Rippling vs Paylocity

by Gralio Mar 10, 2025

Rippling and Paylocity are both cloud-based HR and payroll platforms. Rippling is better suited for businesses needing a broader range of features across HR, IT, and finance, especially those with international operations. Paylocity is a stronger choice for businesses primarily focused on HR and payroll, prioritizing deep functionality and robust customer support within those areas.

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This comparison was created by analysing 8316 reviews and 40 websites, saving 1 day, 22 hours, 32 minutes of reading.

Logo of Rippling
Logo of Paylocity

About

Rippling is a comprehensive employee management platform designed for businesses of all sizes. It streamlines and automates various HR, IT, and finance processes, including payroll, benefits, device management, and expense tracking. By centralizing these functions, Rippling aims to simplify employee lifecycle management, reduce administrative burden, and improve operational efficiency for businesses. The platform is particularly valuable for companies with global operations, offering localized solutions for international payroll, benefits, and compliance.
Paylocity is a cloud-based HR and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized businesses. It offers a range of features including payroll, benefits administration, talent management, time tracking, and employee experience tools. Paylocity aims to streamline HR tasks, improve employee engagement, and provide data-driven insights for better decision-making. They emphasize strong customer support and a partnership approach to help businesses achieve their goals.

Summary

Main difference
Rippling offers a broader set of features, including IT and finance management, along with HR and payroll, making it a more comprehensive solution. Paylocity focuses primarily on HR and payroll, providing deeper functionality within those areas and emphasizing strong customer support.

Relative strengths of Rippling (compared to Paylocity)

  • Wider range of features, covering HR, IT, and finance.

  • Strong international capabilities, including localized payroll and benefits.

  • Unified platform for managing the entire employee lifecycle.

Relative weaknesses of Rippling (compared to Paylocity)

  • Customer service can be inconsistent, with limited phone support.

  • Mobile app experience and functionality could be improved.

  • Navigation within the platform can sometimes require multiple clicks.

Who is using Rippling and Paylocity?

Ollie Forsyth
New Economies Founder
Alex Lieberman
Cofounder @ Morning Brew & storyarb
Nate Matherson
Head of Growth at Numeral | YC Alum
Sal Abdulla
Founder NixSheets - SaaS Finance Expert
Puzzle.io
Automated bookkeeping; General Catalyst portfolio
No data

Who should use Rippling VS. Paylocity

Rippling offers a centralized platform to manage HR, IT, and finance, simplifying employee lifecycle management. Users praise the user-friendly interface and clear breakdowns, but some report discrepancies between the mobile and desktop apps. Ideal for businesses seeking to streamline operations and automate tasks.

Paylocity is a cloud-based HR and payroll software designed for mid-sized businesses. Users praise its user-friendly interface and robust payroll features, while some find customer service inconsistent and PTO management challenging. It offers comprehensive HR functionalities, including onboarding, performance management, and benefits administration, aiming to streamline HR tasks and improve employee engagement.

  • Ideal for businesses of all sizes, especially those with global operations.

  • Suitable for most industries, from Healthcare to Marketing & Advertising.

  • Ideal for mid-sized businesses (100-5000 employees) seeking a modern, scalable HR and payroll platform.

  • Suitable for most industries, Paylocity offers tailored solutions for Healthcare, Retail, and other sectors.

Rippling and Paylocity features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Inventory Management
    Supported

    Rippling supports inventory management, including device tracking and retrieval.

    Partially supported

    Paylocity does not directly offer inventory management but integrates with platforms like Workwize for this function.

  • Benefits Administration
    Supported

    Rippling offers a unified platform to manage employee benefits, including health insurance and retirement plans.

    Supported

    Paylocity offers a comprehensive benefits administration platform, including enrollment and administration.

  • Mobile payroll
    Supported

    Rippling enables employees to access payroll information via their mobile app.

    Supported

    Employees can access payroll information via the Paylocity mobile app.

  • Payroll integration
    Supported

    Rippling automatically syncs payroll data with benefits, ensuring that benefit deductions are reflected in the payroll process. It also integrates with accounting systems, ensuring accurate transfer and recording of benefit deductions.

    Supported

    Paylocity integrates with payroll systems and automates benefit deductions.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    -0.22
    Neutral sentiment
    -0.39
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Customer Service
    +0.22
    Neutral sentiment
    +0.23
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.89
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.73
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.34
    Rather positive sentiment
    -0.03
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    +0.25
    Neutral sentiment
    +0.1
    Neutral sentiment
  • Scalability
    +0.47
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0
    Neutral sentiment

Rippling and Paylocity Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Neutral
-0.24

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Rather negative
-0.45

See full Pricing page

Rippling and Paylocity review insights

8193 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • User-friendly interface
  • Easy to navigate
  • Clear breakdowns, visually pleasing
  • Org Chart is searchable
  • User-friendly interface for both administrators and employees.
  • Robust payroll functionality, ensuring accurate and timely processing.
  • Comprehensive HR features, including onboarding, performance management, and benefits administration.
  • Strong customer support during implementation, providing helpful guidance and training.

Users dislike

  • Discrepancies between the mobile and desktop app
  • Payment notifications via email arrive late
  • Limited phone numbers available for customer service
  • Need to go through a lot of clicks sometimes to get back to what i need to access
  • Customer service is hit or miss, with some reps providing conflicting or inaccurate information.
  • PTO accruals can be difficult to manage and sometimes calculate incorrectly.
  • Time and Labor integration with HR/Payroll can be clunky, leading to issues with PTO and timesheet data.
  • Some features, like the mobile app and reporting tools, have limited functionality.

Rippling and Paylocity Ratings

  • G2
    4.8/5
    (2547)
  • Capterra
    4.9/5
    (2321)
  • Glassdoor
    3.8/5
    (564)
  • G2
    4.4/5
    (2509)
  • Capterra
    4.3/5
    (830)
  • Glassdoor
    3.8/5
    (2669)

Company health

Employee growth

57% increase in the last year
5% increase in the last year

Web traffic

6% decrease in the last quarter
7% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

December 2023 - $2B
January 2008 - $10M

How do Rippling's IT management features compare to Paylocity's focus on HR and payroll?

Rippling offers a broader range of features encompassing IT management (like device management and inventory tracking) alongside HR and payroll, while Paylocity focuses primarily on HR and payroll functionalities, including talent management and employee engagement tools. Therefore, Rippling is a more comprehensive solution for businesses seeking unified management of various employee-related processes, whereas Paylocity is better suited for organizations primarily needing robust HR and payroll capabilities.

Which platform, Rippling or Paylocity, better supports a globally distributed workforce?

Rippling is the better platform for a globally distributed workforce. While both Rippling and Paylocity offer robust HR and payroll features, Rippling explicitly states its focus on global operations, offering localized solutions for international payroll, benefits, and compliance. Paylocity's description does not mention any specific features for international businesses.

What are the advantages of Rippling?

Rippling offers a more comprehensive suite of tools, encompassing HR, IT, and finance functions, including device management and expense tracking, whereas Paylocity primarily focuses on HR and payroll. Rippling also provides better support for international operations, with localized solutions for payroll, benefits, and compliance. Additionally, user reviews highlight Rippling's user-friendly interface and clear breakdowns, contributing to a positive user experience.

What are the disadvantages of Rippling?

Rippling users have reported discrepancies between the mobile and desktop applications, which can create inconsistencies and confusion. Some users have experienced delayed payment notifications via email, causing potential financial inconveniences. Limited customer service phone numbers can lead to longer wait times and difficulty reaching support. Finally, navigating the platform can sometimes require excessive clicks to access desired information, impacting overall efficiency.

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Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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