Rippling
Workday
| Feature | Rippling | Workday |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $8/mo | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | mid-market-companies, tech-companies, fast-growing-startups, it-teams | large-enterprises, global-companies, hr-departments, finance-teams |
| Founded | 2016 | 2005 |
| Payroll | ✓ | ✓ |
| Benefits | ✓ | ✗ |
| Device Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| App Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workflow Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Global Employment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spend Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Hcm | ✗ | ✓ |
| Financial Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Talent Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workforce Planning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learning | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Rippling Pros
- Unifies HR + IT + Finance in one platform
- Automatic device setup/wipe for onboarding/offboarding
- Global payroll in 50+ countries
- Extremely powerful workflow automation
✗ Rippling Cons
- Pricing is complex and modular
- Can be overkill for very small teams
- Implementation takes time for full platform
✓ Workday Pros
- Unified HR and finance in one cloud platform
- Excellent reporting and analytics capabilities
- Regular feature updates with continuous delivery
- Strong compliance and global payroll support
✗ Workday Cons
- Very expensive (enterprise pricing only)
- Long implementation timelines (6-12+ months)
- Complex configuration requires certified consultants
The Verdict
Rippling is built for mid market companies and tech companies, with a focus on payroll and benefits. Workday targets large enterprises and global companies and leads with hcm and payroll.
Workday uses custom enterprise pricing, while Rippling starts at $8/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
Bottom line: Rippling has a slight overall edge — but if unified hr and finance in one cloud platform matters most to you, Workday may still be the right call.