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Software · head to head

Oyster vs Workday

Oyster logo

Oyster

Software

Hire globally, compliantly

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Workday logo

Workday

Software

Enterprise cloud applications for finance and HR

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Oyster has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Oyster employer of Record is $699 per employee per month, with the discount tied to annual billing; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: Oyster covers Global Employment, Workday covers Human capital management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Oyster and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where Oyster and Workday differ
AttributeOysterWorkday
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidCloud/Web
Founded20202005

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Oyster

  • Global Employment
  • Benefits
  • Compliance
  • Contractor Management
  • Time Off
  • Expenses
  • BambooHR
  • Greenhouse

Only in Workday

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

Both cover

  • Payroll
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Oyster

  • Hiring employees abroad without setting up a local legal entitynot Workday
  • Onboarding and paying international contractorsnot Workday
  • Getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teamsnot Workday

Workday

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

Where each one falls short

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

Oyster

  • Employer of Record is $699 per employee per month, with the discount tied to annual billing
  • A refundable deposit is required before an EOR engagement starts
  • Contractor management is free for 30 days then $29 per contractor per month
  • HR advisory through People Partner Services is billed at $300 per hour on top of the subscription
  • A currency conversion fee applies when you pay Oyster in a currency other than the contract currency
  • Payments are accepted only by direct debit or wire in USD, EUR, GBP or CAD

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

Oyster

Free
  • Contractor$29/month
    • Contractor Payments
    • Compliant Contracts
    • Invoicing
  • Employee$599/month
    • Global Employment
    • Payroll
    • Benefits

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 Oyster if

  • You need global employment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want benefits.
Oyster 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 Oyster or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. Oyster starts at Free and Workday at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Oyster or Workday?
Oyster has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Oyster and On request for Workday.
Does Oyster or Workday run on more platforms?
Oyster runs on Web, Ios, Android. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
Can I use Oyster for free?
Yes. Oyster has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Workday starts at On request.
What is Oyster best used for?
Oyster is most often used for hiring employees abroad without setting up a local legal entity, onboarding and paying international contractors, getting country specific employment compliance advice for distributed teams. Of those, hiring employees abroad without setting up a local legal entity and onboarding and paying international contractors are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can Oyster do that Workday cannot?
Oyster covers Global Employment, Benefits, Compliance, Contractor Management. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics. Both handle Payroll, Slack.

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.

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
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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Related pages

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