Paylocity vs Workday

Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?

The short answer

Workday is the stronger AI pick in Payroll: it has a visibility score of 9.7 versus 4.8 for Paylocity, and ranks ahead in 17% of the answers that name both.

Choose Paylocity if…

You need ISO 27001:2022 or SOC 2 Type II coverage
Modern user experience
Strong analytics
High workforce management automation

Choose Workday if…

You want the brand AI engines rank higher (9.7 vs 4.8)
AI answers describe it more positively (29% vs 27% positive)
You need SOC 2 or ISO 27001 or ISO 27017 or ISO 27018 or ISO 27701 or EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (self-certified) coverage
Strong for large enterprise HCM and workforce management

AI visibility side by side

Latest weekly run · Nov 3

Metric	Paylocity	Workday
Visibility score	4.8%	9.7%
Change vs last week	New	New
Rank in Payroll	#19	#13
Share of voice	1.9%	3.4%
Mentions this run	9	15
Positive in AI answers	27%	29%

The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.

Visibility score trend

Weekly runs over the last 60 days

Paylocity 0pp · Workday 0pp over 0 weekly runs.

Engine by engine

Workday leads on 3 of 3 engines

ChatGPT

11.8%

AI Mode

1.7%

10%

Perplexity

4.8%

7.2%

PaylocityWorkday

Head to head in AI answers

6 engine answers name both brands

5Paylocity ranked higher

1Workday ranked higher

Prompt	Engine	Paylocity	Workday
How do I choose a payroll platform for a mid-market team?	ChatGPT	#3	#6
Compare the leading payroll platforms	Perplexity	#10	#13
Official website of the top payroll platform vendors	ChatGPT	#6	#4
Official website of the top payroll platform vendors	Perplexity	#5	#8
Who makes the most used payroll platform?	ChatGPT	#4	#5
What are the pros and cons of ADP Workforce Now?	ChatGPT	#3	#5

Features, pricing & fit

Dimension	Paylocity	Workday
Deployment	Web and mobile app	Cloud-only subscription SaaS with no on-premise edition; Workday ships updates twice a year.
Compliance	ISO 27001:2022, SOC 1, SOC 2 Type II	SOC 1, SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (self-certified)
Support	24/7 access through self-service portal, Expert benefit support assistance, Phone support at 1-800-520-2687	—
Founded	1997	2005
Headquarters	Schaumburg, Illinois	Pleasanton, California
Employees	5,000+	5,000+
Funding	Follow-on offering · $110M raised	Series B
Best for	Mid-sized employers, roughly 50 to 500 employees, that want payroll, HR, finance and IT in one system	—