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ToolGPA

BambooHR vs Rippling

We give BambooHR and Rippling the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. BambooHR grades higher on the free plan. Rippling grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

BambooHR

HR records, hiring, time off and reviews, with US payroll as an add-on

Free trial · from $250/mo
Full detailsbamboohr.com

Rippling

HR, IT and finance platform with US and global payroll, by quote

Paid
Full detailsrippling.com

How we grade them

2.4GPABambooHRFair2.4GPARipplingFair
Value for money
DCore is a flat $250 a month for up to 25 employees, so a ten-person company pays $250, or $25 a head. It buys records, time off, hiring and onboarding. That's the dearest tenth of this category, where most charge $3.75 to $9 a person.
CNo payroll price is published. Rippling says plans start at $8 an employee a month plus a base fee it doesn't state, so five people are at least $40 before that fee, and each module is priced on its own. Quote only.
Free plan and trial
CNo free plan, but a free trial with no card that ends on its own rather than turning into a bill.
FNo free plan or trial. Eligible US venture-backed startups can get 6 months free, but that's a program you qualify for, not a trial anyone can start.
Features
BRecords and reports, time off with accruals, hiring with 5 openings, onboarding with e-signatures and an AI assistant, then reviews and 1:1s on Pro. The whole job, with US payroll and benefits as add-ons.
BPayroll fed straight from HR records, pay-run comparisons, US taxes filed, global payroll, an employer-of-record service and contractor payments abroad, plus approval rules and workflows. The whole job, at home and abroad.
Ease of use
B4.66 from 12,758 App Store ratings, which is a lot of happy people for HR software. Just under the 4.7 that would make it an A.
A4.71 from about 16,600 App Store ratings. New hires and salary changes flow into payroll without retyping, though choosing and pricing the modules takes a sales call.
Platforms and integrations
BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Greenhouse, Checkr, Culture Amp, Remote, Indeed and TalentLMS. No desktop app.
BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Xero, QuickBooks and NetSuite among more than 650 integrations. No desktop app, which keeps it off an A.
Best forsmall US companies leaving HR spreadsheetsgrowing companies that want HR, IT and payroll as one

The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BambooHR and Rippling. How we grade

Where they differ

  • BambooHR also covers reports, applicant tracking, employee records and time off.
  • Rippling also covers workflow automation, time tracking and expense tracking.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI featuresPayroll

At a glance

BambooHRRippling
PricingFree trialPaid
Starts at$250 per month for up to 25 employees, then $10 per employee / monthNot published
Free planNoneNone
Free trialFree trial, no credit card required; it ends on its ownNone listed
Web
iOS
Android
Made byBambooHRRippling
Price read frombamboohr.comNot confirmed
CheckedOct 18, 2026Oct 17, 2026

Who each one suits

BambooHR

  • Small and mid-sized US companies replacing spreadsheets for HR
  • Teams that want hiring, onboarding and time off in one system
  • US employers that may add payroll and benefits later

Rippling

  • Growing companies that want HR, payroll and IT in one system
  • Teams with staff or contractors in more than one country
  • US venture-backed startups eligible for six free months

Worth knowing

BambooHR

  • Teams of 25 or fewer pay the flat monthly fee whatever their size; per-employee pricing, with volume discounts, starts above 25 employees.
  • Payroll and benefits administration are add-ons for US employees only, and their prices are not published.
  • The plan cards show $10 and $17 per employee for Core and Pro, while the FAQ on the same page says $10.25 and $17.50.
  • Job openings are capped by plan: 5 on Core, 25 on Pro and 50 on Elite.

Rippling

  • No payroll price is published: Rippling says plans start at $8 per employee a month plus a base fee it does not state, and quotes the rest.
  • Each product, such as payroll, benefits, time tracking or expenses, is priced separately, so the total depends on the modules chosen.
  • It runs US payroll and pays people abroad through Global Payroll and its EOR; the pages read give no list or count of countries.

Key features

BambooHR

Employee records and reports
One database for people data, with a custom report builder, dashboards and built-in workflows for approving changes and time-off requests.
Hiring and onboarding
Post jobs to job boards, track candidates, send offer letters from templates, and give new hires a packet with e-signatures and an onboarding checklist.
Time off
Unlimited custom time-off policies with accruals, approvals and a shared calendar of who is out.
Performance and recognition
On Pro and Elite, run 360-degree review cycles, schedule 1:1s, track goals and give recognition points staff can redeem for gift cards.
Ask BambooHR
An AI assistant answers employees' questions about time off and holidays from company data, and on higher plans about policies and benchmarks.
Payroll, benefits and time add-ons
Add US payroll with tax filing, benefits enrollment with carrier connections, and time tracking with shift scheduling and an iPad kiosk.

Rippling

Payroll fed by HR data
New hires, salary changes and benefit deductions flow from the HR record into payroll, and taxes are filed with federal, state and local agencies.
Pay run comparison
Compare a pay run with earlier ones to catch changes in gross pay, taxes and deductions before approving it. Extra pay runs cost nothing more.
Global payroll, EOR and contractors
Pay employees abroad in their local currency, employ through Rippling's EOR where you have no entity, and pay contractors worldwide from invoices.
Rippling AI
Adds one-off bonuses, compares payroll costs across entities, answers employees' questions about pay changes and builds reports from a prompt.
Workflows, policies and permissions
Set who can view, create and approve pay runs, and automate HR and IT steps with custom triggers in Workflow Studio.
Accounting and app integrations
Links to Xero, QuickBooks and NetSuite for accounting, among more than 650 integrations.

Plans

BambooHR

  • Core$250

    per month for up to 25 employees

    Records, reports, time off, hiring with 5 job openings, onboarding and the AI assistant. Above 25 employees, $10 per employee a month ($10.25 in the FAQ).

  • Pro$425

    per month for up to 25 employees

    Core plus performance reviews, 1:1s, recognition and rewards, and 25 job openings. Above 25 employees, $17 per employee a month ($17.50 in the FAQ).

  • Elite$650

    per month for up to 25 employees

    Pro plus compensation planning with Mercer benchmarks, custom dashboards, HR benchmarks and 50 job openings. Above 25 employees, $25 per employee a month.

Rippling

Pricing could not be confirmed. See rippling.com.

Ways to pay less

BambooHR

  • Nonprofit

    15% off for registered nonprofits

    BambooHR takes an additional 15% off for registered nonprofit organizations.

  • Other savings

    15% off when bundling payroll and benefits

    Combining the Payroll and Benefits Administration add-ons with any plan gives a 15% discount, for employees based in the US.

Rippling

  • Startups

    6 months free for US VC-backed startups

    Rippling's startup program gives eligible US venture-backed startups free access for 6 months, depending on their funding status and stage.

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