About Rippling
Rippling unites HR and IT — managing employee laptops and software access alongside payroll and benefits. Plans start at $8/user/mo.
Key features
Most companies run HR in one system and IT in another. One knows when someone joins; the other provisions their laptop and software accounts. The gap between the two is where new hires wait three days for access, and where departing employees keep accounts they should have lost on day one. Rippling's idea is to close that gap by running both from the same employee record.
That combination is genuinely unusual. Plenty of tools do HR and payroll well. Plenty of tools manage devices. Very few do both from one system, and that is Rippling's whole argument: one source of truth for people and the technology they use.
What it actually covers
On the HR side: payroll, benefits administration, time and attendance tracking, and onboarding. On the IT side: device provisioning and management, app access, and permissions tied to the employee lifecycle — when someone joins, their accounts and hardware are set up from the same workflow; when they leave, access is revoked from the same place. Rippling also supports global employees, so distributed teams can run payroll and IT from one platform.
Everything is modular. You choose the products you need and pay per employee per month for those modules, plus a monthly base fee. That keeps the starting cost low and lets the platform grow with the company — but it also means the final price is a quote, not a number on a page.
Pricing, as listed on Rippling's own site
Rippling plans start at $8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee, according to the official pricing page, checked 13 November 2026. IT and additional modules are priced separately, and the total depends on the products you select and your headcount. There is no public price list beyond the starting figure — you request a custom quote. One concrete saving worth knowing: Rippling's startup program gives eligible US VC-backed startups free access for 6 months.
Where it falls short
The same breadth that makes Rippling powerful makes it heavier to configure than a pure payroll tool. A five-person team with no device-management headaches will spend more time setting it up than it saves. The IT features also add cost that a small team may not need yet — if all you need is payroll, Gusto is simpler and cheaper. And because pricing is quote-based, you cannot compare it to competitors without going through sales.
Verdict
Rippling is worth featuring for the genuinely unusual HR-plus-IT combination — a differentiated angle most competitor sites will not cover well. If your company is growing past the point where HR and IT can stay separate, shortlist it and get the quote. If you are small and your only problem is payroll, start simpler.
Research-based assessment of publicly documented features, product information, and pricing. This is not a claim of independent hands-on testing.
Pros
- ✓ Rare combination of HR + IT device/app management in one platform
- ✓ Scales from small businesses into larger, more complex organizations
- ✓ Supports both domestic and international employees
- ✓ Modular pricing — pay only for modules you use
Cons
- × Can be more complex to configure than a pure HR/payroll tool
- × Full IT management features add cost most small teams may not need yet
Best for
Consider another tool if
- ✓ You are a very small team with no IT-management complexity (see Gusto)
Worth featuring for the genuinely unusual HR+IT combination — a differentiated angle most competitor sites will not cover well.
Pricing
$8/user/mo (starting, modular pricing)
PaidModular pricing starting around $8/user/mo for core HR, plus a monthly base fee; IT and additional modules priced separately, custom quote.
Alternatives to consider
PaidBambooHR
PaidBambooHR helps growing businesses manage employee records, hiring, onboarding, time off, and HR reporting in one place. Explore its features, pricing, and limitations to decide whether it fits your team.