Deel vs Oyster: which should you choose?
Choose Deel if companies that want one platform for contractors, EOR and a US PEO, with transparent per-seat list prices. Choose Oyster if distributed teams that want published EOR and contractor prices and a long-running affiliate program with tiered revenue share.
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Side by side
| Deel | Oyster | |
|---|---|---|
| Services | eor, payroll, contractors, peo, hris | eor, contractors, payroll |
| EOR pricing | $599 per EOR employee per month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05) | $699 per employee/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05); annual discounts available; refundable deposit required |
| Contractor pricing | $49 per contractor per month; $325 per contractor of record per month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05) | Free for 30 days, then $29 per contractor/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05) |
| Payroll pricing | ||
| Coverage | 150+ countries (vendor claim, per Deel's own and third-party descriptions) | 120+ countries EOR; contractors in 180+ countries (vendor claim) |
| Entity model | Hybrid: own entities in many markets plus in-country partners elsewhere. Third-party summary says '120+ owned entities' but that count is cited inconsistently (100+, 110+, 120+, 130+) across Deel pages. Deel has a blog titled 'owned entity vs in country partner' (not read). | |
| Review signals | G2: Deel Payroll 4.7/5 from 6,836 reviews (seen in a search snippet of g2.com compare page: https://g2.com/compare/deel-vs-g-p-vs-remote-vs-oyster-oyster; not opened directly). Trustpilot 4.8/5 per a third-party aggregator snippet, not verified on Trustpilot itself. | G2: Oyster 4.4/5 from 1,540 reviews (search snippet of g2.com compare page; a different third-party snippet says 103 reviews, so the count is unconfirmed). |
Deel
Advantages
- Public, flat EOR list price ($599) and contractor price ($49) on the pricing page, so cost modelling is possible without a sales call.
- Covers contractors, contractor of record ($325), EOR and a US PEO ($125) on one pricing page, which suits companies with a mixed workforce.
- Highest G2 count of the EOR group in the comparison page seen (4.7 from 6,836 reviews), so the score is statistically more stable than smaller vendors.
- Runs a live affiliate program on PartnerStack with a dedicated affiliate manager (see programs.json).
Drawbacks
- EOR list price of $599 is above Playroll ($399), Multiplier (from $459 annual, third-party) and RemoFirst ($199 from) in the sources seen.
- Hybrid model: part of the footprint runs through third-party in-country partners, and the owned-entity count is quoted inconsistently across Deel pages (third-party observation).
- Contractor price ($49) is higher than Remote ($29 basic), Oyster ($29 after 30 days) and RemoFirst ($25 premium) list prices.
Oyster
Advantages
- Published contractor price of $29/month with a 30-day free period.
- No minimum number of team members, per the pricing page.
- Annual discounts are advertised on the EOR price.
- Affiliate program with tiered 10/15/20% revenue share and milestone bonuses (see programs.json).
Drawbacks
- EOR list price of $699 is among the highest in the set.
- A refundable deposit is required to start an EOR engagement, which adds upfront cash outlay.
- EOR country coverage (120+) is below the 150-190 claims of Deel, G-P and Atlas.
- G2 4.4/5 from 1,540 reviews is the lowest score in the four-vendor G2 comparison page seen.
Also consider
FAQ
Is Deel or Oyster cheaper?
Public EOR list prices: Deel $599 per EOR employee per month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05); Oyster $699 per employee/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05); annual discounts available; refundable deposit required. Total cost also depends on employer on-costs in the hiring country and any add-on fees.
Who should choose Deel?
Companies that want one platform for contractors, EOR and a US PEO, with transparent per-seat list prices.
Who should choose Oyster?
Distributed teams that want published EOR and contractor prices and a long-running affiliate program with tiered revenue share.