Global payroll and employer of record · September 2026 Edition
Deel vs Oyster
Six of twelve models named Deel first on the direct prompt; five named Oyster. Both were named by all twelve models and Deel carries 53 labels and Oyster 27, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in nineteen categories this edition.
Named in six categories this edition.
First-choice share22%13%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate19%7%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#3A position in a field of 8; printed, not drawn.
Labels5327A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Deel reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Remote was named alongside these two in eleven of the twelve direct answers. Deel vs Papaya Global · Papaya Global vs Oyster
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the global payroll and employer of record page.
By framing
How many of the twelve models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
DeelFirst choices, of twelve modelsOyster
Direct65
Paraphrase41
Comparative110
Budget-constrained003 against Deel
Scale-constrained00
Negative107 against Deel · 2 against Oyster
Bars are first choices, 0 to 12 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to twelve.
The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Deel and Oyster stood in it.
Both were the first choice
2 of 12 modelsThe answer named them together, and the judge labeled each a first choice.Llama 4 MaverickDeel, Oyster, Remote alternatives: Multiplier
Qwen 3.7 FlashDeel, Oyster, Remote alternatives: Multiplier, Rippling
Deel first, Oyster an alternative
4 of 12 modelsOyster was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniDeel alternatives: Remote, Rippling
Grok 4.1 FastDeel alternatives: Multiplier, Oyster, Remote, Rippling
DeepSeek V4 FlashDeel alternatives: Oyster, Remote, Teamed
Kimi K2Deel, Remote alternatives: Oyster, Teamed
Oyster first, Deel an alternative
3 of 12 modelsDeel was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Multiplier, Oyster alternatives: Deel, Remote, Velocity Global
Mistral SmallOyster alternatives: Deel, Remote
MiniMax M2.5Oyster alternatives: Atlas HXM, Deel, Multiplier, Remote
Neither was the first choice, one was named
2 of 12 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashRippling alternatives: Deel, Papaya Global, Remote
GLM 4.7 FlashXG-P, Safeguard Global alternatives: Deel, Multiplier, Omni HR, Oyster, Papaya Global, Remote, Teamed, WorkMotion
Neither was named
1 of 12 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Perplexity SonarTeamed alternatives: Safeguard Global
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Mid-marketThe figures above
Enterprise
What the models said about Deel
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of six in this category shown.
“Drastically Cautioned – Documented Legal/Compliance Issues... Who should avoid: Companies with compliance-sensitive contracts, enterprise clients, or critical payroll deadlines.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“While popular, Deel has significant documented issues... Payroll errors and delays are the most frequently cited complaints” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“premium, all-in-one Employer of Record (EOR) providers like Deel, Remote, or Rippling ... their base fees usually range from $499 to $599+ per employee per month” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
“Runs payroll in 130+ countries while supporting wider global workforce use cases across 150+ countries, offering one platform for payroll, EOR, contractors, and workforce operations with strong usability” Claude Haiku 4.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
“I'd recommend Deel as the default choice if you want the best balance of speed, broad country coverage, and a unified payroll/EOR workflow.” Perplexity Sonar · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“I'd suggest starting with Deel or Papaya Global. Deel is generally easier to get started with and has strong B2B traction” MiniMax M2.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about Oyster
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.
“Payroll delays: Reviewers report invoices that swing month-to-month and payroll landing days late” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Best avoided if: Needing fast support or strong APAC coverage.” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · hard negative
“Oyster positions itself as a user-friendly EOR platform with a focus on the mid-market — companies with 50-500 employees hiring internationally” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“Especially strong for mid-market companies (50-500 employees) looking to hire internationally... a top choice for B2B firms expanding globally.” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“Specifically positioned for mid-market companies (50-500 employees), focused on international hiring with a user-friendly platform” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
Comparisons are drawn for the top three products in each category. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.