Deel vs Remote vs Oyster 2026: UK Costs for Contractors and EOR
As of 29 October 2026, Deel, Remote and Oyster all start at $599 or more per employee per month for Employer of Record (EOR) hiring, and the difference that matters for a UK company is the price per contractor: Deel lists $49, Remote and Oyster list $29. Deel vs Remote vs Oyster is mostly a contest on contractor fees, contract terms and data handling, not on headline EOR rates.
TL;DR:
- EOR entry prices from each vendor's own page: Deel $599, Remote $599 on annual contracts, Oyster $699 per employee per month.
- Contractor entry prices: Deel $49, Remote $29 (only in months a contractor is active), Oyster $29 (first 30 days free).
- For 2 contractors and 1 EOR employee over 12 months the sums are $8,364 (Deel), $7,884 (Remote) and $9,084 (Oyster) before add-ons.
- Contractor of Record, where the platform holds the contract, is $325 per contractor per month at both Deel and Remote.
- None of the three states on the pages we read whether it trains models on client data, so ask in writing before onboarding.
Table of Contents
- Which is cheapest for a UK company hiring abroad?
- What does the cost look like for 2 contractors and 1 EOR employee over 12 months?
- How do the fees scale at 1, 3 and 10 EOR hires and 5, 20 and 50 contractors?
- Where is client and employee data held, and does the vendor train on it?
- Which platform is best for contractors?
- Which platform is best for employees through EOR?
- Which should you choose? A decision rule
- How do you test the choice before signing?
- Why does independent evidence matter when choosing a global hiring platform?
- Realistic expectations: the platform fee is the smallest part of an EOR hire
- Find your next global payroll and hiring tool through The AI Ledger
- Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest for a UK company hiring abroad?
Remote is cheapest on the published entry prices for a mixed team, Deel is level with Remote on EOR, and Oyster is the dearest on EOR at $699. The figures below are the "starting at" prices on each vendor's pricing page, read on 29 October 2026, in US dollars because that is how the pages quote them.
| Product | Deel | Remote | Oyster |
|---|---|---|---|
| EOR employee per month | $599 | $599 (annual contracts) | $699 (annual discounts available) |
| Contractor per month | $49 | $29 | $29 (free for 30 days) |
| Contractor with liability cover | $325 (Contractor of Record) | $99 (indemnity to $100,000) or $325 (Contractor of Record) | Shell add-on, protection to $500,000 aggregate |
| Global payroll (own entity) | No price on page | $29 per employee | No price on page |
| US PEO per employee | $125 | $99 | No price on page |
Sources: Deel pricing, Remote pricing and Oyster pricing. These are entry prices. Taxes, benefits, deposits and add-ons sit on top, and a quote can differ.
Pro Tip: Ask each vendor for the all-in monthly invoice for one named hire in one named country, in writing, before you compare. Entry prices tell you the platform fee, not the cost of employing someone.
What does the cost look like for 2 contractors and 1 EOR employee over 12 months?
The 12-month platform fee for two contractors and one EOR employee is $7,884 at Remote, $8,364 at Deel and $9,084 at Oyster, using entry prices and no add-ons. The arithmetic is shown in full.
| Line | Deel | Remote | Oyster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 contractors, 12 months | 2 × $49 × 12 = $1,176 | 2 × $29 × 12 = $696 | 2 × $29 × 12 = $696 |
| 1 EOR employee, 12 months | $599 × 12 = $7,188 | $599 × 12 = $7,188 | $699 × 12 = $8,388 |
| Total | $8,364 | $7,884 | $9,084 |
Two adjustments change the picture. Oyster says contractors are free for 30 days, which takes $58 off if both are new (a total of $9,026). Remote's $599 is quoted for annual contracts, while Deel says it offers month-to-month pricing with no long-term commitment, so Deel may suit a hire you are not sure about.
If you want the platform to hold the contract for both contractors, the sums change sharply. At $325 each, two Contractor of Record workers cost 2 × $325 × 12 = $7,800 a year, so the total becomes $14,988 at Deel and at Remote.
How do the fees scale at 1, 3 and 10 EOR hires and 5, 20 and 50 contractors?
EOR fees scale linearly, so the $100 monthly gap between Oyster and the other two is $1,200 a year per employee, or $12,000 at ten employees. Contractor gaps are smaller in absolute terms but start to matter at volume.
| Volume (12 months) | Deel | Remote | Oyster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 EOR employee | $7,188 | $7,188 | $8,388 |
| 3 EOR employees | $21,564 | $21,564 | $25,164 |
| 10 EOR employees | $71,880 | $71,880 | $83,880 |
| 5 contractors | $2,940 | $1,740 | $1,740 |
| 20 contractors | $11,760 | $6,960 | $6,960 |
| 50 contractors | $29,400 | $17,400 | $17,400 |
Remote says contractor fees apply only for contractors you actively work with in a month. For seasonal or project-based freelancers that can bring the real bill below the table. Oyster says its EOR annual option uses seats that can be reused for backfills at no extra cost, which helps if turnover is high.
Pro Tip: Count how many months each contractor is genuinely active. A freelancer used for three months a year costs $87 a year at $29 on a pay-when-active basis, against $588 on a flat monthly fee at $49.
Where is client and employee data held, and does the vendor train on it?
Each vendor describes AWS hosting and a mix of SOC 2 and ISO 27001 credentials, and none of the pages we read says whether customer data is used to train AI models. Treat "not stated" as a question for the vendor's data processing agreement, not as a yes or a no.
| Point | Deel | Remote | Oyster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting (vendor's words) | AWS, primary operations in Ireland, disaster recovery in France | Amazon Web Services cloud | Hosted by AWS |
| Certifications claimed | ISO 27001, GDPR compliant | ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 compliant | SOC 2 Type II report available, GDPR |
| Trains on customer data | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Ledger links | Xero and QuickBooks (directory listing) | Not checked | Xero and QuickBooks (vendor's AI page) |
Sources: Deel security, Remote security and compliance, Oyster security and Oyster AI info page.
For a UK company the practical point is that payroll data about named workers is personal data. Ask where each vendor stores it, which sub-processors touch it, and whether sending it to an AI feature is covered by the data processing agreement.
Which platform is best for contractors?
Remote or Oyster are cheaper at $29 per contractor, Deel costs $49, and the right answer depends on whether you want the platform to carry misclassification risk. Misclassification means treating someone as self-employed when the law treats them as an employee.
The three vendors handle that risk differently:
- Deel: you classify the contractor yourself at $49, or move liability to Deel with Contractor of Record from $325.
- Remote: Contractor Management Plus at $99 gives an indemnity of $100,000 per contractor, up to $1 million per company, and Contractor of Record at $325 has uncapped indemnity, according to Remote's pricing page.
- Oyster: the Shell add-on assesses misclassification risk with aggregate protection of up to $500,000, per Oyster's page.
These are vendor claims, and cover has exclusions. Remote's page notes the indemnity covers third-party claims arising from its breach of service warranty. Read the terms before treating $100,000 as protection against a tax authority.
The UK has its own off-payroll rules. GOV.UK explains that they apply where a worker supplies services through an intermediary and would otherwise be an employee. Our guide to paying overseas contractors from the UK covers when those rules bite.
Which platform is best for employees through EOR?
For EOR, Deel and Remote are equal on entry price and Oyster costs $100 more a month, so choose on country coverage, contract terms and support rather than fee. Coverage claims differ and should be checked for your country.
- Deel: EOR in 130+ countries, according to its pricing page, with a US PEO from $125 per employee per month.
- Remote: EOR in 90+ countries without a local entity, with a PEO from $99.
- Oyster: EOR in 120+ countries, with a refundable deposit required for EOR team members.
Remote says there is no standard deposit but may ask for a refundable reserve in certain circumstances, which it discloses before payment. Oyster states a refundable deposit is required. Both affect cash flow in month one, so ask for the amount for your country.
For context, a UK hire is not free of cost either. GOV.UK sets employer National Insurance at 15% above a £5,000 secondary threshold for 2026 to 2027, so a UK employee on £40,000 costs 15% × £35,000 = £5,250 a year in employer National Insurance before the £10,500 Employment Allowance. The point of an EOR is to avoid setting up an entity abroad, not to beat that figure.
Which should you choose? A decision rule
Choose Remote if contractors outnumber employees and you want the lowest published fees, choose Deel if you want a single platform with the widest stated EOR coverage and flexible month-to-month terms, and choose Oyster if you want GBP billing and an advisory service and can accept the higher EOR fee.
- Choose Remote if you pay several freelancers a year, since $29 against $49 saves $240 a year per contractor, and you can commit to an annual EOR contract.
- Choose Deel if you need EOR in a country outside the 90+ Remote lists, want to start month to month, or already use it. Our Deel listing carries an editor score of 4.4 out of 5, last verified 27 October 2026.
- Choose Oyster if you value paying in GBP, EUR, USD or CAD, which its pricing FAQ confirms, and you may want its hourly People Services at $300 an hour.
Where each falls short: Deel costs $20 more per contractor per month than the others. Remote's EOR price depends on an annual commitment. Oyster is $100 a month dearer on EOR, and its pricing page prices only EOR, contractors and People Services.
Try Deel (affiliate link) ↗ if the coverage fits. The AI Ledger earns a commission if you sign up through a link marked affiliate. It never changes an editor score.
How do you test the choice before signing?
Run a short written trial against the same hire on all three, then compare invoices and answers rather than demos. A week is enough.
- Pick one real hire: country, salary, start date, benefits.
- Ask each vendor for the full first-month invoice, including any deposit or reserve.
- Ask for the contract and the data processing agreement, and note the AI and sub-processor clauses.
- Check the Xero or QuickBooks sync with a test payment run.
- Ask what notice and severance terms apply if you end the role in month six.
- Score the replies on speed and clarity, not on the sales deck.
The AI Ledger payroll and HR category and compare tool help with the first filter.
Why does independent evidence matter when choosing a global hiring platform?
Vendor pages describe their own product, prices change, and "starting at" figures hide the add-ons. Independent editor scores and last-verified dates tell you who checked what and when. The AI Ledger has not tested these platforms hands-on: our evidence is the vendor's published pages and cited sources, dated. Only Deel is in the directory at the time of writing, so Remote and Oyster have no editor score here. Scores are not affected by commercial links.
Realistic expectations: the platform fee is the smallest part of an EOR hire
Salary, employer taxes, benefits and statutory costs in the hire's country will dwarf a $599 fee, so price the whole employment, not the platform. Entry prices are a starting line for negotiation, not a quote.
Find your next global payroll and hiring tool through The AI Ledger
Start at the payroll and HR category to see listed tools with editor scores and verified pricing, then use the finder to narrow by practice size and need. Our Deel review for UK businesses goes deeper on one platform.
Frequently asked questions
Is Deel or Remote cheaper?
Remote is cheaper for contractors at $29 a month against Deel's $49, and the two are level on EOR at $599 per employee per month, according to their pricing pages on 29 October 2026. Remote's EOR price is quoted for annual contracts, while Deel says month-to-month pricing is available. Add-ons and deposits can change the total.
How much does Oyster cost per employee?
Oyster lists its Employer of Record service at USD 699 per employee per month, with annual discounts available, and contractors at USD 29 per month after a 30-day free period. The pricing page also shows People Services at USD 300 per hour. A refundable deposit is required for EOR team members.
Which is cheapest for 2 contractors and 1 EOR employee?
On published entry prices over 12 months, Remote is cheapest at $7,884, then Deel at $8,364 and Oyster at $9,084. Each total is two contractors plus one EOR employee, with no add-ons, benefits or deposits. Choosing Contractor of Record for both contractors raises Deel and Remote to $14,988.
Do Deel, Remote and Oyster train AI on client data?
The security and pricing pages we read for all three vendors do not say whether customer data is used to train AI models. That is "not stated", not a denial. Ask each vendor in writing and check the data processing agreement, because payroll records contain personal data about named workers.
Do UK companies still need to worry about IR35 with overseas contractors?
It depends on where and how the worker works. GOV.UK says the off-payroll rules apply when a worker provides services through an intermediary and would otherwise be an employee of the client. A platform's classification tools do not replace that test, so check the rules for each engagement.
Sources
- Deel: Pricing
- Deel: Security
- Remote: Pricing
- Remote: Security and compliance
- Oyster: Pricing
- Oyster: Security
- Oyster: AI info page
- GOV.UK: Understanding off-payroll working (IR35)
- GOV.UK: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027
Recommended
Keep reading
- Deel Review 2026 for UK Businesses: Prices, EOR, Contractors and AlternativesAn in-depth look at Deel for UK companies hiring abroad: every published price, three worked examples, contractor vs EOR, how Deel costs reach the ledger, UK payroll, and when Remote, Oyster or domestic payroll is cheaper.
- Pay Overseas Contractors from the UK in 2026: Tax, IR35 and PlatformsWhat HMRC says about paying non-UK resident contractors, when IR35 and the VAT reverse charge apply, and what Deel, Remote, Oyster and Rippling charge for contractors and employer of record in October 2026.
- Gusto Review 2026: Pricing, Plans, Add-ons and Gusto Pro for AccountantsAn in-depth look at Gusto US payroll: every plan and add-on price, three worked cost examples including multi-state and a UK client's US subsidiary, Gusto Pro for firms, the AI features, where it falls short, and when Deel, Warp, Every or Paylocity fit better.
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