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LeadChange Group

Workday HCM vs ADP Workforce Now

Workday HCM6.3/10

ADP Workforce Now6.5/10

Scored in HCM Software

The short answer

Both sell by quote. Workday HCM targets mid-market and enterprise employers, ships over 5,000 prebuilt reports and connects payroll across 180+ countries; deployment is a separate fixed-fee Workday Launch package.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 11 sources, most recently checked

Workday HCM

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: over 5,000 prebuilt reports and 160+ dashboards.
  • You run payroll in many countries: Workday connects native and partner payroll across 180+ countries.
  • You need SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA stated by the vendor.

Workday HCM pricingAlternatives to Workday HCM

ADP Workforce Now

Best for
Midsize and large US employers that want payroll and HR in one suite

Choose ADP Workforce Now if

  • You have more than 50 employees and want payroll, HR and benefits from a payroll specialist.
  • You want to grow in steps: Select, then Plus with benefits administration, then Premium with time and attendance.
  • You run off-cycle payments often, at no additional cost.
  • You clock in hourly staff by kiosk, badge, PIN, face or finger, with geofencing.

ADP Workforce Now pricingADP Workforce Now competitors

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Key differences

Where Workday HCM and ADP Workforce Now differ (3)
AttributeWorkday HCMADP Workforce Now
GDPR program12
Founded2005319494
HeadquartersPleasanton, California, US5Roseland, New Jersey, US4
Show 5 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (5)
AttributeWorkday HCMADP Workforce Now
Pricing modelQuote only6Quote only7
Price transparencyQuote only6Quote only8
Best forMid-market companies, enterprises6Mid-market companies, enterprises9
Mobile apps1011
OwnershipPublicly traded3Publicly traded4

Workday HCM or ADP Workforce Now: what matters most to you?

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

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Neither publishes prices. Workday sells deployment as separate fixed-fee Launch packages; ADP sells API Central consulting hours for a fee.

Capabilities. Both cover payroll, HR, time and talent. Workday adds workforce planning, HR service delivery and reorganization modeling; Workforce Now adds benefits enrollment with eligibility guidance and continuous payroll calculations with variance detection.

Integrations. Workday connects payroll to native and partner systems in 180+ countries. ADP Workforce Now offers an API with paid consulting through ADP API Central. Neither publishes an integration count.

Fit and support. Workday targets mid-market and enterprise organizations; ADP Workforce Now targets employers with more than 50 workers, with dedicated service experts for enterprise clients.

Security. Workday states SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA. ADP names no certification on the Workforce Now pages we reviewed.

Neither one?

Paylocity

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

Paylocity review

Frequently asked questions

Is Workday or ADP better for a midsize company?

Both sell to midsize employers. ADP Workforce Now targets companies with more than 50 workers and grows by package; Workday targets mid-market and enterprise organizations that need planning and reporting depth.

What are the disadvantages of using Workday?

Workday is less suited to small businesses: it targets mid-market and enterprise employers. It publishes no prices, and deployment is bought separately as a fixed-fee Workday Launch package from Workday or a partner.

How much do Workday HCM and ADP Workforce Now cost?

Both are quoted. ADP Workforce Now comes in three packages, Select, Plus and Premium; Workday adds a separate deployment package to the subscription.

Do Workday and ADP Workforce Now run global payroll?

Workday connects native and partner payroll systems across 180+ countries. ADP lists no country count on the Workforce Now pages we reviewed.

What AI do Workday and ADP Workforce Now offer?

Workday’s Payroll Agent validates and explains pay runs, and Sana orchestrates agents in the background. ADP Workforce Now explains pay changes, recommends retro pay and summarizes feedback for managers.

Where are Workday and ADP headquartered?

Workday, founded in 2005, is based in Pleasanton, California. ADP is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey; both are public companies.

Is Workday HCM or ADP Workforce Now more secure?

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

Who are Workday HCM’s biggest competitors?

Workday HCM ranks #6 of 10 in our HCM software ranking. Besides ADP Workforce Now, the highest-scored are Paylocity, Dayforce, and Paycom. Every alternative, matched to the reason you might switch: Workday HCM alternatives.

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    25 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 7, 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

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Workday HCM vs ADP Workforce Now

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Sources

The 11 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. Workday workday.com/en-us/why-workday/trust/compliance.html“The EU Cloud Code of Conduct (CCoC) consists of a set of requirements that enable cloud service providers (CSPs) to demonstrate their capability to comply with GDPR.” “The SOC 2 Type II report is an independent assessment of our control environment performed by a third party.”
  2. ADP adp.com/privacy.aspx“ADP has adopted Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) for processing Client employee data and business contact data.”
  3. 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.”
  4. ADP sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/8670/000000867026000030/adp-20260630.htm“In 1949, our founders established ADP with a simple, innovative idea: help clients focus on their business by solving their payroll challenges.” “its corporate headquarters in Roseland, New Jersey”
  5. Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workday,_Inc.“Headquarters Pleasanton, California, US”
  6. Workday workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/overview.html“Contact Sales” “Request a Demo”
  7. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/products/adp-workforce-now/compare-options.aspx“Select … All-in-one payroll and HR software suite … Get Pricing … Plus … Everything in Select … Get Pricing … Premium … Everything in Plus … Get Pricing”
  8. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/products/adp-workforce-now.aspx“Three packages. One powerful central hub for your HR ecosystem. … Select … Get Pricing … Plus … Get Pricing … Premium … Get Pricing”
  9. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/payroll/payroll-for-50-1000-plus-employees.aspx“Free up time to focus on strategy with a partner you can trust to tackle the payroll details for businesses with more than 50 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. ADP apps.adp.com/en-US/apps/406528/adp-workforce-now-next-generation-time-and-attendance/features“Device: Employees can use their mobile phones or turn a shared tablet into a timeclock with the Time Kiosk app.”

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.