Dayforce HCM vs UKG comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Dayforce and UKG are both solutions in the Cloud HCM category. Dayforce is ranked #11, while UKG is ranked #6 with an average rating of 9.0. Dayforce holds a 2.4% mindshare in CHCM, compared to UKG’s 5.0% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Dayforce users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of UKG users who would recommend it.

Dayforce HCM

Read 15 Dayforce HCM reviews

4,988 Views
3,891 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

UKG

Read 125 UKG reviews

13,998 Views
7,559 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Dayforce HCM

UKG

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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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: October 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Dayforce HCM vs. UKG

October 2026

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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

19th

Ranking in Cloud HCM

11th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Talent Intelligence (12th)

UKG

Ranking in Talent Management

6th

Ranking in Cloud HCM

6th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Benefits Administration (3rd), Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (2nd), HR Analytics Software (2nd), Talent Acquisition (7th), AI-Agents for HR (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of Dayforce HCM is 2.4%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UKG is 5.0%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud HCM Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
UKG	5.0%
Dayforce HCM	2.4%
Other	92.6%

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.

Read full review

Harish_Mahanta

Works

Streamlined time tracking boosts operational efficiency across multiple regions

The time tracking feature is the most effective for employee management. UKG is used in Europe, the United States, Australia, and East Asian countries for HR activities like payroll. The application is like an ERP, providing comprehensive features for organizations, simplifying their processes, and reducing the need to use multiple software solutions.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Statutory holiday pay is calculated automatically."

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

"The integrated time clock has provided efficiencies in payroll, as we no longer have to decipher handwritten time sheets and input them into the system."

"Our employee benefits enrollment is managed through Ceridian Dayforce, which makes for a limited manual process."

"It has created efficiencies in HR and Payroll by eliminating double entry into two systems, implementing a time clock feature for hourly employees, and by having a downloadable general ledger (G/L) constructing journal entering for payroll."

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

"We needed a comprehensive HR software solution, and we found it with Ceridian Dayforce."

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

More Dayforce HCM pros

"We have been able to put responsibility out to managers to manage their employee information instead of submitting forms."

"Information available to employees and ease of processing payroll."

"It enables us to manage the system ourselves. We don't need an additional team to do a lot of maintenance and add the things that we want."

"It allows me to disseminate the information in the way I see fit."

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

"Customer Service: Top notch. Technical Support: Top notch."

"Immediate data and reporting Reliable (based on parameters given)"

"Customer service is good."

More UKG pros

Cons

"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."

"Our current software program offers a home page with important company documents and a place for company announcements. Unfortunately, Ceridian Dayfoce does not offer this."

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

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

"The reporting could be improved."

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

"The product they sell you is not the end product. Many things are presented as though they will be included with the system but then require costly upgrades."

"The solution's dashboards and geofencing could be improved."

More Dayforce HCM cons

"The feature needs to be able to differentiate weekdays from weekends when calculating the PTO hours when requesting PTO days."

"We did encounter deployment issues. This was our first year using the printing services, and our W-2s were done incorrectly for three of our states."

"Security was difficult in that it was all from scratch - no real templates, starting points, best practices."

"I would like to see more options for automating 401k feeds/imports."

"A chat feature for customer support would be great. Some questions are simple that we shouldn't have to create a case just to get an answer for (emails do not get answered for several days, if at all)."

"Ultimate is growing fast and this has occasionally impacted response time with the customer support team."

"Customer Service: Average."

"Advanced benefits administration should include more-complex benefit setups (ex: items dependent on something else)."

More UKG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Negotiate for everything you want."

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

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

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

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

14%

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

12%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	48
Midsize Enterprise	43
Large Enterprise	48

Questions from the Community

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Earn 20 points

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Workday HCM vs Dayforce HCM

Compared 17% of the time

SAP SuccessFactors vs Dayforce HCM

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle HCM Cloud vs Dayforce HCM

Compared 8% of the time

PeopleSoft vs Dayforce HCM

Compared 3% of the time

ADP Workforce Now vs Dayforce HCM

Compared 3% of the time

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Workday HCM vs UKG

Compared 12% of the time

SAP SuccessFactors vs UKG

Compared 8% of the time

SAP HCM vs UKG

Compared 4% of the time

PeopleSoft vs UKG

Compared 4% of the time

IBM Kenexa vs UKG

Compared 2% of the time

More UKG Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dayforce HCM

November 2026

Download Dayforce HCM product report

Buyer's Guide

UKG

October 2026

Download UKG product report

Also Known As

Ceridian Dayforce HCM, Ascender Talent Management, Ceridian Ideal

UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready

Overview

Dayforce HCM offers an integrated platform that combines timekeeping, payroll, and benefits management, enhancing HR operations with mobile access and transparent pay details across North America.

Dayforce HCM delivers comprehensive HR, payroll, and talent management tools within a cloud-based solution. It simplifies ACA, FMLA, and COBRA compliance while providing mobile and web access to payroll information. Its reporting capabilities are robust, and it features intuitive content management. The platform enhances efficiency with integrated time and attendance management, meeting payroll needs across Canada and the US. However, areas for improvement include retro pay calculations, user-friendliness, reporting, and customer service. Users also highlight the need for advancements in the Recruiting module, calendar integration, custom forms, and addressing import glitches and additional feature costs.

What are the key features?

Integrated Timekeeping: Streamlines payroll by eliminating manual entries.
Benefits Module: Simplifies management of ACA, FMLA, and COBRA.
Mobile and Web Access: Provides transparency in pay details.
Time and Attendance Integration: Boosts administrative efficiency.
Comprehensive Suite: Reduces reliance on multiple software for HR, payroll, and talent management.

Which benefits and ROI should users consider?

Streamlined Payroll: Efficient for companies operating in Canada and the US.
Robust Reporting: Enhances decision-making with comprehensive data analytics.
Intuitive Content Management: Simplifies HR management processes.

Organizations use Dayforce HCM for managing payroll, benefits administration, recruiting, and performance management, integrating HR functionalities on a cloud platform. Industries appreciate its ability to manage HR tasks efficiently, providing analytics and mobile features essential for handling HR processes and reporting.

Dayforce

UKG offers a comprehensive suite for payroll processing, HR management, and business intelligence, integrating seamlessly with systems like PeopleSoft and Workday. Its cloud-based service enhances workforce management across industries with advanced customization and intuitive use.

UKG's extensive features include payroll processing, business intelligence reporting, and self-service options for employees and managers. The platform is designed for ease of integration, providing a user-friendly experience with extensive onboarding tools and robust data management. While UKG excels in configuration and reporting capabilities, it requires improvements in customer support and benefits administration flexibility. Implementation can be complex, and areas such as real-time support and automated processes need refinement.

What are UKG's most valued features?

Payroll Processing: Streamlined for accurate and efficient transactions.
Business Intelligence Reporting: Offers insightful data analytics to inform decision-making.
Employee and Manager Self-service: Empowers users with access to essential tools and information.
Benefits Administration: Manages employee benefits with ease.
Data Integration: Ensures seamless interaction with other systems, enhancing performance.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Improved Employee Satisfaction: Cloud-based updates foster an engaging environment.
Streamlined HR Activities: Integrates with existing systems to enhance operation efficiency.
Ease of Use: Users appreciate its intuitive design and customization options.

UKG is leveraged across multiple industries for its robust functionalities in payroll and HR management, supporting recruitment, onboarding, and workforce dynamics. The platform's integration with time management and learning modules supports comprehensive employee management and compliance across global deployments.

UKG

Sample Customers

ACCO Brands

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

Buyer's Guide

Dayforce HCM vs. UKG

October 2026

Free Report: Dayforce HCM vs. UKG

Find out what your peers are saying about Dayforce HCM vs. UKG and other solutions. Updated: October 2026.

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