Workday vs SAP SuccessFactors

Comparing Workday vs SAP SuccessFactors for human capital management solutions is a good idea. These two products are leaders in the industry and they both provide many tools necessary for managing your organization’s employment practices. 

When evaluating a system that helps you hire top talent, retain great employees, and manage payroll and benefits, you don’t want to cut any corners. We’ll provide a side-by-side comparison of the key features in each system as well as an analysis of which system is better for different types of businesses.

What is Workday?

Workday is an enterprise resource planning software. This robust tool is outstanding for managing your finances, HR, training, onboarding and more, all with one tool. This solution is ideal for medium-to-large enterprises that manage a sizable workforce. 

It provides the ability to manage talent, compliance, learning, development, analytics, payroll and much more all in one place. It also provides employees with self-service tools for tasks like updating their address or submitting requests for time off. 

One feature that Workday provides but SAP SuccessFactors does not offer is the ability to purchase an accounting module. This sets Workday apart because it allows you to handle payroll and accounting within one system for added ease of use. Another feature WorkDay offers that SAP SuccessFactors does not is travel and expense (T&E) management.

What is SAP SuccessFactors?

Much like Workday, SAP SuccessFactors provides many tools in addition to HR, making it a robust platform that can handle your various needs. SAP SuccessFactors vs Workday is a comparable solution to accomplish similar goals and tasks.

One edge that SAP SuccessFactors has over Workday is its solutions for global companies. You’ll find support for various languages and currencies so that your workforce can live just about anywhere in the world. 

Workday vs SAP SuccessFactors: The Breakdown

Although both Workday and SAP SuccessFactors share many similarities in what their products offer, they are stronger in some areas than in others. Compare these top features to see which software is ultimately better for your organization’s unique needs.

Which offers a better comprehensive HCM suite? 

You’re likely comparing SAP SuccessFactors vs Workday because they’re both strong solutions for a comprehensive HCM suite. Even though the features they offer are similar, you’ll find each platform has areas of focus that they’re slightly better at.

In comparing which HCM suite is better for you, you’ll have to first set your priorities for top features to determine which is better based on your needs. For payroll, benefits administration and core HR functionality, Workday is a simpler solution because it is slightly more robust than SAP SuccessFactors.

However, SAP SuccessFactors offers more in-depth tools for recruiting, compensation, learning, development and succession planning. The direction of your organization and its areas of focus will dictate which tool is better for you in this area. 

Which has global expertise?

SAP SuccessFactors is a tool better suited for global companies. It supports more than 40 languages compared to Workday’s 35 languages. SAP SuccessFactors also enables global payroll to more than 40 countries, while Workday supports payroll in only 4 countries.

SAP SuccessFactors helps ensure compliance with laws and regulations for payroll. You’ll get alerts if your payroll distribution shows any red flags before the system initiates the batch payments. You can silence the alerts or make updates before paying your team. 

Additionally, Workday does not have support for visa and permits management, meaning you’ll have to do that work outside of the system. 

Which does better analysis and reporting?

Both Workday and SAP SuccessFactors have outstanding analysis and reporting tools. You can run reports on various data points to better understand your operations and employee distribution.

For ease of use, Workday beats SAP SuccessFactors in pulling reports. While SAP SuccessFactors has more than 2,000 data points that you can use to run and filter reports, this robust offering makes it more challenging to navigate.

Workday also allows for more integrations with outside systems to provide data from other areas of your business that you can cross-reference with your employment information. 

Which is cheaper?

Comparing the cost of Workday vs SAP SuccessFactors is complicated since both companies prepare custom quotes based on your organization’s needs. You can select the modules you need and customize your experience from there. 

Another large factor in the price of these platforms is how many employees you have. Pricing tiers are based on your total number of users and will have a major impact on your total cost for the platform.

The only way to find out which software option will be cheaper for you is to request quotes from each company and compare them.

Which has better UI/UX?

When it comes to ease of use, Workday is the winner. SAP SuccessFactors provides tons of options for things like reporting and international payroll. But with every option comes a more challenging interface to navigate and set up upon initial purchase.

Workday also provides a slightly simpler and easier-to-understand dashboard for employees. This makes directions clear for employees who want to request time off and make changes to their profiles.

Does the platform have good support?

Both Workday and SAP SuccessFactors have strong support options. They provide their customers with a customer support manager who can oversee their experience and setup. During the course of using the product, the customer support manager ensures that the customer is getting the most out of the software.

Additionally, both systems offer users a support community where they can ask questions and crowdsource answers from other users. Both offer a searchable knowledge base to get answers to common questions or step-by-step guidance on setting up various features.

Customers can also choose to upgrade their support to priority for faster turnaround times. The only area where one system has a slight edge over the other is that SAP SuccessFactors offers live chat support and Workday does not.

Which HCM Suite Is Best?

Both Workday and SAP SuccessFactors are powerful human capital management (HCM) tools. You won’t be disappointed if you purchase either one to manage your HCM needs. 

The tools share many of the same options, but Workday has a slight edge for employers with mostly U.S.-based employees thanks to its ease of use and clear reporting features. SAP SuccessFactors is the better option for global companies due to its outstanding support for managing payroll in so many countries.