Global employment software has become crucial for companies aiming to expand their workforce internationally. These platforms simplify the complexities of cross-border employment, serving as a bridge between organizations and global talent, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations. 

Rippling offers an all-in-one platform that integrates HR, IT, and finance functions, while Remote specializes in global employment solutions, with a strong emphasis on international compliance. 

This comprehensive guide compares two leading platforms, Rippling vs Remote, providing you with the insights needed to make an informed decision tailored to your company’s goals and requirements. 

Rippling Vs Remote: At A Glance

Feature 

Rippling 

Remote 

Benefits Management 

  • Diverse benefits plans 
  • Open enrollment process 
  • Labor law compliance 
  • Comprehensive benefits plans 
  • Mental health support 

Payroll Management 

  • Payroll automation and customization 
  • Integrates with benefits, time-off, expense, and attendance 
  • Pay run comparison 
  • In-house payroll experts 
  • Payroll-related law compliance 
  • Integrates employee benefits 

Time And Attendance 

  • Automated time-tracking 
  • Compliance checks 
  • Custom workflows 
  • Custom leave policies 
  • Team absence insights 
  • Contractor’s time-tracking 

Employer Of Record (EOR)

  • Global compliance automation 
  • Expert local advisors 
  • Locally aligned benefits 
  • Built-in risk protection 
  • International talent hiring 
  • Employee-equity solutions 

Reporting And Analytics 

  • Prebuilt and custom reports 
  • Point-in-time reporting
  • Charts and graphs 
  • Gross-to-net monthly summary 
  • Year-to-date payroll costs 
  • Workforce cost insights 

Pricing 

  • Custom pricing based on business sizes and requirements 
  • Seven paid plans, with Payroll plan starting at $29/employee/month

What Is Rippling?

Rippling HR is a workforce management platform designed for HR, IT, and finance teams to automate their tasks in a unified system. The software offers businesses a wide range of human capital management (HCM), payroll, and spend management features.

The software caters to various industries and sectors such as technology, construction, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, non-profits, and retail. Rippling’s industry-specific features enable businesses to automate their HR operations and reduce administrative workload. 

Standout Features 

  • Scheduling: Enables businesses to create customized schedules based on employee certifications and demands. This ensures each shift is assigned to the right staff while offering real-time visibility into employees' workload 
  • Talent Signal: Offers businesses tools that assist in hiring employees more efficiently and delivering quality feedback. The feature utilizes AI to review employee work and generate evaluations based on their contributions 
  • Headcount Planning: Allows teams to create and share hiring plans across departments and track the new hire's progress while offering role-based permissions to prevent over-sharing of sensitive information 
  • Performance Management: This feature enables businesses to evaluate employee’s performance, ensure alignment on goals, and generate performance reports, offering insights on employee outcomes 

Pros And Cons 

Pros 

  • Pre-established workflows ensure timely task completion 
  • Ensures complete and accurate employee documentation 
  • Automates weekly payroll journal entries in QuickBooks Online 

Cons 

  • The software’s mobile version could be improved 
  • Inaccurate data, like birthdays, causes administrative issues 

What Is Remote?

Remote HR platform is designed to handle business payroll, recruiting, and HR operations across distributed teams globally. It provides tools like onboarding and offboarding, contractor management, employee self-service, expense management, and reimbursements. 

The software serves a diverse range of industries and sectors, such as financial advisors, HR consultants, law firms, and remote teams. It assists them with compliance management and engagement among employees, supporting both on-site and remote employees. 

Standout Features 

  • HR Compliance: The software offers compliance with ‘Remote Watchtower’ so businesses can easily ensure adherence to labor laws and mitigate risks. They can also get actionable compliance alerts, preparing them for any legal updates 
  • Expense Management: This feature enables managers to track employee reimbursement requests and approve them. Additionally, this feature automatically calculates tax payments to avoid penalties and fines 
  • Contractor Management: Enables businesses to efficiently manage their global contractor workforce. It automatically identifies active contractors while ensuring flexible payment options
  • Remote Equity: Offers a streamlined solution to offer equity to international employees. The platform provides tools to keep employees informed about their equity status, with real-time updates on taxation laws 

Pros And Cons 

Pros

  • UI on the dashboard makes managing tasks more easy
  • Reliable account management and payroll teams with low turnover
  • Ensures compliance with local employment and tax laws across Europe 

Cons 

  • Customer support could be improved 
  • Onboarding process needs to be more streamlined 

Rippling Vs Remote: Key Features Comparison

1. Benefits Management

Rippling brings together every element of benefits administration—such as plan selection, broker partnerships, payroll, and HRIS—into a unified platform. The platform automates benefits enrollment for new hires, presenting them with only the plans they are eligible for and streamlining their onboarding process. It includes tools like open enrollment, law labor compliance, and guidance from HR experts. However, its mobile version is not as intuitive as desktop’s.

Remote offers comprehensive solutions for businesses aiming to provide competitive local benefits to their global workforce. The platform allows companies to offer essential retirement plans, which are highly valued by global workers. However, a drawback is that it provides the same benefits to contractors as it does to employees, which may not always meet the distinct needs of each group."

Winner: Rippling wins this section as it offers a range of benefits plans for employees.

2. Payroll Management

Rippling offers precise payroll processing by automatically calculating payroll taxes and filing to reduce the risks of human error. The platform also enables businesses to customize their payroll processes, including creating custom pay types (e.g., tips and bonuses) and managing and approving them. However, the software’s payroll lacks some flexibility in handling exemptions.

Remote streamlines payroll processes for both local and international teams into a centralized system, enabling businesses to manage all payroll activities through one interface. The platform automatically updates to stay aligned with any changes in local payroll laws, ensuring businesses remain compliant across various jurisdictions.

Winner: Remote takes the lead with its advanced payroll administration, which helps businesses easily manage their team's payroll.

Time And Attendance

Rippling platform provides a comprehensive solution designed to automate time tracking, improve compliance, and optimize workforce management. Businesses can customize workflows to manage specific time tracking needs, such as job codes and overtime policies. The system ensures compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws based on employee work locations, helping to reduce legal risks.

Remote time and attendance tracking solution simplifies the management of employee hours and time off for global teams. Organizations can set up different leave policies, such as sabbaticals or self-care days, enabling employees to easily manage their time off. Managers can efficiently review and approve timesheets, ensuring compliance with payroll regulations concerning working hours.

Winner: Rippling wins this section as it offers simpler time-off request management compared to Remote software.

4. Employer Of Record (EOR)

Rippling streamlines the process of hiring and managing employees globally by taking care of compliance, payroll, and benefits, eliminating the need for companies to set up local entities. The system also flags potential compliance risks, enabling businesses to address issues before they arise.

Remote handles payroll in local currencies, ensuring employees are paid on time while offering full transparency into the payroll process. The platform provides competitive benefits tailored to the needs of global teams.

Tie: Remote stands out in this section due to its built-in risk protection and employee equity solutions.

5. Reporting And Analytics

Rippling’s intuitive interface enables users to access pre-built reports or create custom ones at no extra cost. Data on reports can also be transformed into visual representations, like charts or graphs, to highlight trends and patterns. Additionally, its data aggregation enables businesses to make calculations based on the field.

Remote offers an integrated payroll reporting feature that offers extensive insights on gross-to-net payroll costs. It provides insights into total earnings after deductions and evaluates workforce costs to support budgeting and financial planning. Businesses can access year-to-date payroll cost reports to know more about their financial performance.

Winner:Rippling wins this section due to its advanced reporting and analytical capabilities.

Final Verdict: Which Platform Best Matches Your Needs?

Rippling and Remote both offer powerful features to streamline HR and payroll, but they serve different needs. Rippling is ideal for businesses looking for an all-in-one platform that integrates HR, IT, and finance, with strong tools for benefits management and time tracking features. 

Remote specializes in global workforce management, excelling in payroll compliance, contractor management, and risk mitigation for international teams. It’s the preferred choice for organizations focused on global employment solutions and EOR services. 

The final decision between Rippling vs Remote ultimately depends on your organization’s needs. Assess your business priorities to select the platform that best aligns with your goals. For further understanding, compare Rippling with alternatives like ADP, BambooHR, and Gusto to explore their features, benefits, and key differences.