Honest Rippling identity and access management review 2025: Pros, cons, features, and pricing

10/10 Verdict

After testing Rippling’s identity and access management solution, I came away genuinely impressed by how it connects employee access, device management, and app provisioning in one clean system.

This isn't just another identity product patched onto existing tools. Rippling IAM is built on unified employee data, so HR info, access controls, and device settings all pull from the same source. 

I found the platform works best for growing companies managing hybrid or remote teams, especially those without massive IT teams or that struggle with bolting together separate tools that barely talk to each other. For example, rather than juggling Okta for identity, Jamf for device management, and spreadsheets for inventory tracking, Rippling consolidates all of it.

The concept is simple. IT administrators get powerful automation tools, and HR teams can manage employee lifecycles without constantly pinging IT for access requests. 

In this review, I'll walk you through Rippling’s key features, pricing, ease of use, integrations, security capabilities, and how it compares to competitors. By the end, you'll have a clear picture of whether Rippling IAM is the right fit for your organization.

Key Rippling IAM features:

• Automated user provisioning across 650+ business apps

• Single sign-on (SSO) with customizable multi-factor authentication (MFA)

• Cross-platform device management for Mac, Windows, iOS, and iPadOS

• Dynamic role-based access control using employee attributes

• Visual workflow builder for complex IT automations

• Built-in password manager (RPass)

• Real-time compliance reporting and audit trails

• Zero-touch device deployment with global shipping and retrieval

Rippling identity and access management pricing

Rippling's pricing is modular, meaning you pay for what you actually use rather than buying a bloated package with features you don't need. 

For identity and access management, pricing starts at $8 per user per month, which covers your core IAM capabilities including SSO, provisioning, and user lifecycle management.

To get more insights on pricing, you'll need to request a quote to see exactly what your total cost would be based on which modules you activate. You can schedule a demo or talk to the sales team to get a customized quote that matches your specific needs and company size.

See how unified IAM really feels in action

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Ease of Rippling IAM use and interface

The admin interface is clean and well-organized, designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate. One impressive feature is Rippling's Supergroups for managing permissions. Instead of manually adding individual people to groups, you create dynamic rules based on employee attributes. 

For example, I could create a  "Slack access policy" that adds full-time employees in the Engineering department to the #engineering Slack channel. Or, I could create an “AWS access policy” that grants access to AWS when someone’s department is Engineering and their hardware security key is active. 

This dynamic approach means I'm not constantly updating individual user permissions as the organization evolves. When someone gets promoted, changes departments, or leaves, everything adjusts instantly.

The employee experience is straightforward. Employees log into Rippling and see all their work apps in one dashboard. 

When they click an icon, SSO handles authentication, and they're in. No password juggling, no friction, and no tickets to IT asking for access. For most employees, Rippling becomes their daily starting point because everything they need lives there.

If I had to call out one downside, it's that Rippling does require some upfront effort to configure properly. You need to map out your org structure, define which roles get which apps, set security policies, and build your automation rules before everything starts running smoothly.

That said, this initial planning pays off quickly. Once configured, daily management becomes almost effortless. You don’t need to keep manually provisioning accounts or fielding constant access requests; the system handles it all based on the rules set up once. 

Core Rippling IAM functionalities

When I dug into how Rippling actually handles identity and access management day-to-day, I found the automation goes much deeper than surface-level provisioning. Here's what stood out to me across the key IAM functions:

1. App provisioning and deprovisioning

When HR adds a new employee to Rippling, the system automatically creates their accounts across every app they need based on their role, department, and location. 

What I found really useful is how granular the access rules can be. For example, sales reps might automatically get CRM access, but only senior reps above a certain level get commission reports and forecasting tools. You define these rules once using employee attributes, and the system enforces them automatically.

When an employee leaves, Rippling immediately revokes access to all apps, locks their devices, disables SSO, and transfers their files to their manager. This ensures former employees lose access right away and removes the risk of missed offboarding steps.

2. Single sign-on and authentication

Rippling provides unified SSO across all connected apps. Employees log in once and see all their work apps in a central dashboard with one-click access. 

As you can see from the quick access section, apps like Google Calendar, Drive, Gmail, Slack, Zoom, Figma, and dozens more are right there. Click any icon and you're in. The system supports OAuth, SAML, and OpenIDC standards, so it works with virtually every modern business application.

For apps that don't support SSO (and there are still plenty of legacy tools and vendor portals that don't), Rippling includes RPass, a built-in password manager. IT can create shared logins for these tools, and employees access them without seeing the actual password. 

Everything stays encrypted and auditable, which beats the alternative of sharing passwords through Slack or email. I like this because most IAM platforms just assume every app will support modern authentication, when reality is a lot messier.

3. Device management

Rippling's device management software covers macOS, Windows, iPhones, and iPads. This isn't a separate tool you bolt on or a partnership with another vendor, rather it's built into the platform and uses the same employee data as your IAM system.

How good is it? Quite good. You can configure device-level security requirements like password complexity, automatic screen locks, disk encryption, OS update enforcement, and firewall settings. Rippling monitors compliance continuously and alerts you when a device falls out of spec.

Another noteworthy detail is the zero-touch deployment. You can order a device through Rippling's device store, and it ships directly to the employee pre-configured with apps, security settings, VPN, and company accounts already set up. This is especially valuable for remote teams where you can onboard employees anywhere in the world without manual IT configuration.

For example, if an engineer in Chicago spills coffee on their laptop, IT can reassign a device from Rippling's warehouse inventory and have it arrive at the employee's home within 24 hours, already configured with the right security policies for their role. Rippling also handles retrieving the damaged device by sending prepaid return packaging directly to the employee. Read more about how Rippling handles device replacement.

4. Security controls

Rippling IAM provides the ability to set access rules based on context like location, device trustworthiness, time of day, or user risk profile. You can require MFA for any login attempt outside your office network or block access to financial systems from personal devices. 

Rippling understands geography and time, so it can flag impossible travel scenarios like someone appearing to log in from New York at 9am and London at 10am. This contextual awareness adds security layers beyond simple username and password verification.

5. Workflow automation

Rippling's Workflow Studio is a visual builder for creating IT automations that span multiple systems and respond to complex conditions. So basically, you set triggers based on employee data, app events, device status, or time schedules, then define what should happen automatically.

The interface makes it straightforward to build workflows visually. I can set a trigger like "Offer is accepted," then drag and drop actions like sending emails, creating tasks, or messaging via Slack or Teams. There's also conditional logic for building multi-step automations with if/then branches. 

Rippling also provides pre-built workflow templates (they call them "recipes") that I can customize for common scenarios. For example, one recipe sends reminders to the IT team to ship devices to new hires, while another alerts the IT team when a device hasn't checked in with MDM.

A single source of truth for user identity

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Rippling IAM reporting and analytics

The reporting in Rippling goes well beyond the standard pre-built templates you get with most IAM platforms. Looking at the report library, you'll find multiple options organized by functions.

For IT specifically, there are reports for access control, authentication settings, device activity, agent status, device condition, device health, and more.

What makes this particularly useful is that you're not stuck with just these pre-built templates. The custom report builder lets you create reports from scratch using a drag-and-drop interface. 

You can browse through different categories to select the exact data fields you need. The interface shows you a live preview as you build, so you can see exactly what your report will look like before saving it.

Rippling IAM integrations and automations

Coming down to pre-built integrations, Rippling offers 650+ of those, covering business apps, identity providers, productivity tools, development platforms, and security systems. There's even an App Shop where you can browse and connect integrations by category.

Popular IT and security integrations include 1Password, SentinelOne, Zendesk, Okta, Duo Security, etc. plus general business tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, and Salesforce.

When you connect an app, Rippling can automatically provision user accounts, manage group memberships, sync profile data like names and photos, enforce security policies, and deprovision access when employees leave.

Generally, these cross-system automations would be difficult with traditional IAM tools that don't have visibility into employee lifecycle data. Rippling is an exception here because it has that deep organizational context baked in. 

And if the integrations provided don't cover your needs, Rippling provides an API so you can build custom workflows, sync data with internal systems, or extend functionality to match unique business processes.

Rippling IAM security and compliance

Security is built into every layer of Rippling’s architecture. Rippling security tools maintain SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and ISO 27018 certifications. All data is protected with AES-256 encryption, both at rest and in transit, and the platform runs on secure cloud infrastructure with redundancy, disaster recovery, and geographic safeguards in place.

Rippling also helps companies meet requirements for GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and other regulatory frameworks. The audit logs, access controls, behavioral detection, and reporting tools provide the documentation and evidence auditors need without manual compilation. 

Rippling IAM customer support and implementation

Rippling provides customer support through its help center, where you can find setup guides, troubleshooting articles, and product documentation.

Support is available through email, with additional options like phone or live chat depending on your service plan. From what I've seen in user reviews, response times are quite solid and administrators typically get prompt help with configuration, integration, and technical issues.

When it comes to implementation, Rippling stands out for how quickly it can be deployed. Because HR, IT, and Finance live in one system, implementation often takes days, not weeks. Once employee data is synced, devices, apps, and permissions automatically configure based on role and department. You can self-implement using Rippling’s guided workflows, work directly with a specialist, or have the Rippling team manage setup end-to-end.

Rippling IAM customer reviews and ratings

Rippling consistently receives high ratings across major software review platforms:

• G2 gives it 4.8 out of 5 stars based on over 10,000 reviews

• Capterra rates it 4.9 out of 5 stars with 4,160+ reviews

• TrustRadius scores it 8.9 out of 10 with 2,499+ reviews

Looking at what users say on Capterra, the ease of use and consolidated platform are praised frequently. One HR professional noted, "Rippling offers an incredibly intuitive and user-friendly platform for managing HR, payroll, benefits, and onboarding all in one place. The automation features are a huge time-saver — especially for onboarding new employees, updating benefits, or processing terminations."

Another user emphasized the efficiency gains: "We have automated SO many manual tasks with Rippling. The platform is almost TOO easy to use, both as an admin and as an employee."

On the IT management side, one reviewer appreciated the integrated access controls: "Being able to manage single sign on and passwords for no additional cost is great."

The time savings theme appears repeatedly. One manager shared, "From onboarding and payroll to device and app management, it's all centralized, saving everyone so much time and reducing manual errors." Some users mention that initial setup requires planning and can feel overwhelming given how many features are available. This matches what I mentioned earlier about the upfront configuration work. The platform is powerful once you've defined your policies and workflows, but getting there takes some effort.

Rippling IAM vs. Competitors

When I was evaluating IAM solutions, I wanted to see how Rippling stacks up against other major players in the market. 

Final verdict: Rippling is 10/10

After testing Rippling IAM, the biggest strengths are clear: the automation actually works, the HR-IT integration is native (not patched together), and device security goes beyond just access control to include the physical logistics of managing hardware.

The platform is ideal for growing companies, especially those with hybrid or remote teams. If you're dealing with frequent hiring, need to manage distributed devices, or work in a compliance-heavy industry where audit trails matter, Rippling handles all of that without you juggling multiple tools.

Where it falls short? The initial setup requires planning to map your org structure and define automation rules. There's also a learning curve if you want to use the advanced workflow and policy features. However, Rippling provides extensive customer support, detailed documentation, and step-by-step setup guides to help you through the configuration process.

But once you're past that initial configuration, the daily management becomes almost effortless. You're not manually provisioning accounts or coordinating between HR and IT anymore. The system just handles it based on the rules you set.

Rippling IAM is an excellent solution for growing teams that want seamless HR-to-IT automation without maintaining multiple specialized tools. If you're scaling and need your IT operations to scale with you, this is worth serious consideration.

FAQs about Rippling identity and access management