or one cohort at a time, to contain the overlap period. Employees do not re-onboard and their employment history stays intact.

Common questions

Teamed vs Oyster, which EOR is better for a company hiring across Europe?
It depends which of two buyers you are. Oyster onboards fast, is a certified B-Corp, runs a polished self-serve platform, and lists $699 with annual discounts. If onboarding speed or a values-certified supplier 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 tier to unlock and no hourly 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.
Is Oyster a good employer of record?
Oyster is a capable EOR with a 4.4 rating on G2 across approximately 1,470 reviews. Its strengths are automated onboarding, dedicated success managers, a published $699 headline with annual discounts, and B-Corp certification. It covers 180+ countries across its products through a mix of owned and partner entities, with the split undisclosed. Its lighter areas are advisory depth on hard employment-law questions (where project-based advisory is metered at $300 per hour), a managed path to your own entity that it doesn't sell as a product, and an undisclosed owned-versus-partner split, which matters most where owned-entity accountability does. It is a good fit for a team that wants fast, clean onboarding, a strong account relationship, and a values-certified supplier. It is a less obvious fit when you need direct employment-law expertise on call or are actively planning your own entity.

For the buying committee

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The honest path

Want the Oyster comparison run on your numbers?

Tell us your headcount and where you're hiring. A real HR or legal expert sends back a like-for-like breakdown with the FX shown against mid-market. No demo, no deck.

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