Gusto vs. OnPay vs. Rippling: Payroll comparison 2025

Managing payroll isn’t just about paying your team on time; it’s about staying compliant, handling benefits, streamlining onboarding, and giving employees a seamless HR experience. That’s why choosing the right payroll software matters.

In 2025, Gusto and OnPay are two of the most popular solutions for small to midsize businesses. Both offer full-service payroll and HR tools, but the best choice depends on your needs, industry, and budget.

This guide breaks down OnPay vs. Gusto to help HR managers and business leaders compare features, evaluate differences, and find the right fit. We’ll also explore how Rippling offers a powerful alternative to both platforms.

Quick comparison: Gusto vs. OnPay vs. Rippling at a glance

The table below pulls together our key findings across payroll, benefits, HR tools, and automation, along with core compliance tasks like W-2 generation, tax filing, and reporting accuracy to highlight where each system’s strengths and limits show up.

Methodology: How we reviewed different payroll software

To find the best payroll software, we focused on features and functionality, assessing each tool based on key capabilities that matter to any business. Consistency means differences reflect actual differentiators. Our research focused on materials published by providers themselves, and included:

• Official product websites. We started with each provider’s official product page to verify features, service scope, and coverage. These reflect the most up-to-date, legally accurate description of what the product actually offers.

• Demos and documentation. When available, we looked at official product walkthroughs, feature explainers, and setup guides to gauge how integrated (or manual) certain processes really are.

• Customer reviews and write-ups. We consulted review platforms and unpaid write-ups but treated them like secondary sources. User feedback can surface recurring pain points or standout features, but it’s not always representative or timely.

Rippling editorial policy: Rippling puts our customers (and prospective customers!) first. The Rippling team is committed to providing information supported by product data, insights, and customer feedback to inform our content.

Features comparison: Gusto vs. OnPay vs. Rippling

Each of the tools we looked at covers the fundamentals of payroll and HR, but they differ when it comes to depth and scalability. Rippling combines HR, IT, and finance in one global system, while Gusto and OnPay focus on streamlining payroll and compliance for American companies. The breakdown below shows how they compare across key features.

Payroll processing

Rippling

With Rippling, your organization processes employee and contractor payroll through a single system, automatically managing tax filings and syncing data across HR and finance. It also allows post-payday corrections and unlimited off-cycle runs without manual intervention. Helpful, if you’re one of the almost 32% of HR leaders who report spending substantial time managing payroll. 

Gusto 

Gusto provides automated time tracking and payroll for your US-based employees. To pay international contractors, you’ll need to sign up for the optional add-on. You’ll benefit from domestic compliance coverage, but don’t expect support for full global payroll operations. 

OnPay

With OnPay, you can run payroll for US employees and contractors on the same system, and the platform handles federal, state, and local tax filings. If your team includes international workers or contractors, however, you’ll need another tool to manage those payments and compliance. 

Our verdict

If your team operates across multiple states or countries and includes a mix of employees and contractors, Rippling will likely feel more capable than tools designed primarily to handle domestic payroll. Gusto and OnPay have US compliance features, but stop well short of international coverage. Rippling’s ability to unify employee and contractor payroll, automate tax filings globally, and connect directly with HR and finance data makes it better suited if you expect to grow or need a truly global payroll solution.

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Benefits administration

Rippling

Rippling’s benefits administration software takes a flexible approach, allowing you to use its carrier network and in-house brokerage, or continue working with your own brokers. Regardless of what you choose, you get the same level of functionality. All benefit types, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and HSA/FSA, sit in a single connected system, so enrollment and deductions automatically flow into payroll. 

Gusto 

If you operate entirely in the US with a US-based team, Gusto provides straightforward, health, dental, vision, retirement, and commuter plans. Be aware that if you already have coverage, you’ll need to switch to a partner in Gusto’s network. The platform also doesn’t support multi-entity or international benefits.

OnPay

OnPay connects your payroll with straightforward health, dental, vision, and retirement plans offered by partner brokers. You do have the option to automate deductions and contributions for US employees, but don’t expect global coverage or multi-carrier plan management.

Our verdict

Rippling offers more flexibility if your company expects to expand or already manages multiple entities. Gusto and OnPay cover the basics of US benefits, but rely on limited carrier networks and lack international reach. Rippling’s ability to work with any broker, automate enrollment, and manage benefits alongside HR data makes it a stronger fit for scaling teams.

Time tracking

Rippling

Rippling’s native time and attendance tool connects directly to payroll, so hours, overtime, and PTO update automatically. You can set custom rules for shifts, job codes, and approvals, which makes it a good fit for teams with both salaried and hourly employees.

Gusto 

In Gusto, employees can record hours, request time off, and track PTO within the same system. The data syncs automatically with payroll, which cuts down on manual updates. It can work well for smaller teams of salaried employees, but doesn’t include the detailed scheduling or compliance features you need for hourly staff. 

OnPay

OnPay offers built-in tools for tracking hours and PTO requests, along with automatic syncing to payroll. It’s an easy-to-use solution for small, salaried teams in the US, but lacks scheduling, shift management, and other features needed to manage hourly workers and larger operations.

Our verdict

For teams with hours or distributed workers, Rippling’s native time tracking is the most adaptable. If you only need to manage basic PTO and time entry, OnPay and Gusto can do the job, but anything more complex means buying another tool or paying for an add-on. Rippling’s automation and policy controls also make it a better fit for companies with advanced compliance needs. 

Hiring and onboarding tools

Rippling

Rippling allows you to automate the entire onboarding process, from the initial offer to your new employee’s first day, taking care of offer letters, e-signatures, and tax and compliance forms with fully customizable workflows. Once you add your new hire to Rippling, the platform activates payroll, benefits, and software and hardware access with no manual input.

Gusto 

Gusto streamlines the admin of onboarding with offer letter templates and digital signatures, but doesn’t offer a fully automated process. New hires need to enter their own tax and personal information through self-service tools, while IT setup and access management require a separate platform.

OnPay

OnPay covers onboarding essentials like digital forms, e-signatures, and self-service setup for new hires. Employees can complete tax forms and direct deposit emails online, and managers can track progress through built-in onboarding checklists. If you need IT provisioning or more extensive automation, however, you’re out of luck. 

Our verdict

Rippling stands out for linking onboarding with payroll, benefits, and IT from the start. Gusto and OnPay have all the features for straightforward HR onboarding, but both stop at the paperwork basics, which means coordinating across systems and tools to get a new hire up and running.

HR tools and automation

Rippling

Because Rippling was built on top of a single source of truth — your employee data — it offers powerful automation capabilities ranging from updates to workflows to compliance tasks. Any change, like a promotion or a location move, automatically shows up in pay benefits and system access in real time.

Gusto 

With Gusto, you get the basis for managing employee data, documents, and performance, but focuses on small-team needs. HR tasks like onboarding and reviews are supported, though automation is limited, and set workflows don’t extend beyond HR.

OnPay

OnPay covers essential HR functions, including recordkeeping, PTO management, and document storage. It’s well-suited for a small business, but lacks the automations or integrations that you need to build a unified HR, finance, and IT engine to power your business.

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Our verdict

Rippling’s advantage lies in its ability to truly connect HR with other core functions, like finance and IT. Gusto and OnPay keep HR organized, but need manual work and extra tools for communication between systems. For trams managing growth or multiple locations, Rippling’s stronger automation saves more time and leads to fewer errors.

Gusto vs. OnPay vs. Rippling: Pricing

Pricing varies widely between these three platforms, especially in how each bundles payroll and HR features. Rippling follows a modular model. Gusto and OnPay use fixed monthly pricing that scales up — sometimes rapidly — with your headcount.

Rippling

Rippling uses modular pricing, which means you pay only for the tools and features that you need. The core HRIS system that powers payroll has a $35 per month base fee, with payroll starting at $8 PEPM. 

Gusto

Gusto offers three subscription plans, each with its own combination of features. Simple starts with a base fee of $40 per month, plus $6 PEPM. Plus doubles the base fee to $80 per month and $12 PEPM. Premium plans come with custom pricing. If you need contractor-only payroll, you’ll pay $35 per month, plus $6 per contractor. 

OnPay

OnPay charges $40 in base fees plus $6 per employee. The single plan includes HR, benefits, payroll, tax filings, and basic tools, but is limited to US businesses.

Gusto vs. OnPay vs. Rippling: Reviews

We don’t hang our hat on user reviews, but they’re useful for spotting real-world patterns: what users consistently like and where they run into problems. Taken together, they help reveal how each platform performs in daily use.

Rippling earned high marks from users for the depth and flexibility of automations. Many reported significant time and cost savings due to automation, and others praised the simplicity of the user interface and navigation. 

“It's great for mid-market and fast-growing/scaling orgs. It was easy to implement and has streamlined payroll, PTO, benefits, and compliance.” — Business development manager in financial services, Capterra user*

Satisfied Gusto users cited ease of use and right-sizing for small business as big perks of the software. Those who relied on the tool for payroll cautioned against accepting its calculations at face value. 

“They are unable to properly calculate payroll taxes, telling me the only way to do it correctly was to change our employees' W4 every month. That was their suggestion. [...] If you use Gusto, check the federal withholding, and I hope you don't mind that they will calculate your salary employees' hourly rates (based on what you enter as their estimated pay) and print it on each paystub.” — Owner of a health, wellness, and fitness company, Capttera user

OnPay users generally praised ease of use, but several reported frustration reaching customer service. Some reviewers also raised alarms about issues with tax filing and reporting.

“It was a bad experience due to tax errors and integrations that did not work. The net result is OnPay caused our small business to receive hundreds of dollars of fees and interest plus more in accounting costs.” — President at a telecommunications company, Capterra user*

*All quotes are from verified Capterra reviews.

Gusto vs. OnPay vs. Rippling: Pros and cons

Rippling, Gusto, and OnPay all get HR done, but the trade-offs show up in how much control and automation you need. Rippling offers depth and breadth, while Gusto and OnPay stick to the essentials.

Rippling pros and cons

Rippling is best for companies that need automation and scalability, though setup for custom workflows and automations can require an initial time commitment.

Rippling Pros

• Combines HR, payroll, IT, and finance in one system

• Handles both US and global payroll with built-in compliance

• Automates workflows and updates across departments

• Supports integrations with any carrier or network

Rippling Cons

• Global payroll setup can be complex, though support is available

• Requires initial investment in HRIS module to add payroll

Gusto pros and cons

Gusto works well for smaller US businesses looking for simplicity, but the limited integrations and domestic focus might hamper your growth.

Gusto Pros

• Simple interface suited for small, US-based businesses

• Offers automated tax filings and compliance tools

• Includes employee self-service for onboarding and time tracking

Gusto Cons

• Limited to US payroll and benefits

• Automation features are basic compared to larger platforms

• Carrier options restricted to Gusto’s partner network

• Lacks IT or advanced workflow integrations

OnPay pros and cons

If you’re on a tight budget and only need easy payroll and benefits management, OnPay might meet your needs. The lack of automation means more manual work, however, and limits flexibility.

OnPay Pros

• Unlimited payruns at no extra cost

• Syncs payroll, benefits, and PTO tracking in one platform

OnPay Cons

• US-only coverage with no support for global payroll or benefits

• Lacks automation for IT setup, scheduling, or advanced reporting

• Minimal customization for complex HR or compliance workflows

Rippling: The best alternative to Gusto and OnPay

If you want payroll so powerful it runs itself, you want Rippling. Rippling’s payroll software offers full-service payroll with everything we’ve discussed in this article so far, plus even more — it’s built on top of a single source of truth for employee data. That means your employee data isn’t tied to one specific app — it’s the same across payroll, time and attendance, onboarding, performance management, and any other apps you use within our unified workforce management platform. 

What does that mean for you and your team? For starters, you have a single source of truth for up-to-the-minute employee information. It also means that your team doesn’t have to re-enter information across systems when an employee gets promoted or moves to a different city to work remotely. From changing security permissions to updating PTO policies, Rippling triggers automatic updates to employee information in a single flow. This is especially beneficial for small businesses. It allows you to do more with less — less money, less headcount, and less time. And all with a 100% error-free guarantee.

With Rippling, you can: 

• Pay employees and contractors in the same platform

•  Manage time and attendance natively 

• Run unlimited off-cycle pay runs at no extra cost 

• Set up multiple pay schedules, pay rates, and pay types in just a few clicks 

• Add recurring reimbursements (like cell phone payments, gym memberships, etc.) that are automatically paid out every pay period, monthly, or at whatever interval you choose

• Automatically calculate prorated pay runs for new or promoted employees 

• Manage all currency conversions, including payroll adjustments 

• Automatically calculate overtime for every country 

• Make changes after submitting payroll

Frequently asked questions about OnPay vs. Gusto vs. Rippling