BambooHR vs. Workday Human Capital Management

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BambooHR
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
BambooHR is an on-line human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.
$250
per month
Workday HCM
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Workday Human Capital Management is built as a cloud-based system with global consistency in user experience. Workday HCM is part of a broader system with other Workday products.
$100
per year per user
Pricing
BambooHRWorkday Human Capital Management
Editions & Modules
Core
$250
per month
Pro
$250
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BambooHRWorkday HCM
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNo matter what HR looks like at your company, we have the perfect plan for you!
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BambooHRWorkday Human Capital Management
Considered Both Products
BambooHR
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR was already in place when I started. BambooHR has much better intuitive navigation than any of the other systems but not as much customizability as something like Workday.
Chose BambooHR
I think that Workday is a much more robust and intuitive system, but the cost for many small businesses is a barrier to entry for them. BambooHR was selected because a member of our HR team was familiar with the system and was an absolute asset to us as we integrated the …
Chose BambooHR
For small business, like myself, BambooHR is enough. When working for more giant corporations, Workday was amazing. However, I cannot compare their customer service. In terms of user experience, BambooHR is definitely better than the others listed.
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR was a more inclusive package that was much easier to navigate and use according to the team that evaluated it, I was part of this effort. We spent a lot of time on this as we were ditching several other platforms to consolidate to one tool and wanted to make sure we …
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR offers flawless perfoming apps for different operating systems and it is recommended to remote and decentralized teams. It has a quote-based pricing scheme which can be tailored by any business to meet their needs no matter the size and even before making the final …
Chose BambooHR
I have never worked with bamboo before this and I think there is no better program than this one.
Chose BambooHR
UltiPro, from what I remember, was clunky and always had an awkward calculation of my hours. I could not "project" how much PTO I would have when I wanted to take time off in the future. Also, I was planning my maternity leave with UltiPro, and I truly feel like the software …
Chose BambooHR
I would say they both have a lot of strengths for sure. Workday manages data on a mass scale a little bit better in my opinion, but Bamboo HR is more user friendly and pleasing to the eyes.
Chose BambooHR
I did not select BambooHR and there is an ongoing search for the replacement of BambooHR led by our new HR VP.
Workday HCM
Chose Workday Human Capital Management
I've only used BambooHR and used an internally developed software before and those did not have half the features of Workday. That's why we switched to Workday.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
BambooHRWorkday Human Capital Management
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.1
133 Ratings
3% above category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.1
96 Ratings
3% above category average
Employee demographic data7.7112 Ratings8.381 Ratings
Employment history8.7120 Ratings8.291 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.4118 Ratings7.993 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.2105 Ratings8.588 Ratings
Organizational charting7.3117 Ratings8.887 Ratings
Organization and location management8.1107 Ratings8.384 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.663 Ratings6.759 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.0
85 Ratings
0% below category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.2
80 Ratings
2% above category average
Pay calculation8.258 Ratings7.968 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.248 Ratings8.156 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.035 Ratings8.818 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.864 Ratings7.663 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.463 Ratings8.069 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.067 Ratings8.466 Ratings
Reimbursement management6.734 Ratings8.743 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.9
114 Ratings
10% above category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.2
74 Ratings
1% above category average
Approval workflow9.2112 Ratings8.373 Ratings
Balance details8.9104 Ratings8.373 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.493 Ratings8.059 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.6
127 Ratings
6% above category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.1
94 Ratings
0% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.279 Ratings8.583 Ratings
Update personal information9.0126 Ratings8.492 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.7105 Ratings7.373 Ratings
Employee recognition8.483 Ratings7.757 Ratings
View job history8.7118 Ratings8.583 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.7
50 Ratings
1% below category average
Workday Human Capital Management
7.4
25 Ratings
5% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets7.750 Ratings7.425 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.7
102 Ratings
1% above category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.0
78 Ratings
5% above category average
Report builder8.197 Ratings8.474 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.796 Ratings8.176 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data7.469 Ratings7.464 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.6
105 Ratings
7% above category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.3
56 Ratings
3% above category average
New hire portal8.7100 Ratings8.252 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.692 Ratings8.352 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.2
64 Ratings
0% above category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.0
60 Ratings
2% below category average
Corporate goal setting8.248 Ratings8.250 Ratings
Individual goal setting8.262 Ratings8.259 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.247 Ratings7.451 Ratings
Performance tracking8.158 Ratings8.158 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.8
70 Ratings
2% below category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.5
63 Ratings
6% above category average
Performance plans7.563 Ratings8.562 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.856 Ratings8.254 Ratings
Review status tracking7.964 Ratings8.358 Ratings
Review reminders8.165 Ratings8.758 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.861 Ratings8.651 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.1
52 Ratings
11% below category average
Workday Human Capital Management
7.4
40 Ratings
7% below category average
Create succession plans/pools5.834 Ratings8.234 Ratings
Candidate ranking7.742 Ratings7.135 Ratings
Candidate search7.145 Ratings7.638 Ratings
Candidate development7.939 Ratings6.837 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.1
86 Ratings
3% above category average
Workday Human Capital Management
8.1
48 Ratings
3% above category average
Job Requisition Management8.062 Ratings8.145 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.368 Ratings8.339 Ratings
Publish to Social Media8.260 Ratings8.434 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting8.264 Ratings8.440 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.458 Ratings7.539 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.276 Ratings7.940 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.679 Ratings8.444 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BambooHRWorkday Human Capital Management
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.1 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.6 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.2 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BambooHRWorkday Human Capital Management
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(137 ratings)
8.8
(108 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(11 ratings)
9.0
(18 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(64 ratings)
7.0
(13 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(5 ratings)
6.6
(8 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(5 ratings)
7.3
(7 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(58 ratings)
8.0
(22 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(6 ratings)
Online Training
9.2
(4 ratings)
7.0
(7 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.2
(4 ratings)
8.0
(11 ratings)
Configurability
8.6
(4 ratings)
7.5
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.3
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.6
(2 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.9
(5 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
9.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(4 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(4 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
BambooHRWorkday Human Capital Management
Likelihood to Recommend
BambooHR
If someone is looking for a basic HRIS that will serve a small employee population, BambooHR is a great starting point. This works well enough for what a small business needs. It starts to fall apart in larger organizations or as the needs exceed what BambooHR is capable of. There is a severe lack of customization, and it feels like they are afraid of the users breaking the system, so they put in many guardrails. I'm good with having those, but it dampens the experience for more advanced users. Overall, it is a decent starting point, but not a system any company would want to use long-term as they grow.
Read full review
Workday
Workday human capital management is well suited for organizations to manage their employee records. It is also well suited for managing the employee's salary details, also the details of past salary changes, promotions, etc. It has options to keep track of employees' goals for the year, where they can keep track of their progress, and also managers can view the progress or share feedback. This is very helpful for tracking career progress and providing feedback. Other options, like training assigned to employees, can also be seen in Workday; users will get alerts by email for any new assignments or due assignments, etc.
Read full review
Pros
BambooHR
  • The Applicant Tracking System is pretty good. Has a couple flaws but over all it's a really great module.
  • The HR management system works really well and we love how much we can customize things we need.
  • The Reporting feature is one of my favorite things about BambooHR. I can create any report I want and I love that.
Read full review
Workday
  • Groups employees in management hierarchies and creates Org Charts that are easy to navigate and allow for visualizing management chains regardless of employee locations
  • Intuitive and easy to use. The Workday search functionality works very much like Google; one can search for anything that they have access to in the database and drill down into the various details. All information is connected through hyperlinks and users can easily keep digging into the details for as far as their security access would take them.
  • Tasks such as to do, review or approve items are sent to the user's Workday Inbox, very much resembling email. Notifications about outstanding "to do" items are also sent to each the user's work email address on a daily basis.
Read full review
Cons
BambooHR
  • The performance feature is a little clunky and not adjustable, so I would love to have more customizable options.
  • When a candidate signs an offer letter, it would be great if it could show up under the documents tab. Right now, it gets a little buried.
Read full review
Workday
  • The web interface is awful
  • Terrible, terrible, UI. No modern features like auto-save. I can't count the times I have lost work.
  • Their UX team (if it even exists) must be aliens, because I can't see how humans would have come up with the UI conventions they have.
  • Who creates a website application where you can't open stuff in multiple browser windows and tabs easily?
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
BambooHR
There's nothing wrong with this platform. I would recommend it to any business starting with more than 10 employees. I will continue to use the program for as long as I need to, hoping they continue being tremendous and finding other ways to incorporate more technology.
Read full review
Workday
It is work to make one system the source of truth for our data, but now that it is done, there is less work involved in staying on this path. This means for us that maintaining and/or implementing new modules like performance, finance, talent, etc. is simple. It's a no-brainer
Read full review
Usability
BambooHR
It is a very easy page to manage for people that are not used to computers or technology in general. That is one of the main reasons Hermosillo chose this service. It has a very friendly UI for every employee to understand, and that is really important because, in the end, we want our employees to feel comfortable looking at their information.
Read full review
Workday
Workday's on a great path in terms of user experience. Their goals is to deliver a use experience that doesn't require training or instruction, like Amazon on the consumer side for example. That's hard to do when you're talking about complex business processes and important and sensitive employee information, but they're doing it well
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
BambooHR
Yes, there is a huge team in the back of the online platform or it looks like it because I have never been left without an answer when I have a question or waiting from a response on my chat .... There must be a huge team, this is so great and I always seem to have someone that is very knowledgeable too. So many times in the past I had to leave with customer service that would connect you with someone else because of the expertise, here everyone seems to be some kind of an expert in the HR function.
Read full review
Workday
In 2014, Workday has changed the update process. There will be two updates a year; the updates will be delivered to customers typically in a 24 hour window during these two weekends a year. They also keep the Community up-to-date about any planned outages, etc. There is weekly scheduled downtime on Friday night.
Read full review
Performance
BambooHR
I love BambooHR. Reports are easy to run and download and it usually covers any types of requests I get from the management team. You get excel or .csv downloads/reports and it is fast and simple, not too crowded so it is easy to read through. We don't integrate the tool yet but again, soon we will. we just did not had the time to utilize it yet but that's the plan.
Read full review
Workday
From my perspective, the system runs like a well oiled machine and I have not had any issues with customers complaining about speed. If a report is taking long to run, the report can run in the background and you can go about your business. For larger enterprises, there is additional space and machines to process the application in what Workday refers to it as Extended Configuration Tenant
Read full review
Support Rating
BambooHR
The support is good, they can respond, however the chat sometimes has line to wait, and sometimes you miss your window because you have to keep working. However, they do respond to inquiries and help you to navigate and solve your problems in a timely manner. So, I don't have complaints on that.
Read full review
Workday
Workday is still learning about the needs of higher education. I have seen rapid improvement in support and knowledge over the last year so am confident this will continue to improve. Overall however, I have found the Support Team to be extremely responsive and Workday offers the advantage of having support across several timezones so that we never wait more than a few hours for a response.
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In-Person Training
BambooHR
I didn't have in-person training besides teaching my managers how to use the program. However, I couldn't omit this question (maybe a system glitch).
Read full review
Workday
Some training is offered online. Cost is per-person. This also gets quite expensive. Training doesn’t follow a logical path A to B. Starts in middle. When you try to do it afterwards at your desk, difficult.
• Training scenarios are not very real
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Online Training
BambooHR
As far as I can recall, everything went well with doing it online and got questions answered. Was thankful to work with a dummy file to get used to some practices prior to getting our own domain within bamboo to then place our personnel information in the system, this helped a lot!
Read full review
Workday
I have done for report writing and mass imports (EIBs). They give materials and you run through examples, i.e. you don’t just watch them do tasks, so that is helpful. Training is expensive – a single reporting writing class is $600 per person for virtual training
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Implementation Rating
BambooHR
BambooHR's initial implementation team was amazing. We loved having a dedicated person we could call, email or speak to during the entire process. I feel that's so important when you are new to a software. Our process was time consuming, but well worth the final product.
Read full review
Workday
It was implemented before my joining the company. At my last company, we used Workday professional services.

Based upon my experience at my last company, I would rate the implementation experience an 8/10. There are different ways to set things up and we had different people telling us different things. It set us back a couple of times.

Regarding configuration advice, we could set things up where every manager has supervisory organizations, or have it financially based i.e. aligned to cost center/department. We chose the individual manager path and I think we should have chosen a department route. Going down the individual manager path, to maintain the information, we have to inactivate a supervisory org whenever a manager changes/leaves.
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Alternatives Considered
BambooHR
BambooHR was already in place when I started. BambooHR has much better intuitive navigation than any of the other systems but not as much customizability as something like Workday
Read full review
Workday
Unfortunately, I do not recall the brands of the other human capital management software programs or tools I used at my current company or workplaces prior. I do think that is a testament to Workday with its strong branding and compelling features. I was not part of the selection process of Workday but have enjoyed my experience.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
BambooHR
Since my organization has dropped with employees, I always find ways to reduce costs. I thought there would be a cheaper option, but I was glad that my package included a lot for the price, and downgrading would cost more. The rep could have let me downgraded and taken me to a higher package. I am thankful that didn't happen.
Read full review
Workday
No answers on this topic
Scalability
BambooHR
There is so much you can do with this platform, it is incredible and so welcoming. We don't utilize it 100% yet just because we are growing and the HR team has not been able to concentrate on other areas offered to us but but we will soon. Which is also why we got the product, specifically because what BambooHR can do to help us meet our growing business needs.
Read full review
Workday
Workday has released Financials and is continuing to develop it's Human Capital Management footprint with the addition of Workday Recruiting. I think customers will find that is easy to add on additional functionality in the system. Workday does make it easy for customers to make changes without relying on IT resources. The Business Process framework is a visual tool that allows functional resources to make changes and see the flow of the transaction
Read full review
Professional Services
BambooHR
VERY professional!
Read full review
Workday
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
BambooHR
  • Self Service is great to free up time for Admin.
  • Self-Service/ Tracked PTO and sick days are easy to use and track very well. This frees up Admin time and is transparent for all employees.
  • Easy to use Job postings with very trackable sourcing reports.
  • Easy to use. Easy to onboard and user friendly interface. Requires minimal training.
Read full review
Workday
  • Positive ROI, we were one of the first organizations that went with Workday HCM, and we received numerous discounts. Cloud systems are the way to go and we feel the system is stable for our growing work force.
  • The user conferences have been helpful to network and learn more deepness in the modules and functionality.
  • Right off the bat, our implementation costs were lower than budgeted and we had less 'billing' surprises.
Read full review
ScreenShots

BambooHR Screenshots

Screenshot of BambooHR's Reporting