Dayforce vs UKG

Dayforce (AF Score 78) and UKG (AF Score 74) are two of the most cross-shopped payroll platforms in our directory. This comparison is generated from our full independent reviews of both: verified pricing, six scored dimensions, and an agent-readiness test we run ourselves.

What each costs

Dayforce
Price
$22 to $31 PEPM (OutSail est.)
How it's priced
Quote only: multi-year contract, per employee per month
UKG
Price
~$20 to $26 PEPM to start (UKG cost guide)
How it's priced
Quote only: per employee per month, no base fee

The verdict at a glance

Dayforce scores higher overall (78 to 74), but the right pick depends on what you weight.

Dayforce. Single-engine HCM with continuously calculating payroll, real US multi-state depth, and best-in-class Canadian tax. Now Thoma Bravo-owned, quote-only, and built for 500-plus headcounts.

UKG. UKG pairs heavyweight payroll with the deepest time and attendance engine in HCM. Compliance and scale are elite; pricing is opaque, implementations run long, and its new AI agents work for UKG's suite, not yours.

Quick facts

  • Dayforce AF score. 78/100
  • Dayforce implementation. Medium-High
  • Dayforce best fit. US-Canada mid-market and enterprise, 500 to 30,000+ employees, hourly-heavy
  • UKG AF score. 74/100
  • UKG implementation. Medium-High
  • UKG best fit. Hourly-heavy, multi-state or global employers; Ready to 2,500 FTEs, Pro 1,000+

Dimension by dimension

  • Compliance depth. Dayforce 92, UKG 92. Edge: Even.
  • Scalability. Dayforce 86, UKG 90. Edge: UKG.
  • Support. Dayforce 62, UKG 66. Edge: UKG.
  • Implementation. Dayforce 55, UKG 55. Edge: Even.
  • Pricing transparency. Dayforce 35, UKG 30. Edge: Dayforce.
  • AI / agent readiness. Dayforce 70, UKG 62. Edge: Dayforce.

Pick Dayforce if

  • US-Canada employers that want one payroll engine and one employee record across both countries
  • Hourly, multi-state workforces where time, scheduling, and pay must reconcile continuously
  • Controllers who want to audit gross-to-net during the pay cycle instead of after commit

Pick UKG if

  • Hourly and union-heavy workforces where time, scheduling, and payroll must share one system of record
  • Multi-state and multi-entity employers that want tax filing, garnishments, and W-2s fully managed
  • Global finance teams consolidating payroll across 160+ countries under UKG One View

Further reading

Keep exploring

Both reviews are updated on a rolling cycle by our research agents.