TL;DR
Choose Worklayer if you want to build AI agents that handle HR work on their own, within permissions you control, for one published price with unlimited AI. Choose Rippling if you need payroll for Germany and other countries, global hiring through an employer of record, or IT and finance tools in the same system.
Worklayer and Rippling
Worklayer
€10 per employee/month, all included
An HR platform run by AI agents. You build agents that handle onboarding, leave, expenses and payroll preparation on a schedule or when something happens, within the permissions you set, and every run is on record.
Rippling
On request with every module
An HR, IT and finance platform from San Francisco that has raised $1.8 billion and is used by more than 30,000 businesses. Each product, from payroll and time tracking to IT and expenses, is bought separately on top of a required core platform.
Key differences
| Feature | Worklayer | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Build your own AI agents | Included | Waitlist only |
| Agent permissions and run history | Included | Helpdesk agent only |
| AI assistant for employees | Included | Access on request |
| AI usage | Unlimited | Limits at Rippling's discretion |
| Time off | Included | Available |
| Time and attendance | Included | Paid module |
| Expenses | Included | Paid module |
| Payroll | Preliminary payroll | Germany, US and more, paid module |
| Recruiting | Not offered | Paid module |
| IT, finance and employer of record | Not offered | Paid modules |
| Integrations | Slack, Google, Microsoft 365 and more | 600+ |
Setup
Worklayer is self-serve: sign up, import your people from a spreadsheet while AI maps the columns, and add leave policies from templates for 13 countries. You can be up and running the same day. Rippling starts with a personalised demo and a custom quote. It offers no trial of its HR platform, and managed implementation can come with a one-time fee.
Verdict: Worklayer is quicker to start. You set it up yourself in a day, with no setup fee and no sales call.
Pricing
Worklayer costs €10 per employee per month, billed annually, with every module, every integration and unlimited AI included. Rippling doesn't publish prices: each product is bought separately on top of a required core platform, and Rippling contacts you to discuss your needs before it sends a quote. Contracts run for a year or more, are paid up front and renew automatically, and you can't lower your user count during the term.
| Cost | Worklayer | Rippling |
|---|---|---|
| Price per employee | €10 a month, all included | On request with every module |
| Platform | Included | Required, price on request |
| Each module | Included | Priced separately |
| AI usage | Unlimited | Limits at Rippling's discretion |
| Setup fee | None | One-time fee possible |
Verdict: With Worklayer you know the full price before you talk to anyone, and every module and the AI are already in it.
Why teams choose Worklayer
Worklayer's agents do the HR work themselves, on a schedule or the moment something happens, where Rippling's AI asks someone to confirm each action it proposes and its triggered automations are still on a waitlist. Each agent starts with no permissions: admins grant what it may do, and a run that needs more stops and asks. Every run is on record, step by step. And it all comes at one published price, €10 per employee, with every module and unlimited AI. You can try it yourself before you pay.
Moving from Rippling
- 1.
Start for free
Sign up yourself, with no call and no demo. Nothing is charged for 14 days.
- 2.
Import your whole team in minutes
Export your employee list from Rippling and upload it in a couple of minutes. AI maps the columns for you. No setup fee, no switching costs.
- 3.
Switch at renewal
Run Worklayer alongside Rippling and move over when your Rippling contract ends. Rippling contracts renew automatically unless you give written notice at least 30 days before the term ends.
Questions
Worklayer is €10 per employee per month with every module and unlimited AI, and the price is published. Rippling doesn't publish prices: it sells each product separately on top of a required platform, and managed implementation can add a one-time fee.
No, not for HR work. Rippling says every action its AI proposes needs explicit human confirmation. Only its Helpdesk agent can resolve IT requests on its own. In Worklayer, agents act on their own within the permissions an admin has granted.
Only through a waitlist. Rippling's AI automations, which run on schedules and events, are behind a waitlist. Worklayer's agents run on a schedule or when something happens, such as a new hire or an approved time-off request.
No. Agents only act within the permissions an admin has granted. When a run needs more, it stops and asks an admin.
Yes. Sign up yourself and nothing is charged for 14 days. Rippling offers no trial of its HR platform, only a personalised demo.
Yes. Export your employee data from Rippling and bring it in with Worklayer's AI import.
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