Philippines EOR Compared (2026)
By Andy Schachtel, CEO of Sourcefit | Global Talent and Elevated Outsourcing
Key Takeaways
- Sourcefit charges $199/month per employee. Oyster charges $699/month (monthly) or $699/month (annual discounts available).
- Sourcefit provides a complete HR experience with on-ground staff. Oyster is a self-service platform that requires integration with a separate HR system for full functionality.
- Sourcefit covers 6 countries with deep operational presence. Oyster covers 120+ countries but relies on third-party partners in most markets.
- Sourcefit offers recruiting, office space, and IT support as integrated add-ons. Oyster lacks recruiting, analytics, workflow, and reporting features, requiring additional tools.
Platform vs. Partner
Oyster HR positions itself as a global employment platform for distributed teams. Founded in 2020, it has grown quickly to cover 120+ countries and has earned recognition as the only B Corp-certified EOR provider. Their mission is to make global hiring accessible, and their platform is designed for companies that want to hire anywhere with minimal friction.
Sourcefit is not a platform company. We are an outsourcing and workforce management company with 17 years of operational history, physical offices across six countries, and HR teams that work alongside the employees we support. Our EOR service, EORganic, provides the same legal employment and compliance functions as Oyster, but delivered through people, not just software.
This distinction matters more than it might seem at first glance. EOR is not just a legal and payroll exercise. It is an employment relationship. How that relationship is managed day to day determines whether your remote employees feel supported or abandoned.
Pricing Comparison
Even at Oyster’s best annual rate of $699/month (with annual discounts), Sourcefit is 71% less expensive. On monthly billing, the gap is 3.5x. For 10 employees, that translates to $60,000 per year in platform fee savings. Oyster also has reported FX markups that can add 20-50% to the total employment cost depending on the country, which further widens the effective cost gap.
| Sourcefit (EORganic) | Oyster HR | |
|---|---|---|
| EOR Fee (per employee/month) | $199 | $699 (annual discounts available) |
| Volume Discounts | Available | Not published |
| Contractor Management | $39/month | $29/month (free for up to 2) |
| Startup Fees | None | None |
| Long-Term Contract Required | No | No (annual billing for lower rate) |
| FX Markup | Transparent, minimal | Reported 20-50% added on total cost via FX and statutory add-ons |
| Annual Cost (1 employee) | $2,388 | $8,388 (annual discounts available) |
| Annual Cost (10 employees) | $23,880 | $83,880 (annual discounts available) |
Features and Services
| Feature | Sourcefit (EORganic) | Oyster HR |
|---|---|---|
| HRIS Platform | Knit (proprietary, full-featured) | Oyster Platform (limited, needs separate HR system) |
| Local Presence Model | Physical offices with local HR teams in every operating country | Country specialists (mostly remote) |
| Countries Covered | 6 (deep presence) | 120+ (many via third-party partners) |
| Philippines Office Locations | 4 offices | No physical offices |
| Recruiting / ATS | Yes (add-on) | No |
| Analytics & Reporting | Yes (Knit dashboards) | Limited (reviews cite gaps) |
| Office Space / Coworking | Yes (add-on) | No |
| IT Support & Equipment | Yes (add-on) | No |
| Training & Quality Mgmt | Yes (add-on) | No |
| B Corp Certification | No | Yes |
| Certifications & Assurance Reports | ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, SOC 2, PCI DSS | SOC 2 (ISO 27001 not publicly verified) |
| Regulatory/Privacy Compliance | HIPAA compliant, GDPR compliant | GDPR compliant (HIPAA not publicly verified) |
The Integration Gap
One of the most frequently cited limitations of Oyster HR is that it lacks core HR functionality that many companies expect. Reviewers consistently note that Oyster does not include recruitment management, applicant tracking, analytics, workflow tools, or robust reporting. This means companies using Oyster typically need a separate HRIS to manage their full workforce, adding both cost and complexity.
Sourcefit’s Knit platform is a complete HRIS. It handles employee data, payroll dashboards, analytics, engagement tools, and integrations in a single system. There is no need for a second platform, and because Knit was built by our own development team, it evolves based on actual operational needs rather than feature-request backlogs.
120+ Countries vs. 6 Countries
Oyster’s headline number is 120+ countries. That breadth is real, but it comes with a trade-off. In most of those 120+ countries, Oyster operates through third-party local partners, not its own entities. This means the actual service quality and responsiveness can vary significantly from one market to another.
Sourcefit operates in 6 countries through its own entities with its own staff. In the Philippines specifically, we have four offices, a deep recruiting network built over 17 years, and HR professionals who handle everything from statutory compliance to employee wellbeing. If the Philippines is your primary hiring market, you are choosing between a provider that specializes in it and a provider that includes it in a list of 120+.
FAQ
Is Oyster HR worth the higher price?
Oyster’s pricing reflects its global coverage model and B Corp certification. If you need to hire across many countries from a single platform, the premium may be justified. For Philippines-specific hiring, Sourcefit provides deeper service at 40-70% lower cost.
Does Oyster have better global compliance than Sourcefit?
Oyster covers more countries, but in many markets it relies on third-party partners for compliance. Sourcefit operates its own entities in all six countries it covers. On certifications, Sourcefit holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and ISO 42001, maintains SOC 2 and PCI DSS assurance reports, and is HIPAA and GDPR compliant. Oyster holds SOC 2 and maintains GDPR compliance; its ISO 27001 status is not publicly verified. For data-sensitive industries, Sourcefit’s broader compliance portfolio provides additional assurance.
Can I use Oyster and Sourcefit together?
Yes. Some companies use Sourcefit for markets where we have deep presence (Philippines, South Africa, Dominican Republic) and a global platform like Oyster for other countries. This approach optimizes for both cost and coverage.
What does Oyster’s B Corp certification mean for me as a client?
B Corp certification means Oyster meets verified standards of social and environmental performance. It is a meaningful distinction for companies that prioritize working with certified social enterprises. It does not directly affect the quality of EOR services delivered to your employees.
Which platform is easier to set up?
Oyster offers a self-service onboarding experience that can be completed in 48 hours to 7 days. Sourcefit provides a fully assisted onboarding process with a dedicated team guiding you through setup. The Sourcefit approach takes slightly longer but eliminates the trial-and-error that comes with self-service configuration.
To learn more about how Sourcefit’s EORganic service compares to Oyster HR for your hiring needs, visit sourcefit.com/eor-services or contact our team for a consultation.
