Payroll systems should fit your business’s needs, preferences, and budget. Sometimes, popular human resource (HR) software like Rippling falls short. ?
Sure, it can help you manage every HR task on your plate—from recruiting and onboarding to learning management and payroll—but it might not tick all your boxes.
Maybe it’s too pricey for your liking, or you’re frustrated with Rippling’s lack of 24/7 support via direct phone calls. Perhaps, you just prefer a system with fewer bells and whistles that’s easier to set up and navigate.
Whatever your reasons, our list of the 10 best Rippling alternatives has something for you.
10 Best Alternatives to Rippling for Payroll Management
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in Rippling Alternatives?
When searching for the right Rippling alternative, focus on what matters for your business’s payroll and HR. Let’s break down the important stuff to look out for, so you can choose the software that fits your business just right.
- User-friendliness: The platform should be simple and intuitive so you and your team can handle HR tasks without a steep learning curve
- Features: Choose an HR solution that covers all your needs, like automated payroll processing, tax filings, employee benefits administration, hiring, and onboarding. It’s even better if you can customize it to match your unique processes
- Pricing: The right performance management and payroll solutions should balance key features you need with pricing plans that fit your budget ?
- Reporting and analytics: Look for software solutions that dig into HR insights for optimizing business processes (like recruitment and onboarding) and employee performance
- Integrations: Check if the tool integrates with other systems you use, like cloud storage, video conferencing, accounting, and time-tracking software
- Support: Reliable and accessible customer support matters, especially for tricky payroll issues. Prioritize tools with a proven record of excellent customer support
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Rippling Alternatives to Use in 2024
Now that you know what to look for, let’s check out the top 10 Rippling alternatives that’ll give you the best deal for your dollar. ?
We’ll cover each tool’s strengths, limitations, and pricing plans. Just remember to keep your business needs in mind to find the right fit.
Ready? Let’s roll! ?
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is a productivity platform for running all areas of your business. This includes managing employee databases and human resource processes like recruitment, onboarding, employee performance, and satisfaction.
What’s cool about ClickUp is how you can tweak it to suit exactly what your business needs. Use the 15+ custom fields—like text, number, date, rating, and progress—to keep your employee and process details neat and tidy.
You can also visualize data with custom views. Whether you want to store employee data in a table view, track the status of workflows on a Kanban board, or schedule events inside the Calendar view, ClickUp has you covered. ✨
And if setting this up sounds like a lot, don’t sweat it—there are a bunch of HR templates, like ClickUp’s Payroll Project Plan Template, that make it easy. And to make life even more efficient, set up automations to move tasks through different stages, assign deadlines, and give your team a heads-up to get started on them.
The best part? ClickUp is accessible from your web browser, desktop, and mobile devices.
If you’re looking for a Rippling alternative that adapts to your unique needs, ClickUp might just be what you’ve been missing.
ClickUp best features
- Track work time and add it to timesheets
- Communicate with employees and new hires in task comments and chat channels
- Store and collaborate on employee handbooks, company wikis, and SOPs in ClickUp Docs
- Monitor task progress, employee workload and performance, and KPIs on custom dashboards ?
- Connect ClickUp with 1,000+ external apps via native integrations, Zapier, and API
ClickUp limitations
- Lacks advanced HR functions like payroll processing, tax compliance, and PEO services
- Setup may be lengthy due to extensive customization
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Available on all paid plans for $5/Workspace member/month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,700+ reviews)
2. Isolved
Isolved is a comprehensive HR solution for small to medium-sized businesses. It’s got everything you need to simplify payroll and manage your employee lifecycle. This includes talent acquisition, onboarding, benefits, learning, and time management.
Unlike most HR solutions, pricing is based on a per-employee-per-month model, which adjusts based on the individual features you select. This way, you only pay for what you need.
Isolved best features
- Request shift coverage from peers and managers
- Allow employees to donate to charities they care about
- Access multiple payment options, including direct deposit, paycards, and on-demand payment
- Benchmark your performance against competitors by analyzing average salary, benefit costs, tenure, and more
Isolved limitations
- There are few native integrations
- The platform glitches occasionally
- Customer support may be unresponsive for complex issues
isolved pricing
- Contact for pricing
isolved ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (870+ reviews)
- Capterra: 3.9/5 (460+ reviews)
3. Paychex
Paychex is a cloud-based payroll and HR management system that is worth mentioning in this Rippling alternatives roundup. It stays updated with tax laws, calculates and withholds taxes, and ensures everyone gets their paycheck right on time. It also handles onboarding, learning management, time and attendance tracking, benefits, business insurance, and PEO.
A key Paychex feature is its modularity—meaning each paid plan has a few core features, and the rest are available as add-ons. While this is great for customizing the platform to your needs, it significantly bumps up your costs. ?
Paychex best features
- Minimize payroll errors with advance review and approval by employees
- Pay employees through various channels, including direct deposit, payroll cards, paper checks, and e-checks
- Generate 160+ reports covering hiring and turnover, payroll labor cost, job costing, and labor distribution
- Access to 24/7 customer support via phone and live chat (for U.S.-based customers)
Paychex limitations
- Basic features like applicant tracking, time and attendance, integrations, and performance management are available as add-ons
- Customer support can be a hit or miss
Paychex pricing
- Essentials: $39/month + $5 per employee
- Select: Contact for pricing
- Pro: Contact for pricing
Paychex ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (1,480+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (1,460+ reviews)
4. BambooHR
Also making our list of the top Rippling alternatives is BambooHR, a human resource information system (HRIS) for small to midsize businesses. It has a simple user interface that makes managing HR tasks like recruiting, onboarding, payroll, training, and offboarding a breeze.
Your team gets an employee self-service portal for viewing organizational charts, updating their personal details, requesting personal time off (PTO), and more. It also supports goal setting and tracking. This way, employees can set goals and share them with managers and colleagues to track progress. ?
BambooHR best features
- Conduct surveys to gauge how employees feel about their work
- Access 100+ reports in categories like employee info, hiring, performance, turnover, and agency time tracking
- Send digital paperwork to employees to collect their details and signatures ?️
- Connect with 120+ SaaS apps including Slack, Checkr, Lattice, Tray, and Zapier
BambooHR limitations
- Slows down when handling big data
- Payroll services are only for U.S.-based employees
- Time tracking, payroll, benefits, and performance management features come at an extra cost
BambooHR pricing
- Contact for pricing
BambooHR ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (1,650+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (2,650+ reviews)
5. Gusto
Gusto is a full-service payroll software for small U.S.-based businesses. It handles all areas of payroll from tax calculations to distributing payments.
Unlike most Rippling alternatives, Gusto packs a lot of workforce management features into its starter plan—hiring and onboarding, garnishments, health insurance administration, and integrations. So if you’re on the hunt for an affordable Rippling alternative, Gusto could be just what you’re looking for. ?
Gusto best features
- Run unlimited payrolls at no extra cost on all plans
- Set up employee benefits like 401(k) retirement plans, HSAs and FSAs, commuter benefits, and workers’ compensation
- Integrate with 180+ third-party apps including QuickBooks, Freshbooks, Xero, Zoom, and Slack
- Get the Gusto Wallet app for employees to track their earnings, expenses, and savings
Gusto limitations
- There’s no free trial, only a demo available
- Doesn’t have a mobile app for HR admins to manage payroll on the go
Gusto pricing
- Simple: $40/month + $6 per person
- Plus: $80/month + $12 per person
- Premium: Contact for pricing
- Contactor-only business: $35/month + $6 per contractor
Gusto ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (1,760+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,810+ reviews)
6. Paylocity
Paylocity is another HR software for handling payroll, benefits, time and attendance, talent, and employee experience. If your team’s spread out over different countries, no problem—Paylocity handles payroll in over 100 countries.
The community hub in Paylocity is all about improving team processes and employee engagement. Create discussion groups where everyone can chat, ask for help, or share updates with photos, videos, and files. And when a team member does something awesome, others can show appreciation with badges and rewards. ?
Paylocity best features
- Track billable work hours with a timeclock, kiosk tablet, mobile app, or digital timesheet
- Approve expense reports and reimburse employees via your preferred payment method
- Pay employees a portion of their earnings in advance (during emergencies) and the rest on payday
- Build custom surveys from scratch or a template to gather feedback from employees, contractors, and potential hires
Paylocity limitations
- There is no free trial, only a demo
- Support team’s response is slow and may not be helpful
- The knowledge base isn’t always updated with system changes
Paylocity pricing
- Contact for pricing
Paylocity ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (2,380+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (800+ reviews)
7. TriNet
TriNet is a PEO for small and midsize businesses looking to outsource their people management. Basically, it acts as a co-employer, handling HR tasks like talent acquisition, training, payroll, compliance, and employee support. This way, you can focus on running your business without the HR admin hassles.
One of the key benefits of the co-employment model is that you get to treat your team to big business benefits on a small business budget. This includes health insurance, 401(k) retirement plans, commuter benefits, and workers’ compensation.
TriNet best features
- Connect TriNet with accounting apps like NetSuite, QuickBooks, Intacct, and Xero
- Enroll employees in any of TriNet’s 500+ development courses about workplace ethics, business writing, accounting, and more
- Visualize KPIs like turnover, headcount and earnings distribution, and terminations
- Access TriNet on your Android and iOS mobile devices
TriNet limitations
- There are few native integrations
- It doesn’t handle payments for contractors
- A minimum of five employees is required to access the platform
TriNet pricing
- Contact for pricing
TriNet ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.0/5 (580+ reviews)
- Capterra: 3.8/5 (35+ reviews)
8. Connecteam
Connecteam is a user-friendly employee management platform for office and field teams. It’s got everything you need for training your team, communicating with them, scheduling shifts, and ensuring work gets done. ✅
While it doesn’t handle payroll and tax compliance, it connects with payroll solutions like Gusto, QuickBooks, Paychex, and Xero to get the job done. For service-based businesses in the cleaning, construction, or consulting space, Connecteam might be the best Rippling alternative to organize your team and keep clients happy.
Connecteam best features
- Clock in from anywhere using the mobile app’s time clock and geolocation features
- Communicate with your team in real time via one-on-one, group, or company chats
- Add employees to smart groups to control their access to content and features
- Praise and recognize employees or a team with a badge and personal note
Connecteam limitations
- It can get expensive if you want access to all modules
- There are limited native integrations
Connecteam pricing
- The Small Business Plan (for each module): $0 (10 users)
- Operations module: Starts at $29/month (30 users) + $0.50/month for each additional user
- Communications module: Starts at $29/month (30 users) + $0.5/month for each additional user
- HR & Skills module: Starts at $29/month (30 users) + $0.5/month for each additional user
Connecteam ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (40+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (310+ reviews)
9. ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is a human capital management (HCM) solution for rapidly growing businesses and large enterprises. This Rippling alternative bundles all HR functions under one roof—onboarding, payroll, talent management, benefits, time and attendance, and PEO services.
Plus, it handles global payroll and compliance in 140+ countries. So if your team is spread out around the world, you’re covered. And with ADP’s mobile app, you can handle HR tasks and stay connected with your team from anywhere. ?
ADP Workforce Now best features
- Track time and attendance with facial recognition and finger scanning on an ADP Kiosk (ADP’s time clocking device) or the ADP Time Kiosk app
- Detects errors in payroll processing to maintain compliance with automated tax calculations
- Access hundreds of built-in reports covering recruitment, talent profile, time off, and benefits
- Connect ADP with accounting, recruiting, productivity, and CRM software like QuickBooks, ZipRecruiter, Slack, Oracle, and Salesforce
ADP Workforce Now limitations
- There’s no free trial
- Some users say pricing is expensive
- Customer support is unresponsive at times
ADP Workforce Now pricing
- Contact for pricing
ADP Workforce Now ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.1/5 (3,350+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (6,350+ reviews)
10. Workday
Workday is a human resource and finance management platform for medium to large businesses. It helps you manage full-time, hourly, and contract workers across the globe.
Besides HR, Workday also handles the finance stuff like procurement, inventory, expense tracking, and accounting. With access to over 600 integrations and an API, you can customize Workday to streamline business processes and data flows.
Workday best features
- Improve employee skills with training programs
- Use Employee Voice to gather employee feedback and monitor their health and well-being
- Source goods and services from multiple vendors, and monitor their performance for future purchase decisions
- Track business KPIs with any of the 125+ customizable dashboards and 2,000+ reports
Workday limitations
- There’s no free plan or trial
- New users might go through a steep learning curve
Workday pricing
- Contact for pricing
Workday ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.0/5 (1,475+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (1,300+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseIt’s Time to Upgrade Your Payroll System
While Rippling has its strengths, other payroll platforms and HR tools might be a better fit for improving process efficiency in your business.
Take ClickUp, for instance. Its project management platform can be tweaked to manage your HR processes and business operations. You can further customize it by connecting it with your existing tech stack and setting up automated workflows to run your business like clockwork. ⏱️
Ready to give it a try? Sign up for a free ClickUp account today!
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
