BambooHR vs Rippling – A Must-Know HR Software Comparison

BambooHR vs Rippling is a top showdown between two popular names in the HR software industry. BambooHR and Rippling offer a suite of tools designed to boost HR processes—but their approaches and features cater to different business needs. Whether you’re a small business seeking simplicity or a growing organization with complex, global requirements, understanding what each platform brings to the table is crucial.

This side-by-side comparison will help you understand which solution aligns best with your company’s goals, workforce, and long-term vision. So, let’s start!

BambooHR vs Rippling – At a Glance

Let’s get a quick roundup of who leads the pack in particular features:

Feature	BambooHR	Rippling	Winner
Pricing	Custom	Custom	Not Applicable
Payroll	✅	✅	Rippling
Mobile App	✅	✅	Rippling
Performance Management	✅	✅	BambooHR
Automation	✅	✅	Rippling
ATS/Hiring	✅	✅	Tied
Onboarding	✅	✅	BambooHR
Usability	✅	✅	BambooHR
Employee Self Service	✅	✅	Tied
Data Security	✅	✅	Rippling
Compliance	✅	✅	Tied
Time Tracking	✅	✅	Tied
Analytics	✅	✅	Rippling
Scalability for small businesses	✅	✅	BambooHR

BambooHR features vs Rippling features

Rippling and BambooHR are both highly effective HR platforms designed to simplify and optimize HR management. However, the best choice depends on factors such as your company’s size, industry demands, and management style, as each platform offers unique strengths tailored to specific organizational needs.

Following we will compare and contrast the two in regards to features like:

• user interface 
• employee self-service 
• portal payroll integration 
• applicant tracking systems 
• onboarding tools 
• time tracking capabilities 
• performance management 
• reporting and analytics tools 
• mobile app usability, 
• compliance management 
• data security 
• automation capabilities

So, let’s start the ride featuring BambooHR vs Rippling HR solutions. 

User interface comparison

BambooHR boasts a clean, intuitive interface, focusing on simplicity. Its dashboards are user-friendly, making it accessible for users without technical expertise. However, it occasionally lacks depth for advanced customization.

Rippling, in comparison, delivers a more sophisticated and dynamic interface with extensive configuration options. While powerful, its ease of use for HR teams of smaller businesses can feel overwhelming.

Employee self-service portal

Both platforms offer robust self-service portals for both employers and employees. 

BambooHR empowers employees with tools to request time off, view payslips, and manage their personal information.

For instance, employees can check their total leave entitlements and view available leaves for paid time offs. This ensures no confusion remains regarding an employee’s leave balance. 

Rippling enhances self-service by integrating HR tools with IT capabilities, allowing employees to manage devices and apps alongside HR functions, providing added value for tech-centric organizations.

Payroll integration differences

Rippling’s payroll functionality is a paid add-on that offers a range of valuable features to improve payroll management. It automates the calculation of federal, state, and local payroll taxes, ensuring compliance while reducing manual effort. 

The platform also handles payroll deductions, providing businesses with an efficient way to manage employee compensation. 

One of Rippling’s standout features is its global payroll processing, which supports both domestic and international employees and contractors, making it a rare option for companies with global workforces. 

When it comes to BambooHR, the payroll functionality is available as a paid add-on, offering a variety of features to simplify payroll management for U.S.-based companies. For businesses with employees in the U.S., BambooHR enables payroll processing that can be implemented in under four weeks, making the transition smooth and efficient. 

It also handles federal, state, and local tax filings, ensuring compliance with U.S. tax regulations. Additionally, BambooHR provides detailed payroll reports, offering businesses valuable insights into compensation trends and payroll data. 

Applicant tracking systems

With BambooHR, you can create and distribute job postings smoothly across multiple job boards like Indeed, Glassdoor, and even social media channels. Each posting can be customized with job descriptions, specific qualifications, and employer branding.

BambooHR assists in organizing and tracking each candidate’s progress throughout the hiring process. The ATS  manages applications, resumes, and any associated documents to streamline the candidate experience. 

However, the interview scheduling tool is not too updated with no built-in video interviewing capabilities. Plus, unlike some standalone ATS, it does not offer advanced AI-powered resume screening or candidate matching to reduce manual CV sorting. 

Rippling, on the other hand, offers a new recruiting tool with a flexible, user-friendly dashboard for managing hiring processes. The platform enables businesses to create job requisitions and build custom hiring pipelines tailored to their recruitment strategies. 

Team members can collaborate effectively by viewing job postings, tracking applications, and scheduling candidate interviews directly within the platform.

Through a partnership with JobTarget, Rippling offers access to over 25,000 job posting sites. Recruiters can select specific boards to promote job listings and pay for them individually, ensuring cost-effective and targeted outreach.

The system also integrates easily with team calendars, allowing users to set interview preferences, such as time of day, and limit the number of interviews per day. These tools enhance efficiency and improve the hiring experience for both candidates and internal teams.

Onboarding tools comparison

Rippling simplifies onboarding with an intuitive, fast process suitable even for small businesses without dedicated HR staff. The platform handles every stage, from offer letters and E-Verify to payroll setup, benefits selection, and paperwork. Employers can onboard new hires in minutes—among the fastest in HR software.

Employees benefit from a smooth experience, completing paperwork via smartphones. For remote hires, Rippling’s device management feature ensures tools and accounts are ready on day one, aligning with modern remote work needs.

In comparison, BambooHR streamlines onboarding with a structured process that engages new hires and accelerates integration. Employers can customize onboarding checklists, assign due dates, and automate reminders for task completion within the platform. 

New-hire packets are fully customizable and include e-signature capabilities, allowing for quick and paperless completion of onboarding documentation.

One standout feature is the self-guided “Get to Know You” email template, which helps new employees introduce themselves to their team. This unique tool fosters personal connections and team cohesion.

Time tracking capabilities

BambooHR provides time-tracking tools with a focus on simplicity. Employees clock in and out through BambooHR’s app, syncing hours directly to payroll.

Rippling offers robust time-tracking features integrated with payroll, providing detailed insights into productivity. For instance, managers use Rippling’s alerts to ensure timesheets are updated accurately before payroll processing.

Performance management features

BambooHR equips managers with a range of performance management tools designed to promote employee growth and regular feedback. Managers can set goals, request 360-degree input, and facilitate self-assessments with ease. 

The platform includes a straightforward feedback system that guides managers with four standard questions, ensuring feedback remains clear and constructive. Employers can further customize this process by adding up to three questions tailored to specific roles or organizational objectives.

The peer review feature allows managers to select colleagues to provide input through two targeted questions, while employees complete self-assessments to offer their perspective. 

BambooHR also includes pre-designed self-assessment templates and suggestions for creating custom questions, making it simple to initiate regular performance discussions. These features encourage meaningful communication and help align individual performance with organizational goals.

Rippling’s performance management feature offers a centralized dashboard for tracking review statuses, including completed, in-progress, and pending reviews. It supports various review types like self, upward, downward, and peer reviews.

Automated email reminders prompt employees to complete reviews, while managers can send team-wide reminders and review submissions. After completing reviews, managers can provide feedback and share results with employees as a detailed packet before scheduling one-on-one discussions.

Additional features include a visual nine-box tool for categorizing employees by performance and potential, with options like “star” or “risk.” Performance outcomes, such as merit bonuses, can sync directly to payroll. 

Reporting and analytics tools

BambooHR has a centralized and secure platform for managing HR data. This allows key team members to access required information through personalized dashboards. The system includes 49 pre-built reports and also provides the option to create custom reports using user-defined fields. 

With its robust analytics, BambooHR delivers valuable insights into metrics like employee turnover and benefits summaries, empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions effectively. This combination of security, flexibility, and analytics makes BambooHR a strong choice for HR management.

On the other hand, Rippling provides effortless access to standard reports, helping you make informed business decisions. If you require more detailed insights, customizable reporting options are available. You can easily visualize data from any tracked endpoint within the platform, such as payroll, documents, time off, hardware, and insurance.

Mobile app usability

BambooHR supports basic functions like PTO requests and directory access on iOS and Android. Employees can use the BambooHR app to check schedules while commuting.

Rippling offers broader functionality, including expense submissions and benefits enrollment. Employees can log hours and submit expense reports directly through the Rippling app.

Compliance management

BambooHR focuses on domestic compliance, with tools for HR documentation and tax management. For instance, HR personnel can ensure all employee handbooks are signed and stored digitally.

In contrast, Rippling supports international compliance with features like EOR services. For example, a startup can expand to Europe and use Rippling to manage regional tax and labor law compliance.

Data security features

BambooHR ensures the security of sensitive company and employee data through encrypted storage, making sure that all information is protected both in transit and at rest. 

Regular security audits are conducted to assess and enhance its data protection practices, ensuring compliance with the latest security standards and regulations. This proactive approach helps to identify vulnerabilities and implement fixes before they become potential threats.

Rippling takes data protection to the next level with certifications such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2, which confirm that the platform meets stringent international security standards. These certifications ensure that Rippling implements best practices in data security, privacy, and operational efficiency. 

With advanced features such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and role-based access controls, Rippling offers robust protection against unauthorized access and data breaches.

Automation capabilities

Rippling allows users to automate many of their HR processes by configuring permission settings and creating custom workflows.

On the flipside, BambooHR automates HR processes like reminders and approval workflows.

Summing Up – Who’s the Winner Then?

To be honest, it completely depends on your HR needs. 

Choose Rippling if you’re looking for a comprehensive, all-in-one platform that brings together both HR and IT management in one centralized system. It’s perfect for businesses that want to automate a wide range of HR functions, saving time and reducing manual effort. Plus, if your needs evolve, Rippling gives you the flexibility to easily switch between standard HR features and more advanced solutions like PEO or EOR plans.

On the other hand, if you’re after an HR solution that’s user-friendly and simple to navigate, BambooHR is a great choice. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to get started, even for those who aren’t HR experts. BambooHR excels in streamlining key processes like employee onboarding and performance management, ensuring a smooth experience for both HR teams and employees.