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HR · head to head

Humaans vs Workday

Humaans logo

Humaans

HR

API-first HRIS for fast-growing companies that treat employee data as a system of record other tools read from

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: Humaans there is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: Humaans covers Employee records, Workday covers Human capital management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Humaans and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where Humaans and Workday differ
AttributeHumaansWorkday
PlatformsWebCloud/Web
FoundedUnknown2005

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

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 Humaans

  • Employee records
  • Workflows
  • Time off
  • Open API and webhooks
  • Onboarding
  • Reporting
  • App directory
  • Self service

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.

Humaans

  • A 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automaticallynot Workday
  • An operations team that will build against an API rather than wait for a vendor integrationnot Workday
  • A company replacing spreadsheets and Google Drive folders in weeks rather than running a six month HRIS projectnot Workday
  • A multi-country employer that already has payroll handled per country and needs one consolidated employee recordnot Workday

Workday

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

Where each one falls short

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

Humaans

  • There is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.
  • Applicant tracking, learning and benefits administration are absent, meaning a company wanting a single supplier will buy three or four contracts to match what a suite sells as one.
  • Acquisition by Employment Hero in 2024 puts an independent, integration-first product inside a vendor that sells a bundled employment platform, and buyers should ask directly how long the standalone product will be sold on its own terms.
  • Per employee per month pricing with tiered features means the cost rises with headcount growth at exactly the point a scale-up is least willing to renegotiate, and useful features such as workflows sit above the entry tier.
  • Country-specific compliance depth is limited, so statutory leave rules, local document requirements and reporting obligations often need configuring by hand rather than arriving as a maintained country pack.

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

Humaans

On request
  • Humaans$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month with tiered feature sets
    • Employee records, time off and documents
    • Workflows and reporting on higher tiers

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 Humaans if

  • You need employee records.
  • You also want workflows.
Humaans 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 Humaans or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. Humaans 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, Humaans or Workday?
Humaans starts at On request and Workday at On request.
Does Humaans or Workday run on more platforms?
Humaans runs on Web. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
What is Humaans best used for?
Humaans is most often used for a 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automatically, an operations team that will build against an api rather than wait for a vendor integration, a company replacing spreadsheets and google drive folders in weeks rather than running a six month hris project, a multi-country employer that already has payroll handled per country and needs one consolidated employee record. Of those, a 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automatically and an operations team that will build against an api rather than wait for a vendor integration are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can Humaans do that Workday cannot?
Humaans covers Employee records, Workflows, Time off, Open API and webhooks. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Humaans: Does Humaans run payroll?

No. It holds the employee record and pushes data to payroll providers. You buy payroll separately in each country.

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
Humaans: Who owns it now?

Employment Hero acquired Humaans in 2024. It continues to be sold, but the parent company also sells a bundled employment platform.

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
Humaans: Is the API genuinely complete?

Yes. It is the design centre of the product rather than an afterthought, with documented REST endpoints and webhooks across the core objects.

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
Humaans: How long does implementation take?

Typically weeks. There is no configuration consultancy requirement, which is a large part of why teams choose it over a mid-market suite.

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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