Rippling vs Payroll4Free

Two payroll & HR tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.

Short version

  • Payroll4Free costs less for a six-person team.
  • Payroll4Free fits restaurant or café, trades or contractor.
  • Rippling fits service business, agency or studio, online store.
  • Rippling suits teams past ten people.
CompareRipplingRipplingPayroll4FreePayroll4Free.com
In one lineHR, IT, and finance on one employee recordFree payroll software for teams of 9 or fewer
Starting priceFrom $35/mo + $8/personFree
Six-person team$83/mo$0/mo
PlansQuoted; roughly $35/mo base + $8 per person for payrollFree for 9 or fewer people paid no more than once a month (ad-supported); filled-out tax forms incur a small fee; optional Payroll Tax Service and Direct Deposit Service at unpublished prices
Pricing modelPaidFree
Free trial——
UsersPer personUp to 9 paid
Both connect toNo shared connections on record.
Also connects toQuickBooks Online, Xero, Homebase Scheduling, Buddy Punch, Puzzle, When I Work600+ listed by the vendorNone in our catalog
Team size11–50 people · 51–200 peopleJust me · 2–10 people
Available inUS · UK · CA · AUUS
Phone supportNot looked up yetEvery plan
Live chatNot looked up yetNone listed
Support hoursNot publishedNot published
Incidents posted12 incidents posted on Rippling's status page, which covers all Rippling products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 6 marked major or critical by Rippling. Status pageWe found no public status page for Payroll4Free.com.
Capterra score4.9 / 5 from 4,886 reviews3.1 / 5 from 13 reviews (few reviews)
Trustpilot score4.6 / 5 from 2,643 reviews2.2 / 5 from 8 reviews (few reviews)
Fit: Retail shop5558
Fit: Restaurant or café4555
Fit: Service business7060
Fit: Agency or studio9045
Fit: Trades or contractor5060
Fit: Online store7545
Why people pick it
  • One system for HR, IT, and spend
  • Strong automation
  • Free for small teams
  • W-2 and 1099 workers
Where it falls short
  • Quote-based pricing
  • Overkill under 20 people
  • You file payroll taxes yourself unless you pay
  • Ads in the software
Visit Rippling Visit Payroll4Free

Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. How we calculate prices

Rippling: partner link. We may earn a commission; it never affects rankings.

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