Rippling HR Software Review and Pricing

Why We Chose Rippling for Ease of Use

In our many years of testing HR software, Rippling is one of the most comprehensive solutions we’ve reviewed, but that doesn’t mean it sacrifices usability. As robust as it is, Rippling is also one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use platforms on the market and it can be implemented into your business in a few weeks. The software is highly customizable and it permits users to automate nearly every HR process, which can streamline HR functions overall.

Furthermore, we like Rippling’s app and device management functions, which allow you to seamlessly integrate your HR and IT solutions in one platform. These features, which aren’t common among competitors we evaluated, can be key to simplifying multiple business processes. With the Rippling system, you can tackle recruiting and onboarding, payroll processing, compensation management, benefits administration, performance management and time tracking from a single program. The software also provides straightforward reports and analytics so that you can stay on top of critical HR data. 

For business owners and HR leaders looking for an HR software solution that’s easy to implement and use without skimping on functionality, Rippling is our top choice.

Rippling acts as one centralized platform for managing your workforce, starting with recruitment. Source: Rippling

Ease of Use

One of Rippling’s best qualities is its ease of use. The platform’s dashboard is intuitive to navigate. You and your HR staff can create tasks easily, assign them to the appropriate employees and manage them all on this one screen. When testing the software ourselves, we also liked that you can create automated workflows to streamline key HR-related tasks. This is ideal for speeding up your HR processes and reducing the potential for human error.

Plus, it’s not just business owners and HR managers who can take advantage of Rippling. Employees can access the cloud-based software easily and self-service features to manage their personal HR tasks from any web-enabled device, which saves major time for managers and HR team members.

Rippling also has a mobile app for iOS and Android devices that your staff can use to manage and review their HR to-dos from any location; this is on par with what many rivals in this sector offer. But what adds to the system’s impressive usability is that Rippling’s HR software can integrate with more than 500 third-party applications, meaning it works seamlessly with many programs you probably already use to run your business.

Rippling HR Software Features

Rippling’s base service, its workforce management platform, includes a foundational module that can assist your company with onboarding, offboarding and task management, to name a few functions. From there, you can opt to add features like payroll processing, employee benefits administration, talent management and app and device management. Note that adding these additional functions will not make this platform any more complex or challenging to use, which is one of our favorite things about it. The valuable features never come at the expense of ease of use. 

Although the services and tools you can access will depend on your specific Rippling package, here’s a look at some of Rippling’s user-friendly features that can help simplify your HR processes.

Recruiting and Onboarding

Recruiting and onboarding workers with Rippling is easy. Its applicant tracking system (ATS) has customizable job boards, candidate surveys, calendar integrations and analytics. When recruiting employees, you can select candidates from your ATS or background check system to have candidate information merged into the Rippling platform automatically or you can enter candidate details manually. These features are on par with those of competitor ATS. 

What we especially liked when testing the platform was Rippling’s interview capabilities. You can set user permissions and create interview groups for who is allowed to conduct interviews and when they are available. After an interview, you can send feedback forms to each hiring person and then the program’s built-in artificial intelligence can compile that feedback into one digestible summary. 

Rippling allows users to add feedback during the hiring process. Source: Rippling

Also when testing the software, we liked that you can access useful employee management functions like onboarding and offboarding tools, document and task management, customizable position management, applicant tracking, background checks, e-verification and offer letters. The system can also push your job candidates through to background checks and e-verification, after which you can enter the person’s salary and start date and hire them officially.

Another thing we especially appreciate about Rippling is that it lets you configure and automate the employee onboarding process as well as create custom hiring workflows and approval automations. With these workflows, Rippling can send your new hires important documents for e-signature, such as offer letters, new-hire paperwork, employee handbooks, I-9 and W-4 forms, and then store those documents within the system automatically.

Once you’ve onboarded an employee, the software creates an employee record for them automatically. It includes details like their employment and personal information, role, direct reports, signed and acknowledged documents, payroll information, insurance plans, employee performance records and integrated applications. This allows you to view and modify employee information and perform tasks like scheduling, converting employee types and updating compensation. We particularly like that these changes sync with your payroll data automatically.

Payroll

If you want to expand your Rippling software to calculate and run payroll, you can add to your package full-service payroll processing, which is available in all 50 states. When testing the software, we found Rippling’s payroll features to be competitive with those of other platforms we reviewed. The payroll service includes automatic tax filing, direct deposit, workers’ compensation insurance, reimbursements, deductions, garnishments, year-end tax forms and new-hire filing. You can use the system to track pay rates and job costing and it helps you comply with I-9 and W-2 regulations.

One thing we love about Rippling is that it created a native global payroll solution for employers to pay their international workers. The vendor currently offers global payroll in dozens of countries and global contractor payments in more than 140 countries. With Rippling’s global payroll tools, you can automate certain tax information easily, differentiate how people in different countries are paid with unique pay schedules and policies and automate time and attendance policy compliance, such as overtime laws, based on employee location.

Rippling helps you manage employee compensation with its comprehensive payroll tools. Source: Rippling

What’s more, Rippling can debit all payments from a United States-based bank account and will automatically convert the currency to those of the countries you’re paying employees in. This level of global payment isn’t something many of its peers offer, but it can be a vital component of simplifying HR for international employers.

Furthermore, since Rippling integrates with top accounting software like QuickBooks (read our QuickBooks Online review) and Oracle NetSuite, you can rest assured that your payroll and accounting details will be in sync. All that said, if you’re looking for HR software that focuses primarily on payroll, check out our review of Gusto and our Rippling vs. Gusto comparison.

Benefits Administration

We like that Rippling lets businesses configure employee benefits packages with custom details like contribution strategies and waiting periods. You can connect your current benefits broker to the system or let Rippling refer one to you. The platform can pull information from employee profiles to help your team enroll in benefits automatically, saving your HR staff countless hours. Employee selections automatically sync with your payroll details for the proper withholdings. With Rippling automating the process, your organization can complete open enrollment quickly.

Rippling can streamline the benefits enrollment process, saving your HR team significant time.
Source: Rippling

Reporting and Analytics

When trying Rippling, we liked that virtually every data field within the software is reportable, making it possible to get insights on almost any HR issue within your organization. The system boasts customizable HR reporting features that can analyze various aspects of your workforce. For instance, you can create reports to study headcount and employee turnover within your company. 

You can also access and modify built-in report templates, download reports to Excel and comma-separated values files and share reports with other people in the Rippling system. We found the reporting features to be competitive with those of other HR solutions on the market. Rival HR software provider Paycor, for example, also excels when it comes to workforce analytics. Read our review of Paycor to learn more.

It’s easy to visualize workforce data with Rippling’s analytics. Source: Rippling

Rippling Time and Attendance

We like how the Rippling system helps manage your workforce by automating your time and attendance processes. Since Rippling’s time and attendance services fully integrate with the rest of the software, we greatly appreciate how easy it is to automate and streamline a multitude of HR tasks from one centralized platform. As with many of the program’s features, the time and attendance tools include employee self-service capabilities to help put some of the HR work into the hands of your team members with a minimal learning curve.

Clocking In and Out

Rippling is a web-based platform, so employees can clock in and out using a web browser, tablet kiosk and even the Rippling mobile app. We found this flexibility to be comparable to other time-tracking solutions on the market. When testing Rippling, we liked that it allows employers to set security restrictions to hold employees accountable and prevent timecard fraud. For example, geolocation restrictions can be set on where employees can clock in and out and you can opt for quick response code clock-ins and selfie clock-ins if needed. If wanted, Rippling also lets users add hours to attendance records manually.

Overtime and Time-off Management

Ensuring your staff adheres to things like time-off regulations and overtime laws can be tricky, especially if you have employees working in various states or countries. We like that Rippling simplifies this issue by creating system policies automatically that are legally compliant with relevant state and federal employment laws. These automated policies can be based on your employees’ work locations and Rippling can notify team members automatically when they’re nearing overtime. This also applies to international workers.

Rippling can also help automate your time-off management process. When we tested the software, we noticed the system has an intuitive PTO scheduler that allows employees to submit time-off requests. Once requests are submitted, they are sent automatically to the employee’s manager for approval. [Related article: Why Offering Paid Leave Is Good for Your Business]

Job Tracking and Costing

One of the features we like most about Rippling’s time and attendance module is its ability to track employee hours based on specific jobs and locations. You can configure a policy that prompts employees to assign the hours they work to a relevant job when they clock in or out automatically. This automated process prevents employees from forgetting this task and it allows you to group labor costs by jobs or locations when performing strategic workforce planning. Employee hours sync with payroll automatically as well, simplifying your overall time tracking and employee pay process.

Time Tracking Alerts and Notifications

Similar to other time tracking programs we reviewed, Rippling’s software offers alerts and notifications. However, one thing we especially like about Rippling is that it allows businesses to create customized rules for alerts and notifications. Users can create alerts for triggers such as meal breaks, shift endings, early clock-outs, overtime, approvals and cost control. This keeps employers and employees in the know regarding important timekeeping occurrences.

Rippling Pricing

The price of Rippling’s workforce management platform starts at $8 per employee, per month. For an added cost, you can customize your plan by signing up for HR services like recruitment, U.S. and global full-service payroll processing, benefits administration, time and attendance, flex benefits, Affordable Care Act and COBRA administration, learning management, performance management, headcount planning and pulse surveys. Plus, those who need advanced IT services can add capabilities like app, inventory and device management for an additional fee. This isn’t something many competitors offer.

If you need additional HR support, Rippling also offers professional employer organization (PEO), administrative services organization and global employer-of-record services. We like that Rippling uses the same platform for all of these services, making it easy to scale between plans as needed and never complicating user-friendliness.

Meanwhile, if you want quick access to the Rippling HR Help Desk, you can pay an additional monthly fee for one-on-one HR support. With so many add-ons and fees to account for, you’ll need to contact Rippling directly for a custom quote to determine your total costs above the $8-per-employee baseline. Note that some service costs may be per-employee and others may have a monthly base rate.

Businesses can arrange for a free demo with a Rippling product expert, who will provide an up- close look at all of the platform’s features. Although the vendor doesn’t give free trials like some rivals, you can explore the software by following along with Rippling’s helpful product tour video.

Implementation and Onboarding

Since Rippling offers a wide range of features and add-ons, you’ll need to work with a company representative to customize your plan and implementation process. The software is capable of automating roughly 90 percent of HR processes, so those will also need to be set up if you want to take advantage of them. The more you automate and integrate, the longer your implementation process will be — however, this will ultimately save you time in the long run. 

When we tried the software, we liked how Rippling was able to integrate with more than 500 third-party applications, but that is another implementation consideration to keep in mind. Even so, the company maintains its system can be ready to go in just three weeks, which is quicker than many of the other HR solutions we reviewed. Despite necessitating company assistance, the setup process isn’t daunting and demonstrates Rippling’s ease of use further.

Rippling can integrate with hundreds of third-party applications, allowing you to connect and streamline various business operations. Source: Rippling

Customer Service

Rippling users can receive real-time live chat and email support. If you want one-on-one assistance from certified HR pros, you can add the company’s HR Help Desk offering to your package for an extra monthly fee. With this service, you can call or email HR experts and receive real-time compliance updates. Rippling has valuable digital resources too, such as an online help center, “recipe templates” (for forms, surveys, notifications and other documents) and a blog. 

We thought it was especially neat that Rippling’s website also has a support status page that gives users an idea of how long the vendor’s customer service team is taking to respond to inquiries on a daily basis, broken down by support type, such as phone, email and chat. You can also see how many issues are getting resolved on first contact and a weekly customer satisfaction score. Notably, other HR software providers don’t offer this transparency.

Limitations

Although Rippling is a great HR software platform, we noticed a few potential drawbacks during our investigation. For example, the company doesn’t list its pricing online. The cost for the basic platform starts at $8 per employee, per month, and then goes up as you add more features, but exact pricing for each feature isn’t spelled out online. Instead, you need to contact a Rippling representative to get a custom quote based on your specific needs. This isn’t a deal-breaker for most businesses, but it can be a hurdle if you’re looking for a quick cost comparison online. If upfront pricing is essential to you, read our review of Papaya Global and our Bambee review.

Also, Rippling isn’t accredited by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC). ESAC is an agency that verifies a PEO’s reliability in regulatory compliance, financial stability and ethical conduct. While ESAC accreditation isn’t necessary, we appreciate it as an additional sign of trustworthiness. It’s worth mentioning Rippling is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating with the agency and many other online platforms. However, if ESAC accreditation is paramount to you, check out our review of TriNet and our ADP review. 

Methodology

We tested dozens of HR systems to identify the top HR software solutions on the market. Factors we considered during our hands-on evaluations included recruiting and onboarding tools, employee benefits administration, time tracking features, payroll processing abilities, performance management options, reports, integrations and legal compliance assistance. We also took into account pricing, usability and customer support options.

To find the best HR software for businesses prioritizing ease of use, we paid closer attention to the implementation process, automation capabilities, usability, integration options, reporting tools and customer service. You can read more about our editorial process here.

Bottom Line

We recommend Rippling for …

• Businesses looking for an intuitive, easy-to-use HR platform.
• Companies that want a speedy software implementation.
• Organizations that want to automate most HR processes.
• Enterprises that need comprehensive HR reporting features.

We don’t recommend Rippling for …

• Businesses that want to try HR software with a free trial before formally signing up.
• Companies that expect to need frequent phone support.
• Organizations seeking transparent pricing online.