Earlier this year I dove into the veritable rabbit hole that is global payroll, workforce management, and employer of record solutions in HR Tech. It is a doozy with global regulations and legal requirements that are incredibly complex. My sole focus was on helping HR and TA navigate the global employment space not only with compliance in mind but also from a perspective of what supports not only workplace leaders but the employees who use these services to get paid every single day. Since the launch of this relatively new category in HR technology, the vertical has grown quickly with a number of technologies maturing into full blown global human capital management offerings which is why I’ve decided to evaluate, spotlight, and compare Deel vs. Rippling.
Rippling burst on the HR technology scene in 2016. Deel followed suit in 2019. Since both Deel and Rippling are eerily similar categories and companies, it makes sense they would be pitted against each other as part of HR and TA’s global payroll solutions. Backstory in March 2025, Rippling filed a lawsuit against Deel, accusing Deel of orchestrating a “corporate espionage” scheme. Allegedly Deel placed a spy inside Rippling who accessed sensitive data such as sales pipelines, customer info, and internal communications, and the accused “spy” later admitted to passing information from Rippling to Deel. In response to all this, Deel filed a counter-lawsuit in Delaware, accusing Rippling of defamation, libel, and deceptive trade practices.
Both Rippling and Deel deny any wrong doing, and I can’t wait to see this HR tech drama unfold. With both these companies in the news and the backstory context provided, I wanted to move beyond the noise and focus on functions, features, and pricing differences for HR, TA and executive leaders looking to grow their global workforce. In full transparency, Deel is a member of our Workology Marketplace where we have a revenue sharing relationship while with Rippling we do not. I will however do my best to provide a honest review of each of these technologies to include pricing, functionality, and key differences.
What Are the Key Features for Deel
When Deel launched in 2019, it was a global contractor and management payment platform and one of the first employer of record companies as the need for complaint global hiring grew and is expected to continue to do so. The World Economic Forum Jobs Report shows that 67% of companies cite skills gaps as their biggest barrier to hiring and transforming their workforce making the business case for why employers will continue to widen their hiring search beyond national borders. This job reports also shows which countries have greater or reduced talent availability. Countries like Egypt, Morocco, and Bahrain are expected to have the largest talent growth while Hungry, Estonia, and Latvia are expected to have the largest decreases.
Deel is strong in payment and contractor platform first as well as Employer of Record solutions is very strong in these areas. They have a great global network as well as an impressive list of HR and Fintech integrations including BambooHR, Workday, Quickbooks, and SAP among others. Across independent reviews and user forums, Deel’s API integrations are generally considered strong, reliable, and helpful for automating workflows — especially for companies hiring globally or managing distributed teams.
The consensus is that Deel’s API: connects well with existing HR systems, automates repetitive onboarding/offboarding tasks, reduces payroll and contractor paperwork, helps sync employee/contractor data into accounting or HR systems, and supports tech-stack flexibility for fast-growth companies. One of the key features and benefits of Deel is their automations and integrations. The r/payroll subreddit is filled with great supporting anonymous feedback to support their automations.
However, Deel is not without fault, many r/payroll subredditors point out that Deel’s platform is complex due to its global scope, so integrations sometimes require careful setup and that API features may vary between countries depending on local payroll rules. This makes the Deel system feel heavy for smaller companies who have more simply EOR and global payroll needs which is why companies with smaller teams and hiring needs might consider EOR technologies such as Oyster HR or Multiplier as EOR options for them. One other feature to note when selecting EOR solutions, different EOR options shine in specific areas or regions such as Multiplier in Asia PAC and Lano in Europe.
Online reviews about Deel mention that payment reliability has been a factor in the past. Employees of companies that use Deel mentioned challenges with customer support, misinformation, and mixed reviews on the Deel app for contractors. Beyond EOR solutions, Deel offers light HRIS functionality with IT and device management support not offered at this time. Overall Deel is best for companies that need global EOR, international contractor management, or multi-country payroll with transparent starting pricing.
Deel Pros and Cons
Pros
- Solid Employer of Record support across the globe
- Transparent pricing on contractor/payroll models
- Strong global compliance and support
- Strong mobile app for employees and managers alike
- Localized benefits and payroll in many countries
- Robust library of support help docs and resources for troubleshooting
Cons
What Are the Key Features for Rippling
Rippling offers a more comprehensive solution across modules likely because one of Rippling’s co-founder, Parker Conrad is also the founder of Zenefits. Zenefits is an HR administration, benefits and payroll solution that Conrad exited in 2016. His resignation from Zenefits came after a highly publicized series of regulatory and compliance controversies that became known as one of Silicon Valley’s biggest HR-tech scandals. And scandal followed him to Rippling too but in a different way. With Rippling, Conrad and his team built on what they learned from Zenefits launching Rippling offering not only global payroll and workflow automation but also a full HRIS and benefits management. Their technology offers an all in one HCM solution with payroll, IT management, and automation but compared to Deel is less EOR focused. Rippling is best suited for small to medium sized business and those in mid market (50-500 employees), but can support large enterprise organizations.
Rippling is ideal for companies wanting a unified HRIS that includes HR, payroll, IT, device management, and workflow automation, with pricing that adjusts based on modules selected. All modules are in a single system with strong automation and workflow support. Users report that onboarding and off boarding, payroll and benefits enrollment is easy, saves valuable time speeding up HR and administrative processes. I have been impressed with their UX and clean modern feel making the software easy to use as an administrator or an end user.
Some words of caution when considering Rippling, users across multiple online software review sites, mention challenges with Rippling customer support. Urgent issues are not always addressed in a timely manner and set ups with systems can be complex requiring a great deal of support. Rippling’s competitors with this in mind are more likely Human Capital Management technologies such as Paylocity, iSolved, BambooHR and Gusto.
Rippling Pros and Cons
Pros
Key Features Comparison Deel vs. Rippling
| Feature | Deel | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Global Payroll | Yes; strong worldwide coverage | Yes; global payroll offered within modular system |
| HRIS Capabilities | Light HRIS functionality | Full HRIS with workflows, automation, benefits, and device management |
| EOR Services | Core strength with wide country coverage | EOR available but country coverage varies |
| Contractor Management | Strong platform for international contractors | Supports contractors; less specialized for global contractor workflows |
| IT & Device Management | Not offered | Integrated IT and device management, app provisioning, and security controls |
| Integrations | Integrates with many HR and finance tools | Deep integrations across HR, payroll, IT, apps, and device workflows |
| Best Fit | Businesses hiring globally, managing contractors, and needing international compliance | Organizations wanting an all-in-one HRIS with payroll, IT management, and automation |
How Does Rippling and Deel Compare When It Comes to Pricing?
I am a fan of transparency especially when it comes to HR technology and in this area Deel really shines. Their pricing information is easy to access and transparent compared to that of Rippling. Pricing for modules with Deel begin at $49 per month for contractor and global payroll pricing starting at $30-35. Like most employer of records, Deel charges a flat per month fee which is reported to be $599-699 per employee per month depending on the country the employee is residing in.
In comparison, Rippling’s pricing is quote based with prices dependent on size, features, and modules selected whether HR, payroll, IT or global. Because Rippling offers more robust features especially on the HRIS and benefits administration side, expect to pay more per employee, but how much you will pay is not publicly available at this time.
| Category | Deel | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor Management | Starts around $49 per contractor per month | Contractor support available; pricing varies and is quote-based |
| Global Payroll | Typically begins around $30–$35 per employee per month depending on country | Global payroll available as an add-on; pricing is modular and quote-based |
| EOR (Employer of Record) | Generally $599–$699 per employee per month depending on country | EOR available but pricing is not published and varies by country and module selection |
| Overall Pricing Model | Transparent per-contractor and per-employee pricing with add-ons | Modular pricing; total cost depends on selected HR, payroll, IT, and global modules |
Who Should You Choose? Deel or Rippling
Choose Deel if your organization is hiring across multiple countries, needs a strong Employer of Record solution, or relies heavily on international contractors and global payroll with transparent pricing. Deel is the better fit for companies prioritizing compliance, localized benefits, and scale across diverse geographies. Choose Rippling if you want an all-in-one HRIS with payroll, benefits, IT and device management, and workflow automation built into a single system. Rippling is ideal for fast-growing companies—particularly U.S. and mid-market organizations—that want to centralize people operations and reduce manual administrative work. For organizations with both global hiring and complex internal HR workflows, the right choice comes down to whether global reach (Deel) or platform breadth (Rippling) is your primary need.
