Oyster HR

Summary

Oyster HR charges $699/month per employee and throws in an equity module that actually works for startups issuing stock options across Asia — something you don’t get bundled at this tier from Deel or Remote. The catch: Vietnam and Thailand run on partner entities, support takes 24–48 hours, and analytics feel thin past ~50 employees. For an early-stage company granting options to a distributed Asia team, Oyster is a strong fit. For compliance-critical hiring in Japan or Indonesia at scale, look elsewhere.

Ratings Breakdown

Oyster HR in Asia: Key Facts

What Oyster HR Does Well

Equity module bundled at the EOR tier

Oyster Equity lets you issue and manage stock options across jurisdictions, including Asia. Country-specific tax treatment for equity grants is handled within the platform. Deel and Remote offer equity tooling at higher tiers or as add-ons; Oyster bundles it. For a seed or Series A company granting options to engineers in Singapore, India, and the Philippines, that’s a real differentiator. Demodesk saved €2,000–3,000 per employee annually in legal costs by consolidating EOR and equity across 5 countries through Oyster.

Self-service interface designed for first-time EOR buyers

The dashboard is clean and the onboarding flow is checklist-driven. You don’t need prior EOR experience to get someone onto payroll. Document upload, right-to-work checks, and contract generation are in one place. That makes it feasible for a single ops person to run hiring across several Asian countries without EOR expertise.

Contractor-to-employee upgrade path

Contractors cost $29/month. When you’re ready to convert to full EOR employment, the upgrade is built in — same platform, no migration. Useful for testing a market before committing headcount.

Compliance alerts before statutory changes hit payroll

Automated notifications when local rules change. Local employment contracts are generated with country-specific clauses. Right-to-work verification is part of onboarding. For standard markets without complex edge cases, the compliance baseline is solid.

No large upfront deposit

Unlike Deel and Remote (one month salary deposit), Oyster funds per payroll cycle. For a 10-person Singapore team at $5,000/month average, that’s $50,000 you don’t lock up upfront — real cash flow relief for startups.

Where Oyster HR Falls Short

Partner entities in Vietnam and Thailand

India and Philippines run on Oyster-owned entities; Vietnam and Thailand run through partners. Compliance quality and response times in those markets depend on the partner, not Oyster. Deel and Multiplier use owned entities in both. If Vietnam or Thailand is a core hub, the variability is a real risk.

Support runs 24–48 hours with no phone channel

Ticketing with Zoom-only escalation; typical response is 24–48 hours for non-urgent issues. No phone support at all. Trustpilot reviewers confirm this is a pain point. If you need same-day answers on a statutory change or payroll correction, Oyster can’t match Deel’s response times.

Analytics cap out around 50 employees

Reporting and dashboards are adequate for teams in the 5–50 range. Past that, headcount trends, cost-by-country, and compliance audits become harder to run. Papaya Global and Rippling are meaningfully better for enterprise reporting. Don’t choose Oyster if board-level analytics are a requirement.

Japan and Indonesia onboarding takes 1–2 weeks

Singapore and India: 3–5 business days. Japan and Indonesia: 1–2 weeks. If you need someone in Tokyo or Jakarta within days, Deel (3–5 days Japan) is faster. Oyster’s self-service flow helps but local entity and work-permit handling in those markets simply take longer.

Pricing Breakdown

Base EOR fee

$699/employee/month on the Scale plan. Includes EOR employment in 180+ countries, Oyster Equity module, time-off and expense management, and local payroll.

Add-on costs

What’s NOT included

No native time tracking — you’ll need a separate tool. Immigration services are limited. Premium benefits packages cost extra beyond statutory minimums.

Volume discounts

Annual billing discounts available. Custom enterprise pricing for larger teams.

How it compares

$699/month puts Oyster above Deel and Remote ($599) and well above Multiplier ($400). At the budget end, Payoneer WFM ($199) is a fraction of the cost. The equity module is the main justification for the premium — if you don’t need it, the price is hard to defend against Deel at $599 with faster onboarding and owned entities everywhere.

Oyster HR Asia: Country-by-Country

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Oyster Equity bundled at the EOR tier — few competitors offer equity management for SMBs
• No large upfront deposit; per-payroll funding saves startup cash flow
• Owned entities in India and Philippines — two high-volume Asia markets
• Self-service dashboard reduces HR overhead; no prior EOR experience needed
• Integrations with BambooHR, Workday, Greenhouse, QuickBooks, Xero, Slack, and Carta
• Contractor tier at $29/month with clear EOR upgrade path
• SOC 2 Type II certified

Cons:

• $699/month is $100 more than Deel and $299 more than Multiplier
• Vietnam and Thailand use partner entities with less predictable compliance
• Support is 24–48 hours with no phone channel — slower than Deel
• Analytics and reporting are weak past ~50 employees
• Japan and Indonesia onboarding takes 1–2 weeks
• No native time tracking tool
• No mobile app

How Oyster HR Compares

Case Studies

Real User Feedback

Total reviews across platforms: 500+

What users praise:

G2 reviewers highlight the clean setup process and equity features for distributed teams. The self-service dashboard and onboarding flow get repeated mentions as easy to use without EOR experience. Trustpilot feedback praises the transparent pricing model and helpful onboarding guides.

What users complain about:

Trustpilot reviewers flag late payment processing in some markets and support response times of 24–48 hours. G2 feedback mentions limits on reporting and analytics once team size grows, and that partner-entity countries (Vietnam, Thailand) see slower issue resolution. A minority of reviews note weak insurance packages for certain employee tiers.

Final Verdict

Who should use Oyster HR:

• Startups (1–10 international hires): Strong fit if you’re distributing stock options across Asia and want equity management bundled without enterprise pricing. The no-deposit model helps cash flow. Compare the $699/month to Multiplier’s $400 if equity isn’t a priority.
• Mid-market (10–50 hires): Works well for distributed teams that value the self-service interface and equity features. Analytics limitations become visible at the upper end of this range.
• Enterprise (50+): Not the right fit. Reporting, analytics, and support won’t scale. Papaya Global, Deel, or Rippling are better options at this size.

Who should NOT use Oyster HR: Teams where Vietnam or Thailand is a primary hub — partner entities add risk. Teams needing same-day support — the 24–48 hour response won’t cut it. Companies past 50 employees that need board-level reporting.

Bottom line: Oyster is the best EOR for startups issuing stock options to distributed Asia teams. The equity module is the differentiator — if you don’t need it, Deel or Multiplier offer more for less.

Best suited for: Startups and SMBs distributing equity to distributed teams across Asia who want bundled equity management and can accept partner entities in Vietnam and Thailand.

Visit Oyster HR: oysterhr.com

Further Reading

• EOR Cost Guide — What Does an EOR Cost in Asia?
• EOR vs Setting Up a Company in Asia
• Contractor vs Employee in Asia — Misclassification Risk Guide
• Best EOR Platforms for Startups Expanding to Asia

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Oyster own its entities in all Asian countries?

No. India and Philippines are owned. Vietnam and Thailand run through partners. Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia vary — confirm the entity structure for each country before signing.

Is the Oyster Equity module included in the standard plan?

Yes. Equity management is bundled with the Scale plan EOR pricing. You can issue and manage stock options across jurisdictions without paying for a separate equity vendor.

How does Oyster’s pricing compare to Deel and Remote?

Oyster charges $699/month per employee versus Deel and Remote at $599. Over 10 employees that’s $12,000/year more. The equity module is the main justification. If you don’t need equity management, Deel and Remote deliver more value for less.

Why is Japan onboarding 1–2 weeks?

Japan’s strict employment law, Shakai Hoken registration, and contract requirements inherently take longer. Oyster’s partner or hybrid entity setup in Japan adds processing time. Deel’s owned entity in Japan finishes in 3–5 days.

Does Oyster require a large upfront deposit?

No. Oyster funds per payroll cycle rather than requiring a one-month salary deposit. This is a genuine cash flow advantage over Deel and Remote, which both require a one-month salary deposit per employee.

Can I start with contractors and convert to EOR?

Yes. Contractor management costs $29/month. Conversion to EOR is built into the platform — same data, same vendor, no migration needed.

AK Anchal Katyal Published February 20, 2026