Rippling

Rippling was founded in 2016 by Parker Conrad and Prasanna Sankar. Parker Conrad is a legendary and somewhat controversial figure in Silicon Valley, having previously founded Zenefits. After being ousted from his first company, he spent years reflecting on why HR software was so broken and realized that the "employee record" should be the center of all business operations, not just payroll. He founded Rippling as a "comeback" story, building it with a philosophy called the "Compound Startup"—the idea that one company should build a suite of interconnected products rather than just one niche tool.

The company is headquartered in San Francisco but maintains a massive engineering presence in Bengaluru, India. Since its founding, Rippling has raised billions of dollars from elite investors like Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and Bedrock. In early 2026, Rippling is valued at over $13 billion and is widely considered one of the most operationally excellent companies in tech. Parker Conrad remains the CEO, known for his deep technical involvement in the product and his mission to "make companies more operationally excellent" by eliminating the busywork of admin tasks.

Rippling is the ultimate tool for Scaling Tech Companies and Modern Startups. If your company is growing from 20 to 200 employees, the administrative burden of managing laptops, passwords, and payroll will quickly become a nightmare. Rippling is built to handle that complexity so you don't have to hire a massive operations team early on. It is for the founder who wants a "set it and forget it" system that grows with them.

It is also a sanctuary for Global and Remote Teams. Because Rippling can handle Employer of Record (EOR) services and international device logistics, it is perfect for companies that want to hire the best talent in the UK, India, or Brazil without opening legal entities in those countries. In 2026, it has also become a favorite for Mid-Market Enterprises (500-2,000 employees) who are tired of the outdated and clunky interfaces of legacy providers like ADP or Workday and want a modern, API-first alternative.

• • IT Managers: Who need a central dashboard to track hardware inventory and manage software licenses (SaaS management).
• • CFOs: Who want real-time visibility into total labor costs, including salary, benefits, and device spend.
• • HR Leaders: Who want to move from "paper pushers" to strategic partners by automating 90% of their manual tasks.

Rippling is a multi-cloud ecosystem. Its HR Cloud handles the basics: domestic and global payroll, benefits administration (medical, dental, 401k), and talent management. However, its true power is the IT Cloud. Rippling can automatically provision user accounts in over 500 apps (G Suite, Slack, Salesforce, etc.) based on an employee's role. If an employee leaves, Rippling can instantly lock their computer, wipe sensitive data, and redirect their emails to their manager.

In 2026, the Finance Cloud has become equally impressive. It offers corporate cards that "enforce themselves." You can set a policy that says, "Engineers can only spend on AWS and GitHub." If they try to buy a coffee with that specific card, it gets declined automatically. Rippling also handles Bill Pay and Expenses, matching receipts to transactions using AI and automating the reimbursement process through the next payroll run.

For managing physical assets, Rippling offers Inventory Management. You can buy laptops directly through the platform, and Rippling will store them in their own warehouses. When a new hire starts, Rippling ships the device; when they leave, Rippling sends them a return box and stores the laptop until the next hire. This "hardware-as-a-service" model eliminates the need for a physical office or an IT closet.

• • App Provisioning: Automatically grant or revoke access to software tools using SCIM and SSO standards.
• • Global Compliance: Built-in safeguards flag labor law risks, such as overtime violations or missing mandatory training.
• • LMS (Learning Management): Create and track employee training courses directly within the platform.

Rippling’s pricing model is Modular and Usage-Based, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Everything starts with the Unity Platform (the core employee database), which costs $8 per user per month. From there, you "build your own" platform by adding the specific modules you need. For example, Payroll is an add-on, Device Management is an add-on, and Global EOR services are another add-on.

For a typical 50-person company using just Payroll and basic HR, you might pay roughly $35-$50 per user per month. However, if you add the full IT and Finance suites, that cost can quickly jump to **$100+ per user per month**. The benefit of this model is that you only pay for what you actually use; if you don't need device management, you don't pay for it.

It is important to note that Rippling is notoriously tight-lipped about its full price list. To get an exact quote for the IT or Finance modules, you must speak with a sales representative. They primarily offer annual contracts, and while they are more expensive than "budget" alternatives like Gusto, the ROI (Return on Investment) comes from the massive amount of manual hours you save by not having to manage multiple disconnected systems.

The biggest thing to watch out for with Rippling is Pricing Transparency. Because the system is so modular, it is very easy for your monthly bill to spiral out of control if you keep activating new features. Always get a clear breakdown of the "per-seat" costs for every module before you sign. Additionally, be aware of the Implementation Time. While Rippling automates everything once it's set up, the initial configuration of complex IT and benefits policies can take several weeks of heavy lift from your team.

You should also pay attention to Customer Support. Many users have noted that while the software is world-class, the support can sometimes feel "automated" or slow unless you are on a high-tier enterprise plan. Lastly, remember that Rippling is an All-in-One Marriage. Once you have your payroll, IT, and finance all running through Rippling, it is incredibly difficult to leave. You are trading your flexibility for extreme efficiency—make sure you are ready for that long-term commitment.

If Rippling feels too complex or expensive, the 2026 market has several specialized alternatives. Gusto is the best alternative for smaller companies (under 50 employees) who only care about payroll and HR and don't need the IT management features. Deel and Remote are the top choices if your primary focus is global hiring and you want a platform built specifically for international compliance.

• • QuickBooks Payroll: Best for those who want their payroll to live directly inside their accounting software.
• • BambooHR: A great alternative for HR-focused teams that want an easy-to-use system for performance and culture but manage IT separately.
• • Workday: The legacy enterprise giant. Better for massive corporations (10,000+ employees) that need deep, customizable ERP features.

• Does Rippling handle my IT hardware? Yes. Through the IT Cloud, Rippling can purchase laptops, ship them to new hires, manage their security settings, and even retrieve them when an employee leaves.

• Can I use Rippling if I'm already using Gusto? Yes. Rippling has a dedicated migration team that will help you move your employee data, historical payroll records, and benefits from Gusto into Rippling.

• Is Rippling only for US companies? No. In 2026, Rippling is a global platform. While it started in the US, it now supports native payroll in over 90 countries and contractor payments in 180+.

• Do I have to buy all the modules at once? No. You can start with just the core HRIS and Payroll, and add IT or Spend Management later as your company grows and your needs change.

• Is my data safe with Rippling? Yes. Rippling is SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified. It uses AES-256 encryption and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect all employee and financial data.