Paylocity vs Rippling Pricing (2026)
Compare / Paylocity vs Rippling
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Team size
25 seats

Paylocity vs Rippling

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Paylocity pricing ranges from $20–$40/user/month, while Rippling ranges from $8–$35/user/month. Rippling is typically 33% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Rippling pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
Paylocity
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized busine
verified 22d ago
$39K $42K
View pricing →
Rippling
Rippling is a unified workforce platform that combines HR, IT, and Finance management in a
verified 21d ago
$39K $42K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Rippling saves $2.9K vs Paylocity · 25 seats
Cheapest $39K
Spread 7%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Professional
$9.0K/yr
year 1 license · $30/seat
Core + Payroll
$4.8K/yr
year 1 license · $16/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$42K/yr
Vendr · n=13
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$39K/yr
Vendr · n=202 avg 15% negotiated
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 17 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 32 sourced facts
25 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 3 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Annual Price Increases
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • BaseHR Package Requirement
    $1,000-$3,000
    1 source
  • Implementation Support Time
    $5,000-$15,000
    2 sources
  • Customer Service Delays
    10-20% additional labor time
    3 sources
  • FSA Administration Issues
    5-10 hours/month administrative time
    2 sources
5 documented
  • Annual Price Increases
    5-7%
    3 sources
  • Implementation and onboarding delays
    10-20% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Module-Based Add-On Costs
    $5-$20/user/month
    2 sources
  • Lack of upfront pricing transparency
    $400+/month (small business quote)
    3 sources
  • Modular add-on pricing escalates total cost
    $8-$35/user/month
    3 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Paylocity
Rippling
Auto-renewal
✓ No
Yes
Cancellation
No official renewal required
Not publicly disclosed; users report difficulty exiting contracts
Commitment
Typically 1 year
Annual contract typical (custom-quoted)
Price escalation
Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
5-7% annual uplift standard on renewals (negotiable per Vendr buyer reports). PEO buyers also report mid-contract cost increases on bundled health insurance premiums; one customer cited a 150% premium hike after 3 years, prompting them to migrate off the PEO.
Can downgrade
✓ Yes
No
Based on 6 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
9.2/5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses needing payroll and basic HR
Watch out
Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
TrustRadius
9/5 (2,604)
Trustpilot
4.6/5 (1,900)
G2
4.8/5 (14,195)
Best for
Small to mid-sized companies needing HR and IT basics
Watch out
Payroll calculation errors that customer is forced to remediate
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Rippling pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
HR/HRIS

Paylocity

$20–$40
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

Rippling

$8–$35
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Paylocity and Rippling both operate in the hr/hris category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Paylocity Rippling
Core $20 /user/month $8 /user/month
Professional $30 /user/month $16 /user/month
Enterprise $40 /user/month $35 /user/month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Paylocity

6 scenarios
$20/month
Starter Setup
$30/month
Growing Business
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 6 scenarios →

Rippling

7 scenarios
$8/month
Starter Setup
$16/month
Growing Business
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 7 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Paylocity

Median annual cost
$42,240
Based on
13 deals

Rippling

Median annual cost
$39,317
Average negotiated discount
15%
Based on
202 deals

What Users Say

Paylocity

Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
TrustRadius
9.2/10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
  • Unresponsive support - no callbacks or email responses
  • FSA card repeatedly declines legitimate medical expenses

Rippling

G2
4.8/5 (14,195)
Trustpilot
4.6/5 (1,900)
TrustRadius
9/10 (2,604)
Top complaints
  • Payroll calculation errors that customer is forced to remediate
  • No phone support — every issue requires multi-day email/chat cycles
  • Onboarding delays that result in late or missed paychecks

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Paylocity 6 hidden costs

medium
Annual Price Increases 5-10% of license costs
medium
BaseHR Package Requirement $1,000-$3,000
medium
Implementation Support Time $5,000-$15,000
high
Customer Service Delays 10-20% additional labor time
medium
FSA Administration Issues 5-10 hours/month administrative time
See all Paylocity hidden costs →

Rippling 11 hidden costs

medium
Annual Price Increases 5-7%
high
Implementation and onboarding delays 10-20% of license costs
medium
Module-Based Add-On Costs $5-$20/user/month
medium
Lack of upfront pricing transparency $400+/month (small business quote)
medium
Modular add-on pricing escalates total cost $8-$35/user/month
See all Rippling hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Paylocity Rippling
Auto-renewal No Yes
Cancellation No official renewal required Not publicly disclosed; users report difficulty exiting contracts
Minimum commitment Typically 1 year Annual contract typical (custom-quoted)
Price escalation Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in. 5-7% annual uplift standard on renewals (negotiable per Vendr buyer reports). PEO buyers also report mid-contract cost increases on bundled health insurance premiums; one customer cited a 150% premium hike after 3 years, prompting them to migrate off the PEO.
Can downgrade Yes No

Continue researching

Paylocity

Rippling

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