Ascentis (discontinued) vs. Rippling

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Ascentis (discontinued)
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Ascentis HR uses web-based management programs to help automate complex HR processes. Ascentis’ other services included customizable payroll, time and attendance and recruiting modules. Ascentis was acquired by UKG in March of 2022, and will be discontinued.N/A
Rippling
Score 8.9 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
starting price per user, per month
Pricing
Ascentis (discontinued)Rippling
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Recommended
$8.00
starting price per user, per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Ascentis (discontinued)Rippling
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFor additional pricing details visit the Rippling pricing page.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Ascentis (discontinued)Rippling
Features
Ascentis (discontinued)Rippling
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
7.1
Ratings
10% below category average
Rippling
9.2
Ratings
16% above category average
Employee demographic data6.70 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Employment history7.30 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Job profiles and administration6.90 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.6.70 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Organizational charting5.20 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Organization and location management8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.80 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
7.8
Ratings
2% below category average
Rippling
9.2
Ratings
14% above category average
Pay calculation7.10 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors6.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.30 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Benefit plan administration6.70 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.20 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.60 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.80 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
7.8
Ratings
3% below category average
Rippling
9.2
Ratings
14% above category average
Approval workflow7.90 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Balance details7.00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.40 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
7.0
Ratings
14% below category average
Rippling
9.3
Ratings
14% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information7.80 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Update personal information8.60 Ratings9.30 Ratings
View company policy documentation5.40 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Employee recognition6.00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
View job history7.30 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
5.8
Ratings
33% below category average
Rippling
9.3
Ratings
14% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets5.80 Ratings9.30 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
6.3
Ratings
17% below category average
Rippling
9.1
Ratings
19% above category average
Report builder7.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.50 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data4.60 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
5.1
Ratings
43% below category average
Rippling
9.3
Ratings
16% above category average
New hire portal5.30 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Manager tracking tools4.90 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
7.2
Ratings
9% below category average
Rippling
9.2
Ratings
15% above category average
Corporate goal setting6.70 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.60 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.10 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Performance tracking7.20 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
6.0
Ratings
27% below category average
Rippling
9.3
Ratings
17% above category average
Performance plans5.60 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Performance improvement plans5.60 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Review status tracking5.80 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Review reminders6.50 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Multiple review frequency6.60 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
5.9
Ratings
28% below category average
Rippling
9.1
Ratings
15% above category average
Create succession plans/pools6.40 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Candidate ranking6.40 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Candidate search5.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Candidate development5.80 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Ascentis (discontinued)
5.5
Ratings
34% below category average
Rippling
9.4
Ratings
19% above category average
Job Requisition Management5.40 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Company Website Posting5.20 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Publish to Social Media5.60 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting5.80 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention5.60 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Applicant Tracking5.70 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts5.30 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Ascentis (discontinued)Rippling
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Ascentis (discontinued)Rippling
Likelihood to Recommend
7.2
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.3
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.6
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
Availability
6.7
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.1
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.3
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.3
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(0 ratings)
1.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
3.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.7
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Ascentis (discontinued)Rippling
Likelihood to Recommend
In working with Ascentis in payroll, the program makes my job so much easier. I am new to this position and the learning process has been so much easier with this product than those in the past. I appreciate the patience I am given when I call in for assistance as well.
Read full review
I highly recommend Rippling for any company, regardless of its size. Many well-known companies trust it, and if you go onto their LinkedIn page, you will likely find that many of your friends and colleagues are already familiar with them. Along with a highly flexible and easy-to-use UI, many other companies use it, making it feel like a small world. Any company that needs software for expense management and payroll and wants consistency should consider using Rippling.
Read full review
Pros
  • Easy to use software. I have had several new HR employees comment on how easy the system is to learn!
  • Problem Solving- Ascentis is always problem solving! When we were in the process of selecting a new payroll company, we needed unemployment claims management assistance for our locations, something Ascentis did not currently offer. The sales rep went out of his way to find a unemployment claims management company that would work with Ascentis and us. That company has helped us keep an 80% win rate for our claims!
  • User conference- Engage is an awesome way to learn more about the products Ascentis has available as well and meet up with the staff you work with every day!
Read full review
  • I did not expect Live Chat Support and Email Support when we moved to Rippling. Their Support team is quick and very knowledgeable. I have had multiple instances where we have gone back and forth on a situation to come to the correct conclusion, never feeling they were trying to just close the case unsolved.
  • Being able to manage employees from application to separation is huge. Having a built in ATS that we can hire candidates from directly, and immediately have their payroll, benefits and employee profile setup has saved me countless hours for each hire.
  • Rippling allows us to manage retirement plans across the US, Canada and UK with automation and file feeds. Before Rippling I manually managed these in multiple portals, now Rippling does it for me automatically.
Read full review
Cons
  • Updating the system so it is one platform and not two.
  • Create changes to the benefit enrollment process and upgrade the system so hire dates do not need to be changed to trigger benefits for status changes.
  • Focus updates on HR Admin, mobile application, ATS and transitioning to one platform. Larger areas of focus have been on the payroll portion of the system with a few updates to other areas.
  • When something is broken, quicker turn time on fixing the issue.
  • System needs updates to support AAP reporting.
Read full review
  • It is hard to think of ways that Rippling could improve. The one area that we did have a bit of a slowdown was in the onboarding process. It was not intuitive and we expect to have some learning curve so if I could say anything needs improvement it would be this area.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
If I were given the opportunity to select a new system, Ascentis would definitely be a strong contender. It links together the functions much more seamlessly than other systems I have used. By far the best part though is the customer support after implementation, this is where many companies fail. It was very appreciated that even after every module went live the service level was still high.
Read full review
Rippling continues to innovate and amaze me with their new innovations and features. Product feedback is taken seriously so I always give it whenever I can and end up seeing results. Rippling is the new wave of HRIS that cannot compare against others in the industry just due to the fact they are super user friendly!
Read full review
Usability
Employees and Management all love this product, as the ease of use is great! The app makes it very user friendly, as things can be done from cell phones anywhere at any time! Our Field Service Technicians love that they can clock in and out, etc., from any location, and that their time can be approved accordingly.
Read full review
Rippling is a great product that has streamlined our payroll and leave management processes. The interface is intuitive, and it’s very convenient to manage everything in one place. While the initial setup was a bit lengthy and the mobile experience can sometimes be a little slow, overall, it’s been a reliable and effective solution for our needs.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
They normally give you notice when an update will affect the use of the system. Otherwise, when we have an error , we send a message to the support team. Sometimes someone will get right back with you and sometimes it takes a while.
Read full review
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
Yes, this pages do load pretty good but there are times when things are slow and I believe that's because they are sometimes trying to do updates.
Read full review
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
Support is attentive and quick to answer the call and get the answer for you. If they for any reason cannot answer right then, they are back to you within a day and always seem to have a sense of urgency. You truly get the impression that they are aiming to make you happy.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
In-Person Training
First, to clarify our "in-person" training was done mainly through Web-X meetings and conference calls. It was the closest thing we got to as far as an "in-person" training for this software. However, for the large majority of it, this type of training worked out well. We were able to share our screens and the trainer was able to share his/her screen. We could follow along with what we were doing in our database in real time and see how different functions worked and how manipulating our information could produce different results. It was also nice in that it provided for real-time results if something hadn't been coded correctly or we were having issues as to why something wasn't working the way we thought it should be. However, it did have some downsides in that we often had to rely on a conference phone and that made it difficult to hear people on both sides. Also, sometimes the trainers had internet difficulties when working from home and that caused issues with the WebX meetings.
Read full review
The trainer went slow and and answered our questions.
Read full review
Online Training
Ascentis HR has a number of online training videos to watch on a number of different topics. I gave it a lower rating because there is not much interactivity with the videos and it seems to cater to really only one or two learning styles. Plus, one has to be pretty motivated to go to a separate area to access the videos and then pull up a specific one to watch it and then learn. From my experience, people know that they are there, many just don't take the time and effort to go find them and actually watch them - especially since the username and password are different from their normal username and password.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
It was very easy to implement, but the customization pieces should really be fleshed out in order to determine the full need of an organization at the time of implementation. I believe if a little more time was spent on the requirements, the recruiting module would not have to be customized again at a cost at a later date.
Read full review
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!
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Ascentis has far better customer service and the implementation experience was also better. The ability to do a lot of customization is also easier with Ascentis as it's smaller organization. The payroll has positive and negatives compared to ADP but the accuracy is the same in both. Ascentis just started their community site which doesn't have a lot of traffic but hopefully can become more like ADP's community site, which was extremely helpful to me as an administrator.
Read full review
We switched from Gusto to Rippling and I wish we would've done it years ago. Rippling is so much more robust than Gusto and has made the lives of our HR team and each of our employees so much easier! I'd recommend Rippling over Gusto to every organization without any hesitation
Read full review
Scalability
Large acquisition would be very complicated, seems more appropriate for companies under 100
Read full review
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
  • It has been great to have all of our employee information in one central location, easy access and that the modules communicate/link together. If I change something here, it gets "pushed" to all other modules.
  • I do not maximize ESS, particularly posting information on the home page because it is so TEDIOUS.
  • LOVE the app, would love for it to be easier for employees to reset their password to whatever they want vs. the system generated password.
Read full review
  • Routine things like PTO requests and document uploads now take a few clicks instead of hours of email back‑and‑forth. I’d estimate I spend at least half the time on those tasks compared to before, which frees me up to actually help employees.
  • What used to drag on for days now gets done in a morning - I've just asked them this now. New hires can log in, set up their tools, and start training almost immediately, so they’re productive much sooner.
  • Payroll and benefits errors used to pop up regularly, but now I almost never have to fix things or follow up on missing info. That means less stress for me and for everyone involved.
  • Having everything in one platform cuts out the “where did you send that?” and “who approves this?” questions. It feels like we’ve reduced our back‑and‑forth by at least a third.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Ascentis (discontinued) Screenshots

Screenshot of Access all of your details including, paychecks, personal file, timeclock, etc via our mobile app.Screenshot of Punch-in and punch-out on the go.Screenshot of Centralized location for everything related to a user or admin.Screenshot of Every employee has access to their personal information in one location.Screenshot of Pre-built reporting along with Ad Hoc reporting gives you the ability to understand your business as a whole.Screenshot of Benefit enrollment made easy for your employees.

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.