I just really, really love Rippling. Because I’ve used it. And I’ve used its competitors. And, in my opinion, Rippling is better. At (just about) everything.

For my small business clients (who aren’t considering a PEO), the decision often comes down to Bamboo or Gusto. Both Bamboo and Gusto have clean, easy-to-understand user interfaces with cute graphics that really do make dry and stressful processes less intimidating and occasionally “delightful.” 

Deel is like if a pickup artist did payroll. Deel is the stereotypical tech-bro, “move fast and break (your) things,” the-rules-are-for-thee-and-not-for-me, all-glitz-no-substance disappointment. It looks pretty in the demo, even if those fancy buttons and cool apps never work as expected. 

But if you have a product or agency that was created to manage private and sensitive data, it is incumbent on YOU to create processes and tools to help users handle that information properly.

Before you start planning how you’ll spend that “free” paycheck before your finance department re-balances the budget for 2026 you need to know that your payroll provider is probably smart enough to anticipate this. There are two methods that payroll providers use to solve the 27-paycheck problem: Pro rata and pay as usual.

Here are five examples of mundane breakdowns that I’ve seen lead to payroll errors:

Most teams frame it like a software switch. In reality, you’re rebuilding your company’s approach to employee data, payroll, benefits, and compliance from scratch.