Business.com aims to help business owners make informed decisions to support and grow their companies. We research and recommend products and services suitable for various business types, investing thousands of hours each year in this process.
As a business, we need to generate revenue to sustain our content. We have financial relationships with some companies we cover, earning commissions when readers purchase from our partners or share information about their needs. These relationships do not dictate our advice and recommendations. Our editorial team independently evaluates and recommends products and services based on their research and expertise. Learn more about our process and partners here.
The right HR solution can simplify your small business's human resources processes. Here's how Rippling and BambooHR compare.
Managing human resources functions becomes essential when your business has employees who depend on you. HR solutions vary widely, but most provide administrative HR services, employee onboarding, payroll processing, HR compliance, benefits administration and performance management. Some organizations handle HR responsibilities in-house using the best HR software. Others opt for more extensive assistance from a professional employer organization (PEO).
Rippling and BambooHR are excellent HR solutions that can take the headaches out of HR management. However, your business, industry and organizational style may make one platform more preferable. We pulled pertinent details from our comprehensive Rippling review and our in-depth review of BambooHR to help you compare these solutions.
Criteria | Rippling | BambooHR |
|---|---|---|
Starting price | Custom quote | $10 per employee/month |
HR services |
|
|
Payroll and benefits | Domestic and global payroll services | Domestic payroll, benefits administration and tax filing |
Usability | Highly customizable and automated | Intuitive and easy to navigate |
Customer support | Help Center, email and live chat (optional HR Help Desk) | Phone, email and web chat |
Rippling’s powerful HR platform is ideal for companies that want to streamline their HR processes through workflow automation. The software is user-friendly and highly customizable, although employers must have the time and resources to configure the platform’s settings and automations correctly.
Unlike other HR vendors, Rippling isn’t just an outsourced HR platform. It also offers IT and finance features, making it an excellent choice for employers that want to manage numerous functions from a centralized platform.
The following elements make Rippling stand out as an HR solution:
Rippling is considered among the best PEO services because of its scalability. You can transition seamlessly from a PEO model to an in-house HR team.
BambooHR is ideal for employers seeking a highly intuitive and user-friendly HR solution that’s easy to implement and navigate with very little training. BambooHR offers three plans and several add-on features, making it a strong choice for small and midsize businesses that want flexibility as their HR needs grow.
With its onboarding and performance management features, BambooHR is also ideal for companies that want to track employees’ progress throughout their tenure.
BambooHR is notable for the following reasons:
While BambooHR is best known for HR management, it also includes performance management and employee engagement tools. Learn more about those capabilities in our BambooHR Employee Monitoring Software review.
Rippling
Rippling is a highly customizable HR platform with a modular pricing model. Because businesses can choose from a wide range of HR, payroll, IT and finance products, the company doesn’t publish pricing online. Instead, you’ll need to contact Rippling for a custom quote based on the modules and services you select.
Note these details about Rippling’s pricing structure:
BambooHR
BambooHR offers three plans — Core, Pro and Elite — that cover HR administration, hiring and onboarding, time-off and benefits tracking, employee experience tools and performance management. Additional capabilities, such as payroll and time tracking, are available as add-ons.
BambooHR now publishes starting prices for its Core, Pro and Elite plans, although businesses may still need to contact the company for custom quotes, add-on pricing and volume discounts.
Note this additional information about BambooHR’s pricing:
BambooHR edges out Rippling in the pricing category. While we would still like to see more transparency around add-on costs and custom quotes, BambooHR now publishes starting prices for its plans and offers free trials for both its core platform and Time Tracking add-on. Combined with its flexible plan structure, that gives prospective customers more information before they commit.
Rippling
With Rippling’s automated workflows, you can successfully onboard new employees within 90 seconds.
BambooHR
BambooHR is also highly customizable and supports a wide range of functions. Here are some notable elements:
BambooHR’s employee survey feature can help you glean insights that increase productivity and reduce employee turnover.
Rippling and its expansive offerings win the HR services category. While we like that BambooHR offers all of the essential HR features a small business would need, Rippling takes it a step further with its workplace automation capabilities. We also like that Rippling’s services can be configured to meet any business’s specific needs and manage HR, IT and finance functions from one location.
Rippling
Rippling’s payroll functionality is a paid add-on. Here’s some of the vendor’s notable payroll information:
Rippling can help with payroll compliance, legal compliance and risk management. It can handle COBRA documentation and stay on top of labor laws and rules about overtime, minimum wage, and meal and rest breaks.
BambooHR
BambooHR’s payroll services are also paid add-ons. Here’s what you should know:
Rippling is the winner for payroll. While we found BambooHR’s payroll functionality sufficient for small businesses within the United States, we like that Rippling can also handle global payroll. Rippling also offers a range of customization features, allowing users to configure many payroll settings.
Rippling
When we tested Rippling’s software, we were pleased with how intuitive and manageable it was for being such a powerful tool. It’s a highly customizable platform that allows businesses to essentially automate their HR processes and workflows. While the setup may take some time and care, you’ll be able to handle your HR functions with ease afterward. We also appreciate that Rippling allows users to manage HR and IT functions from one location, thus reducing the need to learn and integrate multiple platforms.
BambooHR
We really liked BambooHR’s clean and easy-to-navigate interface and dashboard. During testing, we found the software straightforward to use and learn. We especially appreciate that the platform includes numerous self-service features that enable employees to manage many of their own HR functions.
We’re calling a tie on this one. Both platforms are user-friendly, but in different ways. The most user-friendly platform for you will depend on your resources and needs. We like that BambooHR is intuitive and user-friendly from the start, allowing employees to learn the platform easily. On the other hand, it can take a little more time to customize Rippling’s automations and configure its settings. Once they’re established, however, the platform automates your HR processes.
Rippling
All Rippling plans provide email and web chat support. If you want phone support, you must add Rippling’s Help Desk: HR Support feature to your plan. Rippling also has online resources (blogs, templates and a help center) that we found to be on a par with competitors’ offerings.
BambooHR
BambooHR offers phone, email and chat support, along with an extensive online help center and knowledge base. We like that the company’s support resources go beyond technical documentation and include guidance for many common HR tasks, such as onboarding, time-off management, payroll and performance reviews. Businesses can contact support Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT.
This was a close call, but we give BambooHR the edge for customer support. While both providers offer helpful online resources, we appreciate that BambooHR provides multiple support channels and maintains a large knowledge base covering both software functionality and day-to-day HR processes. During our review, we found BambooHR’s support resources easier to navigate and more useful for HR teams looking for guidance beyond basic troubleshooting.
Choose Rippling if …
Choose BambooHR if …
BambooHR integrates with more than 150 third-party applications, including payroll, benefits, recruiting, performance management and productivity tools. Businesses can also use BambooHR’s API to build custom integrations and connect the platform with other systems.
Rippling can integrate with more than 650 third-party applications — more than many competitors offer — lending to the platform’s overall customizability.
No. BambooHR is an HR software solution that offers many of the same HR features as a PEO. However, it does not include the co-employment model of a PEO. And unlike PEOs, BambooHR does not require you to use its payroll platform.
Rippling tends to take a few weeks to implement, which is similar to competitors’ implementation times. However, as with any business software or service, your implementation time will depend on your organization’s size and the features you need. Rippling is highly customizable, so you can expect your implementation time to be a bit longer if you plan to configure several settings.
