Rippling vs Wave: which one fits your business?
Side-by-side comparison of Rippling and Wave — fees, features, ease, support, and which one fits your business. Scored on the same rubric.
Short answer: Wave wins on our scorecard (7.8/10 vs 7.7/10).
| Scored on | Rippling | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Right fit for small biz | 8 | 8 |
| Ease of use | 8 | 9 |
| Fees & pricing | 7 | 9 |
| Customer support | 6 | 5 |
| Features | 9 | 7 |
| Core Platform | Starts at $8/user/mo | — |
| Base Fee | Varies by contract | — |
| PEO Services | Custom Quote | — |
| Implementation | Varies ($0 - $3,000+) | — |
| Starter Plan | — | $0/mo |
| Pro Plan | — | $16/mo |
| CC Processing (Visa/MC) | — | 2.9% + $0.60 |
| CC Processing (Amex) | — | 3.4% + $0.60 |
| ACH Processing | — | 1% ($1 min) |
| Payroll (Tax Service) | — | $40 + $6/employee |
Rippling in one paragraph
Rippling is the gold standard for businesses that want to automate the entire employee lifecycle, from payroll to IT, provided they can handle the modular pricing.
Skip it if: You have fewer than 5 employees and don't plan to scale your headcount this year.
Wave in one paragraph
Wave remains the gold standard for free invoicing and simple bookkeeping for solo service providers, provided you don't mind limited support.
Skip it if: Skip it if you sell physical inventory or plan to scale to a 10+ person team within the next year.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Rippling or Wave?
On our five-axis scorecard, Wave scores higher (7.8/10 vs 7.7/10). Wave remains the gold standard for free invoicing and simple bookkeeping for solo service providers, provided you don't mind limited support.
Who should skip Rippling?
You have fewer than 5 employees and don't plan to scale your headcount this year.
Who should skip Wave?
Skip it if you sell physical inventory or plan to scale to a 10+ person team within the next year.