Patriot Software vs Rippling:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Patriot Software had more branded searches than Rippling among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States. Patriot Software had about 28,000 branded searches, while Rippling had 8,090. Patriot Software made up 8.3% of all HR and payroll software for small and midsize business searches we track, and Rippling accounted for 2.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses, Rippling appeared in four of the five answers and Patriot Software in two. Rippling was mentioned before Patriot Software in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Patriot Software, about 3 searches for every 1 for Rippling
Who does AI mention more?
Rippling, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Patriot Software in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
Rippling, named ahead of Patriot Software in 3 of 5 answers
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Top HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Rippling was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Patriot Software was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Rippling was listed before Patriot Software in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Gusto1st
QuickBooks Payroll2nd
Rippling3rd
Patriot Software4th
OnPay5th
RUN Powered by ADP6th
Paychex7th
Justworks8th
BambooHR–
HiBob–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Gusto5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
QuickBooks Payroll4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Rippling4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
OnPay3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
RUN Powered by ADP2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Patriot Software2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Paychex2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Justworks1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
BambooHR0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
HiBob0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which small business HR and payroll platform should I use in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best small business HR and payroll platforms in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best small business HR and payroll platform in the US for a midsize team?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“small business payroll software”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best payroll software”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 19, 2026.
Is Patriot Software or Rippling more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Patriot Software and Rippling by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Patriot Software, Rippling. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | RUN Powered by ADP | Gusto | BambooHR | Patriot Software | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll | Rippling | Paychex | Justworks | HiBob |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 50.4% | 13.7% | 12.1% | 6% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 0.63% | 0.27% |
| Nov 2025 | 53.6% | 14.1% | 10.5% | 5.2% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 2.1% | 1.1% | 0.63% | 0.26% |
| Dec 2025 | 55.6% | 12.6% | 8.9% | 6.3% | 7.3% | 5.6% | 2.2% | 0.86% | 0.46% | 0.18% |
| Jan 2026 | 51.1% | 16% | 10% | 7% | 6.7% | 5.1% | 2.4% | 0.92% | 0.52% | 0.21% |
| Feb 2026 | 49.5% | 17.7% | 10% | 6.8% | 6.5% | 5% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 0.56% | 0.24% |
| Mar 2026 | 49% | 18.1% | 9.5% | 7.2% | 6% | 5.7% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.57% | 0.27% |
| Apr 2026 | 47.8% | 18% | 10% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 5.9% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 0.58% | 0.27% |
| May 2026 | 49.2% | 16.9% | 10.1% | 7.2% | 6.5% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 0.73% | 0.66% | 0.24% |
| Jun 2026 | 51.7% | 16.2% | 10.1% | 6.7% | 6.5% | 4.9% | 2.4% | 0.67% | 0.64% | 0.24% |
| Jul 2026 | 51.8% | 14% | 10.7% | 6.9% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 2.3% | 0.72% | 0.69% | 0.24% |
| Aug 2026 | 51% | 13.2% | 12.6% | 6.5% | 6.7% | 6.3% | 2.1% | 0.7% | 0.65% | 0.22% |
| Sep 2026 | 53% | 11.8% | 10.7% | 8.3% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 2.4% | 0.73% | 0.65% | 0.25% |
How has the Patriot Software and Rippling comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Patriot Software was ahead of Rippling in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Patriot Software’s share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States moved from 6% to 8.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 21.4K to 28K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Rippling’s share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States moved from 2.3% to 2.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 8.1K.
How did search popularity change for United States HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in September 2026?
1 change

In September 2026, Patriot Software overtook OnPay to rank 4th among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States, with 8.3% of the searches.
How are branded searches counted?
11 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Patriot Software’s and Rippling’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Patriot Software
2 branded search terms
- patriot payroll
- patriot software
Rippling
9 branded search terms
- rippling app
- rippling apps
- rippling eor
- rippling hr
- rippling hr software
- rippling it
- rippling payroll
- rippling peo
- rippling software
Other head-to-heads among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses

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