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SAP SuccessFactors vs Workday HCM

SAP SuccessFactors6.5/10

Workday HCM6.3/10

Scored in HCM Software

The short answer

Neither publishes prices. SAP sells SuccessFactors as Base and Premium packages, priced on request on 1 to 5 year contracts. Workday sells by quote, with fixed-fee deployment packages. SuccessFactors delivers localization in 100+ countries and territories and includes Joule Base AI at no extra cost.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 13 sources, most recently checked

SAP SuccessFactors

Best for
Large global employers that need one HCM suite across many countries

Choose SAP SuccessFactors if

  • You want a fixed package scope: Base or Premium.
  • You want AI included: Joule Base comes with both packages.
  • You need compliance learning inside the HR suite, on Premium.
  • You are a midsize company starting with core HR, time and payroll.

SAP SuccessFactors plans and pricesSAP SuccessFactors alternatives

Workday HCM

Best for
Large and midsize employers that run HR, talent and payroll on one platform

Choose Workday HCM if

  • You run payroll in the same system, with real-time recalculation.
  • You report heavily: 5,000+ prebuilt reports and 160+ dashboards.
  • You need ISO 27001 and a HIPAA attestation as well as SOC 2.
  • You want an AI agent in pay runs: Payroll Agent.

Workday HCM plans and pricesWorkday HCM competitors

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

SAP SuccessFactors wins 0Workday HCM wins 12 ties

SAP SuccessFactors vs Workday HCM by dimension
DimensionSAP SuccessFactorsWorkday HCM
PricingBoth quote. SAP lists Base and Premium packages, price upon request, per user on 1 to 5 year contracts with auto-renewal. Workday publishes no prices and sells deployment as fixed-fee Launch packages. Custom1Quote onlyQuote only
SecurityWorkday states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and GDPR coverage, plus a HIPAA attestation. SAP SuccessFactors has a SOC 2 Type 2 report for April 2025 to March 2026. Yes2SOC 2, ISO 27001SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Fit and supportBoth sell to midsize and large employers: SAP offers SAP GROW for midsize companies, and Workday serves midsize businesses to Fortune 500 leaders. Mid-market companies, enterprises3Mid-market companies, enterprisesMid-market companies, enterprises

SAP SuccessFactors 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 SAP SuccessFactors and Workday HCM differ (2)
AttributeSAP SuccessFactorsWorkday HCM
Founded1972420055
HeadquartersWalldorf, Germany6Pleasanton, California, US7
Show 8 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (8)
AttributeSAP SuccessFactorsWorkday HCM
Pricing modelQuote only1Quote only8
Price transparencyQuote only1Quote only8
Best forMid-market companies, enterprises3Mid-market companies, enterprises8
DeploymentCloud3Cloud5
Mobile apps910
SOC 2 Type II112
ISO 27001122
OwnershipPublicly traded13Publicly traded5

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Both quote. SAP lists Base and Premium packages, price upon request, per user on 1 to 5 year contracts with auto-renewal. Workday publishes no prices and sells deployment as fixed-fee Launch packages.

Security. Workday states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and GDPR coverage, plus a HIPAA attestation. SAP SuccessFactors has a SOC 2 Type 2 report for April 2025 to March 2026.

Fit and support. Both sell to midsize and large employers: SAP offers SAP GROW for midsize companies, and Workday serves midsize businesses to Fortune 500 leaders.

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, SAP SuccessFactors or Workday HCM?

It depends on scope. Workday documents payroll, time, absence and 5,000+ prebuilt reports on one cloud platform. SuccessFactors packages core HR, compensation, performance and goals in Base, and adds compliance learning and predictive analytics in Premium. Ask both to quote the same modules in writing.

Which is cheaper, SAP SuccessFactors or Workday?

Neither publishes a price, so it depends on the quote. SuccessFactors includes Joule Base AI at no extra cost; Workday’s deployment is a separate fixed-fee package. Compare quotes with deployment included.

Is Workday part of SAP?

No. Workday, Inc. is a separate company, founded in 2005 and based in Pleasanton, California. SuccessFactors is SAP’s HCM product line; SAP SE is based in Walldorf, Germany.

How long is an SAP SuccessFactors contract?

SAP lists 1 to 5 year terms with auto-renewal for both HCM packages. Workday does not publish its terms; its deployment is sold as fixed-fee packages.

Do SuccessFactors and Workday run global payroll?

Workday connects native and partner payroll systems across 180+ countries. SuccessFactors lists core HR and payroll among its products and delivers localization in 100+ countries and territories.

Which is more secure, SAP SuccessFactors or Workday?

Both have SOC 2 Type 2 reports. Workday also lists ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018, GDPR through the EU Cloud Code of Conduct and a HIPAA attestation.

Who are SAP SuccessFactors' competitors?

Besides Workday HCM, SuccessFactors competes with Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM, Dayforce and UKG Pro among the enterprise suites we review.

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    24 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

SAP SuccessFactors or Workday HCM? Your answer in 3 questions

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SAP SuccessFactors vs Workday HCM

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Sources

The 13 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. SAP SuccessFactors sap.com/products/hcm/pricing.html“Contract duration 1 to 5 years Auto-renewal” “Price upon requestIn blocks of 1 UsersContract duration 1 to 5 years”
  2. Workday workday.com/en-us/why-workday/trust/compliance.html“The SOC 2 Type II report is an independent assessment of our control environment performed by a third party.” “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”
  3. SAP SuccessFactors sap.com/products/hcm.html“SAP GROW for HCM is built for midsize and growing companies with lean HR teams, letting you begin with core HR, time, and payroll essentials and expand as you grow.” “Find out why Gartner® named SAP a Leader in the 2026 Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud HCM Suites for 1,000+ Employee Enterprises.”
  4. SAP SuccessFactors sap.com/about/company.html“starting with five entrepreneurial programmers who founded SAP in 1972.”
  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. sec.gov sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1000184/000110465926020058/0001104659-26-020058-index.htm“Business Address DIETMAR-HOPP-ALLEE 16 WALLDORF 2M 69190”
  7. Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workday,_Inc.“Headquarters Pleasanton, California, US”
  8. Workday workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/overview.html“Contact Sales” “Request a Demo”
  9. App Store apps.apple.com/us/app/sap-successfactors-mobile/id426562526“SAP SuccessFactors Mobile helps businesses bring HR closer to their employees”
  10. App Store apps.apple.com/us/app/workday/id316800034“The Workday app provides secure, mobile access to your Workday applications on-the-go.”
  11. SAP sap.com/about/trust-center/certification-compliance/sap-successfactors-human-capital-management-soc-2-2026.html“SAP SuccessFactors Human Capital Management has prepared SOC 2 Type 2 audit report by an independent 3rd party accountant.”
  12. SAP sap.com/documents/2025/06/2a71dad6-0b7f-0010-bca6-c68f7e60039b.html“SAP SuccessFactors Human Capital Management, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll, and SAP SuccessFactors Payroll ISO 27001 Certificate”
  13. SAP sap.com/investors/en.html“SAP SE (NYSE: SAP)”

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.