Gusto vs Rippling at a glance
| Fact | Gusto | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Solo, $49 a month plus $6 per person (third-party reported, October 24, 2026) | Core HR platform from $8 per employee per month (vendor-sourced) |
| Payroll | Unlimited payroll runs, tax filings and payments on every plan, with no contract (third-party reported) | US payroll at $8 per employee per month billed annually or $10 billed monthly, an add-on to the core platform (vendor-sourced) |
| Plan structure | Simple, Plus and Premium, repackaged on October 1 (third-party reported) | Required Unity base plus separately priced modules (third-party reported) |
| Sold separately | Multi-state payroll starts at Plus, and Simple covers one state only (third-party reported) | Payroll, benefits, IT management and finance are separate modules (third-party reported) |
| Reported total cost | Solo at $49 a month plus $6 per person (third-party reported) | Median reported contract of $45,360 a year (third-party reported) |
| Published security | 2-step verification documented in the help center (vendor-sourced) | ISO/IEC 27001 announcement and a public trust center (vendor-sourced) |
Scores side by side
| Criterion | Gusto | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 6.7/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Proof of results 30% | 6.5/10 | 6.0/10 |
| Output quality 25% | 7.0/10 | 7.0/10 |
| Ease of use 15% | 7.0/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Pricing and value 15% | 6.5/10 | 5.5/10 |
| Customer support 10% | 6.5/10 | 6.0/10 |
| Security and compliance 5% | 7.0/10 | 7.0/10 |
Pricing
Gusto lists Solo at $49 a month plus $6 per person for owner-only businesses (third-party reported). Simple gives unlimited payroll runs, tax filings and payments and contractor payments for payroll in one state, Plus adds multi-state payroll, time tracking, scheduling, next-day direct deposit and advanced HR tools, and Premium adds a named advisor, HR guidance, Gusto Business Compliance, same-day and instant pay, and project-based costing. Plan names and contents changed in an October 1 repackaging, which makes older pricing guides unreliable for comparison (third-party reported).
Rippling prices by module on top of the required Unity base. The core HR platform starts from $8 per employee per month and US payroll is $8 per employee per month billed annually or $10 billed monthly (vendor-sourced), while Payroll Software Guide reports $35 per employee per month for payroll, so sources disagree on that figure. Vendr data on 288 purchases, cited by Pin, shows a median of $45,360 a year, with contracts from $5,859 to $187,122 (third-party reported).
Features and limits
Gusto's core is payroll. Capterra's feature summary lists direct deposit, W-2 preparation, payroll reporting, an employee self-service portal, time tracking and leave tracking (review platform). Simple covers payroll in one state only, and hiring in a second state forces a move to Plus (third-party reported, citing Gusto's support pages).
Rippling combines HR, payroll, IT and spend tools in one system built around a single employee record (third-party reported). The Unity platform is the required base for every other module, and it covers the employee directory, onboarding and offboarding automation, analytics and workflows. Payroll, benefits, IT management and finance are added separately (third-party reported).
Review platform ratings
Capterra reports that small businesses make up 88% of Gusto's reviewers, with midsize and enterprise businesses at 6% each (review platform). For Rippling, G2 reviewers report an average implementation time of about one month, against the vendor's one to three weeks for most small businesses (third-party reported, relaying G2 and vendor data).
Security and compliance
Rippling published an ISO/IEC 27001 certification announcement and maintains a public trust center (vendor-sourced). Gusto's help center documents 2-step verification for accounts (vendor-sourced). Both score 7.0 on security and compliance.
Who each tool suits
Gusto
The Gusto review describes a fit for a small US employer that wants payroll, tax filings and basic HR in one place. It fits less well for a business that hires in several countries or needs a deep HR suite for a large workforce.
Rippling
The Rippling review describes a fit for teams that want HR, payroll and IT on one employee record and can budget for a modular bill. It fits less well for buyers who want one predictable price, because the base is required and modules add to it.
Frequently asked questions
How do Gusto and Rippling pricing compare?
Gusto lists Solo at $49 a month plus $6 per person, while Rippling lists its core platform from $8 per employee per month and US payroll at a further $8. Rippling's reported median contract is $45,360 a year, and both sets of figures are vendor-sourced or third-party reported.
Which covers more than one state or country?
Gusto's Simple plan covers payroll in one state only, and multi-state payroll starts at Plus (third-party reported). Gusto's international coverage is described inconsistently, and one publisher reports that since May 1, 2026 it refers new customers to Remote.
How do the sub-scores compare?
Gusto is higher on proof of results at 6.5 against 6.0, on ease of use at 7.0 against 6.5, on pricing and value at 6.5 against 5.5 and on customer support at 6.5 against 6.0. Output quality and security and compliance are level at 7.0.
Read the full reviews of Gusto and Rippling, compare all five tools in the best HR software roundup, or see the Gusto alternatives and Rippling alternatives.