The most used HR, payroll and recruiting tools
We track 40 HR, payroll and recruiting tools. The most used is Rippling, found at 3,099 companies as of October 2026, ahead of SAP SuccessFactors (2,984) and Teamtailor (2,487).
People tools fall into two groups. Recruiting runs on applicant tracking systems (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workable), whose job boards are public. HR and payroll run on platforms like Rippling, Gusto, Justworks, BambooHR and Workday, with Deel and Remote for employing people in other countries.
The ATS is one of the clearest signals we have, because a company's careers page links to its job board on the vendor's domain.
HR, payroll and recruiting tools ranked by companies using them
“Share” is each tool's part of all 20,222 matches in this category; a company that uses two tools counts for both.
| # | Tool | Companies | Share | Last 30 days | Most popular with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,099 | 15% | +11 | – | |
| 2 | 2,984 | 15% | +1−1 | 10,000+ employees (28×) | |
| 3 | 2,487 | 12% | +5 | 1,001–5,000 employees (2.5×) | |
| 4 | 1,637 | 8.1% | +6−1 | Biotechnology (11×) | |
| 5 | 1,170 | 5.8% | +15−1 | 5,001–10,000 employees (6.3×) | |
| 6 | 969 | 4.8% | +2 | 1,001–5,000 employees (8.7×) | |
| 7 | 837 | 4.1% | +1 | Software (2.5×) | |
| 8 | 830 | 4.1% | −1 | Software (2.5×) | |
| 9 | 661 | 3.3% | – | Veterinary (109×) | |
| 10 | 608 | 3.0% | +4 | B2B (182×) | |
| 11 | 567 | 2.8% | −1 | Software (3.0×) | |
| 12 | 533 | 2.6% | +1 | 1,001–5,000 employees (6.6×) | |
| 13 | 443 | 2.2% | – | 5,001–10,000 employees (26×) | |
| 14 | 421 | 2.1% | +1 | 1,001–5,000 employees (7.4×) | |
| 15 | 396 | 2.0% | – | Software (2.4×) | |
| 16 | 369 | 1.8% | – | 10,000+ employees (55×) | |
| 17 | 355 | 1.8% | – | 1,001–5,000 employees (2.4×) | |
| 18 | 269 | 1.3% | +1 | Software (4.8×) | |
| 19 | 196 | 0.97% | – | 10,000+ employees (69×) | |
| 20 | 192 | 0.95% | – | Higher Education (19×) | |
| 21 | 186 | 0.92% | – | Higher Education (25×) | |
| 22 | 167 | 0.83% | – | 201–1,000 employees (3.6×) | |
| 23 | 137 | 0.68% | +1 | 10,000+ employees (29×) | |
| 24 | 96 | 0.47% | – | 1,001–5,000 employees (11×) | |
| 25 | 94 | 0.46% | +2 | 201–1,000 employees (3.4×) | |
| 26 | 72 | 0.36% | – | 10,000+ employees (59×) | |
| 27 | 68 | 0.34% | – | Staffing and Recruiting (25×) | |
| 28 | 67 | 0.33% | – | – | |
| 29 | 64 | 0.32% | – | – | |
| 30 | 60 | 0.30% | – | 10,000+ employees (75×) | |
| 31 | 45 | 0.22% | – | – | |
| 32 | 41 | 0.20% | – | 10,000+ employees (85×) | |
| 33 | 41 | 0.20% | – | – | |
| 34 |  Opine | 19 | <0.1% | – | – |
| 35 | 18 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 36 | 10 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 37 | 5 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 38 | 4 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 39 | 4 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 40 | 1 | <0.1% | – | – |
“Most popular with” is the industry or company size where the tool is most over-represented compared with all companies we've scanned. Starts and stops compare two scans done the same way.
Who's gaining and losing customers
- Docebo: 15 started, 1 stopped in the last 30 days
- Rippling: 11 started in the last 30 days
- Teamtailor: 5 started in the last 30 days
- Greenhouse: 6 started, 1 stopped in the last 30 days
- Ashby: 4 started in the last 30 days
- UKG Pro: 2 started in the last 30 days
How to compare HR, payroll and recruiting tools
- Company size and complexity: a startup's all-in-one platform versus an enterprise HR suite.
- Countries you hire in, and whether you need an employer of record.
- Recruiting volume and structured interviewing features.
- Integration between ATS, HR system and payroll.
How we find HR, payroll and recruiting tools
HR tools show up in careers pages and embedded job boards, in subdomains that point at the vendor (jobs.example.com), in domain-verification records and in email records used to send offer letters and payroll notices.
Every company on a tool's page links to the record behind the match. DNS is rechecked weekly and websites monthly, so tools a company stops using drop off the list.
People & HR FAQ
What are the most popular HR, payroll and recruiting tools?
As of October 2026, the most popular HR, payroll and recruiting tools by number of companies using them are Rippling (3,099 companies), SAP SuccessFactors (2,984 companies) and Teamtailor (2,487 companies), according to runsonwhat. Rippling alone accounts for 15% of the 20,222 People & HR matches runsonwhat has, and the top three together for 42%. 40 HR, payroll and recruiting tools have at least one confirmed customer.
Rippling vs SAP SuccessFactors: which is more popular?
Rippling is more popular: 3,099 companies show public evidence of Rippling, against 2,984 for SAP SuccessFactors, according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Among companies with more than 1,000 employees, though, SAP SuccessFactors leads: 1,395 against 58. Teamtailor is third with 2,487.
Which HR, payroll and recruiting tools do small businesses use most?
Among companies with up to 50 employees, the most used HR, payroll and recruiting tools are Rippling (1,302 companies), Teamtailor (652 companies) and BambooHR (312 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). The counts cover companies with a known headcount; see each tool's page for the full size breakdown.
Which HR, payroll and recruiting tools do large companies use most?
Among companies with more than 1,000 employees, the most used HR, payroll and recruiting tools are SAP SuccessFactors (1,395 companies), UKG Pro (225 companies) and iCIMS (223 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). That differs from the overall ranking, where Rippling leads. Large companies often run more than one tool in a category, so the same company can count for several.
Which HR, payroll and recruiting tools are most popular in the United States?
In the United States, the most used HR, payroll and recruiting tools are Rippling (2,148 companies), Greenhouse (1,120 companies) and UKG Pro (721 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). Rippling has 27% of the People & HR matches among companies based in the United States.
Which HR, payroll and recruiting tools are most popular in Germany?
In Germany, the most used HR, payroll and recruiting tools are rexx systems (392 companies), SAP SuccessFactors (372 companies) and Personio (263 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). rexx systems has 20% of the People & HR matches among companies based in Germany.
Which HR, payroll and recruiting tools do software companies use?
Software is the industry with the most People & HR matches, and its companies use Rippling (358 companies), Teamtailor (206 companies) and Greenhouse (201 companies) most, according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Each tool's page breaks its customers down by industry, so you can check where a tool over-indexes.
Which HR, payroll and recruiting tools are companies adopting right now?
In the 30 days to October 2026, the most new adoptions runsonwhat recorded were for Docebo (15 companies), Rippling (11 companies) and Greenhouse (6 companies). A start is counted when a recheck finds a tool that the previous check of the same company, done the same way, did not.
How does runsonwhat rank HR, payroll and recruiting tools?
runsonwhat counts the companies where a public record shows each tool in use and ranks by that count. HR tools show up in careers pages and embedded job boards, in subdomains that point at the vendor (jobs.example.com), in domain-verification records and in email records used to send offer letters and payroll notices. A company counts only when a direct record backs it up. The full method is at https://www.runsonwhat.com/methodology.