Workday vs Paylocity Pricing (2026)
Compare / Workday vs Paylocity
Shortlist
Team size
25 seats

Workday vs Paylocity

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Workday pricing ranges from $100–$300/user/month, while Paylocity ranges from $20–$40/user/month. Paylocity is typically 85% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Workday pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
Workday
Workday pricing ranges from $100 to $300/user/month as of March 2026, with all plans requi
verified 19d ago
$42K $48K
View pricing →
Paylocity
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized busine
verified 22d ago
$42K $48K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Paylocity saves $6.0K vs Workday · 25 seats
Cheapest $42K
Spread 12%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
HCM Advanced
$60K/yr
year 1 license · $200/seat
Professional
$9.0K/yr
year 1 license · $30/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$48K/yr
Vendr · n=314 avg 15% negotiated
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$42K/yr
Vendr · n=13
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 16 sourced facts
9 hidden-cost · 4 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 17 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Annual Renewal Uplift
    5-7% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Full Service Equivalent (FSE) Overage Charges
    $100-$300/employee/month
    1 source
  • Implementation and Professional Services
    50-100% of license costs
    1 source
  • Add-On Module Costs
    20-40% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Security Questionnaire and Compliance Fees
    $1,000-$5,000
    1 source
5 documented
  • Annual Price Increases
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • BaseHR Package Requirement
    $1,000-$3,000
    1 source
  • Implementation Support Time
    $5,000-$15,000
    2 sources
  • Customer Service Delays
    10-20% additional labor time
    3 sources
  • FSA Administration Issues
    5-10 hours/month administrative time
    2 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Workday
Paylocity
Auto-renewal
Yes
✓ No
Cancellation
9-12 months before renewal recommended for serious consideration of alternatives
No official renewal required
Commitment
3 years typical, with 5-6 year agreements available
Typically 1 year
Price escalation
5-7% annual uplift standard, typically structured as CPI + 1-5%. Uplift caps for future renewals can be negotiated (CPI + 2% achieved in some cases). Fiscal year ends January 31.
Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Can downgrade
No
✓ Yes
Based on 7 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
7.5/5 (4)
Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
Best for
Mid-sized enterprises (500-2,000 employees) starting with Workday
Watch out
Terrible applicant tracking experience - forces creation of multiple accounts, doesn't parse resumes correctly
TrustRadius
9.2/5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses needing payroll and basic HR
Watch out
Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Workday pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
HR/HRIS

Workday

$100–$300
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

Paylocity

$20–$40
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Workday and Paylocity both operate in the hr/hris category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Workday Paylocity
HCM Essentials $100 /user/month $20 /user/month
HCM Advanced $200 /user/month $30 /user/month
Enterprise Suite $300 /user/month $40 /user/month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Workday

6 scenarios
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
Around $200/user/month on the most popular plan
Typical Usage
Around $200/user/month on the most popular plan
Typical Usage
See all 6 scenarios →

Paylocity

6 scenarios
$20/month
Starter Setup
$30/month
Growing Business
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 6 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Workday

Median annual cost
$48,201
Average negotiated discount
15%
Based on
314 deals

Paylocity

Median annual cost
$42,240
Based on
13 deals

What Users Say

Workday

Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
TrustRadius
7.5/10 (4)
Top complaints
  • Terrible applicant tracking experience - forces creation of multiple accounts, doesn't parse resumes correctly
  • Extremely buggy and difficult to use for basic tasks like timekeeping and expense reporting
  • Poor mobile experience - can't view schedules or information properly on mobile devices

Paylocity

Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
TrustRadius
9.2/10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
  • Unresponsive support - no callbacks or email responses
  • FSA card repeatedly declines legitimate medical expenses

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Workday 5 hidden costs

high
Annual Renewal Uplift 5-7% of license costs
high
Full Service Equivalent (FSE) Overage Charges $100-$300/employee/month
critical
Implementation and Professional Services 50-100% of license costs
medium
Add-On Module Costs 20-40% of license costs
low
Security Questionnaire and Compliance Fees $1,000-$5,000
See all Workday hidden costs →

Paylocity 6 hidden costs

medium
Annual Price Increases 5-10% of license costs
medium
BaseHR Package Requirement $1,000-$3,000
medium
Implementation Support Time $5,000-$15,000
high
Customer Service Delays 10-20% additional labor time
medium
FSA Administration Issues 5-10 hours/month administrative time
See all Paylocity hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Workday Paylocity
Auto-renewal Yes No
Cancellation 9-12 months before renewal recommended for serious consideration of alternatives No official renewal required
Minimum commitment 3 years typical, with 5-6 year agreements available Typically 1 year
Price escalation 5-7% annual uplift standard, typically structured as CPI + 1-5%. Uplift caps for future renewals can be negotiated (CPI + 2% achieved in some cases). Fiscal year ends January 31. Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Can downgrade No Yes

Continue researching

Workday

Paylocity

Related Comparisons