Skip to content
LeadWave
Checked November 2026

10 Best European Alternatives to Workday (2026)

Workday is an American company based in Pleasanton, California, founded in 2005 by former PeopleSoft executives. It sells cloud software for HR, payroll and finance, mostly to large and multinational employers. It's also known as Workday HCM, Workday Human Capital Management and Workday Payroll. The same list works if you're replacing Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM and UKG Pro. The European alternatives that replace it best are SAP SuccessFactors (Germany) for large enterprises already running SAP, Cegid (France) for large French and European employers and SD Worx (Belgium) for employers paying staff in several European countries.

European alternatives
10
From 7 countries
Keep data in Europe
2
By default, no setting needed
With a free plan
0
No time limit
Open source
0
Can run on your own servers

Workday alternatives from Europe, compared

Best first for someone replacing Workday. Headcount and founding year come from LeadWave's database; prices, hosting and G2 ratings from each company's own pages and G2, checked in November 2026.

European alternatives to Workday
AlternativeHeadquartersFoundedEmployeesG2 ratingFree planPaid plans fromYour dataOpen source
1SAP SuccessFactorsWalldorf, Germany1972—4.2 (1,001 reviews)No—EU region availableNo
2CegidLyon, France19833,9344.2 (30 reviews)No——No
3SD WorxAntwerp, Belgium1945——No——No
4Sage PeopleNewcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom1981—4.4 (43 reviews)No——No
5ZucchettiLodi, Italy1978——No——No
6PersonioMunich, Germany20151,077—No——No
7ZellisBristol, United Kingdom———No——No
8SympaEspoo, Finland20051702.8 (7 reviews)No——No
9CatalystOneOslo, Norway20042214.4 (8 reviews)No—In EuropeNo
10HRworksFreiburg, Germany199851–200—No—In EuropeNo

The 10 alternatives in detail

1. SAP SuccessFactors

Enterprise sales CRM from Germany's SAP

SAP's cloud HCM suite for large and multinational employers, covering core HR, payroll, recruiting, learning and performance. Prices on request.

Compared with Workday: The nearest European match in scope: core HR, payroll and talent management for large multinationals, from SAP in Walldorf. Just as heavy to implement, and priced on request.

Headquarters
Walldorf, Germany
Founded
1972
Your data
EU region available
Price
On request
Free plan
No
G2 rating
4.2 (1,001 reviews)
Best for
Large enterprises already running SAP

2. Cegid

HR, finance and retail software from Lyon

French business software group. Its Cegid HR suite, formerly Talentsoft, covers core HR, recruiting, talent management and learning for mid-size and large employers.

Compared with Workday: Cegid HR, formerly Talentsoft, covers core HR, recruiting, talent and learning for large employers from Lyon. Majority-owned by US fund Silver Lake; prices on request.

Headquarters
Lyon, France
Founded
1983
Employees
3,934
Owned by
Silver Lake (United States)
Your data
Not stated
Price
On request
Free plan
No
G2 rating
4.2 (30 reviews)
Best for
Large French and European employers

3. SD Worx

Payroll and HR software and services across Europe

Belgian provider of payroll, HR and time-tracking software and outsourced payroll, serving employers of all sizes across Europe. Prices on request.

Compared with Workday: Belgian payroll and HR provider that sells software and runs payroll for you across Europe. Suits employers paying staff in many countries; less of a single HCM suite than Workday.

Headquarters
Antwerp, Belgium
Founded
1945
Your data
Not stated
Price
On request
Free plan
No
Best for
Employers paying staff in several European countries

4. Sage People

Cloud HCM for mid-size multinational companies

Sage's cloud HR system for mid-size companies. Built on the Salesforce platform; Sage bought its maker, Fairsail, in 2017. Prices on request.

Compared with Workday: Sage People is cloud HCM for mid-size companies from UK group Sage. It runs on the platform of Salesforce, a US company. Prices on request.

Headquarters
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Founded
1981
Your data
Not stated
Price
On request
Free plan
No
G2 rating
4.4 (43 reviews)
Best for
Mid-size companies with staff in several countries

5. Zucchetti

HR, payroll and time tracking from Italy

Italy's largest software group, selling HR, payroll, time-and-attendance and workforce planning software alongside ERP and retail systems. Prices on request.

Compared with Workday: HR, payroll and time-and-attendance suite from Italy's largest software group. Best fit for employers with large Italian operations; prices on request.

Headquarters
Lodi, Italy
Founded
1978
Your data
Not stated
Price
On request
Free plan
No
Best for
Employers with large Italian operations

6. Personio

All-in-one HR software for mid-size companies

HR platform for small and mid-size companies covering employee records, absence, recruiting, performance reviews and payroll, used in around 70 countries. Prices are quoted on request.

Compared with Workday: For mid-size companies that find Workday too large: core HR, recruiting, performance and payroll in one product, run from Munich. Less depth for complex global enterprises.

Headquarters
Munich, Germany
Founded
2015
Employees
1,077
Funding raised
$524.2M
Your data
Not stated
Price
On request
Free plan
No
Best for
European SMEs replacing spreadsheets and separate HR tools

7. Zellis

Payroll and HR for large UK and Irish employers

Payroll, HR and workforce management software and managed payroll for UK and Irish employers with 500 or more staff. Owned by funds advised by Apax Partners since 2024.

Compared with Workday: Payroll, HR and workforce management for UK and Irish employers with 500 or more staff. A fit when UK payroll is the main need; owned by London investor Apax.

Headquarters
Bristol, United Kingdom
Owned by
Apax Partners (United Kingdom)
Your data
Not stated
Price
On request
Free plan
No
Best for
Large UK and Irish employers

8. Sympa

Configurable core HR for Nordic organisations

Finnish HR system for mid-size and large organisations, built around a configurable employee database, workflows, reporting and integrations. One price per employee per month.

Compared with Workday: Configurable core HR for mid-size and large organisations, mostly in the Nordics, priced per employee per month. Majority-owned by US fund PSG since 2020.

Headquarters
Espoo, Finland
Founded
2005
Employees
170
Funding raised
$4.8M
Owned by
PSG (United States)
Your data
Not stated
Price
On request
Free plan
No
G2 rating
2.8 (7 reviews)
Best for
Nordic organisations with complex HR processes

9. CatalystOne

Core HR, performance and engagement from Norway

Norwegian HCM for mid-size organisations covering core HR, performance management and pulse surveys. Swedish investor Neqst has been a part-owner since 2017. Prices on request.

Compared with Workday: Norwegian HCM for core HR, performance and pulse surveys, hosted on Azure in Sweden and Norway. A lighter choice than Workday for mid-size Nordic employers; prices on request.

Headquarters
Oslo, Norway
Founded
2004
Employees
221
Funding raised
$5M
Your data
In Europe
Price
On request
Free plan
No
G2 rating
4.4 (8 reviews)
Best for
Mid-size Nordic employers

10. HRworks

HR software for German mid-size companies

German cloud HR system covering personnel files, absence, time tracking and travel expenses for mid-size companies. Billed monthly with no minimum term, for at least 20 users.

Compared with Workday: German HR software for mid-size companies, hosted on AWS in Dublin, billed monthly with a 20-user minimum. Covers HR, time and travel expenses, not enterprise talent suites.

Headquarters
Freiburg, Germany
Founded
1998
Employees
51–200
Your data
In Europe
Price
On request
Free plan
No
Best for
German Mittelstand firms needing HR and travel expenses

Why look for a European alternative to Workday?

Workday is headquartered in Pleasanton, United States. These are the reasons buyers in Europe most often give for looking elsewhere:

  • Workday, Inc. is a US company, so US law, including the CLOUD Act, applies to it even when data is stored in Europe.
  • It does host European customers in Europe, naming data centres in Belgium, Germany and Ireland, and in November 2025 announced an EU Sovereign Cloud on AWS, run by EU-based staff, for 2026.
  • It is built for large enterprises, which can be more system, cost and setup than a mid-size company needs.

How this list was made

A company counts as European if it's headquartered in Europe: the EU, the EEA, Switzerland, the UK, or elsewhere in geographic Europe, never Russia or Belarus. Headquarters means where it's run from, not a registered office. Companies founded in Europe but headquartered elsewhere today are listed separately, and a non-European owner is always named.

Each company was checked against its own legal notice, pricing page and data-processing terms, and its G2 page. Headcount, funding and founding year come from LeadWave's database of SaaS companies. No company paid to be listed or ranked.

More European alternatives

Frequently asked questions

It depends on what you use Workday for. SAP SuccessFactors (Germany) for large enterprises already running SAP, Cegid (France) for large French and European employers and SD Worx (Belgium) for employers paying staff in several European countries. All 10 on this page are headquartered in Europe; the table compares their hosting, prices and G2 ratings.