Rippling vs Wave Payroll
Two payroll & HR tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Wave Payroll costs less for a six-person team.- Wave Payroll fits retail shop, restaurant or café, service business, trades or contractor.
Rippling fits agency or studio, online store.- Rippling suits teams past ten people.
| Compare | RipplingRippling | Wave PayrollWave Financial |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | HR, IT, and finance on one employee record | Payroll add-on for Wave accounting users |
| Starting price | From $35/mo + $8/person | From $40/mo + $6/person |
| Six-person team | $83/mo | $76/mo |
| Plans | Quoted; roughly $35/mo base + $8 per person for payroll | $40/mo + $6 per employee + $6 per contractor paid; tax service in all 50 states; Canada $25 CAD + $6 (not Quebec); does not file 1099s |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free trial |
| Free trial | — | 30 days |
| Users | Per person | No minimum |
| Both connect to | No shared connections on record. | |
| Also connects to | QuickBooks Online, Xero, Homebase Scheduling, Buddy Punch, Puzzle, When I Work600+ listed by the vendor | Wave |
| Team size | 11–50 people · 51–200 people | Just me · 2–10 people |
| Available in | US · UK · CA · AU | US · CA |
| Phone support | Not looked up yet | None listed |
| Live chat | Not looked up yet | Every plan |
| Support hours | Not published | Live chat: Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern |
| Incidents posted | 12 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 page | 5 incidents posted on Wave Financial's status page, which covers all Wave Financial products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 1 marked major or critical by Wave Financial. Status page |
| Capterra score | 4.9 / 5 from 4,886 reviews | Not listed |
| Trustpilot score | 4.6 / 5 from 2,643 reviews | Not listed |
| Fit: Retail shop | 55 | 65 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 45 | 60 |
| Fit: Service business | 70 | 80 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 90 | 65 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 50 | 72 |
| Fit: Online store | 75 | 50 |
| Why people pick it |
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| Where it falls short |
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| Visit Rippling | Visit Wave Payroll | |
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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