ADP Workforce Now vs Workday HCM

ADP Workforce Now and Workday HCM are both hr & payroll options. ADP Workforce Now lists 7 features across 3 platforms; Workday HCM lists 8 features across 3 platforms — see the full breakdown below, sourced from each vendor's own site rather than ratings or reviews.

Side-by-side summary

ComparingADP Workforce NowWorkday HCM

CategoryHR & PayrollHR & Payroll

Alternatives tracked33

PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

Pricing modelpaidpaid

Best for ADP Workforce Now

Small to midsized employers wanting an established payroll provider's tax-compliance infrastructure bundled with HR, time, and talent management in one suite.

Best for Workday HCM

Large and complex enterprises wanting HCM unified with financial and operational data on one platform, backed by extensive compliance certifications.

Feature comparison

Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.

ADP Workforce Now

Continuous payroll calculation with automated tax compliance across jurisdictions
Embedded AI features including payroll anomaly detection, turnover trend analysis, and generative AI for job descriptions
Automated hiring, onboarding, and performance-review workflows with configurable business process automation
Real-time data sync across payroll, HR, time, and benefits modules
ADP Marketplace integrations with third-party HR, finance, and productivity tools
Employee self-service via the ADP Mobile Solutions app: pay statements, leave balances, time-off requests, and timesheets
Packaged tiers (e.g., Select, Plus) that bundle different combinations of payroll, HR, and talent features

Workday HCM

Unified data model spanning financial, operational, and workforce information alongside Workday's finance products
Global payroll management with local compliance support
Talent acquisition and candidate engagement tools
Learning and development, internal mobility, and skills-matching tools
Contingent worker management alongside employee records
Time tracking and absence management, including AI-driven scheduling and demand forecasting
Augmented analytics for workforce planning, forecasting, and employee-experience feedback
Low/no-code app development tools for building custom extensions on Workday data

Pros and cons

ADP Workforce Now

Pros

Continuous payroll calculation with automated tax compliance across jurisdictions
Embedded AI features including payroll anomaly detection, turnover trend analysis, and generative AI for job descriptions
Automated hiring, onboarding, and performance-review workflows with configurable business process automation
Real-time data sync across payroll, HR, time, and benefits modules
ADP Marketplace integrations with third-party HR, finance, and productivity tools
Employee self-service via the ADP Mobile Solutions app: pay statements, leave balances, time-off requests, and timesheets
Packaged tiers (e.g., Select, Plus) that bundle different combinations of payroll, HR, and talent features

Cons

We don't publish a "cons" list for either product. No vendor's official site documents its own product's weaknesses, so there's no sourced basis for one — and we'd rather say that plainly than invent one.

Workday HCM

Pros

Unified data model spanning financial, operational, and workforce information alongside Workday's finance products
Global payroll management with local compliance support
Talent acquisition and candidate engagement tools
Learning and development, internal mobility, and skills-matching tools
Contingent worker management alongside employee records
Time tracking and absence management, including AI-driven scheduling and demand forecasting
Augmented analytics for workforce planning, forecasting, and employee-experience feedback
Low/no-code app development tools for building custom extensions on Workday data

Cons

Key differences

ADP Workforce Now lists Continuous payroll calculation with automated tax compliance across jurisdictions, Embedded AI features including payroll anomaly detection, turnover trend analysis, and generative AI for job descriptions, Automated hiring, onboarding, and performance-review workflows with configurable business process automation, Real-time data sync across payroll, HR, time, and benefits modules, ADP Marketplace integrations with third-party HR, finance, and productivity tools, Employee self-service via the ADP Mobile Solutions app: pay statements, leave balances, time-off requests, and timesheets, Packaged tiers (e.g., Select, Plus) that bundle different combinations of payroll, HR, and talent features that Workday HCM doesn't list.
Workday HCM lists Unified data model spanning financial, operational, and workforce information alongside Workday's finance products, Global payroll management with local compliance support, Talent acquisition and candidate engagement tools, Learning and development, internal mobility, and skills-matching tools, Contingent worker management alongside employee records, Time tracking and absence management, including AI-driven scheduling and demand forecasting, Augmented analytics for workforce planning, forecasting, and employee-experience feedback, Low/no-code app development tools for building custom extensions on Workday data that ADP Workforce Now doesn't list.

Choose ADP Workforce Now if…

Choose ADP Workforce Now if this fits: Small to midsized employers wanting an established payroll provider's tax-compliance infrastructure bundled with HR, time, and talent management in one suite.

Visit ADP Workforce Now

Choose Workday HCM if…

Choose Workday HCM if this fits: Large and complex enterprises wanting HCM unified with financial and operational data on one platform, backed by extensive compliance certifications.

Visit Workday HCM

Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.