Softwr

LMS · head to head

Degreed vs Workday

Degreed logo

Degreed

LMS

Learning experience platform that indexes skills and third-party content rather than hosting courses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Workday logo

Workday

HR

Enterprise cloud applications for finance and HR

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Degreed pricing is entirely quote-based with no public rate card, and third parties report annual floors around 25,000 USD and licence minimums as high as 150 seats, so a mid-sized organisation frequently cannot buy it at any sensible price.; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: Degreed covers Content aggregation, Workday covers Human capital management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Degreed and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where Degreed and Workday differ
AttributeDegreedWorkday
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud/Web
CategoryLMSHR
FoundedUnknown2005

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Degreed

  • Content aggregation
  • Skills framework
  • Pathways and plans
  • Skill gap analytics
  • Career mobility
  • Learning records
  • Academies
  • Integrations with content providers

Only in Workday

  • Human capital management
  • Financial management
  • Planning
  • Analytics
  • Payroll
  • Time tracking
  • Talent management
  • Procurement

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Degreed

  • A large enterprise that already spends heavily on Coursera and LinkedIn Learning and cannot tell which of it is used or usefulnot Workday
  • An organisation planning a workforce transition and needing a defensible view of which skills exist internally before it hires externallynot Workday
  • A company running compliance training in an LMS that wants a separate, voluntary development experience employees actually choose to opennot Workday
  • A group building internal mobility, matching people to open roles and stretch projects on evidenced skills rather than job titlesnot Workday

Workday

  • HR managementnot Degreed
  • Financial planningnot Degreed
  • Workforce planningnot Degreed
  • Compliancenot Degreed
  • Analyticsnot Degreed

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Degreed

  • Pricing is entirely quote-based with no public rate card, and third parties report annual floors around 25,000 USD and licence minimums as high as 150 seats, so a mid-sized organisation frequently cannot buy it at any sensible price.
  • Degreed is a layer, not a replacement: you keep paying for the learning management system that runs compliance training and for the content subscriptions it indexes, so the licence is a third line on top of two you already have.
  • The skills data leans heavily on employee self-assessment, and self-rated skill is a weak signal; if managers do not validate ratings consistently the workforce capability picture that justified the purchase is not reliable enough to make hiring or redeployment decisions on.
  • Adoption is voluntary in most deployments, so unless the organisation ties learning to something consequential, usage decays after the launch campaign and the platform becomes an expensive search box.
  • Integrations with content providers vary in depth: some surface full metadata and completion write-back while others index only titles, so the unified record of learning the business case assumed can be patchy in exactly the sources employees use most.

Workday

  • High implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • Long deployment timelines (12-18 months standard) before ROI
  • Steep per-employee pricing at enterprise scale ($408-504 PEPM)
  • Limited pre-built templates and customization; often requires extensive configuration
  • Requires significant IT and change management resources during implementation

Pricing, plan by plan

Degreed

On request
  • Degreed for Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Content aggregation across internal and third-party sources
    • Skills framework and gap analytics
    • Pathways, plans and academies
  • Degreed Free (individual)Free
    • Personal learning profile
    • Track learning from any source
    • For individuals rather than organisations

Workday

On request
  • Small Business$undefined/month
    • Core HR
    • Payroll
    • Time tracking
  • Medium Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Full HCM suite
    • Financial management
    • Advanced analytics
  • Large Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Complete platform
    • Custom configurations
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Degreed if

  • You need content aggregation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want skills framework.
Degreed review

Choose Workday if

  • You need human capital management.
  • You work on Cloud/Web.
  • You also want financial management.
Workday review

Questions people ask

Is Degreed or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. Degreed starts at On request and Workday at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Degreed or Workday?
Degreed starts at On request and Workday at On request.
Does Degreed or Workday run on more platforms?
Degreed runs on Web, iOS, Android. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
What is Degreed best used for?
Degreed is most often used for a large enterprise that already spends heavily on coursera and linkedin learning and cannot tell which of it is used or useful, an organisation planning a workforce transition and needing a defensible view of which skills exist internally before it hires externally, a company running compliance training in an lms that wants a separate, voluntary development experience employees actually choose to open, a group building internal mobility, matching people to open roles and stretch projects on evidenced skills rather than job titles. Of those, a large enterprise that already spends heavily on coursera and linkedin learning and cannot tell which of it is used or useful and an organisation planning a workforce transition and needing a defensible view of which skills exist internally before it hires externally are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can Degreed do that Workday cannot?
Degreed covers Content aggregation, Skills framework, Pathways and plans, Skill gap analytics. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Degreed: Does Degreed replace our LMS?

No. It is a discovery and skills layer over content. Compliance training, assignment and certification records generally stay in the LMS, and you pay for both.

Workday: What is Workday GO and what market is it designed for?

Workday GO is a product designed for small and midsize organizations, bringing together HR and finance solutions with transparent pricing and fast activation in 30 to 60 days. It includes HCM, benefits, payroll, talent, and more at a lower price point than standard Workday.

Source
Degreed: What does Degreed cost?

It is quote-only. Third-party reports put annual floors around 25,000 USD with licence minimums that can reach 150 seats.

Workday: What is Workday Skills Cloud and how does it fit into HCM?

Workday Skills Cloud is an intelligent skills foundation built into Workday HCM. It is described as the world's most open intelligent skills foundation and fuels data-driven talent strategies across recruiting, learning, and workforce planning.

Source
Degreed: Is the skills data trustworthy?

Only as far as your validation process is. It is built on self-assessment plus peer endorsement, so without manager validation it should not drive redeployment decisions.

Workday: Does Workday include payroll and benefits management?

Yes. Workday HCM includes benefits administration and payroll capabilities as part of its core suite. Global payroll processing is available across multiple countries and tax jurisdictions.

Source
Degreed: Can individuals use it free?

Yes, Degreed offers a free personal profile for tracking your own learning, separate from the enterprise product.

Workday: What is the typical pricing model for Workday HCM?

Workday HCM uses per-employee (PEPM) annual subscription pricing. Companies at scale typically pay $34-42 PEPM. Enterprise organizations with 5,000+ employees typically pay $408-504 per employee annually. Pricing decreases with larger commitments and longer contract terms.

Source
Workday: How long does Workday implementation typically take?

Standard implementations are lengthy, often taking 12-18 months. Workday GO promises faster activation in 30-60 days. Implementation costs typically equal 100-150% of the first year's software subscription fees.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Degreed

More on Workday

Keep looking

Other head to heads