HR & Recruiting · head to head
Motivosity vs Workday

Workday
All industries
Enterprise cloud applications for finance and HR
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Motivosity pricing is custom, with no published per-employee rate; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
- They diverge on capability: Motivosity covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Workday covers Human capital management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Motivosity and Workday actually diverge.
| Attribute | Motivosity | Workday |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $4/month | On request |
| Pricing model | subscription | quote |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Api | Cloud/Web |
| Category | HR & Recruiting | All industries |
| Founded | 2013 | 2005 |
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 Motivosity
- Peer-to-peer recognition
- Spot bonuses
- Social recognition feed
- Manager insights
- 1-on-1 meetings
- Pulse surveys
- Rewards marketplace
- Company values alignment
Only in Workday
- Human capital management
- Financial management
- Planning
- Analytics
- Payroll
- Time tracking
- Talent management
- Procurement
Both cover
- Slack
- ADP
- SOC2
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Motivosity
- Peer-to-peer recognition and spot bonusesnot Workday
- Service milestones and work anniversariesnot Workday
- Pulse surveys on employee sentimentnot Workday
- Rewards and lifestyle spending accountsnot Workday
- Nominations and awards programmesnot Workday
Workday
- HR managementnot Motivosity
- Financial planningnot Motivosity
- Workforce planningnot Motivosity
- Compliancenot Motivosity
- Analyticsnot Motivosity
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Motivosity
- Pricing is custom, with no published per-employee rate
- Small business plans carry a minimum spend of $3,000 a year, so a small team pays that floor whatever its headcount
- Sold as eleven separate modules, so recognition, wellness, surveys and rewards are each priced on top of the platform
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
Motivosity
$4/month- Recognize$4/month
- Peer recognition
- Spot bonuses
- Social feed
- Lead$5/month
- Everything in Recognize
- Manager insights
- 1-on-1 tools
- Listen$2/month
- Pulse surveys
- eNPS tracking
- Engagement metrics
Workday
On request- Small Business$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 Motivosity if
- You need peer-to-peer recognition.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want spot bonuses.
Choose Workday if
- You need human capital management.
- You work on Cloud/Web.
- You also want financial management.
Questions people ask
- Is Motivosity or Workday better?
- Neither clearly leads. Motivosity starts at $4/month and Workday at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Motivosity or Workday?
- Motivosity starts at $4/month and Workday at On request.
- Does Motivosity or Workday run on more platforms?
- Motivosity runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
- What is Motivosity best used for?
- Motivosity is most often used for peer-to-peer recognition and spot bonuses, service milestones and work anniversaries, pulse surveys on employee sentiment, rewards and lifestyle spending accounts. Of those, peer-to-peer recognition and spot bonuses and service milestones and work anniversaries are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
- What can Motivosity do that Workday cannot?
- Motivosity covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Spot bonuses, Social recognition feed, Manager insights. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics. Both handle Slack, ADP, SOC2, GDPR.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourceWorkday: 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.
SourceWorkday: 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.
SourceWorkday: 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.
SourceWorkday: 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.
SourceRelated pages
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