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HR · head to head

Insperity vs Workday

Insperity logo

Insperity

HR

US professional employer organisation providing co-employed HR, payroll and pooled benefits for small and mid-sized companies

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: Insperity insperity employs staff only in the United States, so the moment you hire a person abroad you need a separate employer of record and end up running two employment models side by side.; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: Insperity covers Co-employment PEO, Workday covers Human capital management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Insperity and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where Insperity and Workday differ
AttributeInsperityWorkday
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud/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 Insperity

  • Co-employment PEO
  • Master health plan
  • Assigned HR specialists
  • Payroll processing
  • Workers compensation
  • Insperity Premier portal
  • Retirement plan
  • Recruiting services

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.

Insperity

  • A 40 person US company that cannot get competitive medical rates on its own and wants pooled large-group covernot Workday
  • A firm hiring across several states that does not want to open and maintain employment tax registrations in each onenot Workday
  • A founder-run business with no HR function that needs defensible advice on terminations and classificationnot Workday
  • A company that wants workers compensation, benefits and payroll under one contract rather than three vendorsnot Workday

Workday

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

Where each one falls short

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

Insperity

  • Insperity employs staff only in the United States, so the moment you hire a person abroad you need a separate employer of record and end up running two employment models side by side.
  • Benefit plan design, carrier and network are set across the whole pool, so a client cannot chase a better local network or a cheaper plan without leaving the PEO entirely.
  • Leaving mid-year restarts state unemployment wage bases in several states, which produces an unbudgeted tax bill in the year you exit and effectively locks clients into January transitions.
  • Pricing is quoted per employee per month or as a percentage of payroll and is repriced annually alongside pooled medical renewals, so a good first-year number tells you very little about year three.
  • The Insperity Premier technology has lagged standalone HRIS products on reporting, workflow and integrations, which is why the company has turned to a joint build with Workday rather than closing the gap alone.

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

Insperity

On request
  • Workforce Optimization$undefined/year
    • Full-service co-employment PEO
    • Master medical, dental and vision plan
    • Payroll and employment tax filing
  • Workforce Synchronization$undefined/year
    • Lighter co-employment for larger organisations
    • Client retains more benefit plan control
    • Payroll and compliance administration

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 Insperity if

  • You need co-employment peo.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want master health plan.
Insperity 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 Insperity or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. Insperity 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, Insperity or Workday?
Insperity starts at On request and Workday at On request.
Does Insperity or Workday run on more platforms?
Insperity runs on Web, iOS, Android. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
What is Insperity best used for?
Insperity is most often used for a 40 person us company that cannot get competitive medical rates on its own and wants pooled large-group cover, a firm hiring across several states that does not want to open and maintain employment tax registrations in each one, a founder-run business with no hr function that needs defensible advice on terminations and classification, a company that wants workers compensation, benefits and payroll under one contract rather than three vendors. Of those, a 40 person us company that cannot get competitive medical rates on its own and wants pooled large-group cover and a firm hiring across several states that does not want to open and maintain employment tax registrations in each one are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can Insperity do that Workday cannot?
Insperity covers Co-employment PEO, Master health plan, Assigned HR specialists, Payroll processing. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Insperity: Does Insperity publish its pricing?

No. It quotes per employee per month or as a percentage of payroll after reviewing your headcount, state mix and claims history, and it reprices at each annual renewal.

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
Insperity: Am I still the employer?

You direct the work and decide who is hired and fired. Insperity is co-employer for tax, benefits and certain compliance purposes, and it holds the registrations that wages are reported under.

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
Insperity: Can Insperity employ people outside the United States?

No. It is a US-only PEO. International hiring needs a separate employer of record such as Deel or Velocity Global.

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
Insperity: What happens to my benefits if I leave?

You have to source your own carriers and plans from scratch and your employees move to new networks, which is why most exits are timed for 1 January.

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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