The Problem
Why teams leave Workday
Minimum contracts of $100K+/year
Implementation costs $200K-$1M+
Requires certified Workday consultants for changes
Over-engineered for companies under 1,000 employees
Semi-annual updates require testing and change management
Data model is rigid and hard to customize
What We Build Instead
Your custom hr & people tool
HR, payroll, and talent management sized for your org
Employee self-service portal
Custom workflows for approvals, onboarding, and transitions
Compensation management and benefits administration
Learning management and development tracking
Workforce planning and analytics
The Math
Workday vs. custom build
Based on 500 seats at $12/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Workday
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 500 seats
$143,350
60% less than Workday
Pricing Breakdown
Workday tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Workday's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCM | $8/mo | $8/mo | Core HR, Benefits admin, Talent management, Workforce planning |
| HCM + Payroll | $12/mo | $12/mo | Global payroll, Compensation management, Absence management, Tax compliance |
| HCM + Financial | $18/mo | $18/mo | Financial management, Revenue management, Expenses, Procurement |
| Full Platform | $25/mo | $25/mo | Learning management, Recruiting, Advanced analytics, Prism Analytics |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $50,000–$80,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Workday to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Workday in 12-20 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
2 weeksAudit HR/payroll processes, organizational structure, and compliance needs
Architecture & Design
2-3 weeksDesign comprehensive HR platform with payroll engine and talent modules
Core Development
6-10 weeksBuild HR, payroll, talent management, and workforce planning modules
Data Migration & Testing
2-3 weeksMigrate employee data, payroll history, benefits, and org structures
Deployment & Training
2 weeksPhased rollout by module with comprehensive training program
Total build time
12-20 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Workday features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Workday | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core HR & Employee Records | |||
| Payroll Processing | |||
| Benefits Administration | |||
| Talent Management | |||
| Workforce Planning | |||
| Compensation Management | |||
| Learning Management | |||
| Advanced Analytics (Prism) | Custom analytics dashboard for your HR metrics | ||
| Recruiting | |||
| Financial Management | Use dedicated financial tools — avoid HR/ERP bundling | ||
| Semi-annual Update Cycle | Update on your schedule — no forced upgrade cycles |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Workday offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Workday to ownership in 12-20 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Workday usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom hr & people tool with only the features you need. 12-20 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Workday, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.