Australian HR teams often start with Rippling for its all‑in‑one promise — one login for HR, IT, payroll and spend — but many quickly begin pricing alternatives. This article presents a shortlist of eleven Rippling alternatives scoped for Australian companies, comparing global platforms and local incumbents and flagging how each handles Australian payroll, STP2 reporting, awards and compliance.
Why Australian teams are outgrowing Rippling
Rippling is known for breadth: one system to connect HR, payroll, IT provisioning, app access, device management and spend. The product reviews well on usability, holding a G2 rating of 4.8 out of 5 based on more than 12,000 reviews. Two recurring frictions prompt buyers to look elsewhere. First, Rippling’s modular pricing means the headline figure is only a starting point; Australian directory listings put Rippling from around AUD $12 per employee per month and every additional workflow increases the cost. Second, the platform’s centre of gravity sits in IT and device management — identity, device inventory and app provisioning lead the product, while people‑experience work such as onboarding, engagement and performance can feel secondary.
For Australian people teams the deeper fit issue is payroll and awards. Rippling does run Australian payroll and supports STP2 reporting, but buying guides describe its modern award handling as shallower than Australian‑built platforms. Many buyers therefore prioritise vendors that treat HR, not IT, as the main event and that provide native in‑country payroll or credible local partners for STP2, award interpretation and superannuation.
What Australian companies should look for in a Rippling alternative
The strongest shortlists blend two families of product. Global platforms such as Deel, Remote and Oyster matter when a distributed Australian company hires staff or contractors overseas and needs employer‑of‑record cover without opening entities. Australian‑built platforms such as Employment Hero and ELMO matter because they were designed around local awards, superannuation and STP2 from the start.
Three questions separate a good fit from a poor one: does the platform lead with the people experience or with IT; does it cover Australian payroll and compliance in‑country through a native engine or a credible local partner; and does it scale beyond a Sydney head office to cover overseas teams without forcing a re‑platform later.
Top Rippling alternatives for Australian companies
1. HiBob
Bob, HiBob’s platform, is an HR‑first alternative built for fast‑growing small, mid‑market and multinational companies rather than for IT departments. It carries a G2 rating of 4.5 out of 5 based on more than 1,800 reviews and a 4.6 on Capterra. Bob runs on a Bob Core foundation of unified people data, self‑service and automation, extended by Talent, Payroll and HR Planning suites. Customers such as Fiverr and VaynerMedia use it to run people operations across borders. For Australian teams the appeal is the people experience: onboarding, engagement, performance and analytics in one system and a HiBob office in Sydney.
Pricing: HiBob does not publish Australian rates; pricing is available via sales.
Pros: People experience first; unified people data with deep localisation for Sydney and overseas teams; global payroll story via U.S./UK engines and a Payroll Hub that plugs into local providers and accounting tools such as Xero or MYOB.
Cons: Pricing is demo‑only and Bob Core is required before adding suites; Australian payroll is covered via the Payroll Hub and local partners rather than a native in‑country engine.
2. Employment Hero
Employment Hero is an Australian‑native incumbent: an all‑in‑one HR and payroll platform designed in Australia for small and mid‑sized businesses. It handles STP2 reporting, modern award interpretation and superannuation as core functions. The product holds a G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5 based on more than 4,000 reviews.
Pricing: Australian listings put Employment Hero from around AUD $6 per employee per month with a free trial; higher tiers move to a custom quote.
Pros: Native in‑country Australian payroll with STP2, award rates and superannuation; bundled HR, payroll, benefits and rostering for small businesses; large Australian customer base and local support tuned to Fair Work obligations.
Cons: Reviewers report missing features and limited customisation as organisations grow; support responsiveness draws criticism and the platform suits smaller, simpler organisations better than complex multinationals.
3. BambooHR
BambooHR is a popular HRIS for small and mid‑sized companies that want clean employee records, onboarding and time‑off tracking without a heavy IT layer. It holds a G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5 based on more than 5,000 reviews. For Australian buyers it works as a tidy system of record, though payroll is thinner.
Pricing: BambooHR does not list public Australian rates; it quotes a per‑employee price by plan with add‑ons for payroll and performance.
Pros: Easy to adopt with a clean interface for records, onboarding and leave; well‑organised core HR workflows and a large review base.
Cons: Limited customisation and configuration; no native Australian payroll engine — companies need a separate STP2‑compliant payroll tool; known scalability gap for multinational operations.
4. Deel
Deel is a global hiring platform for companies employing staff or contractors across borders. It offers employer‑of‑record cover, contractor management and global payroll and holds a G2 rating of 4.7 out of 5 based on more than 6,500 reviews. For Australian HR teams it is most useful for international expansion rather than day‑to‑day Australian people management.
Pricing: Deel quotes by product and country; employer‑of‑record, contractor management and payroll each carry separate rates.
Pros: Lets Australian companies employ people in markets where they have no entity with localised contracts and compliance handled by Deel; contractor management and global payroll alongside employer‑of‑record; straightforward onboarding.
Cons: Reviewers cite payment issues and processing delays and the product can get expensive as headcount and worker types grow; loading times and extensive global employment machinery exceed typical local needs.
5. Remote
Remote is a global employment platform with separated products for employer‑of‑record, contractor management and Contractor of Record. It holds a G2 rating of 4.5 out of 5 based on more than 4,800 reviews and suits companies that want a clear path into overseas hiring.
Pricing: Remote publishes per‑product rates for contractor management and lists employer‑of‑record pricing separately; totals vary by country, billing term and worker type.
Pros: Easy product mapping to need; international hiring and onboarding without a local entity; public pricing for core contractor products.
Cons: Poor customer support and processing delays are common complaints; missing features and occasional payment issues appear in feedback; the platform goes beyond what a local Australian people team typically requires.
6. Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform covering 180+ countries, providing both employee and contractor pathways. It reviews at 4.7 out of 5 on G2. It fits businesses whose main challenge is spreading a team across markets rather than running Australian payroll.
Pricing: Oyster lists contractor management from around USD $29 per month and quotes employer‑of‑record in the USD $599–$699 per month range depending on plan and billing.
Pros: Broad country coverage for hiring and paying across many markets; employee and contractor options in one platform; onboarding and local documentation handled for buyers.
Cons: Pricing compounds as international headcount grows; reviewers point to support responsiveness and cases requiring manual follow‑up; no Australian‑native HR or payroll layer.
7. ELMO
ELMO is an Australian and New Zealand mid‑market platform bundling HR, payroll and learning. It is built with ANZ compliance in mind and holds a G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5 from a review base of about 60.
Pricing: ELMO quotes custom pricing by module and headcount, with a free demo available.
Pros: Suite designed for the ANZ market so payroll and compliance reflect local obligations; HR, payroll and learning in a modular platform for mid‑market teams; a single local vendor covering several functions.
Cons: Reviewers flag limited customisation and features; integration issues and a learning curve appear in feedback; the smaller review base offers less independent evidence.
8. Deputy
Deputy is an Australian‑founded workforce management platform for rostered shift teams, with rostering, time and attendance and Fair Work award compliance. It carries a G2 rating of 4.6 out of 5 and is used in retail, hospitality and healthcare for scheduling and accurate wage calculation.
Pricing: Australian listings put Deputy from around AUD $4.50 per user per month, with a free trial.
Pros: Strong rostering and scheduling with shift templates and availability management; automated Fair Work award interpretation so penalty rates and allowances flow through to wages; mobile‑first design for shift workers and real‑time labour‑cost visibility.
Cons: Better suited to shift‑based teams than salaried ones; core HR capabilities are less developed than a full HRIS; limited performance management and broader people workflows.
9. Gusto
Gusto is a payroll and HR platform built for small U.S. businesses, with a G2 rating of 4.6 out of 5 from more than 10,000 reviews. Its relevance to Australian buyers is limited to teams whose payroll runs in the U.S.
Pricing: Gusto sells U.S. plans, with the Simple tier from around USD $49 per month plus a per‑person fee; there is no Australian‑localised payroll rate.
Pros: Makes U.S. payroll and benefits easy with automatic tax filing and a clean setup; simple to learn; contractor payments and basic HR alongside payroll.
Cons: Reviewers cite poor customer support, payroll issues and login problems; Gusto is U.S.‑centric with no native Australian payroll or STP2 support.
10. Paylocity
Paylocity is a U.S. payroll and HR platform aimed at the mid‑market, with talent, benefits and workforce tools around a payroll core. It holds a G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5 from more than 5,000 reviews.
Pricing: Paylocity provides custom pricing and is packaged for the U.S. market.
Pros: Bundles payroll, HR and talent tools for U.S. mid‑market companies; reviewers find day‑to‑day payroll manageable; mature payroll and reporting for U.S. employers.
Cons: Recurring complaints include poor customer support, feature gaps and a steep learning curve; not built for Australian payroll, awards or STP2.
11. Workday
Workday is an enterprise HCM and finance platform for large, complex organisations, with a G2 rating of 4.1 out of 5 based on more than 1,600 reviews. It is the heaviest option on this list and suits very large enterprises rather than mid‑market companies seeking a like‑for‑like Rippling swap.
Pricing: Workday quotes enterprise pricing via sales, with implementation and licensing shaped by headcount, modules and services.
Pros: Deep HCM, financials and analytics across HR and finance for complex, multi‑entity structures; planning and reporting built for enterprise scale; a unified data model for HR and finance.
Cons: Dated interface, demanding learning curve and configuration complaints; long and costly implementation that is heavy for Australian mid‑market teams.
Choosing the right Rippling alternative
The best alternative depends on the problem you need to solve. For hiring across borders, global platforms such as Deel, Remote or Oyster provide employer‑of‑record cover without opening entities. For native Australian payroll with STP2, award interpretation and superannuation, Employment Hero and ELMO are the local incumbents to demo. For rostered frontline workforces, Deputy handles rostering and Fair Work compliance at a low per‑user cost.
For a growing Australian mid‑market or multinational company that wants HR rather than IT at the centre, Bob (HiBob) is highlighted as a top choice: it pairs a modern, culture‑led employee experience with unified people data, deep localisation and a Payroll Hub that connects to local providers and common accounting tools. The trade‑offs are demo‑only pricing and payroll covered via partners rather than a native in‑country engine. Employment Hero remains the strongest Australian‑native alternative when full in‑country payroll, STP2 and award handling are the priority.
The right pick should be guided by whether you prioritise a people‑first experience, native Australian payroll and compliance, or seamless international hiring without local entities.
