Rippling vs Gusto: Which Is Best for Payroll in 2023

Rippling and Gusto both offer easy-to-use payroll and HR solutions for small businesses. Although Rippling’s core product is HR and Gusto’s specialty is payroll, they have similar features, like unlimited pay runs, tax filing services, and benefits administration. However, Rippling provides a wider solution suite that includes IT tools, while Gusto is more affordable and has a robust selection of employee benefits, including 529 college savings plans and Gusto Cashout for employees needing early access to earned wages.

Here are our recommendations to help you determine whether Rippling vs Gusto is right for your business.

• Rippling: Best for tech-heavy companies and small businesses with plans to scale and wanting help managing their growing employee data, payroll, HR, and IT needs
• Gusto: Best for small businesses looking for solid payroll and basic HR tools to streamline basic processes

Rippling vs Gusto Compared

	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto
HR Payroll Software Evaluation	4.36 out of 5	4.66 out of 5
Starter Monthly Pricing	$8 per employee plus $35 base fee*	$40 plus $6 per employee
Number of Plans	One customizable plan (its modular solutions allow you to select tools you need in addition to its core workforce management platform)	Three plus a contractor-only payroll option
Payroll Coverage	Employees, contractors, and international workers	Employees, contractors, and international contract workers (costs extra)
Payment Options	Manual checks and direct deposits	Manual checks, direct deposits, pay card, and pay-on-demand
Employee Benefits**	Standard options only (such as health and retirement insurance)	Standard and non-standard options (like college savings plans)
Health Insurance Coverage	50 states	38 states +1 US territory
Workers’ Compensation (Pay-as-you-go Plans)	✓	✓
Time Tracking	Paid add-on (included in pricing quote)	Included in higher tiers
Learning Management	Paid add-on	N/A
Performance Reviews	N/A	Included in higher tiers
IT Tools to Manage Business Apps and Devices	$5 per employee monthly	Included in higher tiers (business app and email management only)
Third-party Software Integrations	500+	130+
Customer support	Online help center; chat and email support; access to HR advisers with live phone support for an extra cost	Online help center; chat, email, and phone support; access to HR advisors available in higher tiers
	Read our Rippling Review	Read our Gusto Review

*Pricing is based on a quote we received; includes payroll, time tracking, and access to Rippling’s core workforce management platform
**Some benefits plans cost extra or have participation fees

When to Use Rippling

Overall Score: 4.36 / 5

RATING CRITERIA	Pricing		4.63 / 5
	Payroll Features		4.75 / 5
	HR Features		4.75 / 5
	Reporting		5.00 / 5
	Ease of Use		2.75 / 5
	Popularity		5.00 / 5

What We Like

• User-friendly and feature-rich platform
• Unlimited pay run with global payroll capabilities
• Over 500 third-party software integrations
• Modular HR, payroll, and IT solutions; you can select modules/features that you want
• PEO option available
• Robust workflows make it easy to automate processes

What's Missing

• Pricing isn’t all transparent
• “Rippling Unity” workforce management solution must be purchased before any other products
• Can get pricey as you add more features
• Limited customer support; expert HR support (via phone and email) costs extra
• Lacks performance management tools

Rippling has a comprehensive solution suite that can manage your HR and payroll needs, including the computers and business software that your workforce will use. This makes it a good option for tech-heavy companies that want to manage people operations, workflows, system permissions, apps, and computer devices in just one integrated platform. Plus, it has an extensive network of partner apps (more than 500), so it’s highly likely that the business software your company uses is part of Rippling’s integration options.

What’s also great about Rippling is its modular solutions—you can create a custom plan with features that you need (although its core Rippling Unity workforce management platform is a must-purchase solution). And if your business’ HR needs have grown and you need expert assistance in managing day-to-day HR and payroll processes, Rippling has a flexible professional employer organization (PEO) service you can easily turn on and off.

Visit Rippling

When to Use Gusto

Overall Score: 4.66 / 5

RATING CRITERIA	Pricing		5.00 / 5
	Payroll Features		4.75 / 5
	HR Features		4.75 / 5
	Reporting		5.00 / 5
	Ease of Use		4.00 / 5
	Popularity		5.00 / 5

What We Like

• Transparent pricing
• Reasonably priced with a low-cost contractor-only payroll plan
• Full-service payroll with unlimited and automatic pay runs
• Wide selection of employees benefits; includes free access to Gusto Wallet (financial management app) and Gusto Cashout (early access to salaries)
• Access to HR pros and a priority support included in higher tiers
• Offers essential HR tools for hiring employees, posting jobs, and tracking performance reviews

What's Missing

• Health insurance coverage is limited to 39 states
• Limited global payroll capabilities (only covers international contractors)
• Lacks learning management tools and PEO services
• Third-party software integration isn’t as robust as Rippling’s
• Most of its HR solutions (like time tracking and recruiting) are available in higher tiers

While Gusto may not have Rippling’s robust software integrations and extensive IT solutions, it has efficient online tools for tracking applicants, onboarding new hires, paying employees, and managing performance reviews. The software, which is our top pick for the best small business payroll system, is more affordably priced than Rippling because many of its HR tools are already included in its core platform.

Rippling requires you to purchase features that you need, which can get pricey as you add more modules to its core workforce management system. With Gusto, you only need to upgrade to its higher tiers if you want additional HR functionalities such as time tracking and HR advisory services (both are paid add-ons with Rippling).

Visit Gusto

When to Use an Alternative

	Visit QuickBooks Payroll	Visit Paychex	Visit TriNet Zenefits
Best For	QuickBooks users (given seamless integration with Intuit QuickBooks products) Small businesses needing fast direct deposits and basic HR tools	Solopreneurs looking for payroll, 401(k), and incorporation services Startups and small businesses that want dedicated payroll support	Businesses in highly regulated industries looking for solid compliance tools Companies with hourly workers that need affordable scheduling and time tracking tools
Starter Monthly Pricing	$5 per employee plus $45 base fee	$5 per employee plus $39 base fee	$16 per employee*
	Read our QuickBooks Payroll Review	Read our Paychex Flex Review	Read our TriNet Zenefits Review

*Includes payroll add-on ($6 per employee monthly); requires at least five employees

Best in Pricing: Gusto

Pricing Score	4.63 out of 5	5 out of 5
Monthly Pricing*	$8 per employee plus $35 base fee*	Simple: $6 per employee + $40 base fee Plus: $12 per employee + $80 base fee Premium: Custom-priced
Paid Add-ons*	Benefits administration: pricing varies, based on insurance broker selected Benefits administration using own broker: $0–$5 per employee monthly (depending on broker) App and device management: $5 per employee monthly	Benefits administration using own broker: $6 per eligible employee monthly Health insurance: pay for premium only 401(k) retirement savings: Starts at $49 + $8 per participant monthly 529 college savings: $6 per participant monthly (with an $18 monthly minimum) International contractor payroll: Custom-priced
Special Payroll Plan	N/A	Contractors-only payroll plan: $6 per contractor monthly
Time and PTO Tracking	Included in pricing quote*	Included in higher tiers
Applicant Tracking and Job Postings	Custom-priced	Included in higher tiers
Learning Management	Custom-priced	N/A
Performance Reviews	N/A	Included in higher tiers
HR Advisory Services	Custom-priced	Included in Premium plan; costs $8 per employee monthly for Plus subscribers
	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto

Why We Recommend Gusto

Gusto’s fully transparent pricing and multiple payroll plans are just some of the reasons why this provider outscored Rippling, earning perfect marks in our pricing criterion. It even offers a low-cost contractor-only payroll plan—an option that Rippling lacks. This is great for businesses that employ only contract workers. Plus, you don’t have to worry about paying contractor payroll fees every month as Gusto will charge you only for months that you processed salary payouts for contractors.

When comparing Rippling vs Gusto in terms of pricing, the former may look more affordable given its monthly fees of $35 plus $8 per employee (this is based on a quote we received) and modular solutions that enable you to create a custom plan with the HR and IT tools you need—provided you get its core workforce management platform too. Gusto, however, is more reasonably priced (monthly fees start at $40 + 6 per employee) because its starter Simple plan already includes some of the features (like email provisioning and PTO tracking) that cost extra with Rippling.

You may also end up paying more with Rippling, especially if you get all of its HR modules, HR advisory services, and IT solutions for managing apps and company-assigned computers.

When to Use Rippling

If you’re unsure whether to get Rippling vs Gusto, take a look at your HR needs and budget. If you don’t have a limited budget and you need a feature-rich platform with robust third-party software integrations to fit your growing HR needs, consider Rippling. Aside from its HR, payroll, and IT tools that work well with one another, its efficient workflows make running reports and managing processes across multiple data sets and systems easy for users.

Rippling vs Gusto Pricing Calculator

Need a quick way to compare costs? Use our online calculator to compute how much you will pay using Rippling and Gusto.

Best for Payroll: Tie

Payroll Features Score	4.75 out of 5	4.75 out of 5
Full-service Payroll	✓	✓
Unlimited and Automatic Pay Runs	Unlimited pay runs only	✓
Tax Payment and Filing Services	✓	✓
Year-end Tax Reports (W-2/1099s)	✓	✓
Direct Deposit Processing Time	Two days	Two and four days; next-day with premium plans
Manual Paychecks	✓	✓
Pay Cards and Pay-on-Demand Options	N/A	✓
Wage Garnishment Services	✓	South Carolina not included
Global Payroll Capabilities	International employees and contractors	International contractors only
Early Access to Wages	N/A	via Gusto Cashout
	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto

When to Use Gusto

In the battle between Gusto vs Rippling for pay processing functionalities, both earned similar scores (4.75 out of 5) this criterion. The two providers both have unlimited payroll, tax filing services, year-end tax reporting, and wage processing for employees and contractors. However, Gusto is a better choice if you primarily want payroll tools with multiple payment options and direct deposit timelines.

Running payroll with Gusto is easy, and you can pay employees through paychecks, pay cards, pay-on-demand, and direct deposits (Rippling has limited payment options). Its processing timelines for direct deposits are four and two days, but if you sign up for its higher tiers, you get a next-day option. Plus, if your employees need early access to their earned wages during emergencies, they can use the Cashout feature of the Gusto Wallet app—a functionality that Rippling doesn’t offer.

Gusto’s pay runs follow a four-step process. (Source: Gusto)

When to Use Rippling

Rippling may not have Gusto’s multiple payment and direct deposit options, but if you have international staff or plan to set up office locations outside of the US, the Rippling payroll solution can help you manage payments for global employees. Rated as one of our top international payroll software, it lets you pay both employees and contractors, wherever they are working, be it from your corporate headquarters in the US or a satellite office somewhere else in the world (Gusto only handles payroll for international contractors).

With Rippling, you can process payroll in just a few clicks. (Source: Rippling)

Best for HR Features: Tie

HR Features Score	4.75 out of 5	4.75 out of 5
Job Postings to Popular Job Boards	✓	✓
Applicant Tracking	✓	✓
Online Onboarding	✓	✓
State New Hire Reporting for Employees	✓	✓, plus includes new hire reporting for contractors
Time Tracking	✓	✓
Standard Benefits Options	Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA, HSA, commuter benefits, ACA and COBRA compliances	Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA, HSA, commuter benefits, ACA/HIPAA/ERISA and COBRA compliances
Non-standard Benefits Options	N/A	College savings plan, free Gusto Wallet (financial management app), early access to earned wage via Gusto Cashout
Health Insurance Coverage	50 states	38 states +1 U.S. territory
Learning Management	✓	N/A
Performance Reviews	N/A	✓
PEO Option	✓	N/A
Self-Service Portal	✓	✓
	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto

When to Use Gusto

This is another criterion where both providers earned similar scores (4.75 out of 5). However, if you need basic HR solutions for tracking applicants, posting jobs to popular job sites (like ZipRecruiter and LinkedIn), onboarding new hires, and managing performance reviews, we recommend Gusto. It’s also an ideal option for those looking for non-standard benefits such as college savings plans. Your employees can even download the Gusto Wallet if they want free access to financial management tools, including the option to get a salary advance (via Gusto Cashout) if they need financial assistance in between paydays.

If you want health insurance and are not in one of the states Gusto hasn’t yet expanded to (Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia, Alaska, and Hawaii), signing up for benefits plans will be easy for you and your employees.

To help you confirm whether the state where your business is located is covered, check out the health benefits map below.

When to Use Rippling

If you need a wide range of HR tools, consider Rippling. This is mainly because Gusto specializes in payroll, while Rippling’s core product is HR. Aside from its workforce management platform, it offers a robust suite of solutions for managing the entire employee lifecycle—from recruiting and new hire onboarding to benefits administration and learning management.

And while Gusto may provide performance review solutions (Rippling doesn’t have this), it lacks the professional employer organization (PEO) service that Rippling offers. This allows you to outsource payroll and day-to-day HR tasks, which is optimal for employers whose HR needs have grown but they either don’t have an in-house HR staff or are not willing to expand their current HR team.

Rippling’s health insurance plans also have a wider coverage compared to Gusto’s. Its health plans are available across the US, while Gusto’s medical, vision, and dental options are limited to 39 states as of this writing.

Rippling provides access to popular benefits providers, but you can also opt to use your existing broker for a fee. (Source: Rippling)

Best for Reporting: Tie

Reporting Score	5 out of 5	5 out of 5
Basic Reports	Available	Available
Large Library of Pre-formatted Reports (60+)	✕	✕
Report Customizations	✓	✓
Capability to Create New Reports Directly in the System	✓	✓
	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto

When to Use Rippling

In our evaluation of Rippling vs Gusto for reporting features, both earned perfect marks in this criterion. While neither provides a large selection of canned (preformatted) reports, the two providers offer customizable reports and the capability of creating new ones within the system. Reports can also be exported for use within multiple departments.

However, Rippling’s reporting capabilities (as tested by our experts) offer more customization options. Unlike Gusto, it has data aggregation capabilities, enabling you to add calculations based on specific data fields.

For example, you want a report that shows the employees’ expected payouts if bonuses are computed based on a fixed percentage of annual salaries (let’s say 3% of the annual salary). Simply select the annual compensation data field in addition to the employee names and other information you want (like department and position title). Then, insert the applicable formula (annual compensation X 0.03) and run (or save) the report. Rippling will automatically calculate the amounts based on the formula you added.

Rippling has Excel-like formulas that you can easily add to your custom reports. (Source: Rippling)

When to Use Gusto

If you require mostly payroll reports to help you track labor and job costs, bank transactions, and agency payments (like federal, state, and local tax deposits), consider Gusto. While it may not have Rippling’s Excel-like formulas that you can add to reports, its payroll journal and employee report builders allow you create custom report templates that you can save and reuse.

Gusto’s reporting tool allows you to filter and drag-and-drop data fields that you want. (Source: Gusto)

Best for Ease of Use & Customer Support: Gusto

Ease of Use Score	2.75 out of 5	4 out of 5
Learning Curve	Relatively easy	Relatively easy
Ease of Use	Good	Good
Customer Support	Chat and email (phone support is available but via its paid HR help desk/advisory solution)	Chat, email, and phone support
HR Advisory Services	Paid add-on	Available in highest tier
Setup Assistance	✕	Available in highest tier
Access to a Dedicated Customer Success Manager	✕	Available in highest tier
Online How-to Guides	✓	✓
Software Integration Options	500+	130+
	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto

Why We Recommend Gusto

The providers may have similar functionalities, like online platforms that are simple to learn and use and setup wizards to help new users get the software up and running in no time, but Gusto scored higher (4 out of 5) in this criterion primarily because of customer support. All of its plans come with unlimited phone, chat, and email assistance, whereas Rippling only has chat and email support. If you get its higher tiers, Gusto offers priority support with access to direct email and phone lines.

How-to guides and FAQs are easily accessible through Gusto’s online help center. Plus, you are granted free access to HR advisory services and a dedicated support representative if you subscribe to its Premium plan. Rippling doesn’t assign a dedicated customer support rep to its clients and you have to pay extra if you want assistance from HR professionals.

When to Use Rippling

Despite having a user-friendly platform, Rippling didn’t score well (earning only a 2.75 out of 5) in this category because its customer support options are limited compared to Gusto. Rippling is a good option for businesses with in-house HR personnel who are experts in managing HR, payroll, and a cloud-based system—hence, they don’t need constant support. If you do need expert advice from HR professionals and are willing to pay additional monthly fees for its HR help desk solution (which includes phone and email support), Rippling may just be what you need.

Further, while Gusto may integrate with 130+ third-party systems, it doesn’t beat Rippling’s large network of partner apps (over 500). This is optimal for those who use a lot of business software and want to connect it with Rippling’s HR platform to ensure that employee-related data sync seamlessly across solutions.

Best for Popularity Among Users: Tie

Popularity Score	5 out of 5	5 out of 5
User Feedback	Mostly positive	Mostly positive
Average User Ratings*	4.85 out of 5	4.45 out of 5
Average Number of Reviews*	1,600+	2,000+
	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto

To evaluate Rippling vs Gusto user popularity, we looked at each providers’ average number of user reviews and the average overall ratings on third-party review sites like G2 and Capterra. Both received perfect marks in this category, but in terms of ratings from actual users, Rippling’s average score is higher than Gusto (4.85 vs 4.45 out of 5).

What Users Think: Rippling vs Gusto

How We Evaluated Rippling vs Gusto

We compared Rippling vs Gusto by using a five-star scale designed to assess HR payroll solutions and services for small businesses. We compared both providers’ features—from pay processing and tax filings to HR tools and employee benefits options. We also looked into other key criteria, like ease of use, pricing, and customer support, including whether users have access to expert professionals who can provide HR and payroll advice.

In our evaluation, Gusto scored higher than Rippling—with an overall rating of 4.66 out of 5 versus Rippling’s 4.36. Click through the tabs below for the detailed breakdown of our evaluation criteria.

Bottom Line

Choosing between Rippling vs Gusto may not be as easy as it seems because both have outstanding features that your company can utilize to make your HR and payroll processes more efficient. However, in finding the right payroll solution, you should first consider the types of features your business currently needs and what it will need in the near future.

Start by assessing the level of HR and IT support you need. If you’re actively hiring, want help purchasing and setting up new computer devices, need learning management tools, or have international employees, consider Rippling. It’s also a great choice if offering health insurance in all US states is a priority—Gusto’s is limited to 39 states.

However, if your company is a small business wanting a solid set of payroll features with basic HR tools and multiple employee benefits choices, consider Gusto. It offers reasonably priced plans, including a low-cost contractor-only tier, and is the more affordable option between the two payroll software providers.

Visit Gusto

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