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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Paychex

    Score5.1 out of 10
    N/APaychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.

    $59

    per month/+$4 per employee

    Rippling

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/ARippling’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

    per month per user

    Pricing
    PaychexRippling
    Editions & Modules
    Paychex Go
    $59
    per month/+$4 per employee
    Paychex Flex Service
    Contact sales team
    Paychex Flex Enterprise
    Contact sales team
    Recommended
    $8.00
    starting price per user, per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    PaychexRippling
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional Details—For additional pricing details visit the Rippling pricing page.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    PaychexRippling
    Considered Both Products
    Paychex Inc.
    Chose Paychex
    I far prefer Rippling to Paychex Flex, with its easy to navigate interface and user friendly model. I also appreciate the payday emails from Rippling and the paystub breakdown. It is also very easy and simple to request and view PTO in Rippling. I really dread having to use …
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I did not select Paychex. It was at 2 companies I started with and ended up having them switch out
    Incentivized
    Rippling
    Chose Rippling
    The ease of use and admin and employee interface of Rippling blows Paychex Flex out of the water. For a young and tech-oriented startup, Rippling is by far a better fit for our team!

    Paylocity has some more nitty-gritty payroll editing and adjustment capabilities, which I hope …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    So far it is by far superior to Paychex and ADP systems
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    No comparison in my eyes. Rippling has so many options and tabs with various information at your fingertips. There is nothing in my eyes that Rippling can't handle. We used to spend a lot of time contacting the HR Department with questions regarding our insurance, scheduling …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling has much better applications and functions integration, much better customer support. Rippling is very easy to use, check payroll, time management, 401 K investment and management, training and on-boarding, reimbursement and compensation management, talent recruitment …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    PayChex pales in comparison to Rippling and is not nearly as user friendly or easy to navigate.
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    I think that Rippling is highly competitive to ADP
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling is a dream to work with compared the above listed companies. I love how straightforward everything is with Rippling and how you are able to get what you need almost immediately without hassle. Employees know where to go and how to get what they need without having to …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    I am a site supervisor, so I did not choose Rippling. It is highly efficient, however, compared to our former HR platform!
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Outperforms in every category
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling was more user friendly and also more aimed at catering to a smaller business
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    It is easiser to acess benifits but i do wish the clock in features were more accessible
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    More automations, great price, great employee-interface, easy to add modules & make changes.
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling is easy to set up and the various vendors like workers comp and 401K are well integrated creating ease of use. We used TriNet in the past and Rippling provides far greater control and transparency. The other are vendors we considered when we left TriNet and were …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    The dealbreaker for us was that we have multiple companies / legal entities that all needed payroll company service. The companies are all interconnected, sharing office and lab space, equipment, contractors, and employees transfer between them. All other payroll companies we …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling seemed to be much more user friendly. In speaking with fellow business owners, many of the other payroll companies I looked into had poor customer service reviews, and the costs were much higher than Rippling. I also am pleased that Rippling offers much more than …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling is an user-friendly application system and has powerful automation tools. Also is visibly more integrative.
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    I am a user - I didn't select Rippling for my company. However, as a user, Rippling was far easier to navigate, manage, and view my employment and benefits info.
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling's HRIS is similar in quality to BambooHR and Workday. However, where Rippling outshines those platforms is in its added functionality and connection to other portions of the platform as well as other applications. Being able to have our HRIS and Payroll Software on the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling is the best platform I've used for HR, benefit and payroll management of any I've ever used previously.
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Rippling was by far the better option. ADPs offerings were terrible and I would not recommend anyone to go with them. Aside from the poor support/service and inability to be fully customizable, there were glaring issues regarding compliance. When we were in a PEO Model …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Ultimately we selected Rippling because it felt like the most comprehensive, tech forward solution on the market. The system is fully integrated and unlike Paychex, it doesn't feel like a bunch of separate systems that were poorly pulled together. The user experience on the web …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Paychex is not as comprehensive, doesn't have as many tools or plugins, and is more clunky. There are a lot of things that have to be done manually, like benefit contributions, that result in higher human error. Rippling doesn't feel like a big company, and the customer …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    The HR department made that decision. I'm not sure why. Rippling seems like a very helpful service, but I'm a new enployee, so I'm not sure why it was considered superior.
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Traditional payroll software has a clunky user experience. They get the job done, but it's at the expense of more time spent by my HR team in supporting employees in using the software to find what they need. Rippling's self-service features work because it's intuitive and easy …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rippling
    Customer support is much improved over the former company, questions and requests for information are handled rapidly
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Would buy again
    1072 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    712 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    1073 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    516 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    532 Answers
    Features
    PaychexRippling
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    7.3
    257 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Rippling
    9.2
    826 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Employee demographic data7.2206 Ratings9.1573 Ratings
    Employment history9.4230 Ratings8.9589 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration9.0164 Ratings9.3683 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.6161 Ratings9.2593 Ratings
    Organizational charting1.01 Ratings9.3707 Ratings
    Organization and location management9.2146 Ratings9.2617 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.5137 Ratings9.2479 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    9.3
    299 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Rippling
    9.1
    871 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Pay calculation9.7282 Ratings9.1774 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.4142 Ratings9.1511 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration9.0164 Ratings8.8772 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.7281 Ratings9.4765 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.2200 Ratings9.2561 Ratings
    Reimbursement management9.6111 Ratings9.2480 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    8.7
    151 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Rippling
    9.2
    769 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Approval workflow8.6107 Ratings9.2742 Ratings
    Balance details8.8143 Ratings9.3693 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment8.6117 Ratings9.0499 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    8.7
    258 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Rippling
    9.3
    916 Ratings
    14% above category average
    View and generate pay and benefit information9.1236 Ratings9.4869 Ratings
    Update personal information8.3248 Ratings9.3905 Ratings
    View company policy documentation9.8114 Ratings9.5740 Ratings
    View job history7.4175 Ratings9.3632 Ratings
    Employee recognition00 Ratings9.0478 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    7.5
    41 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Rippling
    9.3
    368 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Tracking of all physical assets7.541 Ratings9.3368 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    7.0
    169 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Rippling
    9.1
    435 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Report builder7.9139 Ratings9.2421 Ratings
    Pre-built reports8.1159 Ratings9.1400 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data5.086 Ratings9.1352 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    6.9
    165 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Rippling
    9.3
    637 Ratings
    16% above category average
    New hire portal7.4158 Ratings9.5621 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools6.3101 Ratings9.2466 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    7.9
    61 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Rippling
    9.4
    318 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Job Requisition Management7.733 Ratings9.2250 Ratings
    Company Website Posting9.331 Ratings9.2240 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media7.224 Ratings9.4212 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting7.231 Ratings9.5218 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention8.030 Ratings9.5220 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking8.035 Ratings9.4233 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts8.155 Ratings9.4292 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    Rippling
    9.2
    325 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings9.2272 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings9.2294 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.3273 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings9.3290 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    Rippling
    9.3
    377 Ratings
    17% above category average
    Performance plans00 Ratings9.2328 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings9.2310 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings9.2330 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings9.4355 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.4298 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Paychex and Rippling
    Feature
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    Rippling
    9.1
    280 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.0227 Ratings
    Candidate ranking00 Ratings9.2240 Ratings
    Candidate search00 Ratings9.0247 Ratings
    Candidate development00 Ratings9.0235 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    PaychexRippling
    Small Businesses
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    PaychexRippling
    Likelihood to Recommend
    5.2
    (309 ratings)
    9.1
    (964 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (42 ratings)
    9.1
    (15 ratings)
    Usability
    8.2
    (251 ratings)
    9.2
    (961 ratings)
    Availability
    7.3
    (11 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    7.3
    (11 ratings)
    7.3
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.1
    (256 ratings)
    9.3
    (771 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    4.5
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.3
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    6.5
    (12 ratings)
    8.4
    (4 ratings)
    Configurability
    7.4
    (8 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.1
    (11 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.9
    (31 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.2
    (32 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    PaychexRippling
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Paychex Inc.
    For the most part, Paychex Flex is a very good payroll system and is well suited for a small business. Most basic features are simple and user friendly. For businesses that have hourly employees, its timeclock system is a good feature. For businesses that have a large number of employees and more complicated rules and policies, it might not be as appropriate because of the difficulty to set up for these rules and policies
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    Rippling has been fantastic for me as I work for two entities. I can easily alternate between the two for time-tracking purposes on Rippling, whereas I used to do it manually by hand. This has made submitting my hour totals for payroll so much easier. Rippling is probably less useful for those who are salary and don't need to track their hours as meticulously as I do
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Paychex Inc.
    • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
    • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
    • Employee access both online and thru app.
    • Paperless options.
    • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
    • Easy employee retirement management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Paychex Inc.
    • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
    • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
    • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    • Could clarify what is being asked when creating expense reports.
    • It could make 2FA more intuitive on mobile, such as allowing iPhone users to use Face ID as an alternative if the device is locked.
    • Overall avoid using too much jargon when asking questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Paychex Inc.
    Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    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!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Paychex Inc.
    Some things could be streamlined. For example, we could do custom options for the "add items" tab which has so many options that we never use. "Medical Pay" could be something that the system remembers for the applicable employees. Salaried employees' salaries should definitely be auto-filled. Overall the system works well but I think it could be improved to be easier to use and read.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Paychex Inc.
    We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Paychex Inc.
    Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Paychex Inc.
    Our dedicated representative is one of the main reasons we are sticking with Paychex Flex. If it were not for this person, other platforms could provide the same/similar functionality. It is the ability to speak with someone that understands our business and is willing to get questions answered in a timely fashion that keeps us with Paychex Flex.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    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
    Paychex Inc.
    We did online training only
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    The trainer went slow and and answered our questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Paychex Inc.
    It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Paychex Inc.
    Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    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!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Paychex Inc.
    We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so user-friendly. I hated every minute of those 6 payrolls we ran through QB online.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    Rippling has a better user experience, is more easy to use and more comprehensive. This is more related to feelings but with Employee Navigator I felf my data was not being protected because the platform looked very old and outdated. With Rippling the feeling is the opposite because I think is more up to date. Also, the gifs they send when is pay day are super nice and fun lol
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Paychex Inc.
    I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Paychex Inc.
    • I do not believe we have saved anything additionally. The time we've had to spend to get things to hopefully work is sad. This is the reason we've had to turn off all extra "products" of Paychex Flex. Time and Attendance is horrible. Benefits management is horrible. The user experience is horrible.
    • One thing I do not understand is why are updates for states, cities, counties, school districts, etc. not automatically updated? Should we not get a big red flag if we have an employee living/working, being paid in CA, but they aren't set up for CA sick time? If it is required to be on the paycheck stub to show the balance of the sick time, why would we not be notified that we are out of compliance?
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Rippling
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Paychex Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshot

    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.