Greenhouse vs Workday: Complete 2026 Comparison
Compare a best-of-breed applicant tracking system against a comprehensive enterprise HCM suite. Find the right approach for your recruiting and talent management strategy based on features, pricing, and organisational needs.
Watch: Greenhouse vs Workday
Platform Comparison at a Glance
We've evaluated both platforms across key criteria including features, pricing, usability, and target market. Here's a quick overview to help you make an informed decision:
| Platform | Rating | Pricing | Countries | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best-of-breed applicant tracking system (ATS) with structured hiring methodology, interview scorecards, and deep recruiting workflow automation | 8.7/10 (1600 reviews) | $$$ Custom pricing; typically $6,000-$25,000+/year depending on company size and modules | Available globally, widely adopted in US, UK, and Europe | Mid-market to enterprise organisations (200-10,000+ employees) |
Comprehensive enterprise HCM suite with unified recruiting, payroll, workforce planning, talent management, and AI-powered analytics | 8/10 (3000 reviews) | $$$$ Custom enterprise pricing; typically $100+/employee/year for the full HCM suite | Global presence with payroll support in 100+ countries | Enterprise organisations (1,000-100,000+ employees) |
Detailed Platform Analysis
In-depth review of each platform's features, pricing, strengths, and limitations to help you choose the right solution for your recruiting and talent management needs.
Greenhouse
Key Features
- •Structured hiring methodology with consistent evaluation frameworks
- •Interview scorecards and calibrated candidate assessments
- •DEI hiring tools including anonymised resume reviews and demographic reporting
- •Candidate sourcing with CRM and talent pipeline management
- •500+ integrations with HRIS, payroll, and productivity tools
- •Onboarding module for seamless new-hire transitions
Limitations
- •No HCM, payroll, or broader HR management features
- •Higher price point for a standalone ATS solution
- •Complex initial setup and configuration for structured hiring
- •Focused exclusively on hiring — requires other tools for full HR stack
Best For:
Mid-market to enterprise companies that want the best-in-class recruiting and hiring experience with structured methodology, strong DEI tools, and deep integrations with their existing HR tech stack.
Workday
Key Features
- •Comprehensive HCM suite covering the entire employee lifecycle
- •Global payroll processing across 100+ countries
- •Workforce planning with headcount and financial modelling
- •AI and machine learning-powered analytics and insights
- •Talent marketplace for internal mobility and career pathing
- •Workday Recruiting module integrated natively with HCM data
Limitations
- •Very high total cost of ownership for implementation and licensing
- •Long implementation timelines, often 6-18 months
- •Complex administration requiring dedicated Workday-trained staff
- •Recruiting module is less specialised than dedicated ATS platforms like Greenhouse
Best For:
Large enterprise organisations that need a unified, end-to-end HCM platform with global payroll, workforce planning, and a single system of record for all people data.
Comprehensive Feature Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of key features to help you understand what each platform offers for your recruiting, hiring, and enterprise HR needs.
Recruiting & Hiring
Enterprise Capabilities
| Feature Category | Greenhouse | Workday |
|---|---|---|
Platform Approach | Excellent Best-of-breed ATS Purpose-built recruiting platform that excels at one thing: helping companies hire better | Excellent Unified enterprise suite End-to-end HCM platform covering the full employee lifecycle in a single system |
Recruiting Depth | Excellent Industry-leading recruiting Structured hiring, scorecards, DEI tools, sourcing CRM, and 500+ recruiting integrations | Good Solid recruiting module Functional recruiting with native HCM data but less recruiting-specific depth and innovation |
Enterprise HCM | Limited Recruiting only No payroll, benefits, compensation, or core HR management capabilities | Excellent Full HCM suite Global payroll, benefits, talent management, workforce planning, and financial management |
Integration Strategy | Excellent 500+ recruiting integrations Open ecosystem connecting to HRIS, assessment, sourcing, and background check tools | Good Platform-centric integrations Deep HR/finance integrations within the Workday ecosystem and key enterprise connectors |
Total Cost of Ownership | Good $6K-$25K+/year Lower standalone cost but requires additional tools for HCM, payroll, and other HR needs | Limited $100+/employee/year High licensing and implementation costs, but replaces the entire HR tech stack |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about choosing between Greenhouse and Workday for your recruiting and HR needs.
Should we choose a best-of-breed ATS like Greenhouse or an all-in-one suite like Workday?
It depends on your priorities. If recruiting excellence is your top concern and you want the most advanced hiring workflows, structured interviewing, and DEI tools, Greenhouse as a best-of-breed ATS will outperform Workday's recruiting module. However, if you need a single platform for your entire HR operation — payroll, talent management, workforce planning, and recruiting — Workday's unified suite eliminates data silos and reduces vendor management overhead. Many large enterprises actually use both: Workday as the HCM backbone and Greenhouse for specialised recruiting.
Can you use Greenhouse and Workday together?
Yes, and this is a very common enterprise configuration. Greenhouse offers a robust integration with Workday that syncs candidate data, new-hire records, and job requisition information between the two systems. When a candidate is hired in Greenhouse, their data flows directly into Workday for onboarding, payroll setup, and ongoing HR management. This gives organisations the best of both worlds: Greenhouse's superior recruiting experience paired with Workday's comprehensive HCM capabilities.
Which platform is better for enterprise-level hiring needs?
For pure recruiting functionality, Greenhouse is the stronger choice even at the enterprise level. Its structured hiring methodology, advanced interview scorecards, granular permissions, and 500+ integrations make it the preferred ATS for companies that take hiring seriously. Workday Recruiting is adequate for organisations that prioritise having everything in one platform, but it lacks the depth of features, candidate experience polish, and recruiting-specific innovation that Greenhouse delivers.
How do Greenhouse and Workday compare on integrations?
Greenhouse offers 500+ pre-built integrations specifically designed for the recruiting ecosystem, including sourcing tools, assessment platforms, background check providers, and scheduling solutions. Workday takes a different approach with a tighter but broader integration strategy across HR, finance, and planning — connecting payroll, benefits, ERP systems, and business intelligence tools. If your primary integration need is a rich recruiting tech stack, Greenhouse wins. If you need unified data across HR, finance, and operations, Workday's platform approach is more powerful.
What recruiting-specific features does Greenhouse have that Workday lacks?
Greenhouse offers several recruiting-specific capabilities that Workday's module does not match: structured hiring scorecards with detailed rubrics, anonymised resume review for bias reduction, a dedicated candidate sourcing CRM, advanced referral programme management, customisable offer approval workflows, and granular interview kit creation. Greenhouse also provides more sophisticated recruiting analytics, including pipeline velocity metrics, source quality tracking, and diversity funnel reporting that go well beyond Workday's standard recruiting reports.
How does the total cost of ownership compare between Greenhouse and Workday?
The total cost varies dramatically. Greenhouse typically costs $6,000-$25,000+ per year depending on company size and is relatively quick to implement (4-8 weeks). Workday's HCM suite starts at roughly $100+/employee/year, meaning a 5,000-person company could spend $500,000+ annually on licensing alone, plus $500,000-$2M+ on implementation. However, comparing these directly is misleading since Workday replaces your entire HR tech stack while Greenhouse addresses only recruiting. The right comparison is Greenhouse's cost plus your other HR tools versus Workday's all-in-one pricing.