Remofirst vs Oyster

by Gralio Apr 16, 2025

Remofirst and Oyster are both global employment platforms enabling businesses to hire internationally. Remofirst stands out for its cost-effectiveness and efficient onboarding, while Oyster provides a wider array of features and services at a premium price point. Both solutions handle compliance and payroll, but they cater to different business sizes and needs.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 854 reviews and 60 websites, saving 5 hours, 14 minutes of reading.

Logo of Remofirst
Logo of Oyster

About

Remofirst is a global employment platform that helps businesses hire full-time employees and contractors in over 180 countries. It acts as an Employer of Record (EOR), meaning they handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance on your behalf. This eliminates the need for you to establish a legal entity in each country where you hire. Remofirst simplifies global expansion, allowing you to quickly and compliantly onboard international talent while managing HR tasks from a single platform. They are known for competitive pricing and strong customer support.
Oyster is a global employment platform for businesses to hire and manage full-time and contract employees in 180+ countries. It simplifies global hiring by automating tasks like generating compliant contracts, managing payroll in 140+ currencies, and offering competitive benefits packages tailored to local markets. Oyster acts as an Employer of Record (EOR), eliminating the need for businesses to set up legal entities in foreign countries. It aims to ensure legal compliance and streamline global employment complexities, making international hiring more accessible.

Summary

Main difference
Remofirst is a more affordable option, especially for smaller businesses or those with contractor-heavy workforces, due to its competitive pricing and free contractor management tier. Oyster, while more expensive, offers a broader range of services and features, including more robust benefits administration and wider global payroll coverage, catering to larger enterprises with more complex international hiring needs.

Relative strengths of Remofirst (compared to Oyster)

  • More affordable pricing, especially for contractors.

  • Strong customer support responsiveness and helpfulness.

  • Faster and more efficient onboarding process.

Relative weaknesses of Remofirst (compared to Oyster)

  • Limited benefits options compared to Oyster.

  • Less comprehensive global payroll coverage (supports fewer countries).

  • Platform functionality can be limited, with fewer customization options.

What companies are using Remofirst and Oyster?

BCG is a customer
BCG
ABBYY is a customer
ABBYY
DSM is a customer
DSM
Makini is a customer
Makini
KOTA is a customer
KOTA
TransferGo is a customer
TransferGo
inDriver is a customer
inDriver
OSOME is a customer
OSOME
The Daily Upside is a customer
The Daily Upside
LocoNav is a customer
LocoNav
Deserve is a customer
Deserve
Weavr is a customer
Weavr
Insured Nomads is a customer
Insured Nomads
Labster is a customer
Labster
Userlytics is a customer
Userlytics
Locals is a customer
Locals
byrd is a customer
byrd
MasterCard is a customer
MasterCard
MicrOsoft is a customer
MicrOsoft
No data

Who is using Remofirst and Oyster?

No data
Ollie Forsyth
New Economies Founder

Who should use Remofirst VS. Oyster

Remofirst simplifies global hiring for businesses by acting as an Employer of Record (EOR). It handles payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance in over 180 countries, eliminating the need for separate legal entities. Users praise Remofirst's competitive pricing, responsive customer support, and user-friendly platform, while some note occasional system delays and limited platform functionality. Best for small to medium businesses seeking to hire international talent.

Oyster helps rapidly growing businesses hire full-time employees and contractors globally, especially in countries where they lack a legal entity. Users praise Oyster's intuitive platform and streamlined onboarding, enabling efficient international hiring. However, some users have reported issues with payroll accuracy and benefits options. Oyster is ideal for medium to large businesses expanding internationally.

  • Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses (1-100 employees) and medium businesses (101-1000 employees) seeking remote talent.

  • Particularly well-suited for software, IT, and telecommunications, as well as professional services industries.

  • Best for medium to large businesses (101+ employees) seeking rapid international expansion.

  • A strong fit for businesses in IT, Finance, and other sectors needing global hiring solutions.

Remofirst and Oyster features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Global Hiring and Employment
    Supported

    RemoFirst supports global hiring and employment, ensuring compliance with local laws.

    Supported

    Oyster supports global hiring and employment of employees and contractors.

  • International Payroll Management
    Supported

    RemoFirst fully supports international payroll management, including local currency payments.

    Supported

    Oyster supports international payroll in over 26 countries and 140 currencies.

  • Automated International Employee Onboarding
    Partially supported

    Remofirst offers structured and personalized onboarding but the level of workflow automation is unclear.

    Supported

    Oyster automates international employee onboarding with workflows and a centralized platform.

  • Mobile onboarding
    Unknown

    Mobile onboarding is not explicitly mentioned in the documentation.

    Partially supported

    Oyster HR features suggest it could be mobile friendly but its not guaranteed.

  • Mobile payroll
    Supported

    Employees can access pay stubs and W-2s on mobile.

    Supported

    Employees can access payroll information on mobile devices.

  • Multi-Country Payroll
    Supported

    RemoFirst supports multi-country payroll, handling local regulations, taxes, and currencies.

    Supported

    Oyster supports multi-country payroll, handling local regulations and taxes.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    +0.5
    Rather positive sentiment
    -0.12
    Neutral sentiment
  • Customer Service
    +0.96
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.57
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.9
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.91
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.64
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.37
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    +0.87
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.68
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Scalability
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.94
    Strongly positive sentiment

Remofirst and Oyster Pricing

Remofirst offers employer of record (EOR) and contractor management services. EOR services start at $199 per person/month and include payroll, tax filings, contract creation, onboarding/termination guidance, and customer support. Contractor management has a free tier that includes onboarding, identity checks, contract management, and expense reimbursement. A premium contractor tier is available for $25 per person/month and automates payment processing and invoice creation. Additional services include RemoHealth, equipment provisioning, and visa and immigration services.
Plans

User sentiment

Rather positive
+0.5

See full Pricing page

Oyster offers a global employment platform for businesses to hire and manage full-time and contract employees in 180+ countries.
Plans

User sentiment

Neutral
-0.12

See full Pricing page

Remofirst and Oyster review insights

847 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • Fast and efficient onboarding process
  • Competitive pricing compared to other EOR services
  • Responsive and helpful customer support team
  • User-friendly platform and intuitive dashboard
  • Seamless contract signing procedures
  • Prompt and clear communication with timely updates
  • Transparent and easy-to-understand processes
  • Helpful and knowledgeable staff providing excellent guidance
  • Comprehensive EOR service handling HR needs effectively
  • Regular salary payouts without delays
  • Detailed and informative knowledge base
  • Effortless expense tracking and management
  • Strong security measures, including 2FA for enhanced safety
  • Positive experience with expense submission and management
  • Accessible platform with a user-friendly interface
  • User-friendly platform and intuitive user interface.
  • Responsive and helpful customer support.
  • Streamlined onboarding process.
  • Enables hiring in countries without establishing a legal entity.

Users dislike

  • Occasional system delays, such as delays in getting the agreement to the new employee
  • Some users find the initial client manager assigned to them not very informative
  • Limited platform functionality, particularly in accommodating legislation differences between countries. Some users desire more customization options.
  • Some users experienced delays in receiving their contracts
  • The requirement of submitting weekly timesheets is considered absurd by some full-time employees
  • The employee orientation might not be comprehensive enough, leaving some employees with unanswered questions.
  • Some users find the 6-month waiting period for insurance and benefits eligibility in Canada too long
  • Limited mobile app functionality
  • Multiple platforms (Precision, Payworks, Remofirst) require different login credentials, which some users find redundant
  • The short deadline for reporting monthly incidents is disliked by some users
  • Occasional delays in communication, potentially due to time zone differences
  • The auto-approval feature for invoices without actual admin approval is a concern for some users
  • Some find the platform too basic, desiring more automation and improvements in processes with local teams
  • Some users experience a mismatch of information between Remofirst and other HR platforms they use
  • Occasional bugs on the platform
  • Limited benefits options and expensive benefits packages.
  • Payroll issues, including inaccurate payments and late payslips.
  • Slow customer support response times.
  • Difficulties in customizing contracts.

Remofirst and Oyster Ratings

  • G2
    4.4/5
    (128)
  • Glassdoor
    4.5/5
    (11)
  • G2
    4.4/5
    (654)
  • Capterra
    4.5/5
    (65)
  • Glassdoor
    4.4/5
    (204)

Company health

Employee growth

37% increase in the last year
5% increase in the last year

Web traffic

24% decrease in the last quarter
15% increase in the last quarter

Financing

September 2023 - $39M
May 2024 - $288M

How do Remofirst's and Oyster's onboarding processes differ for new hires?

Remofirst emphasizes a structured and customizable onboarding experience, while Oyster highlights automated workflows and a centralized platform for international onboarding. Specific details on the extent of customization or automation features are not provided for either platform.

Which platform better handles benefits administration in Canada specifically?

Oyster is likely the better platform for Canadian benefits administration. While Remofirst has competitive pricing, its user reviews mention a 6-month waiting period for benefits eligibility in Canada, which is a significant drawback. Oyster focuses on providing competitive benefits packages tailored to local markets, suggesting they likely have a more established and readily available benefits program for Canadian employees. Although Oyster has some negative reviews regarding benefits costs, having a readily available program is preferable to a long waiting period when administering benefits in Canada.

What are the advantages of Remofirst?

Remofirst offers more competitive pricing for its Employer of Record (EOR) services at $199/month compared to Oyster's $699/month. Also, Remofirst provides a free tier for contractor management, while Oyster's contractor services start at $29/month. Remofirst users praise the platform's ease of use and customer support responsiveness. Finally, Remofirst appears to be a better fit for small to medium-sized businesses, while Oyster is geared more towards larger enterprises.

What are the disadvantages of Remofirst?

Remofirst users report occasional system delays, limited platform functionality, and less comprehensive employee orientation. Some find the platform too basic, wanting more automation and better handling of local team processes. Multiple logins across different platforms and a six-month waiting period for some benefits are also cited as downsides.

Is Remofirst cheaper than Oyster?

Remofirst's Employer of Record (EOR) service starts at $199 per user/month. Oyster's EOR service starts at $699 per user/month. Therefore, Remofirst is significantly cheaper than Oyster for EOR services. For contractor management, Remofirst offers a free tier and a premium tier at $25 per user/month, while Oyster's contractor plan starts at $29 per user/month. Thus, Remofirst is also cheaper or equal in price to Oyster for contractor services.

Alternatives to Remofirst and Oyster

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Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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