FreshBooks vs. Rippling

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
FreshBooks
Score 8.7 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
FreshBooks is an accounting service for small businesses. The solution enables users to send and manage invoices, track billable time and collect online payments. The vendor’s value proposition this that their solution provides a straightforward service that simplifies the billing process.
$21
per month
Rippling
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Rippling’s platform for HR, IT, payroll, and spend management automates the entire employee lifecycle, ensures compliance, supports device management, and provides real-time financial visibility from a central dashboard.
$8
per month per user
Pricing
FreshBooksRippling
Editions & Modules
Lite
$21
per month
Plus
$38
per month
Premium
$65
per month
Select
Custom Pricing
Recommended
$8.00
starting price per user, per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FreshBooksRippling
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details10% discount for annual pricing.For additional pricing details visit the Rippling pricing page.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FreshBooksRippling
Features
FreshBooksRippling
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
9.1
35 Ratings
16% above category average
Rippling
-
Ratings
API for custom integration9.330 Ratings00 Ratings
Plug-ins8.926 Ratings00 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
10.0
41 Ratings
20% above category average
Rippling
-
Ratings
Single sign-on capability10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based user permissions9.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
7.5
57 Ratings
4% below category average
Rippling
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.957 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports8.755 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports4.82 Ratings00 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
7.5
56 Ratings
2% below category average
Rippling
-
Ratings
Accounts payable8.041 Ratings00 Ratings
Accounts receivable9.455 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash management7.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Bank reconciliation7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Expense management6.651 Ratings00 Ratings
Time tracking7.642 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Regulations compliance6.021 Ratings00 Ratings
Self-service portal9.13 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
9.4
49 Ratings
21% above category average
Rippling
-
Ratings
Pricing8.839 Ratings00 Ratings
Order entry9.337 Ratings00 Ratings
Credit card processing9.641 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost of goods sold10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.1
1010 Ratings
12% above category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.9712 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings9.0739 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings9.2842 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings9.2743 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings9.3876 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings9.2776 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings9.0601 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.3
1059 Ratings
13% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings9.3949 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings9.0656 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings9.0930 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.5933 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings9.4707 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings9.4611 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.4
948 Ratings
14% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings9.4916 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings9.4868 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings9.3642 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.2
1108 Ratings
11% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings9.41048 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings9.51094 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings9.4906 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings8.7597 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings9.0782 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.0
466 Ratings
12% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings9.0466 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.0
564 Ratings
17% above category average
Report builder00 Ratings8.8546 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings9.1515 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings9.1463 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.4
787 Ratings
16% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings9.5767 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings9.3591 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.1
447 Ratings
12% above category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings9.2382 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings9.1412 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.2379 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings9.0405 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.3
516 Ratings
16% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings9.2455 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings9.2431 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings9.2458 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings9.4483 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.3417 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.1
384 Ratings
15% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.1316 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings9.2327 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings9.2341 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings9.0323 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.2
435 Ratings
18% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings9.1345 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.2332 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings9.3290 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings9.1302 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings9.2302 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings9.1334 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings9.1408 Ratings
Best Alternatives
FreshBooksRippling
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 8.9 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
FreshBooksRippling
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(75 ratings)
9.2
(1159 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.6
(18 ratings)
9.1
(19 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(20 ratings)
9.4
(1156 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(2 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.5
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(11 ratings)
9.2
(874 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.6
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(8 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
6.2
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.6
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
FreshBooksRippling
Likelihood to Recommend
FreshBooks
I recommend FreshBooks to anyone running a service-based business that needs invoicing, time reporting, and accounting tools. FB is adept in all three of these scenarios and isn't overly complicated like similar accounting packages I have used. I love how I can write estimates and proposals, manage the business development process from the software, and quickly convert prospects to invoiced clients.
Read full review
Rippling
With Rippling, we get a one stop shop for all things HR. Our benefits, pay, PTO, and leave management are all under one umbrella. This simplifies workflow and limits the number of systems we need to access to take care of day to day HR tasks. Despite the one-stop shop aspect of it all, some processes ended up being more problematic than others, for instance, sometimes PTO requests that have been approved do not register as such - and sometimes duplicate notifications go out on those approvals. To be fair to Rippling, this is likely user error on our part with initial or continued setup issues, but it is also not (seemingly) easily remediated. Our overall experience with Rippling has been positive. The simplicity and ease of use definitely overcome the few nagging issues that we have experienced.
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Pros
FreshBooks
  • Invoicing - FreshBooks basically ensures our accountants spend less time on invoices via its automated invoicing system, which sends invoices to our customers and clients alike and also send them regular reminders for them to pay up their bills.
  • Collecting business insights - FreshBooks enable our company analysts measure our business performances via data reports provided by FreshBooks' intuitive dashboard. Allowing us do a comparative analysis of key business metrics of a current month against past months and determine if the business is growing.
  • Expense tracker - We have recently embraced FreshBooks as an expense tracker for teams at our company branch. Thusfar, FreshBooks has performed very well, making our expense management a perfect operation; ensuring teams do not exceed their planned budget and also eliminating the need for tracking expenses on excel spreadsheets.
Read full review
Rippling
  • Three different options to view the hours you've worked in a pay period. All three are valuable in their own way! I love this and use each one every week.
  • Rippling has the option to retroactively log your hours later if you forget to log in before you start work. I love this because sometimes I take a work call on the go and don't have time to clock in first. Such a handy feature!
  • Rippling has also made putting in time-off requests (sick/PTO/etc) so much easier. I'm sure every HR team would appreciate this!
Read full review
Cons
FreshBooks
  • I can brand invoices with my business logo, but I might like to change colours of the invoices themselves to match the rest of my business documents. That isn't a major point at all, but it's something that I'd like to see.
  • Freshbooks doesn't remember the categories that similar expenses were previously assigned to. It would be nice if Freshbooks would suggest a category for an already saved vendor, to ensure the consistency of expense reporting.
  • The home page of a Freshbooks account has a great graph display of expenses and income, but it only shows the last 6 months. This is still very useful, but I'd like to be able to see this kind of graph for different periods of time.
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Rippling
  • Could clarify what is being asked when creating expense reports.
  • It could make 2FA more intuitive on mobile, such as allowing iPhone users to use Face ID as an alternative if the device is locked.
  • Overall avoid using too much jargon when asking questions.
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Likelihood to Renew
FreshBooks
At the current needs of our business, FreshBooks suits us perfectly - it allows online access by our accountant to the system for GST purposes, easy input of expenses and tracking of Profit and Loss statements. FreshBooks customer service is great as well - very understanding and accommodating.
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Rippling
The AI assistant has always been able to direct me to the correct solution to any question i have about Rippling. Payroll is so easy, it takes about 10 minutes to go through the process.
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Usability
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is very easy to use even for novices. If you're looking for an online accounting software that is full of features, has great aesthetics and is user-friendly, then this is definitely the software for you. I've been using it for several years now and despite being tempted to switch by other vendors, I like the feel of FreshBooks and it's mobile features.
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Rippling
Rippling has an easy-to-use user interface and so far, employees at my company have really enjoyed using it. I find the modules for payroll, performance management, personal information, and benefits easy to navigate and appreciate that so many different features are integrated into one product. I much prefer it to our previous HRIS, Workday.
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Reliability and Availability
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is easy to use and always works!
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Rippling
I like that the availability in using Rippling at any given time is useful to me. Getting on the site freely when I need gives me security of knowing that I can be in control of viewing health insurance and hours information. I have yet to get any errors in using the Rippling app.
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Performance
FreshBooks
No answers on this topic
Rippling
Rippling's performance has been great, no errors or glitches yet so far. I am confident that Going from one page to the next and all its complexity usage does not lag or times out, it works effectively and efficiently. While using Rippling and other apps it does not tend to slow it down, works great. No complaints.
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Support Rating
FreshBooks
I think the support level for FreshBooks is on par with a 6 because the folks behind this application do a fairly good job at providing support for their customer base. I still don't think they are at an elite level when it comes to supporting but are getting there although too slow in my opinion.
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Rippling
When I did have to reach out to Rippling for assistance I was able to get quick help and my problem resolved in a time efficient manner with out any type of hick up. The customer support team is professional, kind and always available. This makes Rippling more welcoming to use on a daily basis.
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In-Person Training
FreshBooks
No answers on this topic
Rippling
The trainer went slow and and answered our questions.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
FreshBooks
I haven't changed my mind since my first evaluation. Freshbooks is still meeting my needs, easy to use, etc.
Read full review
Rippling
It's really easy to implement in comparison to other tools or applications. Different key points are easily configured and implemented as per need, having different configurations in systems. Implementation is something which binds the different parameters of an organization in a single row. Implementation of rippling is much easier, quicker, and error free than any other software. I recommend it strongly!
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Alternatives Considered
FreshBooks
FreshBooks does very well in comparison, especially since it is free software for Barclays bank users. Sage software is much worse than FreshBooks. However, Xero and QuickBooks, the market leaders, are still ahead with usability, additional features, reporting, and connection with third-party software providers. We chose FreshBooks as it does everything we require from this type of software.
Read full review
Rippling
Workday is built for large enterprises. Rippling is optimized for small to mid-sized businesses that want flexibility, fast execution, and fewer administrative hurdles. Rippling lets you pay only for what you use—payroll, benefits, device management, etc.—whereas Workday often comes as a large, bundled enterprise solution, which may be overkill for many organizations.
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Scalability
FreshBooks
No answers on this topic
Rippling
I can go on here and see all my hours and pto plus health benefits. I like to have the work handbook handy to refer to legal things. How to work my role within it's limits. Being able to put in my hours and view when they are approved is a huge benefit for me.
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Return on Investment
FreshBooks
  • In reality, we do not implement all of its use at the moment in order to determine an adequate ROI.
  • In our approach to the use of the system, it seems to us a considerable time saving by achieving the integration of the Mexican subsidiary with its parent located in the US.
  • Financial reports meet the necessary USGAAP requirements.
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Rippling
  • Routine things like PTO requests and document uploads now take a few clicks instead of hours of email back‑and‑forth. I’d estimate I spend at least half the time on those tasks compared to before, which frees me up to actually help employees.
  • What used to drag on for days now gets done in a morning - I've just asked them this now. New hires can log in, set up their tools, and start training almost immediately, so they’re productive much sooner.
  • Payroll and benefits errors used to pop up regularly, but now I almost never have to fix things or follow up on missing info. That means less stress for me and for everyone involved.
  • Having everything in one platform cuts out the “where did you send that?” and “who approves this?” questions. It feels like we’ve reduced our back‑and‑forth by at least a third.
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ScreenShots

FreshBooks Screenshots

Screenshot of the dashboardScreenshot of an invoice overviewScreenshot of an example of a customizable invoiceScreenshot of an invoice appearing across devicesScreenshot of expensesScreenshot of time tracking

Rippling Screenshots

Screenshot of the Rippling Dashboard: Employees' home for their payroll, benefits, documents, devices, expenses, and apps.Screenshot of Rippling Payroll: Runs payroll in 90 seconds. Pays employees and contractors around the world. Automatic tax filing.Screenshot of Rippling Benefits Administration: For the management of employees' Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, FSA, HSA, and commuter benefits.Screenshot of Rippling Single Sign-On: Employees can access all of their SaaS apps in one click from their Rippling dashboard.Screenshot of Rippling’s Time & Attendance platform. This integrates with the rest of the product suite so that when employees clock in, their approved hours automatically synced with payroll and accounting systems.Screenshot of Rippling Mobile Device Management: To manage employees' computers and devices 100% remotely.