BreatheHR vs Workday
Last updated October 2026
Looking for a European alternative to Workday? Here's how BreatheHR compares, on EU hosting, GDPR and what it does.
Our pick for a European buyer: BreatheHR. We weight data residency, GDPR and EU jurisdiction above everything else — that is the constraint this directory exists to solve.
What it is
UK HR software for SMEs with GDPR compliance
Cloud-based enterprise software for finance, HR, and analytics.
Headquarters
🇬🇧 GB
🇺🇸 US · 2005
EU data residency
Yes, for all customers
Available on some plansEU data residency is available on request for certain modules and regions.
DSGVO / GDPR
Yes
Yes
Certifications
No
ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II
Price from
£24/mo
No
Free plan
No
No
Open Source
No
No
Integrations
No
SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, ServiceNow
Where each one wins
BreatheHR
Strengths
- +No long-term commitment, cancel anytime
- +Intuitive and easy to navigate interface
- +Fast implementation and onboarding
- +Customizable with additional modules
- +Strong data security measures
- +Employee self-service portal reduces HR admin workload
- +Efficient annual leave management
Limitations
- −Limited advanced reporting features
- −Occasional performance slowdowns
Workday
Strengths
- +Strong analytics and reporting capabilities
- +Scalable for large enterprises
- +Unified platform for HR and finance
- +Robust compliance and security features
Limitations
- −High implementation and maintenance costs
- −Steep learning curve for administrators
- −Complex customization requirements
- −Long implementation timelines
Data residency & compliance
BreatheHR
Workday
EU data residency
Yes, for all customers
Available on some plansEU data residency is available on request for certain modules and regions.
Transfer mechanism
Not required — data stays in the EU
not established
DPA
not established
not established
Certifications
No
ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II
Pricing
BreatheHR
- Starter £24 per month per businessFlat pricing for 1-10 employees · All core features included · 14-day free trial
- Growth £579 per month for 200 employeesScalable for larger teams · Same core features as Starter · Cost-effective for SMEs
Pricing varies by team size; example for 200 employees shown.
Workday
No published pricing we could verify.
Pricing is customized and available on request; typically involves multi-year contracts with license costs varying by module and scale.
Features
BreatheHR
- Core HR
- Absence management, Holiday planner, Document storage, Performance management
- Compliance & automation
- Compliance tools, Workflow automation, HR process automation
- Integrations & scaling
- Integration capabilities, Scalability for growing teams, Add-on options
Workday
- Human Capital Management
- Employee lifecycle management, Talent acquisition and onboarding, Compensation and benefits administration, Time and attendance tracking
- Financial Management
- General ledger and accounting, Expense management, Revenue management, Procurement and sourcing
- Analytics and Reporting
- Customizable dashboards, Predictive analytics, Ad-hoc reporting, Data visualization