Rippling is a workforce management platform founded in 2016 by Parker Conrad (who also co-founded Zenefits) and Prasanna Sankar. It's built around one big idea: every system that touches an employee should share the same data. When you hire someone in Rippling, their payroll, benefits, app access, device setup, and expense policies all update automatically. No re-entering data across five different tools.
The platform covers a lot of ground. On the HR side, you get an HRIS, payroll (US and global), benefits administration, time and attendance, ATS recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and a learning management system. On the IT side, it handles device management, app provisioning, and identity management. The finance module covers expense management, corporate cards, and bill pay. Everything connects through what Rippling calls its Unity platform, which acts as an employee graph database.
What actually sets it apart is the workflow automation engine. You can build custom triggers, like automatically adjusting someone's app licenses, pay rate, and manager when they get promoted, without writing code. There are 150+ prebuilt workflow templates to start from.
The downside? Pricing isn't transparent. You have to talk to sales to get a quote, and costs add up quickly as you stack modules. Customer support is a sore spot in reviews, with some users reporting slow response times and being pointed to help docs instead of getting hands-on assistance. Implementation can be rocky, especially for complex setups. And if you only need payroll and nothing else, you're probably paying for more platform than you need.
- Growing companies with 50-2,000 employees that want HR, IT, and finance in one platform. Especially strong for multi-state US companies, businesses expanding internationally, and tech-forward teams that value automation over manual admin work.
- Very small businesses (under 10 employees) that only need basic payroll. Companies that want simple, fixed pricing they can see before talking to sales. Organizations that need a best-in-class standalone ATS or performance management tool. Businesses that require premium support SLAs or dedicated account managers without paying enterprise rates.
- Unified platform eliminates juggling multiple tools.
- Workflow automation saves significant admin time with 150+ prebuilt templates.
- Intuitive UI that's easy for both admins and employees.
- Opaque pricing requires talking to sales for any quote.
- Customer support can be slow, with users often directed to help articles instead of live assistance.
- Implementation experiences are inconsistent, with some reporting siloed teams.
Base platform (Rippling Unity) starts at $8/employee/month plus $35/month platform fee. Additional modules like payroll, benefits admin, time tracking, IT, and finance are priced separately. Most companies end up paying $15-35/employee/month for HR and payroll. PEO services run $70-120/employee/month. All pricing is quote-based.
Rippling vs Deel
Rippling or Deel? Pick Rippling if your team is US-based and you want unified HR, IT, and payroll. Pick Deel if you hire globally without local entities.
Gusto vs Rippling
Gusto or Rippling? Pick Gusto if you need simple payroll for a small US team. Pick Rippling if you're scaling fast and need unified HR and IT.
BambooHR vs Rippling
BambooHR or Rippling? Pick BambooHR if you want simple HRIS for small US teams. Pick Rippling if you need all-in-one HR, payroll, and IT.
Rippling vs ADP
Rippling or ADP? Pick Rippling if you want unified HR, payroll, and IT automation. Pick ADP if you need global payroll in 140+ countries.
Rippling vs Workday
Rippling starts at $8/employee for mid-market teams. Workday targets 500+ employee enterprises. Compare pricing, payroll, features, and implementation.