What is the difference between BambooHR and Rippling?

BambooHR is best for Small to mid-size companies wanting easy HR management, while Rippling is best for Companies wanting unified HR, IT, and finance management. BambooHR starts at Custom and Rippling starts at $8/user/mo.

Is BambooHR or Rippling cheaper?

BambooHR starts at Custom. Rippling starts at $8/user/mo.

BambooHR vs Rippling

BambooHR is HR software with onboarding, time off, performance reviews, and payroll, while Rippling is workforce platform unifying HR, IT, and finance with automation. The biggest difference up front: BambooHR is free, while Rippling starts at $8/user/mo. BambooHR is built for small to mid-size companies wanting easy hr management, whereas Rippling targets companies wanting unified hr, it, and finance management.

At a glance

	BambooHR	Rippling
Best for	Small to mid-size companies wanting easy HR management	Companies wanting unified HR, IT, and finance management
Starting price	Custom	$8/user/mo
Free tier	—	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	—
Open source	—	—
App Management	—	✓
HR	—	✓
IT Management	—	✓
Onboarding	✓	—
Payroll	✓	✓
Performance	✓	—
Time Off	✓	—

BambooHR

Strengths

Includes Onboarding as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Includes Time Off as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Focused toolset keeps the interface clean and easy to navigate
Established product with 18+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

No free tier, so you can't try it without committing to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in hr & recruiting
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try BambooHR → Full review

Rippling

Strengths

Includes HR as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Includes IT Management as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Affordable at $8/user/mo — one of the lower-priced options in the hr & recruiting category
Includes payroll alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

No free plan — you need to pay $8/user/mo from day one to use it
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in hr & recruiting
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Rippling → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: BambooHR is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Rippling starts at $8/user/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: BambooHR offers Onboarding, Performance and Time Off that Rippling lacks. Rippling brings App Management, HR and IT Management that BambooHR does not have. Both share Payroll.

Team fit: Both tools target mid-size teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: BambooHR's biggest strengths are: includes onboarding as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows. includes time off as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows. Rippling's biggest strengths are: includes hr as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows. includes it management as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows.

Watch out for: With BambooHR, users commonly note that no free tier, so you can't try it without committing to a paid plan. With Rippling, the main complaint is that no free plan — you need to pay $8/user/mo from day one to use it.

Choose BambooHR if...

You need a tool built for small to mid-size companies wanting easy hr management
Budget is a hard constraint — BambooHR is free, Rippling is not
You specifically need Onboarding and Performance
You care about includes time off as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows

Choose Rippling if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: companies wanting unified hr, it, and finance management
You specifically need App Management and HR
You care about includes it management as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows