— Stackmap

All Rippling Alternatives Reviewed

Gusto HR TOP PICK

★★★★½ 4.5 · From $46/mo + $6/mo per person · Free plan

Payroll, benefits, and HR platform designed for small businesses. Handles taxes, benefits, and compliance automatically.

✓ Pros

✓Easiest payroll setup

✓Automatic tax filing

✓Benefits management

✗ Cons

✗US only

✗Gets expensive with headcount

Best for: Small businesses needing payroll and HR

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Deel HR

★★★★½ 4.5 · Free HRIS / from $49/mo per contractor · Free plan

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Global payroll and contractor management platform. Hire, onboard, and pay anyone in 150+ countries with full compliance.

✓ Pros

✓Best for global hiring

✓Compliance in 150+ countries

✓Fast contractor payments

✗ Cons

✗Expensive for full EOR

✗Support can be slow

Best for: Companies hiring globally

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Notion Project Management

★★★★½ 4.7 · Free / from $10/mo · Free plan

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All-in-one workspace combining notes, wikis, databases, and project tracking. Highly flexible and beloved by knowledge workers.

✓ Pros

✓Incredibly flexible

✓Great for knowledge management

✓Beautiful interface

✗ Cons

✗Can be overwhelming to set up

✗Offline mode limited

Best for: Teams wanting a flexible all-in-one workspace

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Slack Communication

★★★★½ 4.5 · Free / from $8.75/mo · Free plan

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The dominant team messaging platform. Channels, threads, huddles, and 2,400+ integrations make it the hub of modern team communication.

✓ Pros

✓Best team messaging UX

✓Huge integration library

✓Great mobile app

✗ Cons

✗Message history limited on free plan

✗Can become noisy

Best for: Remote and hybrid teams

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Asana Project Management

★★★★½ 4.5 · Free / from $13.49/mo · Free plan

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Purpose-built project management tool for teams. Strong task dependencies, timelines, and workload management.

✓ Pros

✓Excellent task dependencies

✓Strong timeline views

✓Good reporting

✗ Cons

✗Free plan limited to 15 users

✗Can feel rigid

Best for: Teams needing structured task and project tracking

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Airtable Database

★★★★½ 4.5 · Free / from $20/mo · Free plan

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Spreadsheet-database hybrid. Build apps, track projects, and organize anything in a visual, flexible interface.

✓ Pros

✓Extremely flexible

✓Great views (gallery, kanban, calendar)

✓Good automations

✗ Cons

✗Expensive on paid plans

✗Record limits on free plan

Best for: Teams needing flexible data management

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Tool	Price	Free Plan	Rating	Best For	Try
Rippling (current)	From $8/mo per user	✓ Yes	★★★★★ 4.6	Fast-growing companies wanting unified HR+IT	—
Gusto	From $46/mo + $6/mo per person	✓ Yes	★★★★★ 4.5	Small businesses needing payroll and HR	Try Gusto →
Deel	Free HRIS / from $49/mo per contractor	✓ Yes	★★★★★ 4.5	Companies hiring globally	Try Deel →
Notion	Free / from $10/mo	✓ Yes	★★★★★ 4.7	Teams wanting a flexible all-in-one workspace	Try Notion →
Slack	Free / from $8.75/mo	✓ Yes	★★★★★ 4.5	Remote and hybrid teams	Try Slack →
Asana	Free / from $13.49/mo	✓ Yes	★★★★★ 4.5	Teams needing structured task and project tracking	Try Asana →
Airtable	Free / from $20/mo	✓ Yes	★★★★★ 4.5	Teams needing flexible data management	Try Airtable →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Gusto simpler than Rippling?+

Yes. Gusto is designed for small business owners who need payroll without IT complexity. Rippling is more powerful but requires more setup.

What is the best Rippling alternative for startups?+

Gusto for US-only teams, or Deel if you have international contractors. Both are transparent on pricing and easier to get started.