search legion

Head-to-head · Payroll tools

ADP Workforce Now vs Rippling

Rippling publishes a per-employee starting rate; ADP does not. Neither source gives enough detail to confirm your total cost.

ADP Workforce Now

5.5/10
VS

Rippling

6.2/10

We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money

Short answer

Most buyers should pick Rippling.

Choose ADP Workforce Now if you need payroll and HR for a midsize or larger organization and want options such as benefits, time and attendance, or workforce management. Choose Rippling if you want HR, payroll, IT, and finance together, including global payroll for employees and contractors. Rippling lists a starting rate of $8 per employee monthly, but its monthly base fee is not published. ADP pricing is also not published, so compare quotes before switching.

01Side by side

ADP Workforce NowRippling
Starting priceNot published$8 per employee monthly; base fee extra
Free planNo free plan listedNo free plan listed
Best forMidsize to enterprise HR and payrollWorkforce HR, payroll, IT, and finance
Core strengthPayroll, HR, and workforce solutionsUnified workforce platform across multiple functions
Learning curveNot specified on the vendor's siteNot specified on the vendor's site
Integrations and dataIntegration details not publishedHR, payroll, IT, and finance on one platform
Team and seat costsSeat limits and pricing not published$8 per employee monthly; base fee unpublished
SupportSupport details not specifiedSupport details not specified

Choose ADP Workforce Now if

  • Choose ADP Workforce Now if you need payroll and HR solutions.
  • Choose ADP Workforce Now if benefits administration matters to your team.
  • Choose ADP Workforce Now if you need workforce management for a large business.

Choose Rippling if

  • Choose Rippling if you want HR, payroll, IT, and finance together.
  • Choose Rippling if you need payroll for employees and contractors worldwide.
  • Choose Rippling if a published per-employee starting rate helps you compare options.

02Pricing compared

Rippling is the only one here with a published starting figure: its pricing information lists $8 per employee per month for modular services. That is not a complete bill. A monthly base fee also applies, but its amount is not published. Annual pricing is not published either, and modules such as payroll, benefits administration, IT management, and spend management have no published prices.

ADP Workforce Now’s Select, Plus, and Premium plans have no published monthly or annual prices, and seat limits are not published. The published pricing information generally targets organizations with 50 to 999+ employees. Recruiting, performance, compensation, and learning management are listed as custom-quote add-ons.

Rippling offers a visible entry rate, not a transparent total. ADP offers no public rate to compare. Get quotes based on headcount and required modules before deciding which costs less.

03Features and depth

ADP lists payroll and HR solutions across the business sizes shown on its homepage. Its size-specific offerings include time and attendance for small and midsized businesses, workforce management for large businesses, talent solutions for midsized businesses, and benefits administration for midsized and large businesses. The homepage does not specifically describe Workforce Now, so confirm which of these capabilities are included in the plan you are quoted.

Rippling positions itself as a platform spanning HR, payroll, IT, and finance. Its listed tools cover HR tasks such as benefits, recruiting, performance, and learning; global payroll for employees and contractors; and IT controls for identity, access, devices, security, and compliance. Finance features include cards, expenses, procurement, bill pay, and travel. It also lists workforce AI and custom app-building tools.

The distinction is scope: ADP’s published information centers on payroll and HR by business size, while Rippling describes a wider set of workforce operations. Check module availability and pricing with both vendors.

04Ease of use and learning curve

Our review scores rate ADP’s ease of use at 5 and Rippling’s at 6.5. They do not explain the scoring method or provide enough detail to predict how either product will feel for your team, so treat those numbers as a limited signal rather than a verdict.

Rippling’s listed scope spans HR, payroll, IT, finance, and custom apps. That breadth may mean more decisions about which modules to adopt; it does not establish how difficult setup or daily use will be. ADP’s materials here do not spell out Workforce Now onboarding or training either.

Ask both vendors to show the workflows your team will actually run, and confirm what implementation support and training are included in the quote. Those details are not published on the vendor's site.

Questions people ask

What is an ADP RUN?

The published ADP information does not define ADP RUN or explain how it differs from ADP Workforce Now. It describes ADP’s payroll and HR solutions for businesses of different sizes. Check ADP’s product materials or ask its sales team to confirm which product fits your organization.

Is Rippling a payroll company?

Yes. Rippling lists payroll, including global payroll for employees and contractors, among its services. It also covers HR, IT, and finance, so payroll is one part of a broader workforce platform. Its payroll price is not published separately in the published pricing information.

What are some websites similar to ADP?

Rippling is one option to compare with ADP Workforce Now in this guide. It offers payroll and HR alongside IT and finance tools. The published information does not establish a full list of ADP alternatives, so compare vendors against your required features, headcount, and written quotes.

Are there different types of ADP?

The published ADP homepage information groups solutions by business size and function, including payroll and HR across sizes, plus offerings such as time and attendance, talent, benefits administration, and workforce management for specified sizes. It does not provide a complete catalog of ADP products.