Head to head

Planday vs UKG Dimensions

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Planday

Sales-quoted 30 day free trial

Planday is shift workforce management for hourly teams in Europe and the UK. It has been owned by Xero since 2021. Pricing is listed as Starter, Plus, and Pro, with Pro custom. A 30-day trial needs no credit card.

Where Planday fits

  • UK and EU hospitality, retail, and healthcare teams already in Xero
  • Managers who need rotas, punch clock, and payroll export in one app
  • Multi-department shops that will grow from Starter into Plus or Pro
  • Operators who want a 30-day no-card trial before a demo

UKG Dimensions

Sales-quoted

UKG Dimensions is now sold as UKG Pro Workforce Management. It is enterprise WFM for shift forecasting, advanced scheduling, and time. Pricing is quoted per employee per month by module.

Where UKG Dimensions fits

  • Large hourly employers that need AI scheduling, forecasting, and FLSA/ACA-style time rules
  • Health systems, manufacturers, and retailers already in the UKG stack
  • Operations teams replacing Kronos Workforce Central-class timekeeping
  • Enterprises that will pair WFM with UKG Pro HCM rather than a point scheduler

At a glance

DetailPlandayUKG Dimensions
Starting priceSales-quotedSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
Free trial30 day free trialNot on record
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underWorkforce managementTime & attendance, Workforce management
Capterra4.3 from 58 reviewsNot enough reviews

Where they pull apart

Planday

Stands out: Approved hours export into Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage 50, Paychex, and TriNet. Auto-schedule and planning metrics sit on higher plans.

Watch out: Xero retired Planday in Australia in 2024 and pointed those customers to Deputy. US buyers should treat this as a Europe and UK product rather than a public USD rate card.

Not the right fit for

  • Australian employers (product retired there in 2024)
  • US enterprises that need UKG-class forecasting and union rules

UKG Dimensions

Stands out: AI-powered scheduling that uses demand history, skills, certifications, preferences, and labor budgets, plus time, accruals, leave, and analytics as separately licensed modules.

Watch out: This is not an SMB shift app. Timekeeping, scheduling, forecasting, and analytics are PEPM modules with implementation typically in the tens to hundreds of thousands. UKG Ready is the smaller-company SKU.

Not the right fit for

  • Cafes and single-site shops that need a free 30-user scheduler (see Sling)
  • Mid-market teams that wanted UKG Ready, not Dimensions-class PEPM modules

Pros and cons

Planday

  • 30-day trial with no credit card
  • Named payroll exports: Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage, Paychex, TriNet
  • Owned by Xero since 2021, with a native hours-to-payroll path
  • No USD amounts on the public pricing page. Pro is custom
  • Retired in Australia in 2024
  • Europe/UK core. Weaker default for US enterprise WFM

UKG Dimensions

  • Enterprise time, AI scheduling, forecasting, and compliance in one UKG suite
  • Module PEPM model so you license timekeeping without buying every add-on
  • Fits complex hourly rules that break SMB schedulers
  • Quoted PEPM plus a heavy implementation
  • Rename to UKG Pro Workforce Management can confuse Dimensions-era RFPs
  • Wrong size for a 30-person shop that needs Sling or Homebase

What each one costs

Planday

Sales-quoted

Planday lists Starter, Plus, and Pro on the pricing page. Pro is custom (book a demo). A 30-day trial is available with no credit card, cancel any time. The vendor does not publish USD plan amounts. Payroll connections include Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage, Paychex, and TriNet. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

UKG Dimensions

Sales-quoted

UKG Pro Workforce Management (formerly UKG Dimensions) is quoted per employee per month by module (timekeeping, scheduling, forecasting, accruals, leave, analytics). The vendor does not publish a public PEPM card. Implementation is scoped separately. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Planday or UKG Dimensions for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. Planday offers a 30 day free trial.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?