Softwr

LMS · head to head

Totara vs Workday

Totara logo

Totara

LMS

Open source learning, performance and collaboration platform derived from Moodle and sold through partners

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: Totara you cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.; Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees
  • They diverge on capability: Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Workday covers Human capital management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Totara and Workday actually diverge.

Attributes where Totara and Workday differ
AttributeTotaraWorkday
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, LinuxCloud/Web
CategoryLMSHR
FoundedUnknown2005

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Totara

  • Organisational hierarchies
  • Compliance and certification
  • Totara Perform
  • Totara Engage
  • Self-hosting
  • Programs and learning plans

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.

Totara

  • Health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchynot Workday
  • Organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructurenot Workday
  • Moodle users who need appraisal, competency and compliance features the academic product does not carrynot Workday
  • Buyers who want exit rights over the platform code rather than dependence on a single hosted vendornot Workday

Workday

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

Where each one falls short

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

Totara

  • You cannot buy from the vendor. Every purchase runs through a partner who sets its own hosting, services and support pricing, so identical platforms are quoted at materially different totals and buyers must run a partner comparison as well as a product comparison.
  • Open source does not mean cheap. Subscription plus partner hosting plus implementation and version upgrade services commonly lands near commercial system cost, and the saving is in control and exit rights rather than in the invoice.
  • The administrative interface carries its Moodle lineage and is dense, so administrator training is a real project cost rather than an afterthought.
  • Major version upgrades are projects, especially where a partner has customised the deployment, and organisations that customise heavily find upgrades slower and dearer over time.
  • The learner facing experience is functional rather than engaging, and organisations wanting a consumer grade learning experience usually front it with something else.

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

Totara

On request
  • Totara subscription via partner$undefined/year
    • Sold only through distribution partners
    • Partner sets hosting, implementation and support pricing
    • Source available under the GPL, but subscription required for supported releases

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 Totara if

  • You need organisational hierarchies.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want compliance and certification.
Totara 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 Totara or Workday better?
Neither clearly leads. Totara 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, Totara or Workday?
Totara starts at On request and Workday at On request.
Does Totara or Workday run on more platforms?
Totara runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Workday runs on Cloud/Web.
What is Totara best used for?
Totara is most often used for health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchy, organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructure, moodle users who need appraisal, competency and compliance features the academic product does not carry, buyers who want exit rights over the platform code rather than dependence on a single hosted vendor. Of those, health services and government bodies that must evidence mandatory training by job role across a large hierarchy and organisations with data residency rules that require the platform to run on their own infrastructure are not what Workday is typically brought in for.
What can Totara do that Workday cannot?
Totara covers Organisational hierarchies, Compliance and certification, Totara Perform, Totara Engage. Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Totara: Is Totara free because it is open source?

No. The source is available under the GPL, but supported releases require a subscription, and it is sold through partners who add hosting, implementation and support costs.

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
Totara: How is it different from Moodle?

Moodle is built around courses and academic delivery. Totara adds organisational hierarchies, role based automatic assignment, recurring certification and appraisal, which is what workplace compliance reporting needs.

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
Totara: Can we host it ourselves?

Yes. Self hosting is a genuine option and is one of the main reasons regulated and public sector buyers choose it over a hosted only competitor.

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
Share

Related pages

More on Totara

More on Workday

Keep looking

Other head to heads