# Page 2 | Rise Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 2 - Is Rise the right Payroll solution for you? Explore 134 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/163570/Rise/reviews --- Rise 4.1 (134) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/163570/Rise/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 2 - Reviews of Rise ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 26-50 of 134 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use CH Carrie H. Executive Assistant Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Four years in and still my favourite. " September 10, 2025 5.0 Overall, I am quite happy with Rise. I love the staff in the support team, the development team are responsive and easy to communicate with. It's easy to use, intuitive, and once you have an idea of how to move around the system, it flows easily and quickly. Pros One of my absolute favourite features is the integration of the HRMS with payroll, time off policies and usage, the active work schedule, and the actual hours worked in the time approval window. One function that I personally enjoy (even though my staff do not) is the added security function that if you enter your credentials wrong twice (not three times like most people are used to), the system locks you out and then only an admin (like myself) can connect with Rise to unlock it. That also takes no time at all, and is not a painful process, I just call in with the employee with me to ensure they're reactivated. I cannot speak to the price-point however, as I am not in the accounting team, but am vehement that whatever the cost, this system has been worth it as it has removed all the guesswork from payroll, reduced time spent on payroll, hours approval, attendance reports, and maintaining our HRMS. Cons One of my least favourite functions would have to be the onboarding, as it is fairly round-about to get to add a new employee properly. I'm sure it's being fixed but for now it's not intuitive where to go to add a new employee. I also dislike that the Geofencing feature has been lost / ignored since Rise migrated to their new server and reports functions. Switched from [Zoho CRM](https://www.capterra.com/p/155928/Zoho-CRM/) Cost, ease of use, and full system integration with payroll, time off, and scheduling. Review Source PA Penny A. Bookkeeper Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Excellent Canadian Based Payroll Product with NPI Trained Support" September 24, 2025 5.0 Our implementation process was fantastic; we spent months with ADP working on their implementation and it failed miserably. Rise worked with us to get the implementation done in roughly 2 weeks and every pay we have processed has been easy. Pros The ease of processing payroll and the excellent customer support from a Canadian team certified by the National Payroll Institute, the customizability of the program Cons The time approval module requires missed shifts to be removed, rather than classified to a reason code and kept for reporting purposes Alternatives considered [Ameego](https://www.capterra.com/p/275558/Ameego/)[Payworks](https://www.capterra.com/p/235453/Payworks/) Reason for choosing Rise Canadian based, attractive user interface, features that we were looking for Switched from [ADP Workforce Now](https://www.capterra.com/p/155895/WorkforceNow/) Every payroll was a struggle as implementation did not go well and the system was not calculating vacation correctly and each payroll corrections had to be made for roughly 6 months Review Source MB Mike B. Manager Retail Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great Program!" September 18, 2025 5.0 From first contact, to implementation, to going live was relatively easy. Our previous payroll system was overly complicated and stressful to use due to so many steps to generate a payrun. There is none of that with Rise. Using Rise is simple and straight forward. Pros Comparing Rise to our previous payroll program, Rise is much more user friendly. It is easy and intuitive to use and it isnt complicated to generate a payrun. Cons Well its difficult to complain about a system that is several steps above our previous payroll program. Alternatives considered [Rippling](https://www.capterra.com/p/172127/Rippling/) Reason for choosing Rise it was the Best value and ease of use is important to us. Switched from [Windward System Five](https://www.capterra.com/p/43189/Windward-System-Five/) Windward discontinued the payroll portion of their software Review Source TF Theresa F. Owner Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Rise always rises to the occasion!" September 10, 2025 4.0 I've been a customer for about 6 years and I feel that I get great value from their services. I feel very fortunate to have such a great company helping me with an essential part of my business. Pros As a first time employer, I needed help understanding my responsibilities with regard to payroll reporting, deductions, completing pay runs and closing the year and the team at Rise has been helpful, patient and always helps me solve my issues. Cons I've been terrible at meeting the payroll deadline especially on Mondays or after a long weekend and while Rise always ensures my payroll gets approved, one thing that would help me is if it were easier to use on my phone. Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reason for choosing Rise Rise was initially free and I only had two staff members at the time so I thought I would give it a try. Review Source Lam N. Human Resources Generalist Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Rise HRIS, a good starter, but needs for work to be a long lasting program" January 20, 2025 4.0 Probably one of the simplest to use HRIS out there. It has every features that you want in an HRIS: people management, payroll, recruitment, onboarding, time and attendance and performance review. However, except for payroll, other features seem to touch just the surface of HRs' needs. You can use them, but they not optimal. Pros The intuitive design, everything is simple and straightforward. It didn't take much time to get to know the it completely. Cons Missing the flexibilities in tayloring the features to better serve the organization's needs. Alternatives considered [BambooHR](https://www.capterra.com/p/110968/BambooHR/)[Payworks](https://www.capterra.com/p/235453/Payworks/) Reason for choosing Rise Cost related and the easy of getting the system online (we did 't use payroll software at the time). Review Source AG ALLAN G. President Warehousing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Rise Payroll-helped us move to the "next level" with company growth" September 18, 2025 5.0 We have recently went to a new electronic RF system with our hourly employees. We originally wasted so many resources manually calculating these inputs (and risked the possibility of manual input mistakes). The set up with Rise was simple and they had some wonderful customer service people work with us on navigating the process. They were extremely helpful and patient through this. Very easy company to work with- I would recommend highly. Pros Ease of set up. Company very response to our requests and very easy to navigate our Provincial and Federal tax inputs Cons Nothing comes to mind- It is helpful to have some accounting knowledge when working with the program Review Source AC Angel C. QC Import and Export Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Worth to try" March 17, 2026 5.0 Perfect for small to mid-size organizations who likes to provide easy to use interface to their employers. Pros This platform provides HR records, payroll, time tracking ad n benefit in one system. Well organized system for employee and employers to connect directly with employee profiles, pay changes, time off and reduce data entry and reduce errors and time. Very user-friendly interface , employees can easily view pay stubs, request time off and update employee information in one page. Cons Since Rise provides easy to use and user friendly interface therefore the application is basic and simple. Limited customization and lacks of advanced factures but work best to small to mid-size companies. Review Source AK Azreen K. HR Payroll Coordinator Security and Investigations Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "RISE Review" October 3, 2024 3.0 It was complex, comprehensive and expensive too. Pros The features - all HR features under one platform, from onboarding to payroll processing. Cons Lacks smooth connectivity between the features - needs frequent data input. Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Enterprise](https://www.capterra.com/p/174984/QuickBooks-Enterprise/)[Wagepoint](https://www.capterra.com/p/138169/Wagepoint/) Reason for choosing Rise For recruitment, onboarding, leave management, and payroll. Review Source MM Marietjie M. Director Finance & Analysis Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Rise does RISE to challenge" August 23, 2023 4.0 Users have really enjoyed using all the features, but still learning how to do things. Pros Time Off Management makes the process effective and efficient. Cons Performance Management still has a few gaps but they are more preferences than software problems. Alternatives considered [ADP Workforce Now](https://www.capterra.com/p/155895/WorkforceNow/) Reason for choosing Rise Ease of Use, adaptability and full suite of product offering Review Source JH Jocelyn H. Grants Manager Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Almost a year in, and loving Rise so far" August 15, 2023 5.0 We've had a great experience with Rise, and it has streamlined a lot of our processes, so we can have our onboarding, payroll, schedule, time off all tracked in the same software. Pros Rise is easy to use, and the payroll processing module works very well. It's easy to modify a pay run without having to do a lot of tedious back-and-forth with Rise, and there are many check points through the process to make sure that all the information entered is correct before approval. Cons We could use a standardized info sheet to give to new employees about how to use the timecards in Rise. We've found a few challenges getting new staff comfortable with the time tracking system. Switched from [ADP Workforce Now](https://www.capterra.com/p/155895/WorkforceNow/) ADP was more complicated than we needed. Review Source KH Katrina H. HR Generalist Wine and Spirits Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Room for Improvement" July 21, 2022 3.0 RISE has taken away alot of manual tracking and spreadsheets so it saves time for the HR team and managers with admin tasks. Employees are more in control of their information, and can make changes/requests very easily. The tech team seems to move a bit slow, and not sure if its due to lack of staff or a high number of service tickets, but it can be a bit frustrating waiting for a resolution for 7-15 business days. Pros I like that it is a whole program, meaning admins and employees can go to one spot to get information, and you do not have to deal with multiple platforms and programs. The KB articles are wonderful resources to use to solve problems/issues without having to send in a ticket. However there is still room for improvement, with the functionality of the the various modules speaking to each other. Also needs some simple fixes, like the calendar having a choose the date instead of scrolling month by month; but overall its a great program. Cons The reporting feature within payroll is very complicated, hard to pull data that we need so we end up having to create our own reports. Some of the modules do not speak to each other; changing a start date doesnt flow over the compensation start dates, onboarding defaults to work email and phone number when should go to personal; calendars are tedious as you cant choose a date, but need to scroll month by month. Its definitely a work in progress with areas to improve quite easily. Alternatives considered [ADP Workforce Now](https://www.capterra.com/p/155895/WorkforceNow/)[BambooHR](https://www.capterra.com/p/110968/BambooHR/) Review Source SB Samantha B. Human Resource Manager Law Practice Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "First Impressions" February 27, 2023 4.0 Pros I like that there are many features that are important and the user experience is great for the employees. The chat feature is great and I've always had a positive interaction with those I'm connecting with there. Those that are part of the help-desk team in the chat feature are wonderful. The Goals section of the software is really great. Cons There could be some improvements made with the software specifically with the time off approval flows of having tiered approvals and some more flexibility with the performance review section and check-ins. The implementation lacked effective communication and there were times where we felt abandoned. We also implemented Rise Health as our broker and I'm disappointed to say that this was a terrible experience. After speaking with the \[sensitive content hidden\] of Rise, it appears that many of the procedures that are supposed to be followed were not and we're still having issues with the implementation at two months post launch. Until Rise and GSC can work more seamlessly together, I would not recommend implementing Rise Health. Review Source GL Gail L. VP Human Resources Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Evans" March 14, 2023 3.0 It has been difficult, conflicting direction, changes and poor onboarding process, too many needs cannot be met. feels like the wrong platform for our custom business but I have to say Rise support staff and managers have gone over and above trying to support us. We acknowledge we have not been the perfect client and have issues as well, perhaps we are too needy for what rise can support Pros The people and support, try very hard to satisfy but unfortunately there are just too many issues that we need that cannot be accommodated. Cons Platform is fractured , development support is good but actual development is poor, frequent loss of resources Reason for choosing Rise Your Sales Rep was convincing that we would get more for less...unfortunately we did not and the relationship has been strained on both sides Switched from [Dayforce Powerpay](https://www.capterra.com/p/198964/Dayforce-Powerpay/) Actually we liked Cerdian, but Rise Sales Reps sold us on making a switch to Rise when we had shopped alternatives to their upgrades on Powerplay and Dayforce. It was 100% rise sales that won the business over the Sales Rep for Ceridian Review Source LK Laura K. Manager, HR & Payroll Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Rise Payroll" March 22, 2023 5.0 Overall, I really like Rise and the issues I pointed out are not enough to make me think of switching to another platform. Pros Ease of setup and use. Very quick to learn and the support is amazing Cons \*It can be time consuming to create a report to get the exact information you're looking for.\*Not all screens have the same functionality - search an employee: sometimes you can tab after typing the name, sometimes you have to hit enter\*When you're entering time in the grid, the headers aren't locked in place, so you have to scroll up to see what column you're in when\*Workers Compensation isn't configured to correctly calculate premiums for remote workers in other provinces - this results in manual calculations and lots of extra time. There needs to be a field that overrides the province of employment since the province of residence is what determines the WC rates. Switched from [QuickBooks Enterprise](https://www.capterra.com/p/174984/QuickBooks-Enterprise/) We wanted to remove the in-house processing of remittances. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer CEO Information Technology and Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Quite a disappointment" September 25, 2021 3.0 Pros It is a Canadian company. It served the general purpose of payroll for our start-up. It had some great merits but in the latest update, the positives were really taken away. Cons 2 months ago, I signed up for their Rise Lite platform which was promised to be free for life up until 20 employees. Since then, I've signed an agreement that clearly says it is free for life. Last month I received a newsletter from them informing me that they are no longer offering free for life and that I will need to pay $30/mo + $6/mo/employee. It really felt like deceptive sales tactics to acquire users, get them to invest time and energy into learning how to use their product and flip the switch and make them pay. Furthermore, their website's pricing page has absolutely no mention about a base $30/mo. Their cheapest plan is listed at $6/mo/employee (no disclaimer, no information about $30). I'm not sure if this $30 is exclusive to previous customers or to new customers as well. I sent them an email but they are currently dodging the question. Everything feels so shady here. Other than the above, their product has quite a few bugs. It is not intuitive to use and you constantly need to reach out to their support or read their support page to figure out how to use their platform. Review Source Response from Rise September 29, 2021 I'm sorry that this change has been frustrating for you. While we thrived to offer Rise Lite free payroll for the past three 3 years for thousands of businesses, the amount of R&D and support required is no longer sustainable. As Rise evolved into an all-in-one platform that seamlessly integrates payroll, HR, performance, time tracking, benefits and more, we wanted to further our commitment to a single people-centric platform rather than standalone products such as Rise Lite. We hope that our clients who enjoyed Rise Lite in the past can justify the small fee for the value being offered with Rise Start, which includes not just payroll but essential HR features that help foster engagement and retention while cutting down on admin work. The monthly base charge applies to clients with under 20 employees and covers fixed activities like T4s, ROEs, government remittances, reporting and live support. I hope this helps clarify the reasons behind the decision. KT Kelly T. Controller Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great product for Canadian payroll, time tracking and schedule and HR integration" July 20, 2023 5.0 We're super happy. We needed a more in-depoth, robust, integrated payroll and HR solution and this was perfect. Pros I like the scheduling and time tracking. We love the integration with Payroll. Saved SO much time as we were doing everything manually before. Cons I find it a bit overwhelming when figuring out how to set everything up - and where to go to access certain information, as some is stored in the HR section and some is stored in the Payroll section.Improvements can definitely be made in the scheduling and time tracking module. For example, the ability for other employees to see other employees schedules within the app - for more transparent shift delegation, capacity planning, shift-swapping, etc. Alternatives considered [ADP TotalSource](https://www.capterra.com/p/113109/ADP-TotalSource/) Review Source LC Leah C. Payroll Specialist Accounting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Rise is Great!" February 17, 2023 5.0 Pros Rise is so easy to use and has a great user interface. It is so simple to navigate through to system to find what I need. I love the payroll input sheet, it makes it so easy to make changes to payroll, and I can easily view changes to an employees pay without having to submit the entire run. Such a time saver! The Customer Support Team is also amazing, it is always easy to get ahold of them when needed. Cons Sometimes I will notice small glitches in the system, for example a date being in French when I have selected English for the system. Whenever I see something like this, the Customer Support Team is always able to investigate and resolve it quickly. Review Source MH Michelle H. Operations Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great system that has everything" March 14, 2023 5.0 Pros It was so easy to implement and use and continues to update with new features. Cons There are always quirks but Rise does a good job of fixing bugs and taking feedback for new features. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Chief Operating Officer Human Resources Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Steer clear of Rise" November 30, 2021 2.0 We were brought on pre-pandemic and things at first were great! The onboarding, service and success teams were all fantastic. COVID hit, and they let go of all of their staff. It is impossible to get any kind of support or service from Rise. Which is compounded by the amount of errors that their system makes. BIG payroll errors. Government reporting errors. Vacation pay errors. We are embarrassed to be using this product because it reflects poorly on our brand to our employees. Do not buy Rise. Pros The benefits admin is fairly straightforward. This is the only decent feature of the system. Cons Mistakes, no service, billing errors, government reporting errors, cannot get a hold of anyone. Review Source Response from Rise February 15, 2022 Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're disappointed to hear you've had such a poor experience lately. We understand your frustrations with payroll errors and this should definitely not be the case. We would love the opportunity to make this right, please reach out to me marketing@risepeople.com so I can followup directly. DJ Darya J. HR Manager Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Payroll solution is good. HRIS is not. " May 22, 2019 2.0 It is clear that the company is not focusing on customer feedback in any capacity. I have escalated our very long list of concerns after 2 years and many of them seem to be complete news to development leadership. I really really wanted this to work out, and I think the company is trying, but I am not sure there is light at the end of this tunnel. There are better solutions out there for comparable cost - don't waste your time with Rise if you are looking for an HRIS. I would only recommend the payroll product. Pros Payroll solution works well (intermittent EHT remittance issues aside). For an Ontario-based company with under 200 salaried employees, RiseHR payroll solution does the job well. Time Off user interface and employee end-user experience has been positive - employees like the tool and find it user-friendly. Cons We did not end up with a solution that was sold to us 2 years ago. The company focus switched entirely, several times and no new features or modules have been rolled out in two long years (no Performance, no ATS, no employee Onboarding, no Pulse Surveys). Not one piece of feedback has been incorporated, some very small, obvious and painful (like being able to report time off balances for current employees only or at least have a column of status by which to sort). Their website is still advertising benefits integration and pulse surveys, none of which are actually active modules currently available. The entire HRIS right now consists of Time Off and Employee directory (not even employee self-service right now). This is blatant misrepresentation. Review Source ED Eldon D. President Medical Devices Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Rise - Great for business, large or small" July 11, 2023 5.0 The service is free and that is a great thing for small business. It is accurate and having all statutory deductions handled directly is a great assurance for compliance Pros The system is very easy to use. The Rise team is most responsive and offers the best in customer service. Automated reminders for payroll deadlines are very helpful for business small proprietors Cons Great system. No issues worthy of mention. Reason for choosing Rise Cost of service is superior Review Source TL Tina L. HR Admin Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best cheap option" November 17, 2022 3.0 Support has always been lacking here it can take days to get a response and payroll is time sensitive. I wish they had a call center or live chat available during business hours. This year the system made an error in my pay cycle dates and it got messed up no one at Rise was here to help i had to reach out several times because i had over laps of pay dates on employees pay stubs my dates didnt match up it was a mess. I got very basic email on how to fix it all MYSELF this was a Rise issue not mine i was shocked no one would help fix this. I also made a comment how this would then effect ROE's and possibly T4's throughout the year and it did. All ROE's were incorrect and again took days for Rise to respond how to fix this and it was again left to me to fix their error. Pros This is the best cheap payroll service on the market. Running payroll is simple if everything is set up properly. On boarding employees is simple Cons Support is not great can take days to hear back from support and when its regarding payroll time is of the essence. Running any type of off cycle payroll is extremely painful and never turns out right, taxes are always wrong and way to high. Having salary and hourly paid employees i have to have two different companies and have to run two payrolls each run would be nice if it was all in one payroll run. Reason for choosing Rise Cheapest option- was free when we signed up now we pay per pay run Review Source Nick A. Managing Director Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best Customer Support I've Encountered" June 27, 2022 5.0 Payroll management is a breeze. We're just starting to use their recruiting and onboarding system and it's fantastic. If you hate doing things manually, Rise's platform will be your new best friend. Pros In the event that I've had an issue, Rise's customer support has responded to and solved the issue within a day or two at most. Cons Mobile functionality needs some love. It's almost completely unusable from my phone. Review Source Response from Rise June 28, 2022 Hi Nick, thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. I've passed along your feedback to the product team as we want you to love our mobile app as well <3. VR Verified Reviewer Founder Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Rise has solved the problem we set out to solve, with good support and a few rough edges" April 13, 2018 4.0 Rise allowed us to formalize and simplify our payroll system, which has been extremely valuable. Having gone to the trouble of getting set up on Rise, the ongoing work to keep our payroll system running is now quite minimal, which means payroll gets done, taxes get remitted, and we can get back to work quickly. Pros \- Rise has spent a lot of time on onboarding and support, and their support has also typically been quite responsive. - While Rise is a fairly complex system, once we got up to speed, our payroll workflow every month is pretty quick and painless. (I would expect this is the case for most users who have extremely simple payroll requirements) - Rise is free for smaller companies, which is a price that you really can't beat. Cons \- From time to time it's felt like we were interacting with someone who didn't have a great handle on the nuances of what we were trying to accomplish (particularly when we had questions at tax time), which has resulted in some hiccups around our payroll tax filing. Our support experience has often been quite good, but it's been uneven, depending on who we ended up talking to. Review Source Response from Rise April 26, 2018 Thank you for your review. We're glad that you've been having a great experience with Rise after going through our onboarding process and working together with our support team, and that our services have helped to formalize and simplify your payroll system. We appreciate your feedback on your experience with our customer service team. Rise's support representatives have been enrolled in ongoing training courses to act upon our commitment to improvement, learning, and providing the best support for our clients that's possible. Thank you again for this feedback and we look forward to continuing to work with you. All the very best, The Rise People Team info@risepeople.com 1-888-393-3483 PG Patrick G. Regional Sales Manager Food & Beverages Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Still getting going but good so far" November 20, 2023 4.0 At this point I have a lot more to learn to customize my experience as a manager but I am enjoying what I have explored so far. I like seeing scheduling, time sheets, recruiting all in one place. Excited to see how we are going to utilize it even more in the future. Pros The onboarding process has been simple and straightforward. I like that the dashboard is intuitive and is customized for what your position is, only showing you the things that you have permissions for. Cons Some of the language can be a touch ambiguous in what exactly they are asking for. Specifically I am talking about the scheduling page where it is asking for frequency and a couple other items. I noticed that I don't seem to get notifications for missed punches, which would be super useful. That being said, I haven't dug into my settings to see if there are options for this. Review Source Similar Products Featured