Paycom vs Workday

Paycom is a payroll and HR system in one database, with employees approving their own pay and native payroll in five countries. Workday combines HR, payroll and finance, runs its own payroll in six countries and sells a packaged edition for 500 to 3,500 employees. Payroll-led employers choose Paycom; organisations consolidating HR and finance choose Workday.

Vendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.

Both are reviewed in full in our HR software ranking: Paycom and Workday.

1. 01

   Company size each is built for

   Workday is what large enterprises standardise on, and it now sells Workday GO, a packaged edition aimed at businesses with 500 to 3,500 employees. Paycom prices by workforce size and the tools selected, with no stated floor, and is a poor fit only where HR needs are light. Below roughly 500 people Workday has no packaged offer, so headcount decides.

   Depends on the buyer

2. 02

   Paying people in more than one country

   Workday runs its own payroll for Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, and connects certified partners for more than 180 countries. Paycom processes payroll natively in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Ireland and uses third-party processors elsewhere. Which is stronger depends on the countries: France and Australia point to Workday, Mexico to Paycom.

   Depends on the buyer

3. 03

   Time and effort to go live

   Workday publishes fixed-fee deployment packages: Launch Express goes live in ten to twenty-plus weeks for small and midsize businesses, and Launch Flex in as few as twenty-seven weeks for larger or multinational ones, often with deployment partners. Paycom charges a one-time implementation fee and assigns a dedicated specialist, without publishing a timeline. Workday is the more documented, Paycom the more vendor-led.

   Depends on the buyer

4. 04

   HR and finance in one system

   Workday GO bundles HR, payroll and finance with shared data, which is why organisations consolidating both functions buy it. Paycom's five module areas are payroll, talent acquisition, time and labour, talent management and HR management, all on the people side. A company that wants its ledger and its employee record in one product will find that only in Workday.

   Edge: Workday

5. 05

   Employees checking their own pay

   Paycom's Beti starts each payroll automatically, pulls in time, expenses and benefits from the same database, and has employees review and approve their pay in the mobile app before payday. Workday's payroll is part of a broader suite with finance alongside it. For an employer with hourly staff whose main pain is payroll corrections, Beti is the more specific answer.

   Edge: Paycom

Is Workday too big for a company considering Paycom?

It depends on headcount. Workday GO is packaged for businesses with 500 to 3,500 employees and includes HR, payroll and finance.

Below 500 employees Workday has no packaged edition, and an employer who only needs payroll and HR records would be buying a finance system it may not use.

Can Paycom replace Workday for a multinational?

Partly. Paycom runs payroll itself in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Ireland and relies on third-party processors elsewhere, while its Global HCM record covers more than 190 countries.

Workday runs native payroll in six countries and links partners for 180 more, and adds finance.

How does pricing compare between Paycom and Workday?

Neither publishes prices. Paycom says its price varies with workforce size and the tools selected, plus a one-time implementation fee. Workday sells through its sales team and offers fixed-fee deployment packages. A like-for-like comparison needs two quotes for the same headcount and module scope.

How long does a Workday deployment take compared with Paycom?

Workday lists Launch Express at ten to twenty-plus weeks and Launch Flex at twenty-seven weeks or more, both at fixed fees. Paycom does not publish a timeline; it charges a one-time implementation fee and provides a dedicated specialist afterwards at no additional cost.

• Paycom Beti page: employee pay approval, single database and the five countries Beti covers.
• Paycom Global HCM site: native payroll countries, third-party processors elsewhere, 190+ countries.
• Paycom pricing page: quote-based pricing, five module areas, one-time implementation fee.
• Workday payroll page: native payroll in six countries and partner coverage of 180+ countries.
• Workday deployment page: Launch Express and Launch Flex timelines and fixed fees.
• Workday midsize business page: Workday GO for 500 to 3,500 employees with HR, payroll and finance.