Oyster publishes an EOR price of US$699 and Borderless AI US$579 per employee per month, so Borderless AI's headline fee is US$120 a month (US$1,440 a year) lower per employee. Country costs, benefits and add-ons can outweigh that difference.
Oyster: Global employment platform aimed at small and mid-sized distributed teams, with EOR, contractor payments and benefits administration.
Borderless AI: Toronto-based, AI-focused EOR and payroll platform with a published EOR price, contractor management and global payroll.
| Feature | Oyster | Borderless AI |
|---|---|---|
| Published EOR price | From US$699 / month | From US$579 / month |
| Pricing model | Per employee / month | Per employee / month |
| Products | Employer of Record, Contractor management, Benefits, Payroll | Employer of Record, Contractor management, Global payroll, Global benefits, Global mobility, Background checks |
| Coverage | 180+ countries (provider claim) | "Almost every major jurisdiction" (provider claim); check its country list for yours |
| Headquarters | Fully distributed (incorporated in the USA) | Toronto, Canada |
| Founded | 2020 | Not stated |
| Factor | Oyster | Borderless AI |
|---|---|---|
| Published EOR price | US$699 / employee / month | US$579 / employee / month |
| What the price covers | Published EOR price of USD 699 per employee per month; contractor management is priced separately (USD 29 per contractor per month). | Published EOR price of US$579 per month. Contractor management US$49 per month; global payroll US$29 per month; its AI agents for HR are included free in all plans. |
What each provider's own website says. Where it doesn't say, ask in your quote.
| Item | Oyster | Borderless AI |
|---|---|---|
| What the EOR fee includes | Compliant employment in 120+ countries; Multi-country payroll in 120+ currencies; Automated expenses, time off and reports; Onboarding and offboarding specialists; End-to-end support by local experts; Setup, onboarding, HR expert advice and processing terminations, with no extra charge | Onboarding, payroll, taxes and compliance; Local payroll experts through its app and a Slack channel; Country-specific employment agreements; Intellectual property protection; HRGPT and its other AI agents for HR |
| Setup and offboarding fees | None: Oyster says these are included in the subscription fee. | Not stated on its pricing page |
| Deposit | Oyster requires a refundable deposit for EOR team members to start the engagement. | Not stated on its pricing page |
| Contract and billing | Seat-based annual billing at a reduced fee; an empty seat can be reused for a new hire or backfill at no extra cost. | No credit card and no long-term commitments, according to its pricing page. |
Annual EOR fees at each provider's published starting price, before employment costs, benefits or add-ons. Borderless AI's published price is lower by US$1,440 per employee a year.
| Employees | Oyster | Borderless AI | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$8,388 | US$6,948 | US$1,440 |
| 5 | US$41,940 | US$34,740 | US$7,200 |
| 10 | US$83,880 | US$69,480 | US$14,400 |
| 25 | US$209,700 | US$173,700 | US$36,000 |
Our country guides don't yet list both providers for the same country. Oyster appears in our guides for Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. Borderless AI isn't in our country guides yet. Ask both for country-specific quotes.
- Both offer: Employer of Record, Contractor management.
- Only Oyster lists: Benefits, Payroll.
- Only Borderless AI lists: Global payroll, Global benefits, Global mobility, Background checks.
- Pricing model: Oyster: Per employee / month; Borderless AI: Per employee / month.
- Oyster, 17 October 2026: Unchanged: EOR USD 699 per employee per month; contractors USD 29.
- Oyster, 15 October 2026: Unchanged: US$699 per employee per month.
- Oyster, 8 October 2026: US$699 per employee per month; contractors priced separately at US$29 (previously listed here: From about US$699, described as plan tiers).
- Borderless AI, 22 October 2026: EOR US$579 per month; contractor management US$49; global payroll US$29.
Consider Oyster ifโฆ
- You are a small or mid-sized team hiring a handful of people abroad
- You want a published EOR price rather than quote-only pricing
Consider Borderless AI ifโฆ
- You want the lower published EOR price (US$579 vs US$699 per employee per month)
- You want EOR, contractors and payroll on one platform with published prices
- You're hiring in Canada or North America and want support in those time zones
- What is the all-in monthly fee for my specific countries, on annual and monthly billing?
- Do you employ through your own entity or a partner in each country?
- What deposit is required, and what currency margin applies to invoices?
Use our provider due-diligence checklist for the full list. To check the employment cost on top of either fee, see our country guides.
Is Oyster or Borderless AI cheaper?
What's the main difference between Oyster and Borderless AI?
Do Oyster and Borderless AI use their own entities?
Why choose Oyster over Borderless AI?
Why choose Borderless AI over Oyster?
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- Oyster pricing explainedWhat Oyster publishes about its EOR fees, add-ons and billing.
- Oyster alternativesProviders to compare with Oyster.
- Borderless AI pricing explainedWhat Borderless AI publishes about its EOR fees, add-ons and billing.
- Borderless AI alternativesProviders to compare with Borderless AI.