Our verdict:
Rippling is a global workforce management platform, simplifying HR and payroll with a range of software tools, apps,and employment solutions. The Rippling platform covers global Employer of Record (EOR) services, US and global payroll, talent management, analytics, learning management, PEO benefits and workflow automation.
Pros
- Recruit, hire and pay, anywhere in the world
- Comprehensive workforce management — EOR, PEO, payroll and more
Cons
- Pricing for all services is not available on the website
- Additional components can result in an expensive final package for smaller companies
120+
starting from $11 per employee
direct deposit or check
Rippling is a global workforce management platform that simplifies HR and payroll. It automatically manages software tools, apps, and whatever else employees need — saving companies and their leadership time and resources.
A rapidly-growing company, Rippling was valued at $11.25 billion in 2022, a rise of $6.5 billion from just seven months earlier. As one investor put it, Rippling aims to be as big in the field of employee data management as Salesforce is for sales data.
With a range of software products being rolled out each year, and significant ongoing investment into Research & Development (R&D), in the coming years Rippling will likely take over many of the functions currenty performed by other HR software companies.
Rippling’s current products cover:
- Global Employer of Record (EOR) services, enabling companies to hire and onboard employees anywhere in the world
- US and Global Payroll solutions, providing payroll processing through its on-platform solution
- Talent management, through its advanced recruitment and application tracking system
- Workforce analytics — unifying employee data to provide a range of custom reports
- Learning management — modules to up-skill the workforce and track progress
- PEO benefits, including more cost-effective access to large group health plans, 401(k) retirement plans, HSA, FSA, and commuter flex benefits
- Workflow automation to bring together Finance, IT and HR datasets as a “sole source of truth”.
In this Rippling review, we look at their HR, EOR, and payroll solutions in detail. Our focus is to set out the key decision-making factors to help you work out whether this is the right solution for your business.
Key features
Global Workforce/Employer of Record solution
The Rippling Employer of Record (EOR) solution allows companies to hire and pay employees anywhere in the world, without needing to set up a subsidiary in that country. Rippling handles the legal and compliance elements of employment including payroll, contracts, employment taxes and benefits. This enables the client company to focus on its core operations.
Payroll
As well as managing payroll through its EOR solutions, Rippling has a direct outsourced payroll solution for companies who have direct employees in the United States, or are employed by subsidiaries overseas. The US payroll solution means:
- Automated payroll without errors — you can run payroll in 90 seconds
- Automatic tax withholding and filing — Rippling withholds and files payroll and employee income taxes with the correct federal, state, and local authorities
- A dedicated mobile app — meaning employees can check their pay stubs, request time off and view their W-2s.
PEO services
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) acts as the co-employer of a workforce, taking care of payroll and benefits for client companies. Through its US PEO solution, Rippling is able to handle:
- PEO benefits — PEO benefits mean comprehensive employee benefits, usually at better rates than others on the market, including Fortune 500-level medical and dental plans, 401(k) retirement plans, and HSA, FSA, and commuter flex benefits
- Compliance — Rippling PEO takes care of workers compensation and employer liability (EPLI) coverage
- ACA and COBRA administration, ensuring that health coverage complies with federal and state legal requirements.
HR
Through its all-in-one HR information system/platform, alongside its EOR, PEO and payroll solutions, Rippling provides a range of additional HR services including:
- Learning Management
- Time and attendance management
- Employee well-being and satisfaction programs
- HR analytics
- Integrated healthcare advice.
Compliance
HR compliance is a significant driver for Rippling, with its compliance services including compliant hiring solutions (such as EOR and PEO), and expert advice on performance matters (e..g., terminations and severance), through the Rippling platform. It also ensures:
- Secure workplace policy management — with policies automatically updated as required
- Device management, ensuring that employee equipment is tracked and all company information is held securely
- Integration with finance systems, ensuring “one source of truth” for crucial company information and reducing the risk of error.
Platform
As an all-in-one platform, Rippling might be the most comprehensive HR software solution on the market today. It goes beyond traditional workforce and employee management to integrate finance, IT and other workplace functions.
Notable features of the Rippling platform include:
- Workflow automation, enabling workflow triggers based on internal employee data, third-party app data, and formula fields (Excel-like formulas)
- Extensive integrations, including Slack, Zoom, Dropbox and Zendesk
- Robust app and platform security, with password management, custom privileges and access management.
Setting triggers for workflow through the Rippling platform (Image: Rippling)
Rippling pricing
Rippling’s pricing begins at USD $11 per employee per month, with each add-on solution increasing the price.
Rippling has a starter plan — Rippling Unity — which covers payroll processing, direct deposit and onboarding services: This would be sufficient for many US businesses that need an efficient payroll processor. Then other services, such as PEO, benefits management and application tracking are available on a per-module basis.
User reviews
We looked at user reviews and scores for Rippling on Capterra, Trustpilot and G2. The average scores (as of the time of writing) were:
- Capterra = 4.9./5 (2400 reviews)
- Trustpilot = 4.9/5 (1,008 reviews)
- G2 = 4.8/5 (1805 reviews).
No other HR and payroll platform has as high an average score, with as many reviews, as Rippling.
Pros and cons
Rippling Pros
Benefits for businesses who choose Rippling include:
- A flexible HR, payroll and hiring ecosystem. Every company has different HR and payroll needs. For example, only companies in the US will need the US payroll and PEO solutions, and only companies hiring internationally will need an EOR solution. Each Rippling add-on service can be added through the online portal as required, usually at an additional charge per employee per month. With so many optional services and solutions, Rippling may be the most comprehensive HR platform on the market today
- Fast payroll processing. Rippling proudly advertises “Run payroll in 90 seconds”, and offers US Payroll, Global Payroll and EOR solutions all of which can manage your payroll at speed. User reviews have consistently praised Rippling for the speed of its payroll
- Automated workflows — Rippling integrates with more third-party apps than any of its competitors. This makes it easy to trigger actions across multiple platforms. For example, ensuring that employees are notified of payroll processing via Slack.
- Advanced reporting — drawing on comprehensive payroll and HR data, Rippling enables businesses to easily build and visualize any report they may need— such as a Paid Time Off (PTO) or SOC report
- Extensive HR solutions that go beyond competitors, including learning management and healthcare support, leave and attendance management, and asset (employee equipment) management.
- An integrated recruitment solution, meaning businesses can track applicants through the talent acquisition process.
Rippling cons
Potential drawbacks of Rippling for some customers include
- Pricing for every service is not provided on the company website, and only available by contacting the company
- Fees can get high, as each additional feature of the platform needs to be paid for separately.
- Does not have a call center, though it does have a live chat with enviable response times.
Rippling’s Unique Selling Point (USP)
Rippling is a complete workforce and HR solution: No other provider on the market offers as many add-on solutions and integrations as Rippling. With more features set to roll out in the future, Rippling is better-placed than any of its competitors to become the number 1 international HR platform.
RemotePad Score for Rippling
4.5/5 Our expert score for Rippling
Our team came to this score by considering the following components in the following weightings:
| Employer of Record features | 25% |
| Payroll features | 10% |
| HR features | 10% |
| Compliance features | 10% |
| Platform features | 10% |
| Pricing | 20% |
| User reviews | 15% |
For each component, Rippling received the following score:
| Employer of Record features | 20/25 |
| Payroll features | 10/10 |
| HR features | 10/10 |
| Compliance features | 10/10 |
| Platform features | 10/10 |
| Pricing | 16/20 |
| User reviews | 14/15 |
Top competitors
Top provider for:
IP Protection and compliance
Monthly fee
$599per employee
Top provider for:
HR support
Monthly fee
$770per employee
Rippling — our take
Rippling is rapidly growing its functionality to become the most sophisticated and all-inclusive workforce management platform on the market. Its combination of EOR, PEO, HR outsourcing and recruitment solutions, mean that it can replace multiple HR providers and apps. Furthermore, automated workflows ensure that when one change is made to HR data, the change flows through to every other part of the system.
For companies looking for a comprehensive HR and payroll solution, Rippling is an excellent choice.
FAQ
Rippling was established in 2016 in San Francisco.
Yes. Rippling offers Professional Employer Organization services in the United States. Check with Rippling to ensure that they provide services in the state where you operate.
