BambooHR vs Rippling vs Gusto: I Tested All Three. Here's My Honest Verdict.

I've implemented all three of these platforms for clients over the past two years. Not just demos—actual full implementations where I saw what works in real life versus what works in sales pitches.

Let me share what I learned so you can avoid the mistakes I've seen companies make.

The Quick Take (If You're in a Hurry)

BambooHR = Best HR experience, great if you already have payroll figured out Rippling = Best for tech companies that need IT + HR automation Gusto = Best payroll + basic HR, perfect for small businesses

Now let's go deep.

BambooHR: The Reliable Workhorse

Best for: Companies with 25-500 employees who want polished HR software that just works

What BambooHR Does Really Well

The user experience is genuinely great. I don't say this lightly—most HR software feels like it was designed in 2008. BambooHR actually feels modern. Employees can find what they need without asking HR for help. That alone is worth money.

Customer support is exceptional. When you email support, you get a helpful human within an hour, not a bot telling you to check the knowledge base. I've never had a client complain about BambooHR support. That's rare.

The mobile app doesn't suck. Employees can request PTO, look up coworkers, and update their info from their phones without wanting to throw the phone out the window.

Implementation is straightforward. Most companies are fully up and running in 3-4 weeks. The onboarding specialists actually care about your success.

Where BambooHR Falls Short

No native payroll. This is the big one. BambooHR integrates with payroll providers, but that integration is never as smooth as native payroll. You'll spend time each pay period syncing data.

Most clients use BambooHR with:

• Gusto (most common, $12-15/employee/month)
• ADP (if they're already on it)
• Paychex (if they hate themselves, kidding... sort of)

It gets expensive with add-ons. The base product is ~$6-8/employee/month. But once you add:

• Performance management (+$3-4/employee/month)
• Applicant tracking (+$3-5/employee/month)
• Time tracking (+$2-3/employee/month)

You're at $14-20/employee/month, which is Rippling territory.

Limited IT management. If you need to provision laptops, manage software licenses, or handle IT onboarding, BambooHR doesn't help. That's fine for non-tech companies, but tech companies find this frustrating.

Real Talk: Who Should Choose BambooHR?

Choose BambooHR if:

• You care about user experience and clean design
• You have 25+ employees (it's overkill for smaller)
• You already have payroll sorted out, or you're fine integrating with Gusto
• You don't need heavy IT management
• You value responsive customer support

Skip BambooHR if:

• You're under 20 employees (use Gusto instead)
• You absolutely need all-in-one payroll + HR
• You're a tech company with heavy IT needs (use Rippling)
• Budget is really tight

My honest rating: 9/10 for HR-focused companies

Rippling: The Ambitious Overachiever

Best for: Tech companies with 20-500 employees that need IT + HR in one platform

What Rippling Does Really Well

The automation is genuinely impressive. Here's a real example: A client hired a developer. Rippling automatically:

• Created accounts in Slack, GitHub, Zoom, Google Workspace
• Ordered a laptop and sent it to their address
• Added them to the right Slack channels
• Set up their payroll with correct tax withholdings
• Enrolled them in benefits
• Created their profile in the employee directory

That level of automation is wild. It would normally take 3-4 hours of manual work.

IT + HR in one platform actually works. If you're managing software licenses, hardware, security permissions, AND HR, Rippling eliminates so much duplicate work. One employee record powers everything.

Global payroll is legitimately good. If you're hiring internationally, Rippling can handle payroll in 100+ countries. The EOR fees are competitive ($599-699/employee/month), and it's all in one place.

Customization options are deep. You can build custom workflows, approval chains, and automations. If you have specific needs, Rippling can probably handle it.

Where Rippling Falls Short

It's complex. Like, really complex. The implementation took 6-8 weeks for most clients, not the "2-3 weeks" promised in sales calls. You need someone technical on your team to manage it well.

The learning curve is steep. BambooHR, you can figure out in an hour. Rippling takes a week of training. Your HR person needs to be comfortable with technical concepts.

Customer support is hit-or-miss. When things work, they're great. When something breaks, getting support can be frustrating. You'll often get handed between IT support and HR support.

The pricing adds up quickly. Base HRIS is ~$8/employee/month. But once you add:

• IT management (+$8/employee/month)
• Learning management (+$4/employee/month)
• Benefits administration (+$6/employee/month)
• International payroll (varies)

You're at $26-35/employee/month. That's $2,600-3,500/month for 100 employees.

You'll pay for features you might not use. Rippling's power is in doing everything, but most companies only use 60-70% of the features they pay for.

Real Talk: Who Should Choose Rippling?

Choose Rippling if:

• You're a tech company that needs IT + HR unified
• You have someone technical managing HR operations
• You're hiring internationally or planning to
• You want maximum automation and customization
• Budget isn't super tight

Skip Rippling if:

• Your HR person isn't technical
• You don't need IT management features
• You want something simple that "just works"
• You're under 25 employees (it's overkill)

My honest rating: 9/10 for tech companies, 6/10 for non-tech companies

Gusto: The Small Business Champion

Best for: Companies with 5-100 employees who want payroll + basic HR without complexity

What Gusto Does Really Well

Payroll is dead simple. Running payroll takes 5-10 minutes, twice a month. The tax filings are handled automatically. Employees can access paystubs and W-2s easily.

I've seen companies go from spending 2-3 hours on payroll (with ADP or Paychex) to 10 minutes with Gusto. That's real time savings.

Benefits administration is shockingly good. For a "small business" tool, Gusto's benefits platform competes with enterprise solutions. Integrates with major carriers, handles enrollments smoothly.

The price is fair. $40/month base + $12/employee/month for the most popular tier (Core plan). For a 20-person company, that's $280/month for payroll + HR + benefits. Hard to beat.

Setup is fast. Most companies are running payroll in 1-2 weeks. No complex implementation, no consultants needed.

Employee experience is good. Not quite BambooHR-level polish, but better than most payroll-first systems. The mobile app is solid.

Where Gusto Falls Short

Performance management is basic. You can do reviews, but there's no goal tracking, no continuous feedback, no 360 reviews. If performance management is important, you'll outgrow Gusto.

Applicant tracking is limited. The ATS exists, but it's bare-bones. Good for 5-10 hires per year. If you're hiring more, you'll want a dedicated ATS like Lever or Greenhouse.

You'll outgrow it eventually. Most companies hit a wall around 100-150 employees. The reporting isn't robust enough, the workflows aren't customizable enough, and you'll start looking at BambooHR or Rippling.

No IT management at all. This isn't a con for most businesses, but if you need to manage laptops and software, Gusto won't help.

Real Talk: Who Should Choose Gusto?

Choose Gusto if:

• You have 5-100 employees
• Payroll is your #1 priority
• You want something simple that doesn't require training
• Budget is limited ($12-20/employee/month range)
• You don't need advanced HR features yet

Skip Gusto if:

• You have 150+ employees
• You need robust performance management or ATS
• You're a tech company needing IT management
• You want enterprise-level reporting and analytics

My honest rating: 9/10 for small businesses, 6/10 for companies over 100

The Direct Comparison You Actually Need

Real-World Implementation Stories

Story 1: Marketing Agency (75 people) → Chose BambooHR

They wanted clean HR software and already had Gusto for payroll. BambooHR made sense because:

• Their HR manager valued user experience
• They didn't need IT management
• They could afford to pay more for quality
• They wanted great performance management

Result: Happy. Implementation took 3 weeks, adoption was smooth, employees love it.

Story 2: SaaS Startup (40 people) → Chose Rippling

They needed one platform for IT and HR. Rippling made sense because:

• Half the team was remote engineers
• They were hiring internationally
• They wanted automation
• They had a technical ops person

Result: Mixed. Setup took 2 months (not 3 weeks). But now they save ~10 hours/week on IT+HR tasks. Worth it long-term.

Story 3: Retail Chain (60 people) → Chose Gusto

They needed simple payroll and didn't want complexity. Gusto made sense because:

• Hourly employees, complex time tracking
• Limited budget
• Non-technical HR person
• Just needed basics

Result: Very happy. Running in 10 days, payroll is painless, everyone can use it.

The Pricing Reality (100-Person Company)

Let me give you real numbers for a 100-person company with full features:

BambooHR:

• Core HRIS: $800/month
• Performance management: $400/month
• Applicant tracking: $400/month
• Total: ~$1,600/month
• Plus Gusto payroll: $1,240/month
• Grand total: $2,840/month

Rippling:

• Core HRIS: $800/month
• IT management: $800/month
• Benefits admin: $600/month
• Payroll: included
• Total: ~$2,600-3,000/month

Gusto:

• Core + payroll: $1,240/month
• Premium features: $200/month
• Total: ~$1,440/month

So Gusto is literally half the price of the others. But you get what you pay for in terms of features and scalability.

My Final Recommendations

Choose BambooHR if:

You're a 25-500 person company that values user experience, already has payroll sorted, and doesn't need IT management. Especially good for healthcare, professional services, education.

Choose Rippling if:

You're a 20-500 person tech company that needs IT + HR unified, wants maximum automation, has someone technical managing it, and can afford $25-35/employee/month.

Choose Gusto if:

You're a 5-100 person non-tech business that prioritizes payroll, wants simplicity, has a limited budget, and doesn't need advanced HR features yet.

The Hybrid Option Nobody Talks About

Here's what some smart companies do:

Start with Gusto (5-75 employees) → Switch to BambooHR + Gusto when you hit 75-100 employees and need better HR → Switch to Rippling if you become a tech company needing IT management

Don't feel locked in. Most companies switch HR software every 3-5 years as they grow. It's normal.

One More Thing: What I'd Choose

If it were my money:

For a 10-person startup: Gusto, no question

For a 50-person marketing agency: BambooHR + Gusto

For a 75-person SaaS company: Rippling (worth the complexity)

For a 200-person retail business: BambooHR + Gusto or ADP

The right answer depends entirely on your situation. But at least now you know what each actually does well versus the marketing hype.

Still unsure which fits your needs? Take our assessment and we'll give you personalized recommendations based on your specific company.