Workday vs Personio vs Workant — Which HR Software Fits Growing Companies?
Jun 19, 2025
Choosing the right HR system is a critical decision for any growing company. The market offers a wide range of solutions: heavy enterprise platforms, packaged SMB tools, and modular SaaS systems that scale as your business evolves.
In this article, we compare three different approaches: Workday, Personio, and Workant — and explore which solution fits best depending on your organization’s needs.
🎯 Who Are These Platforms Built For?
Platform | Target Audience |
|---|---|
Workday | Large enterprises, global corporations |
Personio | Small to mid-sized businesses (50–1000 employees) |
Workant | Growing organizations (5–500 employees) |
Workday is a massive enterprise ERP combining HR, finance, and operations.
Personio is a packaged all-in-one HR solution for small companies that need core HR functions fast.
Workant is designed for growth-stage companies that want modular flexibility as their workforce and complexity evolve.
⚙️ Modularity and Scalability
Platform | Modularity |
|---|---|
Workday | Large modular ERP architecture (complex) |
Personio | Fixed feature package (limited expandability) |
Workant | True modular SaaS — add features as needed |
Practical example:
A company starts with Core HR and Time Tracking. After 12 months, they need Project Resourcing and Shift Planning.
With Workday, this means major licensing increases and IT projects.
With Personio, some features may not exist.
With Workant, new modules can be added seamlessly without disrupting existing processes.
🚀 Implementation Speed & Complexity
Platform | Implementation Time |
|---|---|
Workday | 6–12 months |
Personio | 1–3 months |
Workant | Typically under 1 month |
Workant advantage:
No heavy IT projects, no external consultants required. The HR team can launch independently or with Workant’s support.
🔐 Data Privacy and GDPR Compliance
Platform | Data Privacy |
|---|---|
Workday | Global data centers (US/EU mix) |
Personio | Hosted in Germany (EU) |
Workant | Fully EU-based, GDPR-first architecture |
With Workant, your employee data stays entirely within EU infrastructure, ensuring full compliance with European data protection standards — increasingly important for many European organizations.
💼 Core HR Features Comparison
Functionality | Workday | Personio | Workant |
|---|---|---|---|
Core HR | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Time Tracking | ⚠️ (bundled into other modules) | ⚠️ (basic) | ✅ (fully integrated with projects & resourcing) |
Shift Planning | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ✅ |
Project Resourcing | ⚠️ | ❌ | ✅ |
Employee Wellbeing & Surveys | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ✅ |
GDPR Compliance | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Workant’s differentiator:
Fully integrated Time Tracking, Shift Planning, Project Resourcing, and Wellbeing — no need for 3rd-party add-ons or fragile integrations.
📊 Reporting & Analytics
Workday: Powerful BI, but complex (requires technical expertise).
Personio: Basic HR reporting.
Workant: Clean, ready-to-use reports for HR, managers, and leadership — including absence trends, capacity utilization, project costing, and wellbeing insights.
💰 Pricing
Platform | Pricing Model |
|---|---|
Workday | Enterprise contract (high cost) |
Personio | Fixed package pricing |
Workant | Transparent, modular pricing (e.g. Core HR €6/user/month) |
With Workant, you pay only for the modules you actively use — no bloated license packages or long-term commitments.
🎯 When Is Workant the Best Fit?
✅ You want modern HR SaaS without heavy IT implementation
✅ You’re scaling quickly and need flexible module expansion
✅ You need integrated time, shifts, projects, and wellbeing — not disconnected systems
✅ You require strong GDPR compliance with EU data residency
✅ You want transparent, usage-based pricing
Summary
Choosing HR software depends on your business size, growth phase, and complexity.
Workday serves global enterprises.
Personio suits many small businesses.
Workant offers a highly flexible, modular solution for scaling companies who want full control, simplicity, and scalability — without complexity.
