All industries · head to head
Workday vs Airtable
Workday
All industries
Enterprise cloud applications for finance and HR
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Airtable
All industries
Create apps that perfectly fit your team's needs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Airtable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Workday high implementation costs equal to or exceeding annual software fees; Airtable hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully
- They diverge on capability: Workday covers Human capital management, Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Workday and Airtable actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (All industries).
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
- Payroll
- Time tracking
- Talent management
- Procurement
Only in Airtable
- Spreadsheet-database hybrid
- Custom views
- Automation
- Forms
- Integrations
- Mobile apps
- Real-time collaboration
- API access
Both cover
- Salesforce
- Slack
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- GDPR
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Workday
- HR managementnot Airtable
- Financial planningnot Airtable
- Workforce planningnot Airtable
- Compliancenot Airtable
- Analyticsnot Airtable
Airtable
- Structured team databases with grid, calendar and kanban viewsnot Workday
- Lightweight internal tools built on shared recordsnot Workday
- Automations between Airtable and other systemsnot Workday
- Sharing read-only views with collaborators, who are not chargednot Workday
- Collecting submissions through forms without paying for a seatnot 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
Airtable
- Hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully
- Team is $20 per user per month and Business $45, both at the annual rate
- Automation and API usage are capped by plan
- Enterprise Scale pricing is not published
Pricing, plan by plan
Workday
On request- Small Business$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
Airtable
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited bases
- 1,000 records per base
- Up to 5 editors
- Team$20/month per editor annual
- 50,000 records per base
- Unlimited automations
- API access
- Business$45/month per editor annual
- 125,000 records per base
- Advanced permissions
- Priority support
- Enterprise Scale$null/custom
- 500,000+ records per base
- Custom SLA
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
Choose Workday if
- You need human capital management.
- You work on Cloud/Web.
- You also want financial management.
Choose Airtable if
- You need spreadsheet-database hybrid.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop.
- You also want custom views.
Questions people ask
- Is Workday or Airtable better?
- Neither clearly leads. Workday starts at On request and Airtable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Workday or Airtable?
- Airtable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Workday and Free for Airtable.
- Does Workday or Airtable run on more platforms?
- Workday runs on Cloud/Web. Airtable runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop.
- Can I use Airtable for free?
- Yes. Airtable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Workday starts at On request.
- 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 Airtable is typically brought in for.
- What can Workday do that Airtable cannot?
- Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics. Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Custom views, Automation, Forms. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, SOC2, ISO27001.
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.
SourceAirtable: Is there a free Airtable plan and what does it include?
Yes, Airtable's Free plan is indefinite with unlimited bases, 1,000 records per base, up to 5 editors, 1 GB storage per base, 100 automation runs per month, and core features like Interface Designer and mobile apps.
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.
SourceAirtable: How does Airtable handle permissions and viewers?
Airtable charges per editor only. Read-only viewers, form submitters, and people accessing share links are free on every plan, making it cost-effective for large viewing audiences.
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.
SourceAirtable: What are Airtable's record limits?
Free plan has 1,000 records per base, Team plan has 50,000, Business plan has 125,000, and Enterprise Scale has 500,000+ records. Performance degrades past 100,000 records in a single base.
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.
SourceAirtable: Can Airtable integrate with other tools like Slack?
Yes, Airtable integrates with Slack via Zapier or Make.com, allowing automation like sending Slack messages when records are created or updated. Airtable also has a native API for direct integrations.
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