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SAP HCM vs Workday comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP HCM
Ranking in Benefits Administration
3rd
Ranking in Talent Management
3rd
Ranking in Cloud HCM
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Workday
Ranking in Benefits Administration
1st
Ranking in Talent Management
2nd
Ranking in Cloud HCM
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Talent Acquisition (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of SAP HCM is 16.5%, up from 15.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Workday is 18.0%, down from 18.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud HCM
 

Q&A Highlights

MK
Apr 17, 2023
 

Featured Reviews

Kumar-Saurav - PeerSpot reviewer
Allows you to generate reports, easy integration and offers out-of-the-box support
The limitation of HCM compared to new-era human capital management solutions is the cost. While those solutions offer similar features at a lower price, they are not typically used by large enterprises. However, for small and medium enterprises, the HCM licensing and maintenance costs are quite high. There are numerous solutions like Zoho and Odoo that offer subscription models at a much lower cost, even as low as $10. This significantly impacts SAP's market share, especially among smaller businesses. The high cost is the main reason why it's not widely adopted by smaller businesses. Currently, it's largely used by big enterprises, and only a small percentage of SAP users actually utilize HCM, even though they might be using other SAP modules. The small organizations are not keen on using it.
Sarvesh Kumar Jha - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use and provides great flexibility and security
Implementing the solution is generally not easy because it depends on our client's landscape. In the last one and a half years, Workday has started a new implementation approach called launch implementation. This approach allows you, as a client organization, to implement Workday in a shorter amount of time, given that you fulfill certain criteria. It depends on the number of subsidiaries and employees you have and their compensation structure. If it's not too complex, Workday provides its clients with this new approach called launch, where they can quickly onboard with the Workday without many complex requirements. The general implementation for Fortune 500 companies is always complex.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Scalability is excellent, and I would rate it ten out of ten."
"SAP HCM has a good performance."
"Recently, the localization versions for different countries were increased, and that added value to the solution."
"They have some interesting features in the learning space."
"The payroll suite is very valuable."
"The most valuable feature is Organizational Management (OM)."
"We've found that the solution has the capability to scale."
"I think HCM was the most stable for me...It is a very scalable product."
"We use Workday for all our employee-related information. It is a central hub where we can access pay slips, tax-related information, tax automation, and tax rules. Additionally, it manages employee hiring processes and other HR functions. It's a one-stop solution where employees can find everything about their profile, work experience, and associated technologies."
"We use this solution to manage financials, payroll and recruiting."
"It helps the users to enroll for the benefits automatically and update their life events without the involvement of HR individuals or back-office staff. It enables a person to take action on their own. It reduces the administrative burden on HR and puts the ownership on the person that is going through the life event, whether it is having a child, taking a leave of absence, or something else. There are easy ways to integrate Workday with your common benefits. At least in the USA, it can be integrated with common benefits providers such as Fidelity, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, etc. It has got a connector that is able to connect with the vendor or the third party to which you are trying to send the eligibility file. It basically allows us to automate or set up the tool, and the integration with the provider is a lot quicker than competing tools. When it comes to reporting on just eligibility and SLSA, it is a lot more user-intuitive. Depending on the purpose of what you are doing, you can grant security rights or roles, for example, you can control whether someone is a benefits administrator doing an independent audit. Workday makes it very easy to do that. It significantly simplifies the reporting process."
"It saves a lot of time for onboarding processes."
"The most valuable features of the solution are the usability, learning, and compliance tools."
"We have fewer systems, less manual data entry, and less processing."
"Workday is easy to use. Timesheet and resource management are also easy."
"In the process of obtaining representative sites in NaviNet, it assists us in facilitating decision-making and taking action."
 

Cons

"The breadth of functionality offered by SAP HCM comes at a cost."
"It was difficult to deploy. There were challenges regarding configurations and implementation. So, we had a lot of issues."
"The speed of technical support can be improved."
"The product's learning and development features could be better, including new exclusive LMS tools."
"System usability is a challenge."
"SAP now does the most innovation for the cloud solution and less innovation for the on-premises client."
"The customer support from SAP is reasonable, yet I would rate it five out of ten."
"We are able to optimize a lot of processes but there is always room for improvement."
"The solution needs to be updated with generative UI."
"The solution should be more user-friendly."
"There were a lot of issues. There were consistency or accuracy issues with the data we had, and every time we had to pull reports in Workday, it was difficult."
"This solution could be made easier to use by continuing to release new improvements."
"My only suggestion might be to include a brief description of any new fields we introduce, making it easier for people to use them. Perhaps this is something they can consider implementing."
"We would like to see improvement in the mobile app variant of this solution. The time sheet entry and approval, and the geo-tagging features all need to have their functionality updated, in order to be comparable with other products on the market."
"The cost of Workday is certainly not inexpensive. It's very pricey."
"I would really like to see a more robust timekeeping solution in Workday. Currently, most organizations are using Kronos for timekeeping and Workday for HR data. They then integrate Workday with Dimensions to manage time-related activities and payroll processing."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"SAP is extremely expensive. The integration costs and customization costs are also a lot."
"The pricing is around the middle, at a five out of ten. But it depends on the number of licenses. More licenses mean lower per-user costs. You need to understand how to play the volume game and the growth."
"HCM is cheaper than SuccessFactors."
"We have an annual license for this solution, and the price depends on the number of users."
"In my view, this product is a waste of money for SMB because there are much better products available and licensing is an issue."
"Licensing fees are paid yearly."
"The cost of SAP HCM is high, the license should be reduced. SAP HCM has a lot of hidden costs."
"The terms on which you buy licenses might change due to the way they license in a particular product."
"I would rate the solution’s pricing a six out of ten."
"I rate the product’s pricing a ten out of ten."
"The pricing is good from an HR perspective, although management gets upset after spending $500,000 a year, every year."
"You have the license fee per module, and then you have a kind of annual training fee, which is a kind of add-on. I wouldn't say it is exhaustive; it is minor. Licensing is pretty transparent for most of the part."
"The pricing for this solution is fairly high. It is not affordable for small and mid-sized companies."
"I need to pay for a license. It is expensive."
"Workday is an expensive solution."
"It is on a yearly basis."
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Answers from the Community

MK
Apr 17, 2023
Apr 17, 2023
Hi Michael, My top reasons to consider SAP SuccessFactors would be: 1. Robustness of the Core Employee Central. 2. GDPR Compliance and Audit tracking capability for transactions given the healthcare industry regulations. 3. Scalability of the solution, especially if your organization is spread over multiple geographical locations. 4. Vast support ecosystem and string tech capabilities. 5. La...
See 2 answers
Ashwin Bhadouria - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 27, 2023
Hi, is HCM the only requirement with the organization, or are other solutions also required? As far as HCM is concerned, SAP is comprehensive and can be tailored as per requirements. Thanks - Ashwin
Vasu Narasimha - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 17, 2023
Hi Michael, My top reasons to consider SAP SuccessFactors would be: 1. Robustness of the Core Employee Central. 2. GDPR Compliance and Audit tracking capability for transactions given the healthcare industry regulations. 3. Scalability of the solution, especially if your organization is spread over multiple geographical locations. 4. Vast support ecosystem and string tech capabilities. 5. Lastly, leverage SAP S/4HANA.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Energy/Utilities Company
5%
Educational Organization
32%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SAP HCM?
SAP HCM is the one of the best ERP for an organization with a small to large scale business. It has the most efficient payroll functionality. Regards : SAP HR classes in pune
What do you like most about SAP HCM?
HCM is a very important module that each organization should want to use. It will help any organization to calculate and control the cost of their human resources.
What is better, SAP HCM or SAP SuccessFactors?
When it comes to user experience, SuccessFactors is unquestionably superior, as it provides end users with a new experience and an advanced user interface. Additionally, the entire concept of SF is...
What are the biggest differences between Workday, Oracle Cloud and SAP SuccessFactors?
Differences between Workday, Oracle Cloud,w and SAP SuccessFactors:w Oracle: "simple interface and deep customization to suit the purpose." SAP: Multiple functionalities that increase process effi...
What do you like most about Workday?
I like its UI and UX. When we were using Oracle or SAP, the UI/UX wasn't very user-friendly for the employees.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Workday?
If you go with the launch implementation approach, the solution is generally not very expensive. If you want to add more features to your subscription, Workday becomes expensive. The solution is fl...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

SAP Human Capital Management
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City of Cape Town, ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd., TransAlta Corporation, Keolis, PT XL Axiata Tbk, National Football League (NFL), Plan International, Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company, China Talent Group (CTG TMO), Umicore S.A., Butterfield Bank, Skrill Group Ltd.
AAA, Allied Global, Avago Technologies Limited, Aviva, Cardinal Health, CareFusion, Chiquita Brands International, Equifax, Flextronics, HP, Life Time Fitness, McKee Foods, MGM Resorts International, Sanofi, ServiceSource International, Symantec, TripAdvisor, Yahoo!
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP HCM vs. Workday and other solutions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.