Oyster vs Papaya Global
Oyster and Papaya Global both sell employer of record hiring, but they put the number in different places. Oyster prints one fixed fee of USD 699 per employee per month, with setup, onboarding and terminations stated as free of extra charges. Papaya Global shows a lower starting point of USD 499 per employee per month and then sends every plan through a quote, with the wider payroll and payments platform around it. A company hiring a handful of people abroad can read Oyster's page and know the bill, while Papaya's page rewards buyers who also want payroll and contractor tooling under one roof.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Oyster ifyou want the monthly fee fixed in writing before you talk to sales, and you plan to hire several people abroad so annual seats can be reused for backfills. You accept a higher list fee and a refundable deposit per employee in exchange for that clarity.
Choose Papaya Global ifyou want the lowest starting fee on the page and also need payroll, contractor payments or a payments API from the same vendor. You will request a quote and then check what it includes before you sign.
Oyster and Papaya Global side by side
| Oyster | Papaya Global | |
|---|---|---|
| Our employer of record services rank | #6 of 12 | #9 of 12 |
| Established in | United States | Israel |
| List price, 6 November 2026 | Employer of Record USD 699 per employee per month; Global Contractors USD 29; People Services USD 300 per hour | Quote-based, from USD 499 per employee per month for EOR; Contractor of Record from USD 199; Payroll Plus from USD 29 |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Teams hiring many employees abroad who want annual seats they can reuse for backfills | A group moving money across a dozen existing payroll providers |
| Not for | A single hire where a lower monthly fee matters most | A company with one payroll to run |
Both are reviewed in full in our employer of record services ranking: Oyster and Papaya Global.
Where they differ
Oyster 3 · Papaya Global 3 · open 0- 01
USD 699 against a USD 499 starting fee
Oyster lists Employer of Record at USD 699 per employee per month, with annual discounts available. Papaya Global lists Employer of Record starting from USD 499 per employee per month, with a Get a Quote button on the plan. The gap on paper is USD 200 per head per month, but only Oyster's number is a plain price. Papaya's is a floor, so the final fee for your countries and headcount is not visible on the page we read.
Edge: Papaya Global
- 02
How final the number is
Oyster's pricing FAQ states that setup, onboarding, offboarding, HR expert access and terminations carry no extra charges, and that a refundable deposit is required for EOR team members. Papaya Global's headline promises no surprise fees or hidden markups, yet each plan is quoted individually, so the deposit position for the EOR plan is not stated. Oyster tells you the conditions up front, and Papaya asks you to request them.
Edge: Oyster
- 03
Annual seats and reusable backfills
Oyster offers seat-based annual billing, and an empty seat can be reused when an employee leaves and a replacement arrives. There is no minimum number of team members, and payment can be made in USD, EUR, GBP or CAD by direct debit or wire. The pages we read for Papaya Global do not show a seat model or a comparable reuse rule for its employer of record plan.
Edge: Oyster
- 04
Reach beyond employer of record
Papaya Global sells Contractor of Record from USD 199, a contractor solution from USD 5, Payroll Plus from USD 29 and OnePay at USD 0 platform fees, all quoted. Oyster has Global Contractors at USD 29 per month after a free 30-day period and People Services at USD 300 per hour. Papaya's price ladder covers more product types, so it fits a buyer who wants payroll and payments in one contract.
Edge: Papaya Global
- 05
Countries, security and proof
Oyster states employment in 120+ countries and payroll in 120+ currencies, and offers Oyster Shell misclassification cover with aggregate protection up to USD 500,000 through a subscription. Papaya Global states hiring in 180+ countries for employer of record, plus SOC 1, SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Papaya shows the wider country count and named audit standards. The pages we read for Oyster show a Trust Center link but name no certification.
Edge: Papaya Global
- 06
Trying it first and who is behind it
Oyster lets you create a free account to look around, though fees start once someone is engaged. Papaya Global names no free plan and no trial, only demos and quotes. Oyster is operated by Oyster HR, Inc., a public benefit corporation registered in Wilmington, Delaware, and is a certified B Corp. Papaya's site records Israel, with offices in New York and Hong Kong; the registered office does not appear in what we read.
Edge: Oyster
When neither fits
If you want a different balance of price and published terms, look at Deel or Remote, both in this category and both worth pricing against the two. A team that wants the cheapest quote from a smaller specialist could also ask Rivermate or RemoFirst for theirs.
Oyster or Papaya Global: questions
3 answersDoes Oyster charge anything on top of the USD 699 employer of record fee?
Its pricing FAQ says setup, onboarding and terminations carry no extra charges. A refundable deposit is required for EOR team members, and People Services advice costs USD 300 per hour.
A currency conversion fee applies only when you pay in a currency other than the contract currency, and the amount is not stated.
Is Papaya Global's USD 499 what an employee will actually cost me?
Not necessarily, because the page says starting from and every plan has a Get a Quote button. The headline says no surprise fees or hidden markups. Ask for the quote in writing for your countries and compare it line by line with Oyster's USD 699.
Can I test either platform before paying for an employee?
With Oyster you can create a free account to explore the platform, and fees start once a contractor or employee is engaged.
Papaya Global names no free plan and no trial on the pricing page, only demos and quotes. Neither lets you test the employer of record service itself without a paid hire.
Sources
Checked 6 November 2026- Oyster pricing page: the USD 699 EOR fee, contractor and People Services rates, no-extra-charge list, deposit, seat billing, payment currencies and Shell cover.
- Oyster legal terms: operator Oyster HR, Inc. as a public benefit corporation registered in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Papaya Global pricing page: the USD 499 starting fee, COR, contractor and Payroll Plus figures, 180+ countries, SOC and ISO statements, quote-only plans.
- Papaya Global about page: founding year 2016, offices in New York and Hong Kong, Israel recorded on the site.