Comparison
Gusto vs Rippling
How Gusto and Rippling compare on price, pricing model, features and reviews, with every fact checked on October 24, 2026.
Quick verdict
Choose Gusto if
- Small US businesses of 1 to a few dozen people wanting simple setup.
- Companies that pay a mix of W-2 employees and 1099 contractors.
Choose Rippling if
- Companies already running payroll and HR on Rippling that want app access tied to employee records.
- Teams wanting automatic account provisioning and offboarding.
Gusto vs Rippling side by side
| Gusto | Rippling | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Small-business payroll platform that bundles tax filing, benefits and basic HR tools, priced as a base fee plus a per-person fee. | HR, payroll, IT and spend suite whose app management handles SSO, provisioning and offboarding for employee apps. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Starting price | $49/month plus $6 per person (Simple) | $8 per employee per month plus monthly base fee |
| Pricing model | base fee plus per person | per employee |
| Free plan or trial | No | No |
| SAML SSO | Reportedly available by contacting support (third-party source); not verified on gusto.com. | Not published |
| SCIM provisioning | Reportedly not offered (third-party) | Not published |
| Audit logs | Not published | Not published |
| Data residency | Not published | Not published |
| Contract | Monthly pricing; cancellation terms not verified. | US VC-backed startups may get 6 months free; custom quote required. |
| Support | Not published | Not published |
| G2 rating | 4.6 (9,000 reviews) | 4.7 (1,116 reviews) |
| Founded | 2011 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, US (formerly ZenPayroll) | San Francisco, US |
| Employees | 2,400 to 3,000 (estimates) | 5,000+ (aggregator figure) |
| Core HR and employee records | Employee records and self-onboarding on all plans (basic) | Not verified |
| Payroll integration or built-in payroll | Built-in payroll is the core product. | Payroll, Contractors, Global Payroll, EOR listed as products on pricing page. |
| Onboarding and offboarding workflows | Employee self-onboarding on Simple; hiring and onboarding tools on Plus. | Not verified |
| Time off and attendance | Basic PTO on Simple; time and PTO tracking on Plus. | Not verified |
| Benefits administration | Not verified | Benefits Administration and PEO listed as products. |
| Performance and engagement | Not verified | Performance, Surveys, Learning listed as products. |
| Integrations | Not verified | App catalog for SSO and provisioning (count not verified) |
| Pricing model and transparency | Base fee plus per-person fee per plan. | Per employee per month, modular, custom quote. |
| Target company size | Small businesses (about 84% of G2 reviews) | Not verified |
| Tax filing and compliance | Automatic federal, state and local filing on all plans. | Not verified |
| Multi-state payroll | Plus and Premium; Simple is single-state. | Not verified |
| Time tracking and PTO | Plus adds time tracking and PTO. | Time & Attendance and Scheduling listed as products. |
| Contractor and 1099 payments | Contractor Only plan $35 + $6 per contractor. | Contractors, Contractor of Record, Global Contractors listed as products. |
Differences most comparisons miss
Worth knowing about Gusto
- Multi-state payroll only starts on Plus ($80 + $12)
- Simple's price excludes benefits costs and add-ons.
- SAML SSO is not self-service: reportedly enabled via Gusto support, and SCIM is reportedly unavailable (third-party Stitchflow)
- Billing counts only active employees.
Worth knowing about Rippling
- The $8 per employee price is the suite entry point, not a SaaS management price; IT and spend modules are quoted separately.
- No evidence found that Rippling discovers unsanctioned apps; it manages apps routed through its own SSO.
- G2 reviews Rippling IT and Rippling Spend as separate products, so one rating does not cover both.
- Value comes from HRIS-driven triggers (hire, role change, exit) rather than usage analytics.
What reviewers complain about
Gusto
- Support rated slightly behind some competitors.
Rippling
- Initial setup can be complex.
Sources
Both columns use the same sources: vendor pricing and product pages, documentation, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Full source lists are on the Gusto and Rippling reviews.