Is Workday or Zapier better?

Neither clearly leads. Workday starts at On request and Zapier at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Workday or Zapier?

Zapier has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Workday and Free for Zapier.

Does Workday or Zapier run on more platforms?

Workday runs on Cloud/Web. Zapier runs on Web, Api.

Can I use Zapier for free?

Yes. Zapier 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 Zapier is typically brought in for.

What can Workday do that Zapier cannot?

Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics. Zapier covers App integrations, Workflow automation, Trigger-based actions, Multi-step Zaps. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, SOC2, GDPR.

All industries · head to head

Workday vs Zapier

Workday

All industries

Enterprise cloud applications for finance and HR

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Zapier

All industries

Automate your work across 7,000+ app integrations

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Zapier 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; Zapier the free plan allows 100 tasks per month and only two-step Zaps, one trigger and one action
They diverge on capability: Workday covers Human capital management, Zapier covers App integrations.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Workday and Zapier actually diverge.

Attributes where Workday and Zapier differ
Attribute	Workday	Zapier
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	quote	usage-based
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Cloud/Web	Web, Api
Founded	2005	2011

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 Zapier

App integrations
Workflow automation
Trigger-based actions
Multi-step Zaps
Data formatting
Conditional logic
Error handling
Team collaboration

Both cover

Salesforce
Slack
SOC2
GDPR
Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Workday

HR managementnot Zapier
Financial planningnot Zapier
Workforce planningnot Zapier
Compliancenot Zapier
Analyticsnot Zapier

Zapier

Lead managementnot Workday
Data synchronizationnot Workday
Email automationnot Workday
Social media postingnot Workday
Customer onboardingnot 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

Zapier

The free plan allows 100 tasks per month and only two-step Zaps, one trigger and one action
Multi-step Zaps, filters, paths, webhooks and the formatter all require a paid plan
Premium app connectors are withheld from the free plan
Free Zaps poll for new data every 15 minutes against 2 minutes on Professional and 1 minute on Team
Paying monthly rather than annually costs 50 percent more, so the 2,000-task Professional plan is $73.50 a month instead of $49

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

Zapier

Free

FreeFree
- 100 tasks/month
- 5 Zaps
- Two-step Zaps
Starter$19.99/month
- 750 tasks/month
- 20 Zaps
- Multi-step Zaps
Professional$49/month
- 2,000 tasks/month
- Unlimited Zaps
- Custom logic

Which should you pick?

Choose Workday if

You need human capital management.
You work on Cloud/Web.
You also want financial management.

Workday review

Choose Zapier if

You need app integrations.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Api.
You also want workflow automation.

Zapier review

Questions people ask

Is Workday or Zapier better?: Neither clearly leads. Workday starts at On request and Zapier at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Workday or Zapier?: Zapier has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Workday and Free for Zapier.
Does Workday or Zapier run on more platforms?: Workday runs on Cloud/Web. Zapier runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Zapier for free?: Yes. Zapier 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 Zapier is typically brought in for.
What can Workday do that Zapier cannot?: Workday covers Human capital management, Financial management, Planning, Analytics. Zapier covers App integrations, Workflow automation, Trigger-based actions, Multi-step Zaps. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, SOC2, GDPR.

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.

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

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

Workday vs Zapier

Workday

Zapier

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Workday

Only in Zapier

Both cover

What people use each for

Workday

Zapier

Where each one falls short

Workday

Zapier

Pricing, plan by plan

Workday

Zapier

Which should you pick?

Choose Workday if

Choose Zapier if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Workday

More on Zapier

Keep looking

Other head to heads