Deel vs Oyster: published pricing, September 2026

Using USD as the comparison assumption for Deel’s dollar-only price display, Deel’s listed employer of record (EOR) fee is lower: 599 per employee per month versus Oyster’s explicit USD 699, checked 28 September 2026.^1,2 Confirm Deel’s billing currency in the quote before relying on that price advantage. Deel reports full legal EOR employment in 130+ countries; Oyster reports compliant employment in 120+ countries.^1,2 Confirm the employee’s country and full quote before choosing.

TL;DR

• Oyster has the lower standard contractor fee: USD 29 per contractor per month after 30 days free, against Deel’s USD 49.^1,2 Keep Deel’s separately priced Contractor of Record service outside that comparison.
• Deel states month-to-month terms without a required long-term commitment; Oyster offers annual EOR discounts and requires a refundable EOR deposit.^1,2 Compare commitment and cash requirements alongside the recurring fee.
• Use the EOR-specific country counts for employee hiring. Oyster’s 180+ country claim in its contractor pricing block concerns instant contracts.² Confirm availability for the service you need.

Explore related HR and payroll research.

How do Deel and Oyster’s published prices compare?

On that currency assumption, Deel lists the lower monthly EOR employee fee, while Oyster lists the lower standard contractor management fee.^1,2,1,2 The comparison uses each provider’s pricing page, checked 28 September 2026, and keeps the worker unit consistent. Deel’s displayed dollar amounts are treated as USD for this model; Oyster explicitly identifies USD. Verify the same billing currency in both quotes before comparing the fees.

Published dimension	Deel	Oyster
EOR fee, USD per employee per month	5991	6992
Standard contractor fee, USD per contractor per month	491	29 after 30 days free2
EOR country coverage, as reported by the provider	Full legal employment in 130+ countries1	Compliant employment in 120+ countries2
EOR billing terms	Month-to-month; no long-term commitment required1	Annual discounts available; annual seat option2

We compared the EOR employee and standard contractor fees separately, keeping the providers’ product-specific country labels.^1,2,1,2 See our research methodology.

The captured pricing text does not establish whether GST or VAT is included in either fee.^1,2 Request the tax treatment in the quote; avoid comparing one tax-inclusive amount with another tax-exclusive amount.

What does each EOR employee fee cover?

Deel and Oyster both describe EOR services for hiring employees without setting up a local entity.^1,2 Deel lists contracts, payroll, benefits and compliance; Oyster lists employment, multi-country payroll and support from local experts.^1,2 Compare the employment service against your hiring requirements, then check which costs the quote includes.

Deel’s pricing FAQ says its EOR fee covers onboarding and local compliance, payroll processing, tax filings, benefits administration, and ongoing HR and legal support.¹ Ask for benefits administration and the employee’s benefits costs as separate quote lines so you can see what the fee covers.

Oyster’s EOR block includes automated expenses, time-off and reports, plus onboarding and offboarding specialists.² Its pricing page separately presents benefits packages, visa sponsorship and People Partner Services as add-ons.² Ask Oyster to identify the add-ons required for the proposed hire.

Budget salary and employer costs separately when requesting both quotes. Compare the same role, country and benefits package. For a provider-specific follow-up, read the Deel pricing comparison.

Which costs less for contractors?

Oyster’s Global Contractors service has the lower published standard contractor fee: USD 29 per contractor per month after 30 days free, compared with Deel’s USD 49.^1,2 Deel separately lists Contractor of Record at USD 325 per contractor of record per month.¹ Keep the service scope attached to each price.

Deel’s contractor block lists centralized management, automated invoicing, tax-form guidance, document collection and payments in 120+ currencies.¹ It distinguishes classifying contractors yourself from shifting liability to Deel through Contractor of Record.¹ Ask which arrangement the quote covers before using the standard fee in a budget.

Oyster lists instant contracts in 180+ countries, contractor payments in 120+ currencies, identity verification, invoice and expense management, and an employee misclassification analyzer.² It lists Oyster Shell separately as an add-on subscription for assessing misclassification risk and providing protection.² The standard contractor fee alone does not establish equivalence with Deel’s Contractor of Record arrangement.^1,2 Compare the written liability terms if that service is part of the decision.

Where do Deel and Oyster offer EOR hiring?

Deel’s EOR pricing block reports full legal employment in 130+ countries, while Oyster’s EOR block reports compliant employment in 120+ countries, checked 28 September 2026.^1,2 Both are provider-reported coverage claims.^1,2 Use them to compare the stated EOR footprint, then confirm the specific country for your employee.

Deel also displays a broader 150+ country headline elsewhere on its pricing page.¹ Oyster’s contractor block lists instant contracts in 180+ countries.² Neither broader figure should replace the EOR-specific count when comparing employee hiring.

The open-ended coverage claims establish neither an exact difference in available countries nor a country-by-country overlap.^1,2 Ask each provider to confirm your hiring locations in writing, with the EOR service named.

For a contractor engagement, request contractor availability separately. Oyster’s contract-generation coverage is stated in its contractor block; Deel’s contractor pricing block gives payment-currency coverage without a contractor-country total.^1,2 Request confirmation of both the hiring country and payment currency.

Which billing terms can change the comparison?

Deel states flexible month-to-month pricing without required long-term commitments; Oyster offers discounted annual EOR seats and requires a refundable deposit for EOR team members.^1,2 Compare the recurring charge, commitment and upfront cash separately. A refundable deposit should remain visible in the cash budget even when it is expected to return.

Oyster says an empty annual seat can be reused for a new role or backfill at no additional cost.² Ask for the annual seat price, payment schedule and cancellation terms before comparing it with Deel’s month-to-month arrangement. The captured Oyster page advertises annual discounts without specifying the reduced fee.² An assumed annual rate would change the comparison without evidence.

Oyster says setup, onboarding, access to HR experts and processing terminations are included in the subscription fee.² It also states that currency conversion attracts a fee when you pay in a currency different from the contract currency.² Request that fee for your intended currency pairing.

Deel says the quoted price includes local compliance, payroll and benefits administration.¹ Its cancellation FAQ preserves local notice-period and severance obligations for EOR employees.¹ Ask both providers to show service charges and employment obligations separately in the exit terms.

When should you choose Deel or Oyster?

Glamdring Research’s verdict is to start with Deel when the published EOR fee is the deciding criterion, and Oyster when the standard contractor management fee is the deciding criterion.^1,2,1,2 Confirm country availability and obtain comparable written quotes before choosing. Use the published-price advantage to build a shortlist, then test the required service.

For EOR employees, test Deel’s lower listed fee against the countries and employment services you require.^1,2 For contractors, test Oyster’s lower standard fee against the required payment workflow and liability arrangement.^1,2 Give neither provider a cost advantage for a service the other quote excludes.

The decision changes when a country is unavailable, a discounted quote changes the fee, or the required scope changes. Use the same hiring specification for both providers and compare the recurring fee, upfront cash and exit terms. For a wider shortlist, explore Deel competitors.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I create an Oyster account for free?

Yes. Oyster says creating an account, exploring the service and accessing its global HR tools is free.² Its pricing FAQ says fees begin once you engage a contractor, an EOR team member or a payroll team member.² Free account creation is separate from the contractor trial and the recurring EOR fee.²

Does Oyster require a minimum team size?

No. Oyster says you can engage as many global candidates as you need, with the subscription fee charged per active team member.² Request a quote for the number of active employees or contractors you plan to engage.

Can I cancel Deel without a long-term commitment?

Deel says it offers month-to-month pricing without a required long-term commitment and allows cancellation at any time.¹ For EOR employees, its cancellation answer says local labor laws apply, including any required notice periods or severance obligations.¹ Check those obligations alongside the service cancellation terms.