Paychex vs. Rippling

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Paychex
Score 6.7 out of 10
N/A
Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
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
PaychexRippling
Editions & Modules
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
Recommended
$8.00
starting price per user, per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PaychexRippling
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFor additional pricing details visit the Rippling pricing page.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PaychexRippling
Considered Both Products
Paychex
Chose Paychex
I far prefer Rippling to Paychex Flex, with its easy to navigate interface and user friendly model. I also appreciate the payday emails from Rippling and the paystub breakdown. It is also very easy and simple to request and view PTO in Rippling. I really dread having to use …
Chose Paychex
I did not select Paychex. It was at 2 companies I started with and ended up having them switch out
Rippling
Chose Rippling
The ease of use and admin and employee interface of Rippling blows Paychex Flex out of the water. For a young and tech-oriented startup, Rippling is by far a better fit for our team!

Paylocity has some more nitty-gritty payroll editing and adjustment capabilities, which I hope …
Chose Rippling
Rippling is easier to use and the payroll comparison is a real benefit. Paychex did not have a system for tracking PTO, annual leave, etc., but Rippling handles it well.
Chose Rippling
Rippling blows all the rest of the payroll providers out of the water! The ease of use for employees to update info, and the reports that you can get from Rippling surpass any other payroll service provider
Chose Rippling
No comparison in my eyes. Rippling has so many options and tabs with various information at your fingertips. There is nothing in my eyes that Rippling can't handle. We used to spend a lot of time contacting the HR Department with questions regarding our insurance, scheduling …
Chose Rippling
Rippling has much better applications and functions integration, much better customer support. Rippling is very easy to use, check payroll, time management, 401 K investment and management, training and on-boarding, reimbursement and compensation management, talent recruitment …
Chose Rippling
PayChex pales in comparison to Rippling and is not nearly as user friendly or easy to navigate.
Chose Rippling
I think that Rippling is highly competitive to ADP
Chose Rippling
Rippling is a dream to work with compared the above listed companies. I love how straightforward everything is with Rippling and how you are able to get what you need almost immediately without hassle. Employees know where to go and how to get what they need without having to …
Chose Rippling
I am a site supervisor, so I did not choose Rippling. It is highly efficient, however, compared to our former HR platform!
Chose Rippling
Rippling was more user friendly and also more aimed at catering to a smaller business
Chose Rippling
It is easiser to acess benifits but i do wish the clock in features were more accessible
Chose Rippling
Rippling is easy to set up and the various vendors like workers comp and 401K are well integrated creating ease of use. We used TriNet in the past and Rippling provides far greater control and transparency. The other are vendors we considered when we left TriNet and were …
Chose Rippling
The dealbreaker for us was that we have multiple companies / legal entities that all needed payroll company service. The companies are all interconnected, sharing office and lab space, equipment, contractors, and employees transfer between them. All other payroll companies we …
Chose Rippling
Rippling seemed to be much more user friendly. In speaking with fellow business owners, many of the other payroll companies I looked into had poor customer service reviews, and the costs were much higher than Rippling. I also am pleased that Rippling offers much more than …
Chose Rippling
Rippling is an user-friendly application system and has powerful automation tools. Also is visibly more integrative.
Chose Rippling
I am a user - I didn't select Rippling for my company. However, as a user, Rippling was far easier to navigate, manage, and view my employment and benefits info.
Chose Rippling
Rippling's HRIS is similar in quality to BambooHR and Workday. However, where Rippling outshines those platforms is in its added functionality and connection to other portions of the platform as well as other applications. Being able to have our HRIS and Payroll Software on the …
Chose Rippling
Rippling was by far the better option. ADPs offerings were terrible and I would not recommend anyone to go with them. Aside from the poor support/service and inability to be fully customizable, there were glaring issues regarding compliance. When we were in a PEO Model …
Chose Rippling
Ultimately we selected Rippling because it felt like the most comprehensive, tech forward solution on the market. The system is fully integrated and unlike Paychex, it doesn't feel like a bunch of separate systems that were poorly pulled together. The user experience on the web …
Chose Rippling
Paychex is not as comprehensive, doesn't have as many tools or plugins, and is more clunky. There are a lot of things that have to be done manually, like benefit contributions, that result in higher human error. Rippling doesn't feel like a big company, and the customer …
Chose Rippling
The HR department made that decision. I'm not sure why. Rippling seems like a very helpful service, but I'm a new enployee, so I'm not sure why it was considered superior.
Features
PaychexRippling
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.6
270 Ratings
21% below category average
Rippling
9.1
1068 Ratings
12% above category average
Employee demographic data7.8217 Ratings8.9756 Ratings
Employment history8.1241 Ratings8.9782 Ratings
Job profiles and administration7.7175 Ratings9.2889 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.6170 Ratings9.2790 Ratings
Organizational charting1.01 Ratings9.3926 Ratings
Organization and location management7.5156 Ratings9.2821 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.7145 Ratings9.0636 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.6
312 Ratings
7% below category average
Rippling
9.3
1115 Ratings
13% above category average
Pay calculation8.1294 Ratings9.41002 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment6.9152 Ratings9.0700 Ratings
Benefit plan administration6.9173 Ratings9.0977 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.3293 Ratings9.5981 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.9208 Ratings9.4752 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.6117 Ratings9.3656 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.3
159 Ratings
11% below category average
Rippling
9.3
999 Ratings
13% above category average
Approval workflow7.3113 Ratings9.4963 Ratings
Balance details7.5151 Ratings9.3919 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.0119 Ratings9.2680 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.8
268 Ratings
5% below category average
Rippling
9.2
1163 Ratings
11% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information7.8246 Ratings9.41101 Ratings
Update personal information7.9258 Ratings9.51149 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.6120 Ratings9.4951 Ratings
View job history7.8182 Ratings9.1824 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings8.6635 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
5.1
43 Ratings
45% below category average
Rippling
8.9
494 Ratings
10% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets5.143 Ratings8.9494 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.0
177 Ratings
23% below category average
Rippling
9.0
601 Ratings
17% above category average
Report builder6.4147 Ratings8.8581 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.4165 Ratings9.1549 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.191 Ratings9.2497 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.2
172 Ratings
25% below category average
Rippling
9.4
825 Ratings
16% above category average
New hire portal6.7164 Ratings9.5803 Ratings
Manager tracking tools5.8107 Ratings9.3625 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
5.2
69 Ratings
38% below category average
Rippling
9.1
469 Ratings
17% above category average
Job Requisition Management5.636 Ratings9.1373 Ratings
Company Website Posting5.434 Ratings9.1358 Ratings
Publish to Social Media4.828 Ratings9.2315 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting5.235 Ratings9.0326 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention4.934 Ratings9.1327 Ratings
Applicant Tracking4.939 Ratings9.0359 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts5.663 Ratings9.1440 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.1
485 Ratings
12% above category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings9.2416 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings9.0446 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.2412 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings9.0440 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.3
557 Ratings
16% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings9.2490 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings9.2464 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings9.2495 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings9.4523 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.3454 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
-
Ratings
Rippling
9.1
411 Ratings
15% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.1341 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings9.2350 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings9.2367 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings9.0348 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PaychexRippling
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.3 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PaychexRippling
Likelihood to Recommend
6.5
(323 ratings)
9.2
(1164 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
1.3
(44 ratings)
8.9
(20 ratings)
Usability
6.8
(264 ratings)
9.4
(1162 ratings)
Availability
5.7
(12 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Performance
7.1
(12 ratings)
8.6
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
6.4
(265 ratings)
9.2
(877 ratings)
In-Person Training
4.5
(1 ratings)
8.6
(2 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.5
(13 ratings)
7.8
(9 ratings)
Configurability
5.1
(9 ratings)
6.6
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(3 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.3
(12 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
2.4
(33 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
3.3
(34 ratings)
8.6
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
PaychexRippling
Likelihood to Recommend
Paychex Inc.
It is a fantastic tool for having an all-in-one package. Employees can monitor their pay stubs, monitor their 401 (k) balance, sign up and manage employee benefit programs, and more. The software is easy to access on a computer or smartphone, making it very accessible. From what we've observed, even with a staff ranging from young to old, everyone has been catching on pretty easily.
Read full review
Rippling
Considering my past employers used Workday and Kronos, Rippling is miles ahead in terms of a friendly user interface and fast, easy access. For an environment like a fintech, Rippling is definitely the best one considering the need for a fast pace. I think Rippling would be less appropriate for a much older large company like a legacy bank that has built their entire HR systems already off of a different software. Making a transition for a company so large from Workday to Rippling would seem like a bit too much.
Read full review
Pros
Paychex Inc.
  • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
  • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
  • Employee access both online and thru app.
  • Paperless options.
  • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
  • Easy employee retirement management.
Read full review
Rippling
  • It is really easy to navigate, I barely needed instruction on how to do things in it as it is very intuitive.
  • Ease of workflow mapping, it was easy to have emails auto-generated to our staff regarding their eLearn content or compliance requirements.
  • Onboarding was made much easier with the workflows, auto emails sent at different points in the onboarding process, ensuring everything gets done to prepare the company to accept the new hire and to inform the new hire of what to expect.
Read full review
Cons
Paychex Inc.
  • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
  • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
  • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Paychex Inc.
Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Usability
Paychex Inc.
Employee usability is very good and user-friendly. For the most part, the employer usability is good, but for complicated rules and policies, it requires technical assistance, which in our case, was clunky and slow in implementation. Once is place, everything works as it should
Read full review
Rippling
The interface is very user-friendly. Everything you do on Rippling is communicated to you via email (for example, when your invoice is approved, when your payment will be received, and any login attempts). There are some things that need work, though, some minor issues with "where some menus are located", but those are minor things that don't spoil the overall experience with the product (but they should be addressed nonetheless).
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Paychex Inc.
We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Performance
Paychex Inc.
Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Support Rating
Paychex Inc.
Chat has been helpful but the person I chat with isn't always able to help me with my questions. Phone support is ok, depending on your payroll specialist. We have a great one currently, but the few before that were never available and did not return calls.
Read full review
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
Paychex Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
Rippling
The trainer went slow and and answered our questions.
Read full review
Online Training
Paychex Inc.
It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
Read full review
Rippling
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Paychex Inc.
Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
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
Paychex Inc.
We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so user-friendly. I hated every minute of those 6 payrolls we ran through QB online.
Read full review
Rippling
We chose Rippling primarily based on cost and feature set available. As a small organization, budget is a high priority. Rippling gave us enterprise-level features at an affordable cost for an early stage start up. We appreciate that we have the opportunity to expand our feature set within Rippling as our business and workforce grow.
Read full review
Scalability
Paychex Inc.
I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Paychex Inc.
  • With Paychex Flex we have been able to improve our compliance with required documentation for new/rehires
  • Moving everyone to direct deposit and mobile clock in/out eliminated lines at punching stations and paycheck pickup stations
  • Lost checks is a thing of the past
Read full review
Rippling
  • Our HR team used to spend almost three days doing payroll calculations before Rippling. This platform has cut that time down by 75%! Now they can devote the time they would've spent on payroll to other important tasks.
  • Rippling saves employees time by making time-tracking less of a headache.
  • Rippling has so many so many services that it's essentially a one-stop-shop for centralized HR solutions!
Read full review
ScreenShots

Paychex Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

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.