Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Rippling VS Square

Compare Rippling VS Square and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Rippling logo Rippling

One directory for employee information across IT, HR, legal, finance and facilities.

Square logo Square

Square helps millions of sellers run their business-from secure credit card processing to point of sale solutions. Get paid faster with Square. Sign up today!
  • Rippling Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-28
  • Square Homepage
    Homepage //
    2024-05-06

Rippling features and specs

  • Unified Platform
    Rippling provides an all-in-one HR and IT management solution, including payroll, benefits, time tracking, and device management, reducing the need for multiple software subscriptions and simplifying administrative tasks.
  • Scalability
    Designed to scale with businesses as they grow, Rippling can handle the evolving needs of both small startups and large enterprises, allowing for seamless integration of additional features and services.
  • Automation
    Rippling offers extensive automation capabilities, which can streamline processes like onboarding, offboarding, and compliance management, saving time and reducing human errors.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform boasts an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users who may not be tech-savvy and enhancing overall user experience.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Rippling can integrate with a wide variety of third-party applications, allowing businesses to sync data across different tools and platforms seamlessly.
  • Cloud-Based Flexibility
    As a cloud-based solution, Rippling enables employees and administrators to access the platform from anywhere, which is particularly valuable in remote and hybrid work environments.

Possible disadvantages of Rippling

  • Cost
    Rippling tends to be more expensive compared to some other HR and IT management solutions, which might be a deterrent for smaller businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, the vast array of features and functionalities can result in a steep learning curve for new users, requiring time and training to fully utilize the platform's capabilities.
  • Support Limitations
    Some users have reported limitations with customer support, including longer response times and less proactive support solutions, which can be frustrating during critical situations.
  • Feature Overlap
    Because Rippling offers such a broad range of services, there may be feature overlap with existing tools that a company is already using, potentially resulting in redundant functionalities.
  • Customization Constraints
    While Rippling is highly configurable, some users have noted constraints in customization options, which might limit the platform's ability to meet very specific business needs.

Square features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Square's platform is known for being user-friendly and easy to set up, making it accessible for small business owners with little technical expertise.
  • Transparent Pricing
    Square offers straightforward, flat-rate pricing with no hidden fees, which helps businesses understand their costs upfront.
  • Integrated Solutions
    Square provides a comprehensive suite of tools including POS systems, online store, invoicing, payroll, and more, enabling seamless business operations.
  • No Long-Term Contracts
    Square does not require long-term contracts or commitments, allowing businesses flexibility in choosing their service provider.
  • Omnichannel Capabilities
    Square supports sales across various channels, including in-person, online, and mobile, offering versatility for different business models.
  • Next-Day Deposits
    Square offers next-day deposits, ensuring that businesses have quick access to their funds, which is critical for cash flow management.

Possible disadvantages of Square

  • Processing Fees
    While the pricing is transparent, the fees per transaction can add up, especially for businesses with high sales volumes or low margins.
  • Account Stability
    Some users have reported sudden holds or terminations of their Square accounts, which can disrupt business operations.
  • Limited Customer Support
    Square's customer support can be limited, particularly for smaller businesses or during high-demand periods, which can affect issue resolution time.
  • Additional Costs for Advanced Features
    Some advanced features and integrations may incur additional costs, making it more expensive for businesses that need these functionalities.
  • Geographic Limitations
    Square is primarily available in certain countries, which may be restrictive for businesses with international operations or customers.

Analysis of Rippling

Overall verdict

  • Rippling is a well-regarded HR and payroll solution for businesses looking to streamline their administrative processes. Its robust features and integration capabilities make it suitable for organizations seeking to consolidate their HR tools into a single platform.

Why this product is good

  • Rippling is considered a strong choice for businesses due to its comprehensive suite of tools for managing employee data and payroll. It offers an integrated platform that simplifies HR processes by consolidating employee information, payroll, and benefits administration. Its user-friendly interface and automation capabilities help streamline administrative tasks, making it easier for HR teams to manage operations efficiently. Furthermore, Rippling is known for its flexibility and scalability, accommodating businesses of various sizes and facilitating seamless integration with other software systems.

Recommended for

  • Small to mid-sized businesses looking to streamline HR tasks.
  • Companies that need an all-in-one HR and payroll solution.
  • Organizations seeking to automate and integrate employee management tools.
  • Businesses that require flexibility and scalability in their HR software.

Analysis of Square

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Square is generally considered a good choice for businesses looking for an all-in-one payment and business management solution. It is particularly praised for its user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and reliable customer support.

Why this product is good

  • Square, known for its point of sale solutions, has built a strong reputation for its ease of use, transparent pricing, and comprehensive features suited for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers seamless integration with various hardware, software, and payment processing services, which are particularly appreciated by users who want a straightforward setup. The platform also provides useful analytics, invoicing, and inventory management features that help businesses efficiently manage their operations.

Recommended for

    Square is recommended for small to medium-sized businesses, especially in the retail, food and beverage, and service industries, who need a versatile and scalable payment processing and business management solution. It is particularly beneficial for those who prefer a cloud-based service with seamless integration across multiple devices.

Rippling videos

Rolfe Winkler on Zenefits fmr CEO Parker Conradโ€™s new competing startup Rippling adds IT to payroll

More videos:

  • Review - Rippling CTO Prasanna Sankar: Parker Conrad Gave Rippling CTO 40% 2,000 Customers "$36m ARR Not Far"
  • Review - Rippling Review: Rippling is Magical
  • Review - Rippling Review: Huge Positive Change moving to Rippling
  • Review - Work Magic | Rippling.com
  • Review - Rippling review timesheets on app
  • Tutorial - How to Use HR Features & Run Payroll with Rippling
  • Review - Rippling Review - Should You Use it? Top Features, Pros and cons, Walktrough

Square videos

Square vs PayPal 2020: A Side by Side Comparison

More videos:

  • Demo - Square Mobile Credit Card Reader Review | Squareup Demo | Pros & Cons
  • Review - I switched from Square to Paymentech. IMO, Squareup merchant services is garbage.
  • Review - What is Square - Square Review - Square Pricing Plans Explained
  • Review - 6 days left to dump Square merchant services before they begin screwing small businesses
  • Review - Square Eftpos Terminal Review 2023
  • Review - Square Review | Is It the BEST POS System for Online Payments & Invoicing?
  • Review - Square For Small Business: Is Square Right For You? [Square Explained]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rippling and Square)
HR
100 100%
0% 0
Payments Processing
0 0%
100% 100
HR Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Payment Platform
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Rippling and Square

Rippling Reviews

Best Rippling alternatives (2026): tested picks by use case
The best Rippling alternative depends on which slice of Rippling you actually use. For US payroll and core HR, Gusto is the tested pick. For global payroll and EOR hiring, Deel is the global-first answer (see Deelโ€™s plans). If the module doing the real work is recruiting, Breezy HR and Manatal beat a platform bolt-on at a fraction of the price. Rippling itself is a strong...
Source: wiserstaff.com
Best Gusto alternatives (2026): picked by exit reason
The consolidation exit. If payroll is only part of what you want to replace, and device management or app provisioning is the other part, the platform route is a different comparison entirely. Rippling is quote-only; third-party buyer price checks from July 2026 (not Ripplingโ€™s own list) put the core around $8/employee/mo plus a base fee, before the modules that matter. It...
Source: wiserstaff.com
Best BambooHR alternatives (2026): tested picks by use case
Stay if youโ€™re an HR-records-first US team that finds the all-in-one suites oversized. Thatโ€™s a real buyer, not a hypothetical: one Senior Director of Talent Management chose BambooHR over Rippling and Paylocity precisely because โ€œthe other platforms were more than we neededโ€ (Capterra). If BambooHRโ€™s core HRIS is the part you actually use (records, onboarding, reporting),...
Source: wiserstaff.com
Top 8 Deel Competitors & Alternatives in 2025
Rippling stands out for its comprehensive approach, offering a more complete global HR platform compared to Deel. It excels in compliance management and IT integration, making it suitable for businesses seeking an all-encompassing solution for global workforce management. However, its pricing structure and potential complexity may be drawbacks for smaller organizations or...
Source: www.wisemonk.io
PeopleSoft Alternatives: 10 Modern HRIS Solutions for Every Business Size
Rippling represents the forefront of modern HRIS, integrating easily with a vast array of systems. It's particularly suitable for tech-forward businesses, streamlining complex processes through advanced workflow automation. Rippling's approach to HRIS makes it a strong contender for firms that demand cutting-edge technology to manage their human resources efficiently and...
Source: www.outsail.co

Square Reviews

The 8 Best Payment Processing Systems
If your business needs to process payments in person, Square has handy point-of-sale features like a contactless chip reader, magstripe reader, and convertible stand. All these components let you take payments directly from your smartphone. The system connects with your online business presence as well for seamless transactions. Card payments will always be more expensive,...
Source: gocardless.com
11 Alternatives to QuickBooks in 2024
If your business mainly processes card payments in-person in a retail setting, needs a few basic business tools like inventory tracking and sales reports, and is looking for something that seamlessly integrates with an ecommerce presence, Square is for you. Itโ€™s built for small retail and ecommerce businesses that are just starting out and looking for a lost-cost, low-risk,...
Source: www.bench.co
What to Use Instead of PayPal? 10 Best PayPal Alternatives
Square is another big name in retail payments and for a good reason. The easy-to-use platform lets you accept payments online or in-store. There are also useful available features such as invoices, contactless payments, point of sale, and eCommerce. Any extra features you add will be accessed via the same dashboard, letting you stay organised. Additionally, Square is...
The 6 best online payment processing services in 2024
Most of Square's features are free to use, but if you want to unlock more for your store and checkout experience, there are two subscription plans available. The highest one, Premium ($79/month), even lowers the transaction fee to 2.6% + $0.30 (from 2.9% + $0.30), so if you end up setting up shop with Square and start selling a lot, it may make sense to upgrade.
Source: zapier.com
POS: Best Point of Sale System Software for Small businesses
It may be used on tablets, smartphones, and Apple and Android devices. It is applicable to all business types, including bakeries. The business offers Square POS support around-the-clock.
Source: qpe.co.in

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Square seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 41 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Rippling mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Rippling yet. Tracking of Rippling recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Square mentions (41)

  • Advertisement - Help Finding a Global Entry Appointment
    This is an advertisement and I want to provide all the details.. I am a software developer and avid traveler. I own this website and am the sole developer who wrote the entire software! This idea came about when I signed up for Global Entry and then couldn't get an enrollment interview. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee (https://globalentrytextalerts.com/moneyBack) if someone doesn't feel satisfied. The website... Source: about 3 years ago
  • How common is card/contactless payment?
    And now with Square it's dirt simple to accept credit card transactions, and the software even integrates into the NFC transceiver in modern iPhones--so even street vendors and local artists accept contactless payment cards. Source: over 3 years ago
  • FREE GAME ๐Ÿ’ณ๐Ÿ’ฐ๐Ÿ’ฐ
    Https://squareup.com/us/en - Better with aged account and/or verified business. Do custom amount charges on phone and type in card info manually. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Art Market Question: $$$
    I've seen this one quite a bit here: https://squareup.com/us/en. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Squarespace Tutorial: Learn How to Build a Squarespace Website in 2022
    Squarespace supports several payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal Business, and Square (for US point of sale transactions). - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Rippling and Square, you can also consider the following products

BambooHR - Personalized HR software for SMBs

Lightspeed - Retail point-of-sale, inventory management, and omnichannel payment processing systems.

Workday - Workday is an onโ€‘demand financial management and human capital management software solution.

Toast - Built to make restaurants better. Toast gives your restaurant the technology you need to succeed in today's fast-paced environment.

Gusto - Gusto. Payroll, benefits and compliance in one integrated product. We're here to change how the world works, and put people first.

Odoo - An all-integrated business app suite to unleash your growth potential.