UKG vs Workday — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Both UKG and Workday use custom pricing — request quotes from each to compare.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- UKG (Unknown model) — UKG bills on a fixed plan, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
- Workday (Per Usage) — Workday bills purely on usage — employees + modules. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
The Workforce Operating Platform formed from the 2020 merger of Kronos and Ultimate Software ($22B combined). Positioned as the workforce-management-first alternative to Workday for shift-heavy industries (retail, healthcare, manufacturing) where time tracking + labor forecasting matter as much as HRIS. Distinctive for combining Kronos's deep time-and-labor engine with Ultimate's people-first HRIS. Priced quote-based (~$8-$15/employee/mo reference) across UKG Ready (SMB-mid), UKG Pro (mid-large), and UKG Pro Enterprise. Private-equity owned by Hellman & Friedman + Blackstone. Serves 80K+ organizations globally.
The dominant enterprise HR + Finance ERP, publicly traded (WDAY), ~$70B market cap. Positioned as the alternative to Oracle HCM Cloud and SAP SuccessFactors for large enterprises. Distinctive for its all-in-one HCM + Finance suite (Workday Financial Management) that few competitors match at scale. Pricing opaque, quote-only, typically $100-$400/employee/year with $500K-$5M+ implementation fees. Best fit for 1000+ employee organizations; overkill for anyone smaller.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | UKG monthly | UKG annual | Workday monthly | Workday annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | UKG Ready / — | $21 | $21 | — | — |
| Pro / power | UKG Pro / — | $27 | $27 | — | — |
| Enterprise | UKG Pro Enterprise / — | Custom | Custom | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
UKG is worth it if… mid-market to enterprise companies (500-50,000+ employees) with shift-based workforces — particularly retail, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality where time-tracking accuracy and labor-forecasting matter as much as HR. UKG Ready covers SMB-mid (50-500 employees); UKG Pro for mid-large (500-5K); UKG Pro Enterprise for 5K+.
Workday is worth it if… large enterprises (5,000+ employees) that need cloud HRIS + payroll + financials + planning as a unified suite — particularly if you're a Fortune 500 running complex global HR operations. Custom-quoted per employee + modules; typical mid-market to enterprise contracts $200K-$5M+/year.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose UKG over Workday if…
Choose UKG if…
- You're comfortable with UKG's a free entry tier entry point.
- You match the profile UKG is built for: mid-market to enterprise companies (500-50,000+ employees) with shift-based workforces — particularly retail, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality where time-tracking accuracy and labor-forecasting matter as much as HR.
- You're building for healthcare and hospitality.
Choose Workday if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Workday is built for: large enterprises (5,000+ employees) that need cloud HRIS + payroll + financials + planning as a unified suite — particularly if you're a Fortune 500 running complex global HR operations.
- You need a general-purpose hr & people option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| UKG | Workday | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | — |
| Entry price | Custom pricing | Custom pricing |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | — | Per Usage |
| Verification | Pricing under review | Verified September 26, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 26, 2026. Verification cadence varies by tool; check each tool page.