Rippling vs. Justworks Comparison

Rippling vs. Justworks Compared

Both Rippling and Justworks are top-rated PEOs and HR solutions. Their features vary greatly, making them ideal HR options for different types of businesses. Here’s an overview of their features and pricing.

Who Do We Recommend Rippling For?

Rippling is a cloud-based HR and IT solution that helps small and midsize businesses automate their HR processes and streamline their workforce management. Because it is a highly customizable platform, it’s ideal for companies that need a tailored solution. It’s also very scalable with PEO and non-PEO arrangements, so it’s great for growing businesses. We love that as you hire more employees and expand into new markets, Rippling can be easily configured to meet your changing needs.

It’s crucial to note that Rippling is not a plug-and-play system. Some time and effort are required to set up your workflows and automation. However, once you have everything in place, Rippling can be a powerful tool for managing your organization’s HR and IT functions. Our comprehensive review of Rippling dives deeper into its features.

• Rippling can be used as a PEO or stand-alone HR software.
• It can be customized to streamline many HR processes. 
• The vendor offers app and device management capabilities for employers that want to manage their HR functions and employee devices from one centralized location. 

Rippling can automate many HR functions, including the recruitment process. Source: Rippling

Who Do We Recommend Justworks For?

Justworks is an ideal PEO partner for startups and growing companies that are looking for a user-friendly HR platform. This service simplifies the complexities of workforce management by providing a streamlined system for handling payroll, benefits administration, compliance and various other HR tasks. We appreciate that, unlike many competitors, Justworks shares pricing upfront, so it’s a great option for employers that need an affordable HR solution with transparent cost information. Read our detailed review of Justworks to learn more. 

• Justworks is a PEO, which means you must enter a co-employment partnership to use the vendor’s HR services. 
• Both of its plans include essential HR features. 
• Justworks has 24/7 customer support. 

Rippling vs. Justworks Comparison

Here’s how Rippling and Justworks compare when it comes to pricing and features. 

Pricing

Rippling Pricing 

Rippling Unity, Rippling’s base workforce platform, starts at $8 per user per month. However, the vendor offers several add-on services and features, which can drive up the cost significantly. 

Here are some key points about Rippling Unity pricing:

• There is no free trial, but there is a free product demo to give you a sense of the system before you sign a contract.
• There are four base plans: Core, Pro, Unlimited and Enterprise. Pricing is not available online, but you can contact Rippling for a quote.
• Employers can pay to add HR features to the base platform, like recruiting, payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, learning management, PEO and employer of record (EOR) services, headcount planning and performance management. 
• Rippling also sells IT cloud and finance cloud features. 

Justworks Pricing

Justworks is one of the most transparent PEOs we reviewed, as it lists its pricing openly online. Here’s a look at the two PEO plans the company offers:

• Basic: This package includes features such as employee onboarding, payroll, compliance assistance, HR consulting, time management, reporting and other HR tools. It costs $59 per employee per month for your first 49 employees. For your 50th employee and onward, the price drops to $49 per employee per month. 
• Plus: This tier includes all of the features in the Basic plan, plus employee benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; COBRA administration; health advocacy services; and tax-advantaged benefits. It costs $99 per employee per month for your first 49 employees, and the price decreases to $89 per employee per month for your 50th employee and beyond.

Even Justworks’ Basic plan includes valuable HR reports. Source: Justworks

Here are some key points about Justworks’ pricing:   

• The vendor requires you to have a minimum of only two employees, which is fewer than many competitors.
• You can switch between the Basic and Plus plans by contacting Justworks support.
• Employers can cancel anytime with a 30-day written notice.

Winner: Justworks

Justworks is the winner because the company offers two plans with essential HR features and affordable rates. We like that Justworks is upfront about its pricing, giving small business owners a quick look at how much their desired services will cost. Justworks users can switch between the Basic and Plus packages, making it a flexible solution for startups and growing businesses.

HR Features

Rippling HR Features

• Rippling’s base plan includes essential HR features to streamline onboarding, manage employee data, create and enforce policies, automate workflows, and track vacation and leave time.
• Rippling’s optional add-on HR features include recruitment, employee benefits management, time and attendance, payroll processing, learning management and an HR help desk to help businesses manage their workforce more comprehensively.
• Rippling’s optional non-HR services — such as app, mobile device, inventory and expense management — integrate with the company’s HR platform to provide a holistic solution for businesses of all sizes.
• Users can switch between Rippling’s PEO and non-PEO plans. 

Justworks HR Features

• Both of Justworks’ plans include essential HR features, like hiring and onboarding, an organizational directory, benefits administration, time tracking, payroll processing, reporting and expense management.
• Justworks can help organizations stay compliant with HR consulting and harassment prevention and inclusion training. 
• Only the Plus package includes access to medical, dental and vision insurance. 
• Justworks only offers a PEO arrangement.

Winner: Rippling

Justworks has the essential HR features most small businesses will need. However, Rippling’s extensive HR functionality impressed us. The platform boasts virtually any HR feature you could need, but it doesn’t stop there. It has the ability to automate many of these functions, saving employers countless hours on their HR responsibilities. 

Rippling’s app and device management services also stood out to us. Although these aren’t traditional HR functions, they tie in closely to the employee experience, making them very valuable add-ons. We also like that Rippling users can transition between PEO and non-PEO models without losing their HR data.

Rippling has comprehensive HR and IT cloud features, including device management. Source: Rippling

Payroll Processing

Rippling Payroll Processing

• Rippling can automatically calculate and file all of your payroll taxes, including federal, state and local taxes, as well as W-2, W-4 and 1099 forms.
• Businesses can choose to add U.S. or global payroll to their Rippling subscription, but payroll processing is required for those who use Rippling’s PEO services.
• Rippling’s time and attendance feature automatically integrates with its payroll and paid-time-off solutions, thereby streamlining your HR processes.

Justworks Payroll Processing 

• Because Justworks is a PEO, it requires all partners to use its in-house payroll solution.
• Justworks can handle all aspects of payroll processing, including payroll taxes, direct deposit and pay stubs.
• For an extra $8 per user per month, you can upgrade your plan to include Justworks Hours, which offers comprehensive time-tracking features for contractors and employees.

Winner: Rippling

With Rippling’s sheer power of automation, it has the edge in this category. Rippling allows users to create custom payroll rules to meet the specific needs of their business, while Justworks only offers predefined payroll rules. We also like that Rippling can facilitate domestic and global payroll, as opposed to only U.S.-based payroll. 

Rippling can automatically calculate payroll earnings for you. Source: Rippling

Usability

Rippling Usability

• When we tested the Rippling platform, we found it easy to use and navigate, with intuitive controls and a user-friendly interface.
• We like that it offers a variety of customizable workflows and automations for companies to streamline their HR processes.
• The unified system allows you to manage all of your HR, IT and finance data in one place.

Justworks Usability  

• Justworks is one of the most user-friendly PEO platforms on the market, with simple and intuitive controls.
• Justworks’ mobile apps are also highly rated in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play store, and they’re straightforward for employees and employers to use.
• We love that Justworks offers guided implementation support from a dedicated representative to help businesses get started quickly and smoothly.

The Justworks system can be easily navigated on desktop and mobile devices. Source: Justworks

Winner: Tie

When we tested Rippling and Justworks, we were pleased with how user-friendly both options were. This led us to call a tie on usability. However, the way in which they are user-friendly differs slightly. The Justworks program is intuitive and easy to navigate right from the start. There isn’t a whole lot of customizing to do, so it’s ideal for those who need a low learning curve. It has user-friendly mobile apps as well. 

The Rippling platform, on the other hand, is highly customizable. This can make the software a little more challenging to set up, since you can create a variety of automations and workflows. However, once configured, it can perform many of your HR processes for you, automatically pulling workforce data into whatever workflow needs it, based on your settings. This makes your HR processes more efficient in the long run. 

Customer Support

Rippling Customer Support

• Plans come with general email and web chat support.
• If you want phone support and real-time compliance updates, you can add Rippling’s HR Help Desk: HR Support feature to your plan. 
• Rippling has some online resources, like blog posts, templates and a help center.  

Justworks Customer Support  

• Customer support is available 24/7. 
• Plans include a variety of support avenues, such as phone, email, web chat, text and even Slack. 
• Justworks has some online resources, like blog posts, webinars, videos and a help center. 

Winner: Justworks

While both vendors offer adequate support, we found Justworks slightly better. We like that it provides a handful of communication channels for 24/7 support. It’s also an IRS- and ESAC-certified PEO, which is reassuring when it comes to compliance and customer service quality.

Rippling vs. Justworks Recap

Rippling and Justworks are excellent HR software and PEO providers. Which is the better service for your organization will depend on your business’s circumstances.

Choose Rippling if …

• You are a small or midsize business that wants to automate some or all of your HR processes. 
• You want a flexible HR solution that can switch between PEO and non-PEO features.
• You’re looking for a robust HR platform that also offers other products, like app and device management, global payroll, headcount planning and expense management.

Choose Justworks if …

• You are a small business that needs an affordable PEO.
• You want an intuitive HR platform that includes essential HR features. 
• You’re looking for a PEO with strong customer support.