Home > HR Management Software > Rippling > Rippling vs SumTotal

Rippling vs SumTotal

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

Our analysts compared Rippling vs SumTotal based on data from our 400+ point analysis of HR Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

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Product Basics

Rippling is a cloud-based, unified platform that helps manage employee data, payroll, benefits, devices, apps and more, seamlessly integrating essential HR, IT and financial functions. Designed for small and medium businesses, it lets administrators oversee operations from HR to IT with a single click.

Features include custom reporting and graphs, digital document management, time tracking, workflow approval management and provisioning. It enables users to automate administrative work from onboarding new hires to offboarding.

SumTotal is a cloud-based HR Management software catering to mid-sized to large organizations. It packs a comprehensive suite of features covering talent acquisition, learning & development, workforce management, and performance management. Users praise its robust reporting & analytics, rich learning library, and mobile-friendly accessibility. However, the extensive customization options and powerful tools come with a steeper learning curve for administrators. Additionally, SumTotal's potential for high integration costs and higher price point compared to basic solutions make it less suitable for smaller companies. While some users struggle with complex content creation tools and limited instructor-led options, SumTotal shines in its ability to scale and adapt to dynamic needs, making it a strong contender for organizations seeking a feature-rich, customizable HR management platform, especially those with substantial training requirements and a dispersed workforce.

Pros

Comprehensive learning library
Robust reporting & analytics
Scalable for large organizations
Mobile-friendly learning
Customizable user experience

Cons

Steep learning curve for admins
Limited instructor-led options
Complex content creation tools
Potentially high integration costs
Pricey for smaller companies

$8/User, Monthly

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Small

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Large

Small

Medium

Large

Windows

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Android

Chromebook

Windows

Mac

Linux

Android

Chromebook

Cloud

On-Premise

Mobile

Cloud

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Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation

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Live Online

Videos

Webinars

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Videos

Webinars

Phone

Chat

FAQ

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Knowledge Base

24/7 Live Support

Phone

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24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

Powerful Reporting: Provide employee turnover insights for HR, app usage monitoring for IT and compensation trends for finance. The platform facilitates the creation of customized reports and graphs, providing crucial data for informed decision-making. Run powerful prebuilt reports like compensation and payroll journal reports, or create custom reports and graphs using any employee attribute.
Automatic Tax Filing: The system simplifies payroll tax calculations and filing, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local agencies. From W2s and W4s to 1099s and new hire filings, automate all compliance-related tasks, bringing peace of mind to administrative processes.
Go Paperless: Digitize and manage every document, from offer letters to employee handbooks, streamlining processes and reducing reliance on paper.
Seamless Integration: Connect with over 500 apps to set up new hires in platforms like Slack, issue corporate cards that integrate directly with the Rippling's Financial Cloud payroll system, control door access with Proxy, and automate manual tasks through the Rippling App Shop.
Unified Employee Database: Get accurate employee data across all modules, eliminating manual entry and minimizing errors in the workforce management process. The system’s advanced Rippling Recruiting ATS integrates seamlessly with their Headcount Planning and Compensation Bands products.
Robust Data Protection: Enhance security by incorporating Cylance for real-time, AI-powered threat detection, safeguarding devices from malware and viruses.

Employee Retention: Provide tools for employee development, management and learning practices that encourage employee retention.
Enhanced Productivity: Talent managers can continuously onboarding to speed up overall productivity.
Organizational Stability: Learning-centered employee development builds an agile workforce that is adaptable to changing business environments.
Learning Ecosystem: Invest in research and development on the latest learning trends, which managers can leverage to enhance employees' learning experience.
Talent Engagement: Engage top talent while moving through the recruitment process, understand the workforce, identify the best talent and build a seamless experience for candidates as well as hiring teams.
Enhanced Candidate Experience: Offer smartphone-optimized sites with intelligent and automated interview tools, candidate matching, and an easy-to-use mobile app interface. Keep applicants informed about upcoming interview details via a user dashboard.
Accelerated Time-to-Performance: Seamless onboarding training helps new hires get up to speed quickly. Provide unique company policies and work culture for them to become familiar with the company.
Smooth Role Switch: Access onboarding plans for new roles that include defined goals, new teams and KPI’s that ensure a more seamless transition to new responsibilities.
Robust Manager and Admin Capabilities: Managers and administrators can easily view, schedule, filter, mark up and share reports from a mobile dashboard. Leverage reporting tools, advanced reports and dashboards at a single click.
Informed Compensation Plans: Create smart, data-driven compensation plans according to preset or custom parameters. Real-time performance insights and budget modeling make compensation informed, fair and cost-effective.

Onboarding and Offboarding: Onboard employees across departments from anywhere in the world with a single click, setting up payroll, benefits, devices, and apps like Slack and Microsoft 365 within 90 seconds, according to the vendor. When employees are offboarded, the system automatically disables departing employees’ devices.
Payroll: Users need not worry about deductions, paid time off or promotions — the payroll feature is synced with all employee data and HR systems. New hires are set up in payroll and pro-rated automatically. Tools like payrun comparison allow users to compare the current pay run against a previous one, so they can see how variables like promotions and PTO affect employee pay stubs. The module’s global payroll feature expands HR, IT and financial services abroad.
Benefits Administration: The system streamlines all a company’s benefits offerings in one place, from healthcare to 401(k)s. Users can choose from preexisting benefits or shop for new benefits, receiving recommendations on the best options. They can also talk with a licensed Rippling advisor or invite their own broker. New hires are automatically invited to review benefit plans and enroll online.
Workflow Management: Automates changes in the chain of approval, empowering managers to define and execute changes quickly and easily. Managers can and make changes, like giving someone a raise, without giving up control.
Time Tracking: Managers can set a PTO policy that meets the team's requirements. They can then review and approve vacation requests with a click. Logged hours and paid time off are synced with payroll.
ATS: Rippling Recruiting offers a comprehensive toolset, from candidate assessments and in-platform scheduling to feedback forms and customizable email templates. One-click hiring workflows make it easier to manage onboarding. It also integrates with Rippling Headcount Planning and Compensation Band.
Rippling Headcount Planning and Compensation Bands: Achieve visibility and alignment for HR, finance and hiring managers with a single source of data and better access controls.
- Stakeholders can view actual and projected headcount, and automation saves time during the approval process.
- Compensation reporting helps track pay trends and prevent over or underpaying. Workflows provide alerts when compa-ratios change and automate the process of enforcing compensation policies.
ACA and Cobra Administration: Ensures compliance by automatically delivering ACA notices, and it collects and submits employees’ COBRA payments. It also offers FSA, HSA and commuter benefits on one, pre-tax debit card.
IT and Operations Management: Users can automatically buy, configure, secure and manage company devices — both Apple and Android — with an IT system connected to a single employee record. Administrators gain total visibility into every device across the company. They can remotely track employees’ security status and app usage, make changes, and re-assign devices to new employees. They can also install apps on work computers according to attributes like role and location.
Security: Facilitates app management, controls employee access with single sign-on (SSO), and ensures data security with multi-factor authentication and device encryption features. Managers can disable computers during offboarding, encrypt employees’ hard drives, enable multi-factor authentication, push OS and security updates, and lock and wipe lost or stolen devices.

Talent Development: Provides combined functionality of talent onboarding, talent management and learning management solutions to cater to talent development requirements.
Talent Acquisition: Helps create a streamlined hiring cycle, hire the right talent, engage fresh recruits and drive productivity from day one.
Learning Management:

Helps provide a customized, personalized and engaging learning experience tailored to the skill and competency of individuals rather than the whole team.
Ease of access on all devices, along with an offline mode, ensures seamless and consistent access to content and courses.

Talent Management: Personalized and intuitive tools help employees pursue career growth and development. Capabilities include performance management, 360-degree feedback, succession planning and compensation management.
Performance Management: Provides comprehensive feedback and tools that make feedback actionable, constructive and insightful. Measures workforce productivity, progress and priorities in real time.
Succession Planning: Enables talent managers to identify and assess skill gaps, build agile talent pools, and align employee success with business goals and objectives.
Compensation Management: Simplifies and streamline compensation plans, and helps build competitive packages to attract and retain top recruits. Workflow automation and compensation management tools aid compliance with complex global policies.
Workforce Management: Bundled payroll, benefits and expense management minimize time, cost and efforts while maximizing accuracy. Features include automated scheduling, time and attendance, absence management, and compliance.
Applicant Tracking System: Includes real-time alerts and notifications for offer approvals, a unique dashboard and reports widgets, customizable requisitions, and a consolidated requisition workspace.
Mobility: Provides access to tools and reporting capabilities at all times and from any location. The dashboard can be operated using a tablet, desktop, mobile app or a phone browser.
Growth Edition: Caters to the needs of fast-growing small and medium-sized businesses. Includes webinars, instructor-led training, approvals, and additional learning resources that users can access and configure anytime.
Extended Enterprise: Helps build a brand image, accelerate growth and drive new sources of potential revenue. Facilitates an enriched and optimized learning experience for distributors, partners and customers.
Gamified and Collaborative Learning: Helps:

Assess and accelerate learning with gamification capabilities that include leaderboards, points, levels and badges.
Enhance employee engagement by identifying and rewarding the right learning behaviors.
Enrich the knowledge of new hires with collaborative learning, up-to-date content, feedback and social ratings.

Product Ranking

#47

among all
HR Management Software

#23

among all
HR Management Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

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Rippling

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User Sentiment Summary

97%

of users recommend this product

Rippling has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 97% when considering 4543 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

69%

of users recommend this product

SumTotal has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 69% when considering 132 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.9 (1154)

3.2 (39)

4.88 (1615)

2.7 (7)

4.9 (1354)

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4.0 (56)

4.4 (420)

2.9 (30)

Awards

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Global Payroll and Benefits: Rippling streamlines international payroll and benefits administration, eliminating the need for disparate systems and manual processes.

Automated Onboarding and Offboarding: New hires can be onboarded efficiently with automated workflows that handle paperwork, equipment provisioning, and systems access. Similarly, offboarding processes are streamlined, ensuring smooth transitions and compliance.

Customizable Workflows: Rippling allows HR teams to create custom workflows tailored to their specific needs, automating tasks such as approvals, data collection, and notifications.

Integrations: Rippling integrates seamlessly with various HR and business applications, including payroll, benefits, time and attendance, and applicant tracking systems, creating a unified HR ecosystem.

Robust Tools: All reviews on this feature suggest that SumTotal provides a robust set of talent development and management, payroll, and workforce management solutions.

Effective Tracking: According to 80% of reviews on tracking, the software optimizes talent management by tracking development and career growth.

Self-Service: Managers and employees can access and complete training courses at their convenience, according to all reviews on self-service.

Steep Learning Curve: The platform's complexity can be overwhelming for new users, especially those unfamiliar with HR software. Navigating the interface and understanding its features may require significant time investment and training.

Customer Support Challenges: Some users have reported difficulties reaching customer support or experiencing slow response times, leading to frustration when seeking assistance with technical issues or general inquiries.

Integrations and Customization Limitations: While Rippling offers various integrations, it may not seamlessly connect with all existing HR systems or third-party tools used by businesses, potentially requiring additional configuration or workarounds.

Outdated Course Content: About 70% of reviews on course content reported that some modules aren’t frequently updated, resulting in an outdated learning experience.

Non-Intuitive Functions: Most features and functions aren’t intuitive, making it difficult to navigate, according to all reviews on this aspect.

Access to Reports: Accessing and pulling reports is extremely tedious and slow, according to 100% of reviews on reporting.

Customer Service: All reviews on customer support suggest that customer service is very slow and unresponsive.

Navigating the realm of human resources software can feel like venturing into a labyrinth, but Rippling appears to be a guiding light for many businesses. Users frequently highlight its user-friendly interface, making it accessible even for those with limited experience in HR software. Affordability is another key factor that resonates with users, especially when compared to the often hefty price tags of similar solutions. The comprehensive suite of features offered by Rippling further solidifies its appeal, encompassing everything from payroll and benefits administration to talent management and time tracking. This all-in-one approach eliminates the need for multiple, disparate systems, streamlining HR processes and reducing administrative burdens. Rippling distinguishes itself through its seamless integrations with third-party applications, such as Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Office 365. This interconnectedness fosters a more cohesive and efficient work environment, allowing data to flow effortlessly between different platforms. Additionally, Rippling's automation capabilities empower businesses to automate repetitive tasks, such as onboarding new employees or processing payroll, freeing up valuable time and resources. The platform's robust reporting and analytics tools provide valuable insights into workforce trends and performance, enabling data-driven decision-making. Considering its strengths and weaknesses, Rippling emerges as an ideal solution for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a comprehensive, yet affordable and user-friendly HR platform. Its scalability ensures that it can grow alongside a business, adapting to evolving needs and complexities. While larger enterprises with more intricate HR requirements might require a more customizable solution, Rippling's core functionalities and ease of use make it a compelling choice for businesses looking to optimize their HR operations and enhance overall efficiency.

SumTotal users paint a mixed picture, praising its robust functionality and mobile accessibility while critiquing its clunky interface and steep learning curve. Many laud its comprehensive suite, encompassing everything from onboarding to performance management, finding it a one-stop shop for HR needs. One user gushes, "It's like having a whole HR department in the cloud!" However, ease of use seems to be a major sticking point. Comments like "The interface feels outdated and unintuitive" and "Learning curve is a mountain, not a hill" pop up frequently. This is often contrasted with praise for competitors like Workday, lauded for its sleek design and user-friendliness. One user sums it up: "SumTotal has the depth, Workday has the polish." Mobile accessibility shines as a bright spot, with users appreciating the ability to manage tasks on the go. This stands out compared to some competitors, making SumTotal a good fit for companies with a mobile workforce. Ultimately, SumTotal seems to be a powerful tool for organizations willing to invest the time and effort in mastering its complexities. As one user puts it, "It's not perfect, but it's incredibly versatile. If you can handle the initial climb, the view from the top is pretty good."

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FAQ

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