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With its strong features, customizability, and its ability to pay employees internationally, Rippling emerged as the top payroll software for small businesses in our latest round of payroll and HR research.
The service can handle typical payroll needs, from holidays to deductions or off-cycle payments, and it will also file state and local payroll taxes. It offers users great educational resources and good support options including phone and email, but it’s worth noting this isn’t 24/7.
Below, I’ve detailed my thoughts on Rippling and what makes it a good solution for HR and payroll teams, based on my experience researching each software. I’ll cover everything from key features to pricing in this guide.
Key Takeaways
- Rippling is our pick for the best payroll platform for small businesses, thanks to global payroll capabilities and plenty of advanced features.
- Rippling operates a custom, build-you-own package, therefore prices can vary based on the needs of your business. These packages start at $8 per employee, per month in addition to a set monthly fee.
- The platform gives users the ability to pay employees all over the world, on top of employee tracking performance and report generation.
- Rippling earned a perfect security score in our tests, because of features such as user permissions, encryption and certifications.
- Rippling has great tax tools and it can file State and Federal taxes on your behalf, on top of providing compliance alerts and educational resources surrounding taxes.
- The platform does offer phone, email and, live chat support, however there is no 24/7 support available.
In this review:
- What Is Rippling and How Does It Work?
- Rippling Review – Key Features
- Rippling Pricing
- Which Integrations Does Rippling Offer?
- What’s New in Rippling? (2026)
- What Customer Support Does Rippling Offer?
- How Does Rippling Compare With Other Providers?
- How Did We Research Rippling
- Verdict: Is Rippling Worth It?
What Is Rippling and How Does It Work?
- Rippling offers feature-rich payroll and human resources (HR) software that can pay employees all over the world.
- Users can customize which features are included in their software package, including tools and benefits that many other payroll or HR solutions do not offer.
- Rippling is built on a unified code base rather than through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), meaning that its apps are designed to work together seamlessly.
- It doesn’t have third-party integrations for HCM platforms including SAP and Oracle, so you’ll need a custom-built solution if you need them integrated.
Pros:
- Will automatically alert users if the company is breaching compliance laws
- In-depth training material for staff members provided
- Employees can easily clock-in for work using the vendor's app
Cons:
- No native integrations with HCM platforms like SAP and Oracle
- No public pricing
- Custom pricing
- 2-week free trial of Rippling IT
What Are Rippling’s Key Features?
Rippling’s high customizability, strong data security, and large number of features make it stand out. Here are the key features to know.
Payment controls
Rippling supports all core payment needs: you’ll be able to track and offer sick pay, holidays, time tracking, multiple pay rates per employee, automated deductions, off-cycle payments, and non-employee payments, with pay runs operating automatically once they are set up. However, these tools are offered on all the top payroll software we tested.
International payments
Rippling’s global scope means that a pay run can cover those based outside of the US as easily as those within the country.
This makes it a great pick for a large operation, and it’s a rare benefit for payroll software: there aren’t many competitors on the market that offer the same functionality, Oyster HR being one example.
In addition to HR and payroll, Rippling functions as an Employer of Record service, and it’s one of the best EORs for operating around the globe, clocking in at number four in our guide to the best Employer of Record services.
Training material is also offered to help businesses fill in any knowledge gaps, which is one common barrier to scaling up an operation.
A global pay run within the Rippling software. Source: Rippling
Tax compliance tools
Rippling will file state and local taxes, as well as offer resources to guide you through the payroll taxes that apply to your operation. If you violate a federal or local labor law, Rippling’s software will automatically alert you, giving you a chance to correct the issue with as few penalties as possible.
Time tracking
Employees are able to clock in and out through Rippling’s mobile app, making it simple and easy for them to get started for the day. The app can also be used for managers to review and approve hours, and these will sync automatically with payroll details.
The home page on a Rippling payroll software account. Source: Rippling
Analytics and reporting
Rippling makes any data on your business easy to find and generate into reports. All data is centralized within the platform, and role-based permissions can be set up to control who can view certain reports using templates in Rippling’s recipe library.
Automation
Rippling can automate many administrative processes to save your business valued time. Better yet, Rippling’s Workflow Studio allows users to make workflows containing data from both Rippling itself and any connected third-party apps.
Likewise, Rippling automates many onboarding tasks, such as course assignment, issuing company cards, and granting access to the right systems.
How Much Does Rippling Cost?
Rippling operates on a custom pricing model that starts at $8 per user, per month, in the form of a build-your own model that lets you add select HR functions to an overall package.
Costs for businesses will vary based on two factors: the total number of users and the feature packages you select.
Because your business can pick and choose what features you want to pay for with Rippling, you’ll only ever pay for the features you need. This saves you money when compared to choosing an alternative that is both more expensive and has features you don’t need. In my opinion, this makes it a great option for cost-conscious companies.
Does Rippling have a free plan?
Rippling does not have a free plan and it doesn’t offer free trials. However, businesses of any size can receive a free demo of the software upon request, followed by a Q and A session.
Compared to providers such as Paychex that don’t offer any kind of free trial or demo, Rippling lets businesses get a feel for their platform before they commit, which is a great option for those who are unsure about which software is best for them.
You can get your free demo by contacting Rippling Payroll for a quote.
Is Rippling right for my business?
In my opinion, Rippling is a great solution for growing businesses that need the flexibility to quickly scale up.
Our research shows that common growing pains for these businesses include the inability to quickly run payroll, assess payroll reports, or view attendance, as well as errors made in the process of transferring data.
Rippling’s global system fixes all of these issues, and it’s a solid choice for small businesses that want to pay only for the features they need, and therefore save money.
Which Integrations Does Rippling Offer?
Rippling’s open API makes it easy for developers with some coding knowledge to craft custom integrations, which can address unique concerns such as exporting or importing set types of data for use on other platforms.
Rippling also offers over 600 third-party integrations, including with:
- Quickbooks
- NetSuite
- Sage Intacct
- Xero
- Human Interest
- Guideline
- One Medical
- Workers Comp
- Betterment
- Vanguard
- QuickBooks Time
- Deputy
- Homebase
- Toggl
- Timeero
- Everhour
- Clockify
- TimeDoctor
- Humanity
- TimeworkPlus
- ClickTime
- Legion
However, one of the few limitations you’ll find with Rippling is that it has no pre-made integrations with large HCM platforms like SAP or Oracle. Thanks to the open API, you can create your own, but if that sounds too time-intensive, you can opt for rival software APD Run, which supports both SAP and Oracle integrations.
What's New in Rippling? (2026)
Rippling routinely rolls out new features and updates via its website. Here are some of the latest improvements:
- Bulk approvals: Users can now bulk approve thousands of requests at a time, improving effiiciency.
- Rich Text Editor: The new tool allows users to quickly insert elements with slash demands, format text with a floating toolbar, and use dynamic placeholders for guidance when writing.
- Shift splits: Employees will now be able to choose the exact hours they want to take on or hand off t a colleague, making teams and schedules easier to manage.
- Finance data: Data can now be exported from any visible grid into a CSV, so that it can be shared with stakeholders or moved into other models or dashboards.
What Customer Support Does Rippling Offer?
Rippling offers support across multiple platforms for its users, including via live chat, phone, email and knowledge base. Plus, if your business is new to using HR and payroll software, Rippling provides in-depth training material for users new to using their platform.
Although you can contact Rippling through several channels, the provider is lacking 24/7 support. If your business needs assistance at all hours, we would recommend Paychex, which offers 24/7 support via live chat.
Ultimately, though, I would say Rippling has a varied amount of customer support options, and most businesses would fare well with its offering.
How Does Rippling Compare With Other Providers?
Though Rippling topped the charts in our research and testing, it isn’t the only option out there. Below, we’ve compared Rippling with other standout providers, so you can make the right choice for your business.
If its unbeatable security you’re after, ADP Run offers the same high level as Rippling. It also has more integrations, particularly for third-party HR resources, which Rippling is lacking. However, Rippling did ultimately trump ADP in our research because of the latter’s lack of email support.
Paychex Flex distinguishes itself from Rippling by offering 24/7 support. Although, it doesn’t offer international payment features or the automatic compliance alerts that are available with Rippling.
Another payroll option that you might want to think about, Gusto offers great customer support for its users within an intuitive, easy-to-use platform. For smaller organizations that might not be totally familiar with payroll tools, it could be an excellent tool.
You can get free, tailored quotes from top payroll providers directly using our comparison tool.
| Starting price | Rating | Key features | |||
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| SPONSORED  | BEST OVERALL  |  |  |  |  |
| Not yet rated | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
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| Compare Quotes | Try Rippling | Compare Quotes | Try Paychex | Compare Quotes | Compare Quotes |
How Did We Research Rippling?
Below, you can view our testing methodology for HR and payroll software.
We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we're giving you the clearest, most useful product recommendations.
After conducting an initial exploration to identify the most relevant, popular and established tools in the market, we put them through their paces to see their real strengths and weaknesses. In this case, we put eight payroll software platforms to the test across 56 areas of investigation.
Based on years of market and user needs research, we've established a payroll software research methodology that scores each product in five main categories of investigation and 10 subcategories; this covers everything from levels of data security and user control, to the customer support each provider offers, and much more.
Our main research categories for payroll software are:
- Control: The level of customization and flexibility provided by the payroll software in managing and processing payroll. It includes features such as the ability to define pay periods, customize earnings and deductions, set up tax withholding rules, and manage employee data.
- Data security: The measures and protocols implemented by the payroll software to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive payroll information. This includes encryption of data, secure data storage, access controls, backup and disaster recovery procedures, and compliance with data protection regulations.
- Expertise: The level of knowledge and guidance provided by the payroll software vendor or support team. This can include resources such as documentation, tutorials, training materials and access to payroll experts who can assist users with payroll-related questions.
- Scalability: The ability of the payroll software to accommodate the growth and changing needs of a business. It includes factors such as the capacity to handle an increasing number of employees, support multiple locations or entities, and adapt to evolving payroll requirements, including HR-related functionality and employee benefits.
- Customer support: The various channels and methods available for users to seek assistance and support from the payroll software vendor. This can include email or ticket-based support, phone support, live chat, community forums and self-help resources
When it comes to calculating a provider's final score, not all research areas are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others. After hundreds of hours, our process is complete and the results should ensure you can find the best solution for your needs.
At Tech.co, we have a number of full-time in-house researchers, who re-run this research process regularly, to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.
Final Thoughts – Is Rippling Worth It?
Rippling is a streamlined solution for keeping payroll simple, easy, and error-free across your business – even around the globe. Among its suite of great features, users can keep track of employee absences, holidays, overtime, and more, and adjust payroll accordingly.
What’s more, users can pick and choose which features they want to include in their payroll package, meaning that you won’t pay for features you don’t need.
While Rippling is a great solution, there are other options on the market worth considering, depending on your needs: we also scored ADP and Paychex highly overall.
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