Oyster vs Rippling: Which Is Better for Contractors in 2025?
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Oyster | Rippling | Kontrable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (10 contractors) | $290/mo | $480/mo | $99/mo |
| Payment flow | Through platform | Through platform | Direct (you control) |
| Best for | Employees + contractors | Employees + HR/IT systems | Contractors only |
| Setup time | 2-3 weeks | 2-4 weeks | Same day |
Oyster Overview
Oyster is a global employment platform focused on making international hiring accessible to companies of all sizes. They offer EOR services with a focus on distributed teams and remote work.
Key strengths:
- EOR services in 180+ countries
- Strong focus on distributed teams and remote work culture
- Competitive pricing for EOR services
- Good compliance and legal support
- Benefits and equity management
Pricing: $29/month per contractor or employee. For 10 contractors, that's $290/month.
Rippling Overview
Rippling is a comprehensive workforce management platform that combines HR, IT, and finance systems. They offer EOR services alongside payroll, benefits, device management, and app provisioning.
Key strengths:
- All-in-one platform (HR + IT + Finance)
- Strong automation and integrations
- Device and app management
- Global payroll and EOR services
- Powerful workflow builder
Pricing: $8/month base + $40/month per contractor. For 10 contractors, that's approximately $480/month.
The Problem Both Platforms Share
Both Oyster and Rippling are built for Employer of Record (EOR) services—hiring full-time employees internationally. This makes sense if you need:
- Local payroll compliance
- Benefits administration
- Employment law coverage
- HR and IT system integration (Rippling)
But if you're working with independent contractors who handle their own taxes and already have Wise/PayPal accounts? You're paying for infrastructure you don't need.
The per-seat pricing model means your costs scale linearly: 10 contractors = $290-480/month, 20 contractors = $580-960/month. You're also locked into their payment rails—contractors receive funds through the platform, not directly from you.
A Different Approach: Kontrable
We built Kontrable specifically for businesses working with contractors (not employees):
- Direct payments: Pay via your Wise/PayPal/Payoneer (no middleman). You control the payment flow and timing.
- $99/month flat: Up to 25 contractors. No per-seat fees. Predictable costs that don't scale with team size.
- Contractor-focused: Contracts, milestones, payment tracking, and audit trails—built for independent contractor workflows.
- No EOR fees: Because you're hiring true independent contractors who handle their own taxes and compliance.
- Same-day setup: No lengthy onboarding or compliance reviews. Start managing contractors immediately.
How it works:
- Define milestones and deliverables in Kontrable
- Contractor completes work and submits for approval
- You approve and pay directly via Wise/PayPal/Payoneer
- Attach payment proof to the milestone
- Contractor confirms receipt
- Export clean reports for finance and audits
Result: You keep control of payments, reduce costs by 70-80%, and maintain a clean audit trail for every dollar spent.
Who Should Choose What
Choose Oyster if:
- You need to hire full-time employees in countries where you don't have a legal entity
- You're building a distributed team and want remote-first culture support
- You need benefits and equity management for international employees
- You want broad country coverage (180+ countries)
Choose Rippling if:
- You need an all-in-one platform for HR, IT, and finance
- You want to manage devices, apps, and access alongside payroll
- You're hiring both employees and contractors and want one system
- You value automation and workflow building capabilities
Choose Kontrable if:
- You're working with 5-25 independent contractors (not employees)
- Your contractors handle their own taxes and already have payment accounts
- You want to pay directly via Wise/PayPal/Payoneer and keep control
- You need milestone tracking, approvals, and audit trails without EOR overhead
- You want predictable flat pricing instead of per-seat fees
The Bottom Line
Oyster and Rippling are excellent platforms for their intended use case: hiring employees internationally and managing comprehensive HR/IT systems. But if you're working with independent contractors, you're paying for employee infrastructure you don't need.
Kontrable offers a contractor-specific alternative: direct payments, flat pricing, milestone tracking, and clean audit trails—without the EOR overhead. See how much you could save with our ROI calculator.