Software · head to head
Workday vs ADP
Workday
Software
Enterprise cloud applications for finance and HR
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees; ADP no pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken
- They diverge on capability: Workday covers Human capital management, ADP covers Tax services.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Workday and ADP actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Workday
- Human capital management
- Financial management
- Planning
- Analytics
- Time tracking
- Talent management
- Procurement
- Salesforce
Only in ADP
- Tax services
- HR management
- Time & attendance
- Benefits administration
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- Oracle
- SOC 1/2
Both cover
- Payroll
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Workday
- HR managementnot ADP
- Financial planningnot ADP
- Workforce planningnot ADP
- Compliancenot ADP
- Analyticsnot ADP
ADP
- Payroll processing and tax filingnot Workday
- HR administration and employee recordsnot Workday
- Time and attendance trackingnot Workday
- Benefits administrationnot Workday
- Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot Workday
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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 ($408-504 PEPM)
- Limited pre-built templates and customization; often requires extensive configuration
- Requires significant IT and change management resources during implementation
ADP
- No pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken
- Split into three separate products by company size, RUN for 1 to 49 employees, Workforce Now for 50 and above, and Lyric HCM for enterprise, so growing across a threshold means changing product rather than plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Workday
On request- Small Business$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
ADP
$29/month- Essential$79/month
- Payroll
- Tax filing
- Direct deposit
- Enhanced$139/month
- HR tools
- Background checks
- Job posting
Which should you pick?
Choose Workday if
- You need human capital management.
- You work on Cloud/Web.
- You also want financial management.
Choose ADP if
- You need tax services.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want hr management.
Questions people ask
- Is Workday or ADP better?
- Neither clearly leads. Workday starts at On request and ADP at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Workday or ADP?
- Workday starts at On request and ADP at $29/month.
- Does Workday or ADP run on more platforms?
- Workday runs on Cloud/Web. ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- What is Workday best used for?
- Workday is most often used for hr management, financial planning, workforce planning, compliance. Of those, hr management and financial planning are not what ADP is typically brought in for.
- What can Workday do that ADP cannot?
- Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics. ADP covers Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance, Benefits administration. Both handle Payroll.
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.
Source