Prices, features, pros and cons

Rippling is one of the most popular software solutions that uniquely combines HR, IT, and finance. In this Rippling review, find out why the software suite continues to rank high and separate itself from its pack of competitors.

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What is undulation?

Rippling is highly automated cloud-based software that enables organizations to manage their workforce payroll, benefits, expenses, devices, apps, and more. This well-regarded software solution sets itself apart from the competition by combining HR, IT, and finance all into a unified workforce management platform, which is centralized on one main dashboard (Figure A).

Figure A

Rippling is used for fast onboarding, managing payroll and benefits in the US and worldwide, and running centralized employee databases. Its security features are solid; can provide real-time activity monitoring of workers; and integrate third-party applications and services in a few clicks. Rippling can manage 2,000+ employees and users can scale quickly.

undulating features

Global payroll management

Rippling’s global payroll management features and capabilities are some of its biggest advantages. The platform can manage thousands of remote workers, regardless of where they are located. Payroll processing for employees around the world can be done in a matter of minutes and with just a few clicks (Figure B).

Figure B

Rippling’s data sync feature is the power behind payroll automation. You can track hourly work and PTO, compliance, wage and salary information reports, as well as perform tax calculations and much more. If you use QuickBooks and NetSuite ERP, you can also integrate them with Rippling.

Administration of employee benefits and health insurance.

Rippling’s benefits administration is comprehensive, bringing together health insurance, 401k and more information in one system. Also, the benefits are fully automated; once you add a worker, the person will automatically receive an invitation to choose their own coverage plan. Tax, insurance and other deductions are also automated.

You can enroll new employees, update deductions and manage COBRA, plus get quotes and compare and enroll in more than 4,000 benefit plans from the nation’s leading insurance companies, including Aetna, Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield (Figure C).

Figure C

Customer service

Ripple users love customer support. In addition, Rippling provides a wide range of training and learning materials.

Global workforce management

The main differentiator between Rippling and its main competitors is its holistic approach to workforce management. Companies can hire, pay and centralize their talent in one place. Each worker will be paid in their own currency and receive comprehensive IT and HR support.

Businesses can automate compliance to comply with local laws and customize policy by country. Additionally, users can create unified reports by pulling data from the platform and third-party systems.

Rippling can manage and integrate third-party apps, as well as seamlessly track and monitor employee apps, devices, data, and security, no matter where they are, in a unified system (Figure D).

Figure D

To mitigate cybersecurity threats, the company monitors devices, implements systems, enforces security rules, detects threats in real time, and tracks shipments and inventory.

Another welcome feature is the learning management program that Rippling offers to empower its employees, helping them grow professionally. Learning Management has a robust library of over 1,000 pre-built courses, including training on sexual harassment, cybersecurity, and HIPAA.

Rippling enables organizations to conduct surveys to better understand their talent and gain insight into their teams.

Ripple Advantages

All in one solution

The main benefit of Rippling is that you can manage HR, IT, and finance all in one suite, which leads to numerous benefits.

• This prevents teams from migrating data internally from one platform to another.
• It removes many cross-platform hurdles such as data duplication, consistency, irregularities, and confusion.
• This saves resources, time, and cost because HR teams can manage the entire life cycle of an employee, from hiring to onboarding to firing.

Easy to use

Many leading software platforms are very complex to manage, but Rippling does an excellent job of balancing performance with integration and accessibility. By designing intuitive and easy-to-use dashboards and guides, not everyone on your team needs to be an IT expert or data scientist to manage Rippling.

Automation

With Rippling’s powerful automation tools, you only need to enter data in some cases; after that, the system will “wave” the information throughout the platform, placing it where it is needed. Rippling also guides users through automated step-by-step processes as they fill out information to set up payroll, 401k, health insurance, other benefits, and more.

IT management integration

Technology has become a critical business for almost every industry. As hybrid work became the norm and thousands of new terminals appeared, managing the workforce requires the talent of human resources, finance and IT. The combination of these three key sectors is one of Rippling’s greatest strengths. Rippling unifies your HR cloud, IT cloud, Finance cloud to access through the main dashboard, creating a holistic solution and one place to manage it all.

customizable and scalable

No matter the size of your business or industry sector, Rippling can adapt and grow. Users can seamlessly scale from two employees to thousands while customizing profile posts, reports, and dashboards.

Comprehensive configuration

Payroll, tax, redundancy, and talent management can be extremely complex to manage and set up; Rippling addresses these processes with step-by-step guides that allow a company to set their own preferences. Additionally, smaller organizations can skip the more complex installation configuration steps reserved for large enterprises.

Ripple Cons

Cost

Corrugation is not the cheapest solution on the market. Most of their pricing plans are charged monthly per employee, and the cost can add up quickly when companies have hundreds or thousands of workers. However, the solutions you get for the cost are more comprehensive than those offered by the competition.

no free trial

It is useful to test new software before investing in it. Rippling does not offer a free trial, although you can request a 30-minute demo with an expert. Most of Rippling’s competitors offer free trials and many businesses, especially small ones, benefit from this type of model.

A steep learning curve

Ripple requires no technical knowledge, coding, or advanced computer skills. Although intuitive and easy to use, users can feel overwhelmed by the overabundance of platform tools and dashboards. Be prepared that it may take a while for your team to take advantage of all of Rippling’s functionality.

Time consuming setups

Wiggly automation wizards are useful, but they tend to produce significantly lengthy to-do lists and tasks. The automation process will ask your team many questions, especially during the initial stages of operations.

rolling prices

Rippling starts at $8 per month for each user. Each IT and HR product (payroll, benefits, device management, etc.) can be purchased separately, along with the basic Rippling Unity platform. Each IT and HR product (eg payroll, benefits, device management) can be purchased separately with the core Rippling Unity platform, so each company can create their own plan.

Compared to its competition, Rippling is $2-$3 more expensive per user, but Rippling does not require a monthly fee on top of the per user fee. In addition, the company offers additional comprehensive features that competitors do not offer and goes beyond the unique functionality of payroll management. Some additional Rippling products may be included with the base monthly rates. Rippling products include the Rippling Unity Platform and the HR Cloud, IT Cloud and Finance Cloud offerings are sold separately.

Rippling vs. its main competitors

Rippling competes with Gusto and OnPay as well as other similar products, although Rippling is the only company of the three solutions that offers a mix of HR, IT and finance functions. This table compares the prices and key features of Rippling, Gusto, and OnPay.

Rippling vs. taste vs. OnPay: Features and Pricing Comparison Table

Review methodology

This review is based on my personal experience using the software in a business environment. In addition, it includes information and user reviews from Gartner Peer Insights, Forbes, Finance Online review for Business, and other aggregate review sources.