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LeadChange Group

Gusto vs Rippling

Gusto5.7/10

Rippling7.9/10

Scored in HRIS Software

The short answer

Gusto is a US payroll, benefits and HR platform for small businesses, with every plan priced on its site from $49 a month plus $6 per person. Rippling publishes a small-business payroll price of $40 a month plus $8 per user, and quotes its other HR, IT and finance products on top.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 25 sources, most recently checked

Gusto

Starting price
$49/mo + $6/employee/mo1
Best for
US small businesses that want payroll tax filing on every plan

Choose Gusto if

  • You want every plan priced up front: Simple, Plus and Premium are listed with their monthly fees.
  • You run payroll only in the US and want benefits in the same account.
  • You want month-to-month terms with no setup fee.
  • You are a solo owner paying yourself: Gusto sells a Solo plan for that case.

What Gusto costsAlternatives to Gusto

Rippling

Starting price
$40/mo + $8/employee/mo2
Best for
Companies that want HR, payroll, IT and finance apps on one employee database

Choose Rippling if

  • You also manage laptops, app access and identity: Rippling sells IT and identity products on the same platform.
  • You pay people outside the US: Rippling lists 185+ countries.
  • You need SCIM provisioning and a published ISO 27001 certificate.
  • You expect to grow past small-business size: Rippling lists small, mid-market and enterprise companies.

Rippling plans and pricesAlternatives to Rippling

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

Gusto wins 1Rippling wins 21 tie

Gusto vs Rippling by dimension
DimensionGustoRippling
PricingGusto publishes all its plans, from $49 a month plus $6 per person on Simple. Rippling publishes only a small-business payroll starting price of $40 a month plus $8 per user; benefits, time tracking and IT products are priced on top. On payroll alone, Rippling's list price is lower up to four employees and Gusto's from five.$180/mo + $22/employee/mo (Premium plan)Partly published
IntegrationsRippling states 650+ native integrations; Gusto's App Directory lists 154. Both document a REST API and webhooks. 650+38 documented (vendor says 154)17 documented (vendor says 650+)
Fit and supportGusto lists small businesses as its segment and offers phone, email and chat support on weekdays. Rippling serves small, mid-market and enterprise companies and puts most small businesses live in 1–3 weeks. Small businesses4Small businessesSmall businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises
SecurityRippling publishes a SOC 2 Type 2 report and ISO 27001 certification, plus SSO and SCIM. Gusto offers SSO and is less suited to buyers who need a named certification list from the vendor's own pages. Yes5SOC 2 (type not stated)SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR

Gusto or Rippling: what matters most to you?

We match on verified product facts for this need, never on who pays us.

Key differences

Where Gusto and Rippling differ (6)
AttributeGustoRippling
Price transparencyPublished1Partly published2
Best forSmall businesses4Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises2
Mobile appsiOS (Gusto Mobile), Android (Gusto Mobile)6iOS, Android7
Native integrations1548650+3
Support channelsPhone, email, chat, online help center, dedicated account partner (Premium)9Chat, email, phone10
Founded20124201611
Show 11 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (11)
AttributeGustoRippling
Pricing modelBase fee + per employee1Base fee + per employee12
Free trial613
Minimum employees1112
DeploymentCloud14Cloud5
API1516
Webhooks1718
Single sign-on193
Automatic tax filing120
Contractor payments121
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, US22San Francisco, California, US23
OwnershipPrivate4Private24

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Gusto publishes all its plans, from $49 a month plus $6 per person on Simple. Rippling publishes only a small-business payroll starting price of $40 a month plus $8 per user; benefits, time tracking and IT products are priced on top. On payroll alone, Rippling's list price is lower up to four employees and Gusto's from five.

Capabilities. Both run US payroll with automatic tax filing and unlimited pay runs. Rippling adds identity, device management, corporate cards, expenses and custom apps on the same employee record. Gusto stays focused on payroll, benefits, time and HR.

Integrations. Rippling states 650+ native integrations; Gusto's App Directory lists 154.native_integrations_count}}.native_integrations_count}}. Both document a REST API and webhooks.

Fit and support. Gusto lists small businesses as its segment and offers phone, email and chat support on weekdays. Rippling serves small, mid-market and enterprise companies and puts most small businesses live in 1–3 weeks.

Security. Rippling publishes a SOC 2 Type 2 report and ISO 27001 certification, plus SSO and SCIM. Gusto offers SSO and is less suited to buyers who need a named certification list from the vendor's own pages.

Neither one?

BambooHR

BambooHR has the highest LeadChange Score in HRIS Software after excluding these two (9.3/10).

From $250/mo flat up to 25 employees, then $10.25/employee/mo25

BambooHR review

Frequently asked questions

Is Gusto cheaper than Rippling?

For payroll alone, from five employees up, yes. Gusto Simple costs $49 a month plus $6 per person; Rippling's small-business payroll starts at $40 a month plus $8 per user. At 10 employees that is $109 against $120 a month at list price, and Rippling's other products are priced on top.

Which is better for a small business, Gusto or Rippling?

Gusto is built for small businesses and shows every plan price. Rippling also serves small businesses and suits one that wants IT, device and spend tools on the same platform as payroll.

Can Gusto run payroll outside the US?

No. Gusto runs payroll for US employees only, with a separate add-on that pays contractors abroad. Rippling lists payroll and contractor payments in 185+ countries.

Do Gusto and Rippling offer a free trial?

Gusto lists no free trial of its payroll plans. Rippling's 14-day free trial covers its IT products only, not HR or payroll.

Do Gusto and Rippling integrate with Slack?

Yes. Slack is among the integrations both vendors list.

Is Gusto or Rippling more secure?

Gusto states HIPAA (unverified for Rippling). Rippling states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and GDPR (unverified for Gusto).

Who are Gusto’s biggest competitors?

Gusto ranks #10 of 19 in our HRIS software ranking. Besides Rippling, the highest-scored are BambooHR, Zoho People, and Namely. Every alternative, matched to the reason you might switch: Gusto alternatives.

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    49 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 8, 2026.

  • Method

    Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology

  • Independent review

    Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review

  • Hands-on testing

    We have not tested either product hands-on: this page uses public information only.

  • Who made it

    The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us

  • Independence and errors

    Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction

Gusto or Rippling? Your answer in 3 questions

Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices.

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Gusto vs Rippling

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Sources

The 25 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. Gusto gusto.com/product/pricing“Simple Run basic payroll in one state. $49/mo + $6/mo per person” “Simple, transparent pricing Payroll, benefits, and HR all in one place. No hidden fees. Cancel any time.”
  2. Rippling rippling.com/solutions/small-businesses“Rippling's small business plans start at $8 per user per month for payroll. The final cost depends on which other products you add, such as benefits administration, time and attendance, or IT device management.” “Starting at $8 per user per month ... Plus, a $40 per month base fee. Contact us today to get a free quote.”
  3. Rippling rippling.com/products/it“650+ integrations with your favorite apps” “Single-sign on (SSO)”
  4. Gusto gusto.com/about“Our small business platform helps businesses take care of their hardworking teams.” “Launched in 2012 as ZenPayroll, Gusto serves more than 500,000 businesses nationwide.”
  5. Rippling rippling.com/trust/security“Rippling's SOC 2 Type 2 report covers the trust services categories of Security, Confidentiality, and Availability, and is audited annually.” “All data is housed in physically secure, US-based AWS data centers across multiple availability zones.”
  6. Gusto Payroll (Gusto)“Yes, you can run payroll, check payroll status, add and view team members and manage your team all from the Gusto mobile app. Download the iOS app here and the Google Play app here.” “We’ve got all kinds of plans for all sizes of business. Explore all the options. You’ll pay nothing ‘til you’re ready to run payroll.”
  7. Rippling (Apple App Store listing) apps.apple.com/us/app/rippling-hr-it-finance/id1231325957“Rippling makes it easy to access your benefits, request time off, submit expenses, view paystubs, share passwords, and more—all from your phone. ... Requires iOS 16.4 or later.”
  8. Gusto gusto.com/product/integrations“Showing 1–20 of 154”
  9. Gusto gusto.com/about/contact“Our sales and support teams at Gusto are available to help you via phone, email, and chat Monday through Friday 6am – 6pm MST. For expedited support, sign in to your Gusto account.”
  10. Rippling rippling.com/support-status“Time to First Response (TFR): how long it takes for a customer to receive a first response from our support team via live chat. ... The percentage of live chat conversations where the customer asks to convert the chat to a phone call. ... Time to First Response (TFR): how long it takes for a customer to receive a first response from our support team via email.”
  11. Rippling rippling.com/careers“The groundwork is laid for Rippling… 2016 Parker's basement is unfinished. So is Rippling's first product. But we have started to build.”
  12. Rippling rippling.com/pricing“Rippling's pricing depends on the products you select and the number of employees you have. Most products are priced per employee per month, while some may include a monthly base fee.”
  13. Rippling rippling.com/products/it/trial“Start your 14-day free trial”
  14. Gusto gusto.com/security“Gusto uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host its production servers, databases, and supporting services.” “We follow HIPAA guidelines to safeguard our customers’ protected health information (PHI). Additionally, we maintain business associate agreements (BAAs) between employers and Gusto, along with any third parties, like insurance companies.”
  15. Gusto docs.gusto.com“Leverage Gusto's API to build your own in-app payroll solution, customized for your users' needs, with Gusto Embedded.”
  16. Rippling developer.rippling.com/llms.txt“Rippling’s current public API is the REST Platform API v2 on `https://rest.ripplingapis.com`. ... Authenticate customer and internal integrations with a Bearer API token. Authenticate App Shop partner apps with OAuth 2.0.”
  17. Gusto docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/webhooks“A webhook is an HTTP request that delivers information about an event as it happens.”
  18. Rippling rippling.com/platform/tiers“Webhooks in Workflows Allow one app to send automated notifications to another when specific events occur.”
  19. Gusto gusto.com/product/payroll/security“Multi-factor authentication and single sign-on functions are also available to make sure only the right people see the most sensitive data.”
  20. Rippling rippling.com/products/payroll“Click “run” and let Rippling handle the rest. We automatically calculate payroll taxes and file them with the correct federal, state, and local agencies at precisely the right time.”
  21. Rippling rippling.com/products/global/global-contractors“onboard contractors in minutes, automate contractor payments, and stay compliant with local regulations in over 185+ countries ... pay contractors in 50+ currencies”
  22. Gusto gusto.com/about/privacy“Gusto, Inc. Attn: Legal Privacy 525 20th Street San Francisco, CA 94107”
  23. Rippling rippling.com/company/press“Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.8B from Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia,”
  24. Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rippling_(company)“Rippling Type Private Industry”
  25. BambooHR bamboohr.com/pricing“For companies with more than 25 employees, our HR software is priced on a per-employee, per-month basis. BambooHR pricing starts at $10.25 USD per employee per month for Core, $17.50 USD per employee per month for Pro, and $25 USD per employee per month for Elite.”

What the LeadChange Score means

A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.

Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.