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Paycom vs Workday HCM

Paycom6.5/10

Workday HCM6.3/10

Scored in HCM Software

The short answer

Both sell by quote. Paycom serves small, mid-market and enterprise employers from one database it built, implements most clients within three months with its own team and assigns a dedicated specialist.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 10 sources, most recently checked
Best for
US employers that want payroll, HR, time and hiring in one database and one login

Choose Paycom if

  • You run a small business: Paycom lists small businesses among the sizes it serves; Workday lists mid-market and enterprise.
  • You want employees to check and approve their own paychecks before payroll runs (Beti).
  • You want the vendor's own team to implement, usually within three months.
  • You want daily pay through a payroll card or direct deposit.
Best for
Large and midsize employers that run HR, talent and payroll on one platform

Choose Workday HCM if

  • You need workforce planning, reorganization modeling and dynamic org charts.
  • You report heavily: Workday offers over 5,000 prebuilt reports and 160+ dashboards.
  • You run payroll with partners in many countries: Workday connects payroll across 180+ countries.
  • You want AI agents that validate pay runs and explain results.

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

Paycom wins 1Workday HCM wins 02 ties

Paycom vs Workday HCM by dimension
DimensionPaycomWorkday HCM
PricingNeither publishes prices. Paycom puts a one-time implementation fee in its quote; Workday sells deployment as separate fixed-fee Launch packages, from Workday or its partners. Quote only1Quote onlyQuote only
SecurityPaycom lists five ISO certifications, including 27001, and SOC 1, 2 and 3 reports. Workday states SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA compliance. Yes2ISO 27001SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Fit and supportPaycom serves every company size with a dedicated specialist at no extra charge. Workday targets mid-market and enterprise organizations, so it is less suited to small businesses. Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises3Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprisesMid-market companies, enterprises

Paycom or Workday HCM: what matters most to you?

We match on verified product facts for this need, never on who pays us.

Key differences

Where Paycom and Workday HCM differ (3)
AttributePaycomWorkday HCM
Best forSmall businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises3Mid-market companies, enterprises4
Founded1998320055
HeadquartersOklahoma City, Oklahoma3Pleasanton, California, US6
Show 7 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (7)
AttributePaycomWorkday HCM
Pricing modelQuote only1Quote only4
Price transparencyQuote only1Quote only4
DeploymentCloud3Cloud5
Mobile apps78
Single sign-onSAML 2.029
ISO 27001210
OwnershipPublicly traded3Publicly traded5

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Neither publishes prices. Paycom puts a one-time implementation fee in its quote; Workday sells deployment as separate fixed-fee Launch packages, from Workday or its partners.

Capabilities. Both cover payroll, time, HR, benefits and talent. Workday adds workforce planning, HR service delivery and multi-entity global operations; Paycom adds employee-run paycheck checks and daily pay.

Security. Paycom lists five ISO certifications, including 27001, and SOC 1, 2 and 3 reports. Workday states SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA compliance.

Fit and support. Paycom serves every company size with a dedicated specialist at no extra charge. Workday targets mid-market and enterprise organizations, so it is less suited to small businesses.

Neither one?

Paylocity

Paylocity has the highest LeadChange Score in HCM Software after excluding these two (6.8/10).

Paylocity review

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Paycom or Workday HCM?

It depends on size and depth. Paycom serves small to enterprise employers with payroll-led HCM on one database; Workday targets mid-market and enterprise organizations that need planning, reporting and global payroll connections.

Does Workday HCM publish its prices?

No. Workday sells by quote, and deployment comes as separate fixed-fee Launch packages. Paycom also quotes, with a one-time implementation fee.

Who is Workday's biggest competitor?

Among the HCM suites we review, Workday HCM shares its category with SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, UKG Pro, Dayforce and ADP Workforce Now. Against Paycom, the main differences are company size served and planning depth.

How long does it take to implement Paycom?

Paycom says most organizations are implemented within three months, by its own team.

Which is better for small businesses, Paycom or Workday HCM?

Paycom lists small businesses among the sizes it is built for; Workday HCM is built for mid-market companies and enterprises.

Is Paycom or Workday HCM more secure?

Both Paycom and Workday HCM state ISO 27001. Workday HCM states SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR (unverified for Paycom).

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    26 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 9, 2026.

  • Method

    Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology

  • Independent review

    Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review

  • Hands-on testing

    We have not tested either product hands-on: this page uses public information only.

  • Who made it

    The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us

  • Independence and errors

    Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction

Paycom or Workday HCM? Your answer in 3 questions

Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts.

LeadChange may earn a fee when you request pricing through our site or follow a sponsored link. Rankings never depend on whether a vendor pays us.We may earn a fee.

Paycom vs Workday HCM

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Sources

The 10 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. Paycom Paycom pricing (Paycom)“Paycom provides customized pricing, so organizations pay only for what they need.” “With Paycom, each quote is customized to the functionality a company needs and the number of employees.”
  2. Paycom paycom.com/about/security“Five (27001, 22301, 9001, 27701 and 42001)” “We also offer SAML 2.0 (SSO) so clients can manage through their chosen identity provider application.”
  3. Paycom paycom.com/about“Paycom supports small, medium and enterprise-sized companies across the education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, retail and transportation industries and more.” “Founded 1998 Public company Listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: PAYC)”
  4. Workday workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/overview.html“From midsize businesses to public institutions to Fortune 500 leaders, we help drive success for customers worldwide.” “Contact Sales”
  5. Workday workday.com/en-us/company/about-workday/our-story.html“2005 Workday is founded by software visionaries Aneel Bhusri and Dave Duffield as the first true cloud application provider for HR and finance.” “Workday debuted on the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, joining hundreds of our customers.”
  6. Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workday,_Inc.“Headquarters Pleasanton, California, US”
  7. Paycom paycom.com/payroll-hr-mobile-app“Paycom’s single, user-friendly app gives your workforce 24/7 access to manage its data and tasks with ease”
  8. App Store apps.apple.com/us/app/workday/id316800034“The Workday app provides secure, mobile access to your Workday applications on-the-go.”
  9. Microsoft Learn learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/saas-apps/workday-tutorial“Configure Workday for Single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID”
  10. Workday workday.com/en-us/why-workday/trust/compliance.html“Information Security Scope (ISO 27001, 27017, 27018): Adaptive Planning, Analytics and Reporting, Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) and Contract & Document Intelligence, Financial Management, HiredScore, Human Capital Management, Payroll” “The SOC 2 Type II report is an independent assessment of our control environment performed by a third party.”

What the LeadChange Score means

A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.

Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.