Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform that helps you hire, pay, and care for talented team members in over 180 countries without setting up local entities.
Sterling
Sterling provides comprehensive background screening and identity verification services to help you build a foundation of trust and safety for your global workforce and customers.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Oyster | Sterling |
|---|---|---|
| Website | oysterhr.com | sterlingcheck.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Custom |
| Starting Price | Free | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2020 | 1975 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | New York, USA |
Overview
Oyster
Oyster simplifies the complexity of building a distributed team by acting as the employer of record for your international hires. You can onboard full-time employees or contractors in minutes, ensuring every contract complies with local labor laws and tax regulations. The platform handles the heavy lifting of global payroll, localized benefits, and tax filings so you can focus on growing your business instead of navigating foreign bureaucracy.
You can manage your entire global workforce from a single dashboard, providing a consistent experience for every team member regardless of their location. Whether you are a small startup hiring your first international developer or a mid-market company expanding into new regions, the platform provides the infrastructure needed to scale globally. It eliminates the need for expensive legal fees and the months of work typically required to establish international entities.
Sterling
Sterling helps you hire with confidence by providing fast and reliable background screening and identity verification. You can streamline your entire hiring process, from criminal record checks and employment verification to drug and health screening. The platform is designed to integrate directly into your existing HR tech stack, allowing you to manage candidates globally while maintaining compliance with local regulations.
You can reduce manual paperwork and speed up your time-to-hire using their mobile-first candidate experience. Whether you are a small business making your first hire or a global enterprise managing thousands of employees, the software provides the tools you need to verify identities and maintain a safe workplace. By automating the collection of candidate data, you can focus on making better hiring decisions rather than chasing documentation.
Overview
Oyster Features
- Global Onboarding Onboard new hires in minutes with localized employment contracts that automatically follow the specific labor laws of their home country.
- Automated Payroll Pay your entire international team in their local currencies with a single monthly invoice, eliminating manual wire transfers and exchange headaches.
- Localized Benefits Offer competitive, country-specific benefits packages including health insurance and pension plans to attract and retain top global talent.
- Contractor Management Manage your global contractors alongside full-time employees, ensuring correct classification and providing streamlined invoicing and payment workflows.
- Compliance Monitoring Stay protected with continuous monitoring of changing local regulations, ensuring your team remains compliant with evolving global employment standards.
- Intellectual Property Protection Secure your company's assets with ironclad IP assignment clauses built into every contract, regardless of where your team members live.
Sterling Features
- Criminal Background Checks. Access automated searches of national and local criminal databases to identify potential risks before you extend a job offer.
- Identity Verification. Verify candidate identities in real-time using biometric technology and government-issued ID scanning to prevent sophisticated identity fraud.
- Employment Verification. Confirm your candidate's professional history and education credentials automatically to ensure they have the experience they claim.
- Drug and Health Screening. Manage employee drug testing and occupational health screenings through a massive network of collection sites with digital results.
- Mobile Candidate Hub. Give your candidates a mobile-friendly way to submit information and track their screening status from any device.
- Global Compliance Tools. Stay compliant with built-in tools that adapt to local privacy laws and industry-specific regulations across different countries.
Pricing Comparison
Oyster Pricing
- Hire in 180+ countries
- Automated contract generation
- Simple invoice management
- Local currency payments
- IP protection
- 24/7 help center access
- Everything in Contractor, plus:
- Full Employer of Record services
- Localized benefits administration
- Dedicated onboarding specialist
- Automated tax filings
- Compliance guarantee
Sterling Pricing
Pros & Cons
Oyster
Pros
- Extremely fast onboarding process for international hires
- Intuitive user interface simplifies complex HR tasks
- Excellent customer support during the hiring process
- Transparent flat-fee pricing for full-time employees
- Strong focus on employee experience and localized benefits
Cons
- Higher price point compared to some competitors
- Limited customization for specific internal HR workflows
- Occasional delays in localized support for niche regions
Sterling
Pros
- Extensive global reach for international background checks
- Seamless integration with popular applicant tracking systems
- User-friendly interface for both recruiters and candidates
- Comprehensive reporting that simplifies compliance audits
Cons
- Turnaround times can vary by jurisdiction
- Customer support response times can be slow
- Pricing structure is complex for smaller organizations