Rippling payroll review September 2024: Features, pricing, and more

Rippling Payroll

Transparent pricing?	No, custom quote required
Free trial length:	Typically not offered, but sometimes available during limited-time offers. Terms and conditions apply.
24/7 customer support?	Yes, 24/7 via live chat, ticket, or help center

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• Unlimited pay runs
• Free secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates and malware protection
• Discounts available for multiyear subscriptions
• Built-in time tracking feature

Cons

• Customer service is not the best
• No money-back guarantee
• Quite pricey

Who is Rippling Payroll good for?

Rippling is a solid option for businesses that work with employees and contractors, especially if they are working out of different countries. Its comprehensive benefits administration and payroll reports are also suitable for those looking for such functions. Also, Rippling is a good choice if you need an organized platform that’s easy to navigate and eliminates the need to calculate work hours, overtime, or process taxes.

Who shouldn’t use Rippling Payroll?

If you’re new to payroll systems and looking to rely on customer support, consider other payroll tools since Rippling’s customer service is its primary shortcoming. Another reason to choose a different payroll provider is if you’re bent on testing a software’s features before purchasing. Also, if you prefer choosing a plan with specific payroll features, Rippling’s customizable plans won’t be a good fit.

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Rippling plan & pricing overview

Since Rippling offers beyond payroll, it allows you to customize your package, which requires you to request a quote. Still, Rippling displays its per-user rate: $8 per month. Our findings reveal that the monthly subscription for employees is $35 per month, which you’re to pay regardless of which features you choose. You can also pay for a contractor-only plan, where you pay for each contractor without any subscription fees. 

Basic Rippling features are: 

• Employee payroll 
• Contractor payroll 
• Federal, state, and local tax filing 
• Scheduling and time tracking
• Wage garnishments 
• Direct deposits and checks 
• Payroll reporting 

There’s usually no free trial, but you can request a free live demo of how Rippling works. There are also occasional limited-time offers that include a free period but you’ll have to keep your eyes open for these. For example, new users who sign up before October 31, 2024 can get three months of payroll at no charge (if terms and conditions are met). 

Rippling also offers a 100% error-free guarantee on tax preparation and filing and promises to refund or settle any liabilities.

Pros and cons of Rippling payroll for small businesses

While it offers several payroll features that minimize payroll hassles, specific Rippling benefits and drawbacks can affect your decision. Rippling stands out for handling everyone’s payroll. Without paying additional fees, you can calculate and process payments for employees and contractors, whether local or international. It also includes time tracking features, which cost extra with some payroll providers. 

Rippling allows you to customize payroll processes to suit your business structure, such as scheduled payments, which you can change anytime. It also enables unlimited pay runs and off-cycle payments. We found the payroll software organized, giving an overview and deep dive into payroll processes, including total hours worked and reimbursement status. You’ll also see payroll reports, which give you an insight into the cost of salaries, benefits, reimbursements, and taxes. 

While many customers agree they get good value for Rippling’s services, customer support can be an issue. Some users found it to be inaccessible or unreliable, despite Rippling reporting strong response times. Also, while Rippling offers robust benefits administration, you’ll need to pay for it, which can add quickly to an already pricey monthly payment. 

Other services Rippling offers 

• Benefits administration: Rippling offers benefits administration for 401(k), medical, dental, vision, and others. It allows you to administer existing coverages or compare more than 4,000 plans.
• Time tracking: Rippling tracks employee hours, noting breaks, overtime, approved hours, and more, and syncs the records with payroll to calculate salaries. It also reports work hours to help you ensure compliance with labor laws. 
• Expense reimbursement: Rippling enables reimbursement for corporate expenses. This feature, available as an add-on, also catches receipt mismatches or duplications and performs necessary currency conversions, allowing you to refund workers regardless of location or currency.
• Contractor payments: Rippling offers features such as time tracking, timecard approval, license provisioning, contracts, and global contractor payment that allow contractors to receive payments. Depending on the bank, contractors receive funds within two to four days.  
• International payroll: Rippling supports global payroll, allowing you to pay employees and contractors across multiple countries. It considers employment laws and tax regulations and makes payments available in 50 currencies.
• Surveys: Rippling allows you to set up automatic surveys for onboarding new employees, exit process, and other milestones. Triggers for follow-ups based on responses can be layered in, as well.
• Learning management: Human resource departments can run trainings, courses, and share learning materials within the Rippling platform for employees, including international staff.

The Rippling platform and customer support 

Rippling’s dashboard is organized and straightforward. It gives you an overview of features and items, such as upcoming pay runs, total hours worked, deductions, tax reports, and integrated apps, and allows you to customize the dashboard to suit your payroll structure. Rippling also offers support via tickets, live chat, email, phone, and its help center. However, some users complained of delays and unhelpful responses with Rippling’s support. 

Employees also lack direct customer support. They have to go through their payroll account administrator, who must book a meeting to resolve issues. Cristian Ovidiu, CEO of Online Games, said that while Rippling is easy to use, “enhancements in customer support and additional customization options could further elevate the user experience.”  

Despite reported issues with customer support responsiveness, Rippling says they are the first and only HR company to publicly release customer support data. According to Rippling’s real-time status page, users only wait about 21 seconds for a live chat response, and post above 90% in customer satisfaction score (CSAT).

Is Rippling secure?

Rippling takes several security measures to protect your data, including robust encryption technology, strict role-based access controls, multifactor authentication (MFA), and real-time activity logging. Rippling conducts regular audits, runs internal and external pen tests, and uses various security solutions, such as Web App Firewall (WAF) and Runtime App Self Protection Agent (RASP) to monitor and eliminate threats. It also ensures employees are vetted and undergo continuous security training and third-party providers meet security data protection standards. Then, it boasts compliance with System and Organization Controls (SOC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) so, rest assured, it’s safe to use this payroll provider. 

Rippling user reviews

We saw a lot of positive reviews on Rippling. The payroll provider boasts 4.8 stars out of 5 on G2, and 4.9 stars out of 5 on Capterra, with many customers applauding its ease of use. They love that the platform is easy to navigate even with all its features since it has a modern interface and remains responsive. The problem, however, lies in its support. 

Employees have to go through account administrators, who complain that they sometimes receive inconsistent responses from Rippling representatives, making it difficult to resolve issues within days. Daniel Lynch, the President of Empathy First Media, was unhappy that despite having two W2 employees and six contractors, Rippling would not stop charging him for benefits administration for 1099 contractors who do not qualify for benefits. There were other complaints about the pricing, which is on the high side, especially since they keep increasing by the year (25% within two years). 

Compare Rippling alternatives

Rippling	Gusto	OnPay
Base monthly cost	Base monthly cost	Base monthly cost
$35	$40 per month	$40
Fee per employee	Fee per employee	Fee per employee
$8 per month	$6 per month	$6 per month
Free trial length	Free trial length	Free trial length
Unavailable	30 days	30 days
Learn more	Learn more	Learn more
View offer at Rippling	View offer at Gusto	View offer at OnPay

Rippling vs. Gusto 

Rippling and Gusto made our best payroll services list, providing unlimited payroll and tax services for employees and contractors within and outside the United States. However, Gusto’s benefits administration is built in and covers more benefits, including commuter and custom benefits, such as wellness programs. It also offers a basic payroll plan alongside Plus and Premium plans, which allow you to purchase add-ons to handle complex payroll needs. 

Rippling is better than Gusto in terms of payroll offerings, such as time tracking, workflow automation, and integrations. Its time-tracking feature and workflow automation are built in while Gusto customers need to pay extra to access them. Also, Rippling offers a 100% error-free guarantee, which Gusto lacks. 

Rippling vs. OnPay

Both providers offer unlimited payroll and tax services and enable seamless integration with third-party apps. However, OnPay offers industry-specific payroll services for various businesses, including nonprofits, Agriculture firms, and companies with over 500 workers. While its customer support is not 24/7, such as Rippling, its support is more reliable, and expert support is available via phone, chat, and email. Also, you won’t need to pay for contractors you don’t run payroll for during the month, which helps save some money. OnPay also offers a free trial. 

While OnPay’s transparent pricing makes it a better choice for some businesses, many prefer to customize their package, especially if they only need payroll services. Its Contractor-only plan also makes it more fitting for settling contractor payments.

Is Rippling right for you?

Rippling’s ability to handle employees and contractors without extra costs makes it suitable for companies with both types of workers. It also allows local and international payments, making it right for those with team members worldwide. If you don’t want to pay for a separate scheduling or time-tracking app or intend to integrate your payroll software with existing business apps, Rippling’s seamless integration with over 500 apps makes it the right choice. 

However, those looking for built-in benefit administration features should look elsewhere. Also, if you’re looking for prepared plans with specific features and an opportunity to test payroll features, Payroll is not a good fit. Rippling also has customer service issues, so consider Rippling’s competitors if that’s a drawback. 

Frequently asked questions