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HR · head to head

Sesame HR vs Workday

Sesame HR logo

Sesame HR

HR

Spanish HR and time recording platform built around the legal obligation to record daily working hours

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: Sesame HR there is no payroll calculation, so the payroll relationship stays with an external gestoria or payroll system and Sesame is only feeding it data.; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: Sesame HR covers Time and attendance, Workday covers Human capital management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sesame HR and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where Sesame HR and Workday differ
AttributeSesame HRWorkday
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 Sesame HR

  • Time and attendance
  • Legal time reports
  • Shift planning
  • Absence management
  • Document management
  • Expenses
  • Performance
  • Payroll export

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.

Sesame HR

  • A Spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspectionnot Workday
  • A company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one placenot Workday
  • A business whose gestoria wants clean hours and absence data each month instead of emailed spreadsheetsnot Workday
  • A Latin American subsidiary of a Spanish group standardising on the same attendance systemnot Workday

Workday

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

Where each one falls short

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

Sesame HR

  • There is no payroll calculation, so the payroll relationship stays with an external gestoria or payroll system and Sesame is only feeding it data.
  • The product is built around Spanish and Latin American regulation, so a buyer employing in northern Europe gets attendance tracking without the local statutory logic that made the product valuable in the first place.
  • Modules beyond time and attendance are noticeably shallower, and companies expecting the performance or recruitment features to replace dedicated tools are usually disappointed.
  • Support, documentation and legal templates are Spanish-first, and English-language material lags behind, which slows adoption in mixed-language organisations.
  • Pricing is per employee per month across module tiers, so a company that only wants compliant time recording still pays a headcount-scaled fee for a suite it uses a fraction of.

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

Sesame HR

On request
  • Sesame HR$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month with module-based tiers
    • Time and attendance in the base tier
    • Shift planning, performance and expenses as higher tiers or add-ons

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 Sesame HR if

  • You need time and attendance.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want legal time reports.
Sesame HR 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 Sesame HR or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. Sesame HR 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, Sesame HR or Workday?
Sesame HR starts at On request and Workday at On request.
Does Sesame HR or Workday run on more platforms?
Sesame HR runs on Web, iOS, Android. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
What is Sesame HR best used for?
Sesame HR is most often used for a spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspection, a company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one place, a business whose gestoria wants clean hours and absence data each month instead of emailed spreadsheets, a latin american subsidiary of a spanish group standardising on the same attendance system. Of those, a spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspection and a company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one place are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can Sesame HR do that Workday cannot?
Sesame HR covers Time and attendance, Legal time reports, Shift planning, Absence management. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sesame HR: Why is time recording mandatory in Spain?

Royal Decree-Law 8/2019 requires every employer to record daily start and finish times for all employees and to retain those records for four years for labour inspection.

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
Sesame HR: Does Sesame HR run payroll?

No. It exports hours, absences and variable pay to a gestoria or payroll system such as A3 or Sage.

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
Sesame HR: Does it work outside Spain?

It is used across Latin America and Portugal. Outside those markets you get the tooling without the country-specific legal logic.

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
Sesame HR: Can it handle shift workers across multiple sites?

Yes. Kiosk and QR clock-in with geolocation is designed for exactly that, and rota planning sits on top of the same data.

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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