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
Most buyers should pick Sling.
Choose Sling for affordable employee scheduling: its free plan covers up to 30 users, while Premium starts at $1.70 per user/month with annual billing ($2 monthly). Business costs $3.40 per user/month with annual billing ($4 monthly). Choose Rippling if you need HR, payroll, IT, finance and global workforce tools in one platform; its listed starting rate is $8 per employee/month, plus an unpublished monthly base fee. These products cover different scopes, so compare required modules and full quotes.
01Side by side
| Rippling | Sling | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $8/employee/month; base fee unpublished | Free; paid plans from $1.70/user/month annually |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | Free plan for up to 30 users |
| Best for | Businesses managing HR, payroll, IT and finance | Teams scheduling employees and managing shifts |
| Core strength | Workforce tools unified across departments | Scheduling, time tracking and labor costs |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use score: 6.5 | Ease-of-use score: 7 |
| Integrations/data | HR, payroll, IT and finance on one platform | Scheduling, time tracking and team communication |
| Team/seat costs | Per-employee rate plus unpublished monthly base fee | Free to 30 users; paid per user |
| Support | Review score: 4.5 | Review score: 5 |
Rippling Choose Rippling if
- Choose Rippling if you need HR, payroll, IT and finance together.
- Choose Rippling if global payroll for employees and contractors matters.
- Choose Rippling if custom apps and workforce AI fit your operation.
Sling Choose Sling if
- Choose Sling if free scheduling for up to 30 users is enough.
- Choose Sling if you need time tracking and labor-cost controls.
- Choose Sling if reports and PTO management matter at lower prices.
02Pricing compared
Sling is cheaper for scheduling. Its Free plan supports up to 30 users and includes shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts and private messaging. Premium is $2 per user/month, or $1.70 with annual billing; Business is $4 monthly, or $3.40 annually. Sling lists a 15-day free trial, and annual billing saves 15%.
Rippling lists a starting rate of $8 per employee/month, but that is not the full cost: a monthly base fee also applies, and its amount is not published. Rippling uses custom quotes for modular services, and prices for add-ons such as payroll, IT management and benefits administration are not published. These prices are not directly comparable: Sling is priced for scheduling and workforce management, while Rippling covers a wider set of workforce functions. Compare the modules you need and get Rippling’s full quote before switching.
03Features and depth
Sling focuses on employee scheduling and day-to-day workforce coordination. It lists shift creation, availability and time-off requests, shift trades, time tracking, labor-cost controls, team messages, task management and labor reports. GPS geofencing is optional. The plan matters: Free covers basic scheduling, while the listed Premium features include mobile time tracking and labor-cost management; Business adds reports and PTO management.
Rippling covers a broader set of business functions. Its listed capabilities include HR tasks across benefits, recruiting, performance and learning; global payroll for employees and contractors; and IT tools for identity, access, devices, security and compliance policies. It also lists finance tools such as corporate cards, expenses and bill pay, plus workforce AI and custom apps. That breadth may suit a company seeking several functions in one platform, but the source does not publish prices for those add-ons. Sling is the more focused fit when the main need is schedules, hours and labor costs.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The products ask teams to manage different levels of scope. Sling centers on scheduling, time tracking and team coordination, and its Free plan gives small teams a way to start with basic scheduling. Check the plan gates before assuming reports, PTO management or time tracking are included.
Rippling spans HR, payroll, IT, finance and custom applications. That wider remit means buyers should identify which modules they need and confirm how they are priced before deciding what to roll out; its monthly base fee is not published. The provided reviews score Sling’s ease of use at 7 and Rippling’s at 6.5, but those scores alone do not establish how either will fit a particular team. We’d compare the workflows your staff actually need, not just the feature lists.
Questions people ask
Can Sling replace Rippling?
Only if your requirements are mainly scheduling and workforce coordination. Sling lists shifts, time tracking, labor-cost controls, messaging and reports, with features gated by plan. Rippling also lists HR, global payroll, IT, finance and custom apps. The products cover different scopes, so Sling is not a like-for-like replacement for those functions.
Who are Rippling’s biggest competitors?
The published published material does not name Rippling’s biggest competitors, so we can’t rank them from these facts. It describes Rippling as a workforce platform spanning HR, payroll, IT and finance, while Sling focuses on scheduling and workforce management. Those differences make Sling a narrower comparison, not proof of direct competition across every category.
Why is Rippling popular?
The published material describes Rippling’s appeal as bringing HR, payroll, IT, finance and custom applications together, with tools for employees and contractors around the world. It also lists workforce AI built around workforce data. The source does not provide adoption figures or evidence explaining its popularity, so those features are not proof of market share.
What big companies use Rippling?
The published material does not name companies using Rippling or publish customer examples, so we can’t verify which large businesses use it from these sources. It says Rippling supports employees and contractors around the world, but that capability does not identify its customers or indicate company size.