BambooHR
BambooHR
6
Overall Score / 10
Rippling
Rippling
5.9
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
Choose BambooHR if:
- —SMBs (25-350 employees) needing a dedicated HRIS
- —HR teams wanting strong onboarding and performance management
- —Companies prioritizing employee experience and self-service
Choose Rippling if:
- —Growing companies (50-1000 employees) wanting HR + IT + Finance unified
- —Teams needing powerful workflow automation across departments
- —Companies managing devices and app access alongside HR
The biggest difference: BambooHR is a focused HR platform with excellent onboarding, time-off tracking, and employee self-service. Rippling is a broader platform unifying HR, IT device management, and finance in one system.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | BambooHR | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | Free onlySource: BambooHR pricing page → | $8/mo (Platform)Source: Rippling pricing page → |
| Free Tier | No No free tier. Free trial available. Flat rate ~$250/mo for companies with 25 or fewer employees. | No No free tier. Pricing requires a demo and custom quote. |
| Value for Money | 6 | 6 |
| Ease of Use | 8 | 7 |
| Feature Power | 7 | 9 |
| Setup Ease | 6 | 5 |
| Migration Ease | 5 | 4 |
| Transparency | 4 | 3 |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Compliance | SOC 2, GDPR | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
23 features compared · 22 differences
| Feature | BambooHR | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Benefits administration | None | Full |
| Compensation management (Elite) | Full | None |
| Core HR & org chart | None | Full |
| Device management | None | Full |
| Document storage | Full | None |
| Employee database | Full | None |
| Employee satisfaction surveys | Full | None |
| Expense management | None | Full |
| Headcount planning | None | Full |
| Hiring & applicant tracking | Full | None |
| Learning management | None | Full |
| Mobile app | Full | None |
| Onboarding & offboarding | Full | None |
| Payroll (US & global) | None | Full |
| Performance management (Pro+) | Full | None |
| Time & attendance | None | Full |
| Time-off management | Full | None |
| Advanced | ||
| Custom reports | Full | None |
| Custom reports & analytics | None | Full |
| Workflow automation | None | Full |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | Full | Full |
| Security | ||
| App provisioning & SSO | None | Full |
| Training & compliance courses (Elite) | Full | None |
Pricing Comparison
BambooHR Pricing
~$10/employee/mo. Employee database, hiring, onboarding, benefits tracking, time-off management
~$17/employee/mo. Core + performance management, employee community, compliance training
~$25/employee/mo. Pro + compensation management, custom dashboards, HR benchmarking, 300+ training courses
Rippling Pricing
$35/mo base + $8/employee/mo. Core HR platform (required). Headcount, org chart, workflow automations
Add payroll, benefits, IT, expenses, etc. as modular add-ons. Typical total: $20-30/employee/mo
$599/employee/mo for international Employer of Record services
Who Should Choose Which?
Who should choose BambooHR
Best for
- SMBs (25-350 employees) needing a dedicated HRIS
- HR teams wanting strong onboarding and performance management
- Companies prioritizing employee experience and self-service
Avoid if
- You primarily need payroll (BambooHR payroll is an add-on)
- You want transparent, published pricing
- You're a very small team (under 10 people) — Gusto is simpler
Who should choose Rippling
Best for
- Growing companies (50-1000 employees) wanting HR + IT + Finance unified
- Teams needing powerful workflow automation across departments
- Companies managing devices and app access alongside HR
Avoid if
- You're a very small business wanting simple payroll (Gusto is simpler)
- You want transparent, published pricing
- You need a solution you can set up without a sales call
Switching Guidance
Switching from BambooHR
Common triggers to leave:
- •Payroll is a separate add-on cost
- •Opaque pricing
- •Limited for companies over 350 employees
Potential blockers:
- •Employee records and history
- •Performance review data
- •Onboarding workflows and documents
Switching from Rippling
Common triggers to leave:
- •Opaque pricing (must get a quote)
- •Implementation complexity
- •Module costs add up quickly
Potential blockers:
- •IT device management integration
- •Unified HR + IT + Finance data
- •Complex workflow automations
Try BambooHR
Contact sales for pricing
Try Rippling
Plans from $8/mo