Fourth vs Rippling

Fourth PEO, a leading Human Capital Management (HCM) software company headquartered in Austin, Texas, specializes in Professional Employer Organization (PEO) services for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). With a foundation in HCM since 1999, they have expanded into the PEO sphere, incorporating AI-driven technology into their platform. Catering to industries like restaurant, hospitality, and retail, Fourth offers a range of services, including payroll, HR solutions, benefits administration, tax management, and compliance assistance. While praised for live chat support, a dedicated HR team, and AI-driven tech, drawbacks include the lack of ESAC accreditation and limited pricing transparency. Despite some mixed customer feedback, Fourth remains a reputable choice for SMBs seeking streamlined business operations.

Rippling is a relatively new PEO, established in 2016 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA. They provide a suite of HR and payroll services to businesses of all sizes and have grown to become one of the largest PEOs in the US, with over 1 million members. Rippling offers a variety of services, including payroll, benefits administration, HR management, expense management, recruiting, and compliance support. Rippling offers a flexible plan system. Clients have to purchase "Unity Platform" as a core product, to which they can add any number of their HR, finance, and IT products separately to form their unique plan. They do not share pricing for their products, but they may bill on a per-employee, per-month basis, or monthly base fee. Rippling's services, therefore, can be more expensive than some other PEOs. Overall, Rippling is a reliable and feature-rich PEO that can save businesses time and money. However, Rippling is a relatively new company and may not have the same level of experience as some other PEOs, or as robust a customer support system.