Dayforce HCM vs UKG comparison

Read 125 UKG reviews

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89% willing to recommend

Dayforce HCM

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

UKG and Dayforce HCM are leading HCM solutions competing in the same category, both with strengths and weaknesses observed in their feature sets and user reviews. UKG seems to have an upper hand in some areas due to its seamless integration and configurability, while Dayforce HCM is praised for its real-time payroll and time-tracking accuracy.

Features: UKG is recognized for its strong data integration, ease of use in payroll and benefits administration, and efficient self-service modules, with a notable compensation management module that minimizes manual tasks. Dayforce HCM stands out with its sophisticated time and attendance systems and the comprehensive integration of HRIS and payroll processes. It provides a unified view of employee data, from application through performance reviews.

Room for Improvement: UKG needs to address issues with support consistency and integration complexities with acquired products. Enhancing real-time assistance and overall functionality integration could also be beneficial. Dayforce HCM users suggest simplifying reporting and improving customer service communication to better align modules and streamline implementation processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: UKG supports deployment across private, public, and hybrid clouds, though customer service experiences vary, with reports of inconsistent support responsiveness. Dayforce HCM's on-premises and public cloud deployment options offer substantial customization but also face critiques for complex setup processes. Both providers offer strong technical support, though users experience occasional delays in problem-solving.

Pricing and ROI: UKG is perceived as having higher pricing, yet many users find value in its comprehensive features and bundled discounts, ideal for organizations with significant needs. Dayforce HCM has competitive pricing suitable for large enterprises, albeit with higher costs than some users initially expect. ROI tends to be realized gradually through improved operational efficiencies.

To learn more, read our detailed Dayforce HCM vs. UKG Report (Updated: May 2025).

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Dayforce HCM vs. UKG

May 2025

Helped 851,604 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Dayforce HCM

Ranking in Talent Management

8th

Ranking in Cloud HCM

7th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Talent Intelligence (3rd)

UKG

Ranking in Talent Management

6th

Ranking in Cloud HCM

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Benefits Administration (5th), Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (4th), HR Analytics Software (2nd), Talent Acquisition (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of Dayforce HCM is 2.9%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UKG is 5.5%, down from 5.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud HCM

Featured Reviews

Thomas Noorkah

Director of Enterprise Financial Systems at City of Columbus

Greatly improved our efficiency with its integrated time and attendance module

Dayforce has given us near to real-time access to time sheets and clockings since it has an integrated time and attendance module. Within six minutes of someone clocking in, we can see them on the timesheets. Dayforce has enabled us to smooth out our payroll system so not everything is happening at the end of the payroll cycle. We can see the impacts during the week and make it a lot more manageable. It's also been helpful for benefits administration with employees being able to file life and work events online. They can access their pay stubs, request leave, change their address, update their direct deposit details, and other things. We've become much more efficient, and much less paper driven.

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Lonnie Fluck

Senior HR/ Talent Acquisition Leader at FitzDrake Search

Helps us establish system front-end and back-end connectivity, but the recruiting features need improvement

I used UKG to track applicants and create job descriptions. We built the electronic onboarding system to be used nationwide and created a path to integrate with the backend The product's most valuable feature is the ability to establish connectivity between the front and the back end,…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Configuring your HR policies and rules is straightforward."

"Ceridian Dayforce HCM is a stable product."

"We like being able to hire from the Dayforce recruiting module straight into Dayforce and having the file feeds go to our benefits vendor."

"We have been able to automate many of our manual processes."

"The solution's payroll portion is very streamlined."

"The implementation was through a team assigned to us by Ceridian. They were extremely knowledgeable and it made the implementation go very smoothly."

"Dayforce has transformed how we operate by saving us time, paper, accuracy, money, and the employee/supervisor experience."

"Employees like being able to see what entitlements/balances that they have for their time away."

More Dayforce HCM pros

"I have found the most valuable feature to be business intelligence and Cognos reporting."

"The setup process is straightforward."

"The employee self-service feature is most valuable. This is the restaurant industry, and they have a mobile app that allows employees to go in and manage their data. So, employees can manage direct deposit accounts, emergency contacts, and other things in the app. That's definitely the biggest benefit."

"The pay policies and approvals are valuable features."

"The tool improved employee onboarding efficiency, especially in healthcare, where timely onboarding is crucial. This change directly impacted retention rates positively. It was a massive project that involved various teams working together. It took about a year to revamp the entire process and ensure compliance. However, once implemented, it improved employee satisfaction by saving them two whole days in the onboarding process."

"The solution's employee experience is pretty good."

"We use the tool for various functions, including payroll, HR, recruiting, onboarding, and workforce management. We've implemented all these modules across all the clients I've worked with."

"The fact that I can see the whole HR information in a single point is valuable. There is a unified view of everything, which is good. Previously, we had many different systems for each part of the information. Now, it is all centralized. It is very good."

More UKG pros

Cons

"The solution's initial setup was difficult. Also, the solution's initial deployment took around six months."

"Dayforce has its gaps like every HR system, but nothing comes to mind at the moment."

"It would be nice if retro pay calculations were made automatically for salaried payroll, so a calculation and manual entry do not have to be done."

"Many things are presented as though they will be included with the system but then require costly upgrades."

"Management and reporting of the GL costing could be improved."

"One area to be improved is the solution's reporting function, which can be cumbersome."

"Customizing the home screen was difficult; I could not remove certain tabs that were irrelevant to our users."

"I would like to continue to see improvements in the Recruiting module. I would like to see this module interact with Calendars, such as Outlook, etc."

More Dayforce HCM cons

"The solution could use better reporting with standard reports. We use the Cognos platform in BI for a lot of our reporting. However, they need to have more robust standard reporting available to their user base."

"One area where UKG could improve is in its ability to understand its own competency and then work hard to improve it."

"I would like to see more functionality in the next release to be able to get hours and dollars per calendar month rather than just by payroll in the Business Intelligence reports."

"The tool needs improvement on the configuration side."

"I would like the capability to use UKG as a single platform without the need to alternate between systems."

"The solution could improve by simplifying it even more core reports, such as more sample reports, more generic reports that you can edit and improve on yourself."

"The navigation on the screen could be better. Sometimes, I have to dig a little bit deep to find what I need. Everything is there. It just needs to be a little bit smoother."

"UKG has complex clock-in and clock-out features. It changes things too often, and it feels like the tool is constantly changing things without testing before implementing changes in production. Additionally, it doesn't communicate these changes very well."

More UKG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We found the setup costs and pricing to be very reasonable."

"Earlier, the price of the product was reasonable. Under present circumstances, the price or cost of the product has been increased."

"The XOXO program associated with Dayforce allows you to earn credits towards registration and accommodations at their annual Insight Conferences, which can be a real savings to the company when sending employees to the conference."

"I rate the solution's pricing a seven on a scale where one is the lowest and ten is the most expensive."

"Negotiate for everything you want."

"In terms of pricing, the product is expensive. However, it is crucial to take into account the manner in which the solution will be utilized and the availability of other alternatives."

"Ceridian continually enhances Dayforce HCM. Some of these enhancements they charge for and some are just straight enhancements with no extra charge."

"We paid for the implementation costs in the first year with the money that we saved by switching to Dayforce HCM."

"The platform is not affordable but also not the most expensive."

"UKG's pricing and licensing model involves ongoing expenses based on the number of employees paid. The initial implementation cost is low when UKG implements it directly. However, when partners handle the implementation, it becomes more expensive since partners don't receive the monthly recurring fees."

"I wasn't involved in the pricing part. I'm a user, and I believe it is based on the user count. One thing that is nice about Ultimate is that you can learn how to use the system without additional fees. The learning aspect is the life of a product, and the training was a huge reason why we went with Ultimate. We did have some integration costs. They were a part of the implementation because of the integrations to other systems that we included in our implementation."

"While I am unsure of the licensing cost itself, the total cost of implementation and licensing for a company with over 5000 employees would be around 6,00,000. So, there are additional costs beyond licensing."

"The pricing depends on the number of licenses we buy."

"If you're going for the full suite, it can be fairly pricey."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

43%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

84%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Ceridian Dayforce HCM?

The solution's payroll portion is very streamlined.

What needs improvement with Ceridian Dayforce HCM?

Customizing the home screen was difficult; I could not remove certain tabs that were irrelevant to our users. The search functionality is poor as there's no way for administrators to tag keywords t...

What is your primary use case for Ceridian Dayforce HCM?

We have used Dayforce HCM for our HR functionalities and for the learning module over the last five years. We actually just migrated to a new learning management system.

What needs improvement with UKG?

UKG needs more publicity. It is a productive ERP ( /categories/erp ) application, but many people in the IT market are not aware of it. Greater awareness could increase its adoption.

What is your primary use case for UKG?

I worked for a healthcare organization and a university. Most organizations use UKG ( /products/ukg-reviews ) to track employee timesheets, capturing accurate swipe-in and swipe-out data. UKG ( /pr...

What advice do you have for others considering UKG?

Publicity is very important for any software. If people aren't aware of UKG, despite its productivity, they won't use it. Expanding the awareness is essential for greater adoption. Overall, I would...

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Compared 26% of the time

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Compared 17% of the time

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Product Reports

Download Dayforce HCM product report

Dayforce HCM

May 2025

Download UKG product report

April 2025

Also Known As

Ceridian Dayforce HCM, Ascender Talent Management, Ceridian Ideal

UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready

Overview

Dayforce HCM is a global, cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software platform for managing the complete employee lifecycle. This solution was designed to improve the employee experience by bringing together data from across the employment cycle to help managers make better decisions at all levels.

Dayforce HCM is an HR, payroll, benefits, workforce management, and talent management platform. The scalable software uses a single, flexible rules engine, as well as real-time updates and calculations, to help you meet complicated regulatory requirements.

Dayforce reduces the burden of disconnected applications by delivering a single application for all of your human capital management needs. All transactions made anywhere within the application flow seamlessly across all functional areas in real time, eliminating the need for repeated data entry, manual workarounds, and batch operations. This is thanks to a single employee record and a single rule engine. Organizations can achieve shorter training time, faster user adoption, and a faster return on investment.

With Dayforce HCM, users can view all HR data in real time in one place.

Here are some key tasks companies can do with the solution:

Hire the right people
Design work/life balance plans
Manage employee development
Handle payments
Administer benefits
Track compliance throughout the employee lifecycle

Dayforce HCM Features

Dayforce HCM has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Continuous payroll for staff: Dayforce HCM aids in paying staff accurately and on schedule. Give your payroll staff the ability to access and audit data at any time during the pay cycle.

Personnel management: Empower and engage your frontline employees while keeping labor expenses and compliance under control. Make proactive, data-driven decisions that can help you run your business more efficiently.

Optimized staff benefits: Assist employees in selecting the best benefit plans while streamlining administrative tasks. With the help of analytics, you can maximize the value of your benefits investments and gain a better understanding of your costs.

Streamlined human resources: With a single consolidated, real-time solution, you can eliminate HR information silos. Improve HR productivity by streamlining administrative tasks and gaining access to key HR analytics.

Dayforce HCM Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Dayforce HCM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Dayforce HCM aids in planning, hiring, retaining, and building your team, whether they be full-time employees or hourly workers. Insights based on data can help you see around corners and predict the future.

Dayforce HCM helps you keep track of compliance everywhere in order to reduce risk. Simplify compliance in a global workplace. Keep up with complicated payroll and tax requirements from different regions and countries, as well as internal policies and processes. Dayforce can help you reduce the risk – and the cost – of noncompliance.

Dayforce HCM empowers your workforce by improving your employee experience with always-on technologies like Dayforce Wallet. Transform pay, enable self-service, and assist your employees in developing future skills, no matter where they are or what device they are using.

Dayforce

At UKG, our purpose is people — real people with real challenges, and a simple request. Help me keep my employees productive, connected, and happy. So that’s what we did.

We’ve created an unmatched suite of HR and workforce management solutions, backed by our people who care about yours. Our solutions deliver global workforce experiences that truly reflect the connection between life and work today. That means insights are deeper. Work is easier. And interactions are more meaningful.

Sample Customers

ACCO Brands

Tesla, Marriott, Yamaha, Aramark, Feeding America, Samsung, Sony Music, Dave & Buster's, Revlon