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Expensify vs Workday

Expensify logo

Expensify

All industries

Expense management for receipts, bills & more

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Workday logo

Workday

All industries

Enterprise cloud applications for finance and HR

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Expensify minimal offline expense entry capabilities hamper use in areas with unstable internet; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, Workday covers Human capital management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Expensify and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where Expensify and Workday differ
AttributeExpensifyWorkday
Starting price$5/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud/Web
CategoryAll industriesUnknown
Founded20082005

Identical on both: 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 Expensify

  • SmartScan receipts
  • Expense reports
  • Corporate cards
  • Reimbursements
  • Travel booking
  • Mileage tracking
  • Multi-currency
  • Real-time syncing

Only in Workday

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

Both cover

  • Slack
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Expensify

  • Expense reportingnot Workday
  • Receipt managementnot Workday
  • Travel expensesnot Workday
  • Corporate card managementnot Workday
  • Reimbursementsnot Workday

Workday

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

Where each one falls short

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

Expensify

  • Minimal offline expense entry capabilities hamper use in areas with unstable internet
  • OCR receipt data extraction requires manual review and correction for accuracy
  • Per-user pricing model increases costs for larger organizations

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

Expensify

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Expensify review.

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 Expensify if

  • You need smartscan receipts.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense reports.
Expensify 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 Expensify or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. Expensify starts at $5/month and Workday at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Expensify or Workday?
Expensify starts at $5/month and Workday at On request.
Does Expensify or Workday run on more platforms?
Expensify runs on Web, iOS, Android. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
What is Expensify best used for?
Expensify is most often used for expense reporting, receipt management, travel expenses, corporate card management. Of those, expense reporting and receipt management are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can Expensify do that Workday cannot?
Expensify covers SmartScan receipts, Expense reports, Corporate cards, Reimbursements. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics. Both handle Slack, SOC2, GDPR, Cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Expensify: How does Expensify capture receipts?

Expensify uses SmartScan technology with OCR to automatically extract data from receipt images, reducing manual data entry. Users can photograph receipts with their phone to quickly create expense entries.

Source
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
Expensify: What reimbursement methods does Expensify support?

Expensify supports ACH reimbursement via direct deposit after setting up a direct deposit account. Next-day reimbursement is available, or standard processing takes 3-5 business days.

Source
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
Expensify: How does Expensify offline mode work?

Expensify has limited offline capabilities. Users can capture receipts offline, but data syncs when internet connectivity is restored. Full functionality requires online access.

Source
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
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
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