Gusto vs. Rippling — Which Is the Best Payroll Software?

Gusto has four packages, including their contractor plan, to choose from, making pricing super easy to navigate. Rippling’s pricing is a bit more complicated. The service starts at $8 per user per month, and your quote is further customized depending on the services your business needs. 

While Gusto and Rippling both have extensive feature lists for HR, Rippling offers a wider variety of business services. Not only are you able to complete payroll and HR tasks with Rippling, but you can also manage business finances and IT. 

Alternatively, Gusto is going to provide a greater amount of HR-dedicated features included with all of their packages. No add-ons are required. 

Both platforms make it easy to customize your plan to meet your business’s exact needs. While the two services may not share all of the same add-on options, each is built to allow businesses to obtain tailor-made software solutions. 

With Rippling and Gusto, businesses are able to pay both domestic and international employees. This isn’t a feature included in all payroll services offered by competitors and is invaluable to startups with globally distributed teams. 

Gusto and Rippling are both easy-to-use platforms built to make setup and use of their software easy for businesses and their teams. Plus, both services offer live customer support to help iron out any issues along the way. 

Gusto is used by entrepreneurs who:

• Have small- to medium-sized teams 
• Need a robust employee and HR management solution
• Prefer user-friendly, intuitive interfaces 

Here are some verified Gusto reviews (from TrustRadius) by customers who used this software to help their business:

“Honestly, I cannot think of a situation in my current point of need where Gusto would not be well-suited. It is easy to use for both the administrator and the employees. I currently have 1 W2 employee, and pay several 1099 on occasion, Gusto is the only payroll service that seems to make sense for my situation, at a cost that also makes sense.”

"I have used a number of payroll platforms, ADP, QBO, and Gusto. Gusto is the best and most consistent experience I've had.”

“Manages my employees and contractors in an efficient way to pay in a timely manner and doesn't take a lot of my time. I find that in my industry paying people quickly (weekly) is a key differentiator and Gusto allows me to sell that to potential staff. I strongly recommend it.”

Rippling is used by entrepreneurs who:

• Wish to automate their employee management easily
• Want to bundle several business services together 
• Appreciate a high level of usability 

Here are some verified Rippling reviews (from TrustRadius) by customers who used this software to help their business:

"Rippling works really well because it manages all of our companies HR needs in the same place. In the past I have used similar softwares, but they don't do everything so you have to use more than one software. In this case I love that our employees can clock in /out, manage their payroll and benefits with only one login."

"Rippling is a clean, easy to use application that is extremely intuitive for the user. It is easy to navigate and understand the simple terminology. The Learning Management module is exceptionally easy to use and navigate."

"I appreciate that Rippling is so user friendly. I very rarely need to reach out directly to our Human Resources department because it is so easy to find all that I need on Rippling. I’ve been able to easily gain access to benefits information, organizational charts and employee job titles, as well as payroll and leave request information."

Both Gusto and Rippling offer valuable products for business services. However, their pricing varies greatly. While both services are customizable, Rippling’s pricing is set up as a more custom-price model. Here’s how the two services look side-by-side when comparing price and notable features. 

Simple ($40/month + $6/month/user)

Notable Features:

• Full-service single-state payroll, including W-2s and 1099s
• Full customer support services 
• Gusto-brokered health insurance administration 
• Payroll and time off features 

Plus ($80/month + $12/month/user)

Notable Features:

• Full-service multi-state payroll, including W-2s and 1099s
• Advanced hiring and onboarding tools 
• Performance reviews 
• Next-day direct deposit 

Premium (Custom pricing)

Notable Features:

• Dedicated customer success manager 
• HR resource center 
• Full-service payroll migration and account setup 
• Waived fees and exclusive pricing 

Contractor Only ($6/month/contractor)

Notable Features:

• Unlimited contractor payments across all 50 states 
• Four-day direct deposit 
• New hire reporting in required states 
• 1099-NECs at the end of the year

Rippling doesn’t offer standard packages for their products. Instead, their pricing starts at $8 per user per month and increases depending on the services you choose to include. This allows users to create custom-priced packages with all of the features they need and none of the features they don’t. 

While Rippling is an easy-to-use, customizable business services platform, our overall choice is Gusto for payroll software. Rippling’s pricing is complicated and doesn’t offer a free trial to allow users to test the product before committing to their customized price quote. With Gusto, you can not only utilize their 30-day free trial to ensure you are getting the right product for your business, but you also benefit from a flat monthly fee, no yearly commitments, and no hidden fees. 

Gusto’s payroll service boasts helpful features and integrations with several packages to choose from to suit your business size and needs. Try it today.