A global study revealed that increased compliance and regulatory reporting demands may force 48% of companies to reconsider their international expansion plans. With challenges like hiring local talent, managing payroll in multiple currencies, and staying compliant with local labor laws, there are just too many potential pitfalls for businesses to fall into. However, a comprehensive Human Capital Management (HCM) system can help enterprises mitigate these challenges.
Deel and Rippling emerge as top choices for navigating these complexities, offering tools for managing compliance, payroll, and hiring on both local and global scales. Which one is better suited for your organization depends on how closely you explore the two solutions.
Let’s explore their core features and compare which software best supports businesses’ global expansion while ensuring compliance.
Deel Vs Rippling: At A Glance
Feature
Deel
Rippling
Employer of Record (EOR)
Hire employees globally across 150+ countries
ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR certifications
24/7 in-app support
Offers services in 30+ countries
ISO 27001 certification, SOC 2, and GDPR compliance
Payroll Management
Payroll in 150+ countries
Automated compliance
Localized pay slips
Global Professional Employer Organization (PEO)
Payroll in 185+ countries
50+ currencies
Automated tax filing
Rippling PEO
IT Management
Purchase, ship, and track laptops in 130+ countries
Pre-configured devices loaded with apps, software, and security controls
24/7 global support team
Identity and access management
Device management
Inventory management
Zero-trust security protocols
Human Resource (HR) Management
End-to-end global workforce lifecycle
Localizes HR functions
Expense Management
Documents storage
Headcount Forecast
Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Learning Management System (LMS)
Tracks employee transitions,
Document Management
Real-time report building
Benefits And Compliance
‘Global Benefits Tool’ for 50+ countries
Compliance experts in 100+ countries
Compliance in 150+ countries
Health insurance
401(k)
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
‘Compliance 360’
PHR- and SHRM-CP-certified HR experts
What Is Deel?
Deel is a cloud-based HR platform designed to streamline contractor and employee lifecycle management globally. The platform effectively handles payroll, HR, and performance across 150 countries, helping businesses expand internationally with or without opening local entities. It manages contractor and employee hiring, onboarding, and payments through the Deel compliance dashboard and a digital wallet for multi-currency payments.
Its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered analytics, employee relocation services, and localization of HR processes make it an ideal choice for businesses expanding into global markets
Unique Features Of Deel
Deel Immigration: The platform helps employees streamline their visa applications, including form I-9, in 50+ countries. This enables businesses to sponsor, relocate, and manage remote employees worldwide
Deel Wallet: This payment account allows Deel users in the US to spend and transfer funds without withdrawing them to any external bank account
Deel Contractor Of Record: Deel helps businesses hire, onboard, and pay contractors by handling worker classification, contract creation, background checks, and payments. This allows companies to seamlessly onboard international hires while reducing admin work and compliance risks
Pros And Cons Of Deel
Pros
Users can link multiple bank accounts for easy and divided withdrawals
Deel Card and Deel Advance features allow purchases and short-term cash advances in USD without currency conversionand short-term cash advances in USD without currency conversion
Provide custom templates with all essential information for creating and managing contracts for international work
Cons
Auto-withdrawal feature pauses for amounts exceeding a certain limit and may require manual intervention
System doesn't notify users when ID Documents expire, which can lead to missed renewals and potential compliance issues for businesses
What Is Rippling?
Rippling HR is a workforce management software designed to combine payroll, IT, and finance functions into one unified system. The platform streamlines recruitment, compensation, and benefits management globally, allowing businesses to effectively manage global employees and contractors.
Rippling ‘Compliance 360’ localizes all aspects of global HR functions based on labor laws of 140+ countries, simplifying complex regulatory requirements like tax filing, deductions, and overtime policies. Additionally, its device and access management tools enable companies to secure software, systems, and user access.
Unique Feature Of Rippling
Headcount Planning: Rippling creates a sophisticated ‘Headcount Plan’ to auto-update employee headcount data, helping companies allocate budget, monitor open roles, and predict future staffing needs and costs
Talent Signal: Powered by AI, this tool evaluates new hires' contributions during their first 90 days and generates a ‘Performance Signal’. This feedback helps managers identify areas for improvement and guide employees effectively
Expense Management: Rippling allows companies to track and reimburse expenses to their employees in 100+ countries with automatic general ledger sync. The platform automates expense reporting with real-time alerts on spending spikes, helping businesses stay well in budget
Pros And Cons Of Rippling
Pros
Ensures timely notifications of the latest company updates and announcements, keeping employees informed
Navigation across the platform is intuitive and user-friendly, enabling non-technical users to manage workflows effortlessly
Provides detailed and accurate conversation records by transcribing and reviewing calls
Cons
Some users cited limited customization options in the reporting feature
The 401k plan is not fully integrated, requiring users to log in separately
Deel Vs Rippling: Head-on Feature Comparison
Employer Of Record (EOR)
Deel’s EOR services enable businesses to hire employees globally across 150+ countries without establishing their local entities. With ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR certifications, the platform secures sensitive employee and payroll data while ensuring compliant onboarding, payroll management, and tax filings.
Deel EOR also offers 24/7 in-app support, multi-currency payouts, custom benefits plans, and a seamless employee experience, making international hiring effortless and efficient.
Rippling supports global hiring by managing compliance, payroll, taxes, and benefits in 30+ countries. Businesses can pay their international teams in their local currencies while streamlining the calculation and filing of taxes. With ISO 27001 certification, SOC 2, and GDPR compliance, it offers a secure, streamlined platform for onboarding, payment, and employee management.
Winner: Deel takes a clear win against Rippling for its comprehensive EOR services, enabling businesses to expand in the global market without requiring their local presence.
Payroll
Deel’s payroll management system simplifies payments across the globe through automated compliance, localized pay slips, tax handling, and multi-currency transactions. ‘Deel PEO’ and ‘Deel Global PEO’ enable companies to consolidate their payroll operations without needing local presence in other countries.
With in-house payroll experts in 150+ countries, Deel effectively manages payroll tasks, tax deductions, filings, and compliance across the globe.
Rippling’s payroll system focuses on automating the payment process for US and international teams by handling compensation in 50+ currencies and tax filing across 185+ countries. The platform ensures that all employee-related data flows into the payroll system, streamlining global payroll management. Its custom workflows, role-based access, and in-built reporting tools make payroll management one of Rippling’s most powerful functionalities.
Winner: Rippling wins against Deel for its powerful payroll administration while handling compliance, tax filing, and documentation in 185+ countries.
IT Management
Deel simplifies global IT equipment management by allowing businesses to purchase, ship, and track laptops and other devices for remote teams worldwide. Its standout feature allows companies to send pre-configured devices loaded with apps, software, and security controls in 130+ countries, ensuring secure and smooth equipment provision.
Additionally, Deel’s 24/7 global support team diagnoses, troubleshoots, and repairs any issues in device management.
Rippling's IT management services include identity and access management, device management, and inventory management. These features help businesses enforce zero-trust security protocols, streamline user authentication, and manage devices across multiple operating systems. The platform ensures secure and efficient IT operations, automating processes such as onboarding and offboarding while providing granular control over company devices.
Winner: Deel wins for its superior IT management, especially the ability to ship pre-configured devices with essential apps and security controls to 130+ countries.
Human Resources (HR) Management
Deel HR offers advanced tools to manage the global workforce lifecycle, from recruitment to offboarding, enabling businesses to automate their HR departments. The platform localizes essential HR functions according to worker type, employment type, location, and entity — and consolidates them into one system to build custom workflow, reports, and automations.
Through Deel, businesses can manage expenses, store/sign documents, forecast headcount, and gain insights to simplify HR operations globally.
Rippling takes a more comprehensive approach to Human Resource Management with an integrated Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Learning Management System (LMS), enhancing recruitment and performance processes. It automates employee transitions, manages documents end-to-end, and includes real-time report building. The platform streamlines all aspects of the employee lifecycle by building custom workflows and approvals across workforce data.
Winner: ippling takes an edge over Deel for its more advanced approach to HR management, featuring ATS, LMS, and real-time reporting capabilities.
Benefits And Compliance
Deel enables companies to attract and retain top talent globally through its ‘Global Benefits Tool’, creating competitive medical, financial, and insurance packages in over 50 countries. With compliance experts in 100+ countries and data integrated into its HR software, Deel seamlessly manages region-specific mandatory paid time off (PTO), minimum wage, benefits, and termination requirements, allowing businesses to stay compliant globally.
Rippling also offers holistic benefits coverage for its users, providing health insurance, 401(k), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA). Its standout feature, ‘Compliance 360,’ makes sure businesses stay well within HR-related legal obligations, including tax laws and wage and hour regulations. The platform provides additional support to businesses with its PHR- and SHRM-CP-certified HR experts, real-time insights, and automatic updates.
Winner: Deel takes the lead in this round due to its advanced features for localized compliance in 150+ companies, enabling businesses to expand without worrying about costly fines.
Deel Vs Rippling: Which Is The Best Software For You?
Managing workforce, payroll, and compliance in a global setting provides its own challenges, and both Deel and Rippling offer their unique solutions to simplify these complexities.
Choose Deel if you want to hire employees globally while ensuring compliance and managing benefits across various countries. The platform seamlessly manages global hiring, compensation, and compliance across 150 countries, allowing for quick and error-free global expansion.
Go with Rippling if you want to pay your US and global workforce while streamlining HR processes and integrating with existing tools. Its extensive integration capabilities, payroll in 185+ countries, and advanced workforce management tools make it an ideal choice for streamlining HR operations.
Ultimately, the final decision rests with you. If you want a more personalized suggestion in deciding between Deel and Rippling, contact us for further assistance.
