Paylocity vs Workday HCM

Paylocity and Workday HCM are both hr & payroll options. Paylocity lists 8 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

ComparingPaylocityWorkday HCM

CategoryHR & PayrollHR & Payroll

Alternatives tracked33

PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

Pricing modelpaidpaid

Best for Paylocity

Mid-sized employers wanting HR, payroll, and finance modules on one platform and willing to go through a sales quote rather than self-serve published pricing.

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.

Paylocity

Core payroll processing with tax services, on-demand pay, and garnishment services
Time & Labor management including scheduling, attendance, and time collection
Talent management: recruiting, onboarding, performance, compensation, and learning
Benefits administration and retirement planning
Finance modules: expense management, corporate cards, AP automation, guided procurement, and spend analytics with fraud detection
IT modules for asset management and access/identity management
Ignite AI features for automation and insights across HR and finance workflows
Employee experience tools including community, recognition, and employee-voice surveys

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

Paylocity

Pros

Core payroll processing with tax services, on-demand pay, and garnishment services
Time & Labor management including scheduling, attendance, and time collection
Talent management: recruiting, onboarding, performance, compensation, and learning
Benefits administration and retirement planning
Finance modules: expense management, corporate cards, AP automation, guided procurement, and spend analytics with fraud detection
IT modules for asset management and access/identity management
Ignite AI features for automation and insights across HR and finance workflows
Employee experience tools including community, recognition, and employee-voice surveys

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

Paylocity lists Core payroll processing with tax services, on-demand pay, and garnishment services, Time & Labor management including scheduling, attendance, and time collection, Talent management: recruiting, onboarding, performance, compensation, and learning, Benefits administration and retirement planning, Finance modules: expense management, corporate cards, AP automation, guided procurement, and spend analytics with fraud detection, IT modules for asset management and access/identity management, Ignite AI features for automation and insights across HR and finance workflows, Employee experience tools including community, recognition, and employee-voice surveys 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 Paylocity doesn't list.

Choose Paylocity if…

Choose Paylocity if this fits: Mid-sized employers wanting HR, payroll, and finance modules on one platform and willing to go through a sales quote rather than self-serve published pricing.

Visit Paylocity

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.