Why pay a management fee on top of an engineer's salary?

Because the management fee buys sourcing, technical vetting, retention, performance loops, replacement guarantees, and a senior partner who actually owns the relationship. Oyster bills per employee for legal infra; that is a smaller scope of work and a different price point.

Does Oyster do recruiting?

Oyster has experimented with sourcing services but it is not the core product. Talzy is recruiting-first by design — every engagement starts with a structured intake and a vetted shortlist.

Can I run Talzy and Oyster side by side?

Yes. A common pattern: Talzy handles a CEE-based engineering team, Oyster handles distributed contractors or non-engineering hires elsewhere. The two products do not collide.

How fast can each get someone started?

Oyster can onboard a known candidate in a few days once paperwork clears. Talzy typically delivers a vetted, signed hire 2–3 weeks after engagement starts because the time goes into matching, not paperwork. If you already have the candidate, both are fast.

Which is cheaper at 5 engineers?

Apples to oranges. Oyster's per-employee fee is lower than Talzy's management fee because Oyster does not source, vet, manage, or retain. For a 5-person CEE engineering team, total cost with Talzy is usually below the cost of Oyster + a separate recruiter + an engineering manager. Use the calculator on /pricing for a real comparison.

Honest comparison

Talzy vs Oyster

Oyster is a global Employer-of-Record platform that helps companies legally hire and pay employees in 180+ countries through one interface. Talzy is the opposite shape: a high-touch partner that builds and operates dedicated engineering teams in three CEE countries with the legal layer included.

They share an EOR layer in Europe but diverge on what surrounds it. Oyster sells geographic breadth; Talzy sells a built and managed team.

Last fact-checked April 29, 2026

When Oyster is the right call

You hire across 30+ countries and need one consolidated provider
You already have a candidate; you just need the legal infra
Your team is multi-functional (not just engineering)
You prefer a self-serve product over a senior partner

When Talzy is the right call

You need an engineering team built (sourcing + vetting + culture match)
You want CEE depth over global breadth
You want one accountable partner, not a SaaS support queue
You care about retention infra (1:1s, DISC, performance loops), not just compliance
You prefer transparent fixed fees over per-employee SaaS pricing

Side-by-side

	Talzy	Oyster
Core service	Dedicated engineering teams: source, vet, employ, manage	Self-serve global EOR + payroll
Geographic coverage	Latvia, Lithuania, Poland	180+ countries
Hiring included	Yes — AI-matched shortlist with technical + culture vetting	No — bring your own candidate
Pricing	From €900/mo management fee (€500 at 25+ engineers) + €300 workspace + engineer salary at-cost	Per-employee SaaS fee + payroll handling, varies by country
Engagement length	12-month minimum, no lock-in past that	Flexible, monthly
Management & retention	Included — 1:1 scheduling, DISC, document workflow, structured pipeline	Not included — payroll & compliance only
Probation replacement	Free in the first ~3 months	EOR-standard offboarding terms
Best for	Building and running an engineering team in CEE with senior accountability	Adding legal/payroll infra to a globally distributed team you already run

Frequently asked

Only when your need is a dedicated engineering team in Latvia, Lithuania, or Poland. Oyster is a global self-serve EOR; Talzy is a managed-team partner. If you have already hired and just need legal infra anywhere outside CEE, Oyster is the right tool.

Still deciding?

Tell us where you are in the process and we will give a candid recommendation — even if that recommendation is Oyster.

Get a recommendation →