Softwr

Recruitment · head to head

SmartRecruiters vs Workday

SmartRecruiters logo

SmartRecruiters

Recruitment

Talent acquisition suite for hiring success

From
$14995/year
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: SmartRecruiters no native video interviewing tool; requires third-party solution; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking, Workday covers Human capital management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SmartRecruiters and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where SmartRecruiters and Workday differ
AttributeSmartRecruitersWorkday
Starting price$14995/yearOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebCloud/Web
CategoryRecruitmentHR
Founded20102005

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 SmartRecruiters

  • Applicant Tracking
  • CRM
  • Recruiting Marketing
  • AI Matching
  • Onboarding
  • Marketplace
  • Indeed
  • Workday

Only in Workday

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

Both cover

  • Analytics
  • LinkedIn
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

SmartRecruiters

  • Reducing time-to-hire from 23 days to 9 daysnot Workday
  • Scaling high-volume hiring with 50% increase in velocitynot Workday
  • Engaging candidates with conversational AI chatbotsnot Workday
  • Automating interview scheduling reducing administrative work by 97%not Workday
  • Screening candidates with AI talent matching enginenot Workday

Workday

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

Where each one falls short

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

SmartRecruiters

  • No native video interviewing tool; requires third-party solution
  • Reporting tools lack advanced customization; creating custom reports is difficult
  • Mobile app functionality is limited compared to desktop version
  • Integration with external HR systems can be unreliable with synchronization problems
  • Limited customization options to capture position-specific information
  • Subscription fees locked during contract term even if company headcount decreases

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

SmartRecruiters

$14995/year
  • Essential$14995/year
    • ATS functionality
    • CRM features
    • Onboarding
  • Professional$null/year
    • All Essential features
    • AI-powered Hiring Agent
    • AI Talent Matching Engine
  • High Volume$null/year
    • All Professional features
    • AI-powered Candidate Screening
    • Conversational AI Chat
  • Complete$null/year
    • Full suite with Advanced Analytics
    • Advanced Sandbox
    • Custom in-app guidance

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 SmartRecruiters if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You also want crm.
SmartRecruiters 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 SmartRecruiters or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. SmartRecruiters starts at $14995/year and Workday at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SmartRecruiters or Workday?
SmartRecruiters starts at $14995/year and Workday at On request.
Does SmartRecruiters or Workday run on more platforms?
SmartRecruiters runs on Web. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
What is SmartRecruiters best used for?
SmartRecruiters is most often used for reducing time-to-hire from 23 days to 9 days, scaling high-volume hiring with 50% increase in velocity, engaging candidates with conversational ai chatbots, automating interview scheduling reducing administrative work by 97%. Of those, reducing time-to-hire from 23 days to 9 days and scaling high-volume hiring with 50% increase in velocity are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can SmartRecruiters do that Workday cannot?
SmartRecruiters covers Applicant Tracking, CRM, Recruiting Marketing, AI Matching. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Payroll. Both handle Analytics, LinkedIn, Slack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SmartRecruiters: Does SmartRecruiters have a free tier?

No. As of 2026, SmartRecruiters discontinued the free SmartStart tier. The platform requires a demo and evaluation call; entry-level Essential tier pricing starts around $15,000 per year.

Source
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
SmartRecruiters: How does SmartRecruiters billing work?

SmartRecruiters charges by total company headcount, not by recruiter seats. Subscription fees cannot decrease during a contract term even if headcount shrinks mid-contract.

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
SmartRecruiters: What integrations does SmartRecruiters support?

SmartRecruiters integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and offers a Slack marketplace integration for sending interview notifications and scheduling updates directly to channels.

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
SmartRecruiters: What are SmartRecruiters' core features?

SmartRecruiters offers end-to-end recruiting including Winston AI talent matching, job distribution, career site builder, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, analytics, and onboarding tools.

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
Share

Related pages

More on SmartRecruiters

More on Workday

Keep looking

Other head to heads