Workday Competitors

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Workday is an American software vendor that was founded by David Duffield in 2005.

The company sells cloud-based human capital management (HCM), corporate planning, and finance tools to medium and large enterprises.

In 2021, Workday was ranked #1 in the global HCM industry with an 8.4% market share. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the company’s primary competitors.

 

CompetitorDescriptionKey InsightsCompetitive OverlapDifferentiation
SAP SuccessFactorsA subsidiary of SAP that provides cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software. SAP SuccessFactors competes directly with Workday in the HCM and talent management space.SAP SuccessFactors offers cloud-based HCM solutions, directly competing with Workday in segments like talent management and workforce planning, targeting enterprises seeking comprehensive HCM platforms.Both compete in the HCM and talent management market, offering solutions for HR, talent, and workforce management, with SAP SuccessFactors’ focus on integration with SAP’s broader enterprise solutions.SAP SuccessFactors’ integration with SAP’s broader suite of enterprise software.
Oracle Cloud HCMOracle’s cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and talent management solution. Oracle Cloud HCM competes with Workday in the HCM and HR software sector.Oracle Cloud HCM offers cloud-based HCM and talent management software, directly competing with Workday in segments like HR automation and payroll, targeting organizations looking for integrated HCM solutions.Both compete in the HCM and HR software market, providing HCM and talent management solutions, with Oracle Cloud HCM’s focus on integration with Oracle’s broader suite of business applications.Oracle Cloud HCM’s integration with Oracle’s comprehensive business software ecosystem.
ADP Workforce NowA human capital management (HCM) and payroll solution offered by Automatic Data Processing (ADP). ADP Workforce Now competes with Workday in the HCM and payroll software space.ADP Workforce Now provides HCM and payroll services, directly competing with Workday in segments like payroll processing and benefits administration, targeting businesses seeking a comprehensive HR and payroll solution.Both compete in the HCM and payroll software market, offering HCM and payroll services, with ADP Workforce Now’s focus on payroll expertise and a broad customer base.ADP Workforce Now’s payroll processing capabilities and customer reach.
Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG)A provider of cloud-based HCM, HR, and workforce management solutions. UKG competes with Workday in the HCM and workforce management sector.UKG offers cloud-based HCM and workforce management software, directly competing with Workday in segments like workforce scheduling and HR automation, targeting organizations seeking unified HR and workforce solutions.Both compete in the HCM and workforce management market, offering solutions for HR, workforce management, and payroll, with UKG’s focus on workforce management and a broad customer base.UKG’s workforce management expertise and comprehensive HR solutions.
Ceridian DayforceA cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and workforce management solution offered by Ceridian. Ceridian Dayforce competes with Workday in the HCM and payroll software space.Ceridian Dayforce provides cloud-based HCM and workforce management software, directly competing with Workday in segments like payroll processing and benefits administration, targeting organizations seeking unified HCM and payroll solutions.Both compete in the HCM and payroll software market, offering HCM and workforce management services, with Ceridian Dayforce’s focus on payroll processing and workforce management capabilities.Ceridian Dayforce’s payroll processing expertise and workforce management features.
Paychex FlexA cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and payroll solution offered by Paychex. Paychex Flex competes with Workday in the HCM and payroll software sector.Paychex Flex provides cloud-based HCM and payroll services, directly competing with Workday in segments like payroll processing and HR administration, targeting small to midsize businesses seeking integrated HCM and payroll solutions.Both compete in the HCM and payroll software market, offering HCM and payroll services, with Paychex Flex’s focus on payroll for smaller businesses and HR administration.Paychex Flex’s expertise in payroll processing for small to midsize businesses.
Infor CloudSuite HCMInfor’s cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software solution. Infor CloudSuite HCM competes with Workday in the HCM and talent management space.Infor CloudSuite HCM offers cloud-based HCM and talent management software, directly competing with Workday in segments like talent acquisition and HR analytics, targeting enterprises seeking HCM and talent solutions.Both compete in the HCM and talent management market, providing HCM and talent management software, with Infor CloudSuite HCM’s focus on industry-specific solutions and user experience.Infor CloudSuite HCM’s industry-specific HCM solutions and user-friendly interface.
Cornerstone OnDemandA provider of cloud-based talent management and learning management solutions. Cornerstone OnDemand competes with Workday in the talent management and HR software sector.Cornerstone OnDemand offers cloud-based talent management and learning management software, directly competing with Workday in segments like learning and performance management, targeting businesses seeking talent development and HR solutions.Both compete in the talent management and HR software market, providing talent development and HR solutions, with Cornerstone OnDemand’s focus on learning and performance management.Cornerstone OnDemand’s expertise in talent development and learning solutions.
BambooHRA cloud-based human resources software solution known for its HR and employee management features. BambooHR competes with Workday in the HR and employee management software space.BambooHR offers cloud-based HR and employee management software, directly competing with Workday in segments like HR administration and employee self-service, targeting small to midsize businesses seeking streamlined HR solutions.Both compete in the HR and employee management software market, offering HR and employee management services, with BambooHR’s focus on simplicity and user-friendly HR tools.BambooHR’s user-friendly HR and employee management solutions.
ZenefitsA cloud-based HR platform that offers a range of HR and benefits administration tools. Zenefits competes with Workday in the HR and benefits administration software sector.Zenefits provides cloud-based HR and benefits administration software, directly competing with Workday in segments like benefits management and HR compliance, targeting small to midsize businesses looking for integrated HR and benefits solutions.Both compete in the HR and benefits administration software market, offering HR and benefits tools, with Zenefits’ focus on benefits administration and compliance automation.Zenefits’ benefits administration capabilities and compliance tools.

Oracle HCM

Oracle HCM is a cloud-based human capital management solution and is a significant improvement on Oracle’s former on-premise product known as PeopleSoft.

Oracle HCM is promoted as a complete solution that connects every human resource process from employee recruitment until retirement.

This includes talent management, learning, analytics, workforce management, and payroll.

Companies can also leverage the platform to conduct strategic workforce planning, address health and safety concerns, reduce instances of fraud, and minimize security risks.

Some of Oracle’s major clients include Hitachi, Hormel Foods, Fujifilm, and Fujitsu.

SAP SuccessFactors

SAP SuccessFactors bills itself as a human experience management (HXM) provider that focuses on maximizing employee performance.

Instead of incorporating the standard processes, steps, and procedures of HCM, SAP’s platform delivers a more personalized experience to ensure employees remain productive, motivated, satisfied, and engaged.

SAP SuccessFactors is used by 191 million users across 12,000 businesses of all sizes.

The platform was also named as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in 2021.

Zoho People Plus

Zoho People Plus is a unified HR platform with the entire employee life cycle able to be managed on a single, integrated platform.

The core components of the platform and some of their associated features include:

  • Talent acquisition – candidate sourcing, resume parsing, and offer letter management.
  • Core HR – time and attendance management, document management, and people analytics.
  • Talent management – performance management, 360-degree feedback, and key responsibility areas (KRAs).
  • Employee engagement – internal portal, business-ready charts, and employee social walls.

Zenefits

Zenefits is a solution tailored to expanding companies that desire scalable software.

The platform offers HCM features such as PTO tracking (leave management), streamlined onboarding, performance reviews, employee benefits management, and compliance monitoring.

Customers can take a free trial or choose from three monthly plans charged according to the number of employees.

Features such as payroll and access to Zenefits HR experts can be purchased for an extra fee.

BambooHR

BambooHR collates and organizes the information a company has on its employees and then helps it achieve beneficial outcomes.

The platform, which is aimed at SMBs, is designed to be clear, intuitive, and simple to use.

It also allows small businesses to create a desirable culture that will serve them well in years to come.

BambooHR’s main competitive advantage is its expense tracking, reporting, and employee benefits management capabilities. Notable clients include Asana, Vimeo, Lucid, and SoundCloud.

Key takeaways:

  • Workday is an American software vendor that was founded by David Duffield in 2005. The company is a global leader in the HCM industry with an 8.4% market share.
  • Major players Oracle and SAP also sell a cloud-based HCM product, with the latter redefining HCM as employee experience management (HXM) to maximize employee and organizational performance.
  • Workday competitors who offer more scalable solutions for small to medium-sized businesses include BambooHR and Zenefits.

Workday: Key Highlights and Competitors

  • Founding and Focus: Workday, founded by David Duffield in 2005, is a leading American software vendor specializing in cloud-based solutions for human capital management (HCM), corporate planning, and finance tools.
  • Market Leadership: In 2021, Workday holds the top position in the global HCM industry, with an 8.4% market share, reflecting its significant influence in the field.
  • Primary Competitors:
    1. Oracle HCM: A cloud-based human capital management solution that covers processes from employee recruitment to retirement, including talent management, learning, analytics, workforce management, and payroll.
    2. SAP SuccessFactors: Focuses on human experience management (HXM), delivering personalized experiences to maximize employee performance, engagement, and satisfaction.
    3. Zoho People Plus: Offers a unified HR platform with features for talent acquisition, core HR, talent management, and employee engagement, catering to the entire employee lifecycle.
    4. Zenefits: Tailored for growing companies, Zenefits provides scalable HCM features like leave management, onboarding, performance reviews, benefits management, and compliance monitoring.
    5. BambooHR: Designed for SMBs, BambooHR offers intuitive and user-friendly features, including employee information organization, expense tracking, reporting, and benefits management.
  • Competitive Landscape:
    • Workday’s primary competitors, Oracle and SAP, offer comprehensive cloud-based HCM solutions with a focus on employee management and experience enhancement.
    • BambooHR and Zenefits cater to smaller to medium-sized businesses, providing scalable solutions with features that support employee management and engagement.
  • Influence and Importance:
    • Workday’s leadership and competition drive innovation and customer-centered approaches in the HCM industry.
    • The competitive landscape reflects the evolution of HCM from traditional HR practices to prioritizing employee experience and organizational performance.

Main Free Guides:

Competitors Case Studies

Zoominfo Competitors

zoominfo-competitors
Zoominfo is an American software-as-a-service (SaaS) company founded by Henry Schuck and Kirk Brown in 2007. The company sells access to the most comprehensive B2B database in the world to help sales and marketing teams better communicate with prospects. Zoominfo held an IPO in June 2020 raising $935 million. Like similar software companies that are valuable to remote teams, demand for the Zoominfo platform increased because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is now used by over 20,000 businesses, with clients including T-Mobile, Zoom, Amazon, and Google.

Spotify Competitors

spotify-competitors
Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming platform with over 381 million users across 184 markets around the world. The company was founded by Martin Lorentzon and Daniel Ek in 2008 in response to the shutdown of peer-to-peer music service Napster. Spotify became a success because it was the first company to determine how to distribute music legally and compensate the music industry at the same time. The platform now offers various curated music discovery services, music stations, audio customization, and private listening. In recent times, it has also ventured into the streaming of audiobooks, podcasts, comedy, poetry, and short stories.

Poshmark Competitors

poshmark-competitors
Poshmark is a social commerce marketplace where users can buy and sell new or used clothing. The company was founded in 2011 by Manish Chandra, Tracy Sun, Gautam Golwala, and Chetan Pungaliya. Poshmark is one of many companies looking to profit from the explosive growth in the second-hand clothing and resale industry, which is expected to be worth around $51 billion by 2023. Scores of women, in particular, are opting to sell their unwanted fashion items online instead of donating them to charity or thrift stores.

Afterpay Competitors

afterpay-competitors
Afterpay is an Australian fintech company operating in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the United States.  Founded in 2014 by Nick Molnar and Anthony Eisen, the company enjoyed a first-mover advantage in the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) space. Less than seven years later, the company reached 13.1 million active customers with gross sales amounting to $10.1 billion. Despite its success, some suggest the company has lost its edge in the buy-now-pay-later space with the emergence of several high-profile competitors exerting their influence and giving merchants more choice.

Carvana Competitors

carvana-competitors
Carvana is an online used car retailer with vending machines located around the United States. The company was founded in 2012 by Ryan Keeton, Ben Huston, and Ernest Garcia III. The company is the fastest growing online used car retailer in North America and was recently one of the youngest companies to be added to the Fortune 500 list. While Carvana is currently the only American company selling cars in vending machines, its growth and success have not gone unnoticed by other players. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the company’s major competitors.

Carvana Competitors

carvana-competitors
Carvana is an online used car retailer with vending machines located around the United States. The company was founded in 2012 by Ryan Keeton, Ben Huston, and Ernest Garcia III. The company is the fastest growing online used car retailer in North America and was recently one of the youngest companies to be added to the Fortune 500 list. While Carvana is currently the only American company selling cars in vending machines, its growth and success have not gone unnoticed by other players. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the company’s major competitors.

GoodRx Competitors

goodrx-competitors
GoodRx is an American healthcare company known for its telemedicine platform and a website and mobile app that track prescription drug prices. As part of this service, the company makes drug coupons available for free to consumers. GoodRx was created by Trevor Bezdek, Doug Hirsch, and Scott Marlette. Hirsch, an early employee at both Yahoo and Facebook, got the idea for the company after picking up a prescription with private health insurance and still having to pay $450. Given the high variability in prices between different pharmacies, Hirsh went on a mission to make prescription drug prices more transparent and affordable for ordinary Americans. Revenue in the second quarter of 2021 amounted to $177 million with over 7.5 million app customers using the GoodRx app. While the company was the first to provide a comprehensive list of pharmacy drug prices, new players have entered the market. The rest of this article will be devoted to looking at the main GoodRx competitors.

DoorDash Competitors

DoorDash Competitors
DoorDash is an online food ordering and delivery platform founded by Tony Xu, Stanley Tang, Andy Fang, and Evan Moore in 2013. Together with its subsidiaries, DoorDash has a 56% market share in food delivery and a further 60% in the convenience delivery sector.

Pepsi Competitors

pepsi-competitors
In 1965, PepsiCo acquired Frito-Lay in what the chairmen of both companies called a “marriage made in heaven”. The resultant company transformed PepsiCo from a soft drink organization and set it on a path to becoming one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies.  Today, PepsiCo claims to operate in more than 200 countries and territories around the world with seven distinct divisions and many successful brands.

Coca-Cola Competitors

coca-cola-competitors
The Coca-Cola Company has 21 different billion-dollar brands or brands that generate more than $1 billion or more in revenue each year.  The company also sells its products in nearly every country in the world, with Cuba and North Korea the only two countries where it is not sold officially. What’s more, the Coca-Cola brand is worth $87.6 billion, making it one of the most valuable among all companies. Though these figures allow Coca-Cola to enjoy market dominance in many countries, the company is nevertheless subject to intense competition.

Disney Competitors

disney-competitors
Headquartered in Burbank, California, Disney has global reach and influence with its universally popular resorts, movies, streaming services, video games, and merchandise.  But as one of the largest media conglomerates in the world with a diverse range of products in multiple marketplaces, Disney is no stranger to competition. 

IBM Competitors

ibm-competitors
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is an American multinational technology company. It was founded in New York as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in 1911 by Charles Ranlett Flint. IBM is a diverse company with a similarly diverse portfolio of products and services. It produces and sells hardware, middleware, and software. It also offers hosting and consultancy services in nanotechnology and mainframe computers. What’s more, IBM has a strong culture in research and development, filing the most U.S. patents of any business for the past 28 years.

Uber Competitors

uber-competitors

Starbucks Competitors

starbucks-competitors
Starbucks is a multinational coffee chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker in 1971. From a single and very humble bean roasting store in Pike Place Market, the company is now a global giant operating almost 33,000 stores around the world. This large global footprint obviously increases the competition for Starbucks in many different markets. The coffee industry itself is also highly competitive, with established players including McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Boeing Competitors

boeing-competitors
Boeing is best known for designing and manufacturing commercial aircraft, but the company also produces helicopters, rockets, satellites, spacecraft, missiles, and telecommunications infrastructure. Founded in 1916 by William Boeing in Seattle, Washington, the company is one of the largest aerospace manufacturers and defense contractors in the world.

Google Competitors

google-competitors
While Google (now Alphabet) has been born as a search engine, it is now a diversified company, even though its core business remains search, as most of its revenues still come from Google, the search engine, and YouTube, the “video engine.” However, as a tech giant, which business is primarily based on advertising, the company does compete with Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft (with Bing), and Amazon (with e-commerce search and its advertising machine).

Peloton Competitors

peloton-competitors
Peloton is a media and exercise equipment company primarily making money making money via its fitness products. The idea for the company came from John Foley, who argued that technology could help time-poor individuals get a full workout at home. The company competes with other players like Bowflex, NordicTrack, Life Fitness, MYX Fitness.

IKEA Competitors

ikea-competitors
IKEA was founded in 1943 by Swedish businessman Ingvar Kamprad as a mail-order catalog business. The company is best known for selling affordable flat-pack furniture, but it also sells home accessories and kitchen appliances. Today, IKEA offers approximately 9,500 products across 445 stores in 52 countries. With such broad reach, IKEA is not immune to competition.

Airbnb Competitors

airbnb-competitors
The Airbnb story began in 2008 when two friends shared their accommodation with three travelers looking for a place to stay. Just over a decade later, it is estimated that the company now accounts for over 20% of the vacation rental industry. As a travel platform, Airbnb competes with other brands like Booking.com, VRBO, FlipKey, and given its massive amount of traffic from Google. Also, platforms like Google Travel can be considered potential competitors able to cannibalize part of Airbnb’s market.

Salesforce Competitors

salesforce-competitors
Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) provider, allowing businesses to build meaningful and sustained relationships with their customers. With robust, customizable software that integrates with social media, Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook, the Salesforce CRM platform is rated highly among businesses of all shapes and sizes. Recent data has shown that the company has captured 19.5% of the global CRM market.

Shopify Competitors

shopify-competitors
In just fifteen short years, Shopify has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the fastest-growing eCommerce platforms online. The Shopify eCommerce solution is perhaps best suited to users who desire an easy, flexible and affordable starter solution for their online store. The provider now has upwards of 820,000 stores accounting for 20% of the total market share. However, the continued success of any company in the dynamic digital market is never guaranteed.

Netflix Competitors

netflix-competitors
Netflix is the largest streaming video subscription service in the world. Created by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in 1997, the company has revolutionized the video content subscription model with over 139 million subscribers in 190 countries. The success of Netflix is due to two factors. The first is a recommendation system that gives suggestions on what customers should watch based on their viewing history. The second is the vast catalog of content on offer – produced by third parties and by Netflix itself. These factors have resulted in Netflix competing against influential TV networks and film producers for viewership.

Nike Competitors

nike-competitors

YouTube Competitors

youtube-competitors
YouTube is the most popular online video platform, a hybrid between a video search engine and a social media platform with a continuous feed prompted by social interactions and engagement. In fact, the platform is so popular that YouTube.com is the second most visited website on the internet. After being acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, the platform now boasts over 2 billion registered users. Collectively, these users upload 500 hours of video every minute. The platform competes with other video engines like Vimeo, Dailymotion, and social platforms like IGTV, TikTok, and Twitch.

Zoom Competitors

zoom-competitors
Zoom is a video platform, which enabled remote working. As such it competes with other large tech players like Google and Microsoft for the productivity space, and other startups like Slack and Go-To-Meetings.

Tesla Competitors

tesla-competitors
As an electric automaker and builder of sports cars and now trucks, Tesla’s competitors comprise companies like Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, Rivian Lucid Motors, Toyota, and more. At the same time, Tesla is an electric energy production and storage company (SolarCity); it competes with Sunrun, SunPower, and Vivint Solar. And as an autonomous driving company, it competes with companies like Zoox, Waymo, and Baidu with the self-driving software.

Amazon Competitors

amazon-competitors
Amazon is a consumer e-commerce platform with a diversified business model spanning across e-commerce, cloud, advertising, streaming, and more. Over the years, Amazon acquired several companies. As it operates across several industries, Amazon has a wide range of competitors across each of those industries. For instance, Amazon E-commerce competes with Shopify, Wix, Google, Etsy, eBay, BigCommerce.

Read Next: Business Competition, Direct vs. Indirect Competition

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