Same country, two quotes, one decision.

01 / Your buying guide

Decide which service you are comparing

Deel publishes EOR at $599 per employee per month, contractor management at $49 per contractor per month and Contractor of Record at $325 per contractor per month. Oyster publishes EOR at $699 per employee per month and contractor management at $29 per contractor per month after a 30 day free period. Those are different products, so line them up one at a time.

Deel's contractor management billing is documented against active contracts. Do not assume Oyster defines an active contractor the same way. Ask each vendor in plain terms what makes a seat billable in a month with no invoice.

• Name one service and one country before requesting either quote.
• Ask what triggers a billable contractor seat at each vendor.
• Keep contractor of record separate from optional protection add-ons.

02 / Your buying guide

Put both quotes on the same assumptions

Neither published rate includes gross salary, employer contributions or benefit premiums. Oyster adds a currency conversion fee when the invoice payment currency differs from the contract currency, so the currency you pay in belongs in the assumption sheet alongside salary and start date.

Billing period changes the comparison. Oyster's annual seats are paid upfront for the full year, non refundable once paid and invoiced at net 30, and a seat can be reused for a new hire or a backfill. Semiannual and quarterly carry a higher per seat price, and no annual number is published, so ask for it. Request Deel's equivalent commitment terms rather than assuming they mirror Oyster's.

• Fix one salary, one country and one currency for both quotes.
• Ask each vendor for monthly and committed pricing side by side.
• Never convert a monthly rate into an annual seat contract yourself.

Oyster annual seats carry a separately negotiated rate and upfront commitment. No discount or contractor trial is included in these EOR examples. Service fees exclude employment costs; confirm both providers’ billing triggers and signed scope.

03 / Your buying guide

Coverage is a country question, not a count

Oyster lists EOR employment in 120+ countries and contractor contracts in 180+ countries, which are not interchangeable figures. The Direct+ page describes a combination of owned entities and vetted partners, and its 180+ figure is an overall number rather than an EOR specific one. Treat any headline country count from either vendor the same way.

The useful question is local. For your target country ask which entity employs, whether it is owned or a partner, who the employee contacts, and what changes for you if that partner relationship ends. Get the support and escalation commitments that apply to your own agreement in writing.

• Ask for the employing entity name in your target country.
• Confirm owned entity or partner, and what happens if it changes.
• Match the country count to the service, not to the brand.

04 / Your buying guide

Who employs, who manages, who escalates

An EOR arrangement separates the legal employer from your team’s day-to-day management. Ask each provider to name the employing entity and explain its responsibilities in the country you need. The practical comparison is the written country arrangement, not the brand’s overall footprint.

Support scope is worth pinning down in writing. Oyster's pricing FAQ includes basic setup, onboarding, HR expert conversations and termination processing, while advisory projects run at $300 per hour through People Partner Services. Ask each vendor for the day to day contact, the escalation route in country and what response expectations are actually committed.

• Get the legal employer named per country, in the contract.
• Ask what is included support versus billable advisory work.
• Request the escalation path in writing, not just a helpdesk address.

A meeting checklist, not a statement of universal legal duties. Your team directs daily work; confirm the legal employer and service scope in the actual agreement.

05 / Your buying guide

Onboarding, deposits and offboarding

Both vendors expect a deposit conversation. Deel publishes help articles covering EOR deposit calculations and deposit refunds. Oyster requires a refundable EOR deposit with the amount and release terms agreed individually. Neither should be assumed deposit free, and the refund mechanism deserves as much attention as the amount.

Deel documents a country-specific employment quote before employee onboarding; Oyster documents a hire request followed by the employee’s details, verification and agreement review. Ask each provider which inputs block the proposed start date. For any later exit, coordinate with the provider and advisers before communicating an employment change.

• Compare deposit calculation and release terms, not just size.
• Prepare offer terms and documents before either platform is live.
• Agree the offboarding sequence in advance for both vendors.

06 / Your buying guide

One hire, five hires, twenty hires

Use these headcounts as discussion scenarios, not buying thresholds. With one hire, compare the funding needed before day one and the flexibility if plans change. With five hires across several countries, name a contact and escalation route for each country, then assess whether committed seats fit the hiring plan.

With twenty hires, review who will own recurring approvals and whether country concentration justifies evaluating your own entity. There is no universal break-even headcount. An entity has a different operating model, setup costs and ongoing responsibilities; assess it with local advisers alongside the EOR proposals.

• One hire: confirm funding, benefits and a realistic start date.
• Five hires: compare country contacts and commitment terms.
• Twenty hires: assess approval workload and country concentration.