Item: BambooHR
Rating: 9.2
Author: Skye Schooley

Rippling Editor’s Score: 9.7/10

Price/value	9.7
Features	9.9
Customizations, add-ons and integrations	9.9
Ease of use	9.9
Customer service	8.9

Why We Chose Rippling for Ease of Use

Rippling is one of the most comprehensive HR software solutions we 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 in just a few weeks. The software is highly customizable, and it permits users to automate nearly every HR process, which can streamline HR functions overall. When you add or modify data anywhere in the Rippling platform, it automatically updates across the entire software.

We further 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 researched, can be key to simplifying multiple business processes. With the Rippling system, you can tackle recruiting and onboarding, payroll processing, benefits administration, and time tracking from one platform. The software also provides straightforward reports and analytics so you can stay on top of critical HR data.

Rippling task checklist

You and your whole team can stay organized with Rippling’s task checklists. Source: Rippling

Tip

When you add or change information in one part of the Rippling platform, it automatically updates every aspect of the software where that information is applicable. For example, the information a candidate includes on a job application will auto-populate in their employee profile and offer letter if you hire them.

What We Like About Rippling

Rippling makes it easy to automate several HR processes.
It can take only three weeks to implement the software.
Rippling can integrate its HR features with app and device management functions to create a comprehensive workforce platform.

What We Don’t Like About Rippling

Rippling doesn’t offer a free trial.
The vendor requires you to call the company for total pricing.

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 easily create tasks, assign them to the appropriate employees and manage them all on this one screen. When testing the software, 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 easily access the cloud-based software 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 other competitors 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.

FYI

You can implement the Rippling platform in as little as three weeks, so your HR tasks will be streamlined in no time, with minimal disruption to your business. In fact, this is a faster implementation than many of the vendor’s rivals can achieve.

Rippling 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.

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 tools that can help simplify your HR processes.

Recruiting and Onboarding

When recruiting employees, you can select candidates from your applicant tracking system or background check system to have candidate information automatically merged into the Rippling platform, or you can manually enter candidate details. When testing the software, we liked that you can easily 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 officially hire them.

One 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 automatically send your new hires important documents for e-signature (e.g., offer letters, new-hire paperwork, employee handbooks, I-9 and W-4 forms, etc.) and then store those documents within the system.

Once you’ve onboarded an employee, the software automatically creates an employee record for them. 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 automatically sync with your payroll data.

Did You Know?

Onboarding is so simple with Rippling that the company says you can onboard new hires in the software within 90 seconds. Learn about the importance of a successful onboarding process.

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.

Rippling payroll preview

You can preview payroll before officially submitting it for processing. Source: Rippling

One thing we really 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 five countries (Canada, India, the U.K., Australia and France) and can pay global contractors in 150 countries. With Rippling’s global payroll tools, you can easily automate certain tax information, differentiate how people in different countries are paid with unique pay schedules and policies, and automate time and attendance policy compliance (i.e., overtime laws) based on employee location.

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

Plus, since Rippling integrates with top accounting software like QuickBooks (read our QuickBooks Online review) and 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.

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 company’s platform can pull employee 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 benefits enrollment process

Rippling can streamline the benefits enrollment process. 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 employee turnover within your company. You can also access and modify built-in report templates, download reports to Excel and CSV files, and share reports with other people in the Rippling system. We found Rippling’s 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.

Rippling reporting

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

Rippling Time and Attendance

We like how Rippling’s 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 Rippling software, it’s easy to automate and streamline a multitude of HR tasks from one centralized HR platform. As with many of the company’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.

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 (available for iOS and Android). 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 QR-code clock-ins and selfie clock-ins if needed. If you want added time-tracking flexibility, Rippling also lets users manually add hours to attendance records.

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 by automatically creating system policies 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 automatically notify team members when they’re nearing overtime. This even applies to international workers.

Did You Know?

Rippling will notify you when your policies aren’t in compliance and give you easy ways to comply with one-click solution buttons.

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 automatically sent to the employee’s manager for approval. [Read 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 automatically prompts employees to assign the hours they work to a relevant job when they clock in or out. 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 automatically sync with payroll as well, simplifying your overall time tracking and employee pay process.

Time-Tracking Alerts and Notifications

Similar to other time-tracking solutions 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 employee 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 full-service payroll processing, benefits administration, time and attendance, applicant tracking, flex benefits, and Affordable Care Act and COBRA administration. Plus, those who need advanced IT services can add capabilities like app management and device management for an additional fee. This isn’t something many competitors offer.

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. 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 competitors, 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.

When we tested 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 claims its system can be ready to go in just three weeks, which is quicker than many of the other HR solutions we reviewed.

Rippling third-party integration

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.

Rippling has valuable digital resources too, like 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 (e.g., phone, email, 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. For example, the company doesn’t clearly 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.

Also, Rippling isn’t accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has an F rating with the agency. This doesn’t necessarily reflect the service you’ll receive from Rippling, but we like to see significantly higher BBB ratings. For what it’s worth, though, Rippling is highly rated and reviewed on various other online platforms. Still, if BBB accreditation and ratings are important to you, check out our review of Bambee and our Paycor review.

Methodology

We researched and analyzed dozens of HR systems to identify the top HR software solutions on the market. Factors we considered included pricing, contracts, recruiting and onboarding tools, employee benefits administration, time-tracking features, payroll processing, performance management options, reports, integrations, legal compliance assistance, usability, and customer service availability. Whenever possible, we watched product videos and participated in demos. When looking for the best HR software for businesses prioritizing ease of use, we paid closer attention to implementation, automation, usability, integrations, reporting and customer service.

FAQs

Does Rippling provide benefits?

Yes. Rippling can administer benefits to your employees. You can access comprehensive benefits like medical, dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts (e.g., HSAs and FSAs); retirement plans; commuter benefits; COBRA; and workers’ compensation. The software can automate benefits enrollment for your employees to simplify the process.

Is Rippling a PEO?

Rippling can act as a professional employer organization (PEO) if you want to access its HR features through a co-employment model. By partnering with Rippling as a PEO, small and midsize businesses can share ownership of their employees and access better HR benefits than they might otherwise be unable to afford. Rippling also offers a stand-alone HR solution without a PEO co-employment model, so you can easily move between the two options as needed.

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 several 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 need frequent phone support.

Rippling HR Software Review and Pricing

Rippling HR Software and Pricing

The Verdict