The 13 Best Xero Workday Integrations in 2026

Connecting your accounting and HR systems is the key to streamlining payroll, automating data entry, and getting a clear financial picture. If you're using Xero for accounting and Workday for HR or finance, you need a reliable way to make them talk to each other. This article details the 13 best Xero and Workday integration methods available in 2026, helping you choose the right fit for your company’s size, budget, and technical resources.

1. Celigo

Celigo is an enterprise-grade Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) that offers robust, pre-built connectors for Xero and Workday. It's designed for complex workflows, allowing you to sync everything from employee payroll data and expense reimbursements to journal entries and financial reports. Celigo’s strength is its ability to handle high data volumes and sophisticated business logic, making it a favorite for large organizations with dedicated IT support.

• Pros:
  • Pre-built templates for common HR and finance workflows
  • Highly scalable and can manage large data volumes
  • Offers extensive customization to fit specific business processes
  • Provides tools for error monitoring and management
• Cons:
  • Requires technical expertise for initial setup and maintenance
  • Can be expensive, with pricing geared toward large enterprises
  • The user interface can be complex for non-technical users
• Pricing:
  • Custom pricing based on data volume, endpoints, and support level. Contact Celigo for a quote.

Who it's best for: Large enterprises that need a powerful, fully customizable integration platform and have the IT resources to manage it.

2. MuleSoft Anypoint Platform

MuleSoft, owned by Salesforce, takes an API-led approach to integration, allowing businesses to build a network of connected apps and services. Connecting Xero and Workday via MuleSoft means creating custom, reusable APIs that sync data in real time. This method is exceptionally flexible and is ideal for businesses that are building a broad, interconnected application ecosystem beyond just linking their HR and finance systems.

• Pros:
  • Extremely flexible and scalable due to its API-centric design
  • Allows for the creation of reusable integration assets
  • Part of the Salesforce ecosystem, offering strong support and reliability
  • Large library of connectors for other enterprise systems
• Cons:
  • Has a steep learning curve and requires specialized development skills
  • High overall cost of ownership, including subscription and implementation
  • May be overkill for businesses that only need a direct point-to-point connection
• Pricing:
  • Subscription-based enterprise-tier pricing. You'll need to contact MuleSoft for a detailed quote.

Who it's best for: Organizations with in-house developers or an IT team dedicated to building and maintaining a sophisticated, API-driven integration network.

3. Workato

Workato is a leader in the low-code integration space, providing a user-friendly platform for automating workflows between Xero and Workday. It uses "recipes"—pre-built automation sequences—to sync data for employee onboarding, payroll processing, and expense management. This approach makes it accessible to finance and HR teams without needing deep technical intervention, accelerating deployment and time-to-value.

• Pros:
  • Intuitive, low-code interface that is easy to learn and use
  • Large library of pre-built "recipes" to speed up deployment
  • Powerful enough to handle moderately complex business logic
  • Strong error handling and real-time monitoring features
• Cons:
  • Can become expensive as recipe complexity and transaction volume increases
  • Advanced customizations might still require technical assistance
  • Best suited for workflows that fit within the platform's recipe structure
• Pricing:
  • Plans typically start around $499 per month, but pricing is usage-based and scales with your needs.

Who it's best for: Mid-market to large companies that want a balance of power and user-friendliness for rapid, scalable automation.

4. Zapier

Zapier is the go-to automation tool for simple, straightforward connections between web apps. While not supporting the deep, bi-directional sync of an iPaaS, it excels at creating simple, trigger-based workflows ("Zaps"). For example, you could automatically create a new employee profile in a connected app when they are added to Workday or send a notification when an invoice is paid in Xero. It's affordable, incredibly easy to use, and requires no coding knowledge.

• Pros:
  • Extremely easy to set up with a no-code, point-and-click interface
  • Supports thousands of applications, offering great flexibility
  • Affordable pricing with a free tier for basic needs
  • Ideal for automating simple, repetitive tasks
• Cons:
  • Not suitable for complex, multi-step financial data synchronization
  • Lacks the error handling and debugging tools of enterprise platforms
  • Can be limited in the data fields it can access and manipulate
• Pricing:
  • Free plan with limited Zaps and tasks.
  • Paid plans start at $19.99 per month for more advanced features and higher task limits.

Who it's best for: Small to mid-sized businesses or individual departments that need to automate simple, one-way data transfers and notifications.

5. Celigo for Mid-Market

Recognizing the needs of companies that aren't quite at the enterprise level, Celigo offers solutions specifically for mid-market businesses. This version of the platform provides the same core reliability and pre-built connectors as its enterprise counterpart but is packaged for easier deployment and a more accessible price point. It’s perfect for growing companies that need a scalable integration solution but don’t have a large, dedicated IT team.

• Pros:
  • Brings enterprise-grade power to mid-sized businesses
  • Streamlined deployment process focused on common workflows
  • Scales as your business grows
  • More affordable than the full enterprise version
• Cons:
  • May still be more complex than low-code alternatives like Zapier or Workato
  • Customization options may be more limited than the enterprise plan
• Pricing:
  • Custom pricing tailored for mid-market budgets. Contact Celigo for specifics.

Who it's best for: Growing mid-market companies that have outgrown simple connectors and need a more robust, scalable platform without the enterprise complexity.

6. Custom API Integration

For organizations with unique requirements, a custom integration built using the official Xero and Workday APIs offers complete control. This approach lets you build a solution tailored precisely to your workflows, data security needs, and user interface preferences. While it provides the ultimate flexibility, it also requires significant upfront investment in development resources and a commitment to ongoing maintenance to accommodate API updates and changes.

• Pros:
  • Completely customizable to your exact business needs
  • Full control over data flow, security, and the user experience
  • No reliance on third-party platform limitations or subscription fees
  • Can handle highly specific business logic that off-the-shelf tools can't
• Cons:
  • High initial cost and time investment for development
  • Requires continuous maintenance and updates by a skilled development team
  • Lacks the pre-built error monitoring and reporting of iPaaS platforms
• Pricing:
  • Varies significantly based on project scope, developer rates, and hosting costs. Expect tens of thousands to well over six figures.

Who it's best for: Tech-savvy enterprises with dedicated in-house developers and a clear business case for a completely bespoke integration.

7. SAP Cloud Platform Integration

If your technology stack already includes SAP products, using the SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI) to connect Xero and Workday can be a natural choice. CPI is built to connect disparate systems within a larger enterprise environment, particularly when SAP is the central hub. It provides pre-built content and connectors that can facilitate data exchange between cloud and on-premise systems, ensuring your HR and finance data flows cleanly within your existing architecture.

• Pros:
  • Integrates seamlessly with an existing SAP ecosystem
  • Enterprise-grade security and reliability
  • Supports both cloud-to-cloud and hybrid integration scenarios
  • Designed for complex, multi-system environments
• Cons:
  • Primarily viable for companies already invested in SAP
  • High degree of complexity requires specialized SAP knowledge
  • Can be costly to license and implement
• Pricing:
  • Custom enterprise pricing. Contact an SAP representative for details.

Who it's best for: Large enterprises that run on SAP and need to integrate Workday and Xero into their broader operational framework.

8. Pre-Built Connectors from iPaaS Platforms

Beyond the major players, several other iPaaS vendors like Boomi and Jitterbit offer pre-built connectors designed for rapid deployment. These platforms aim to simplify the connection between Xero and Workday by providing templates for the most common integration points, such as syncing employee payroll data to the general ledger. They aim for a middle ground between the simplicity of Zapier and the complexity of MuleSoft, making them a solid choice for mid-sized businesses with standard integration needs.

• Pros:
  • Faster to deploy than enterprise-oriented solutions or custom builds
  • Typically includes visual workflow builders for easier management
  • Designed to support common HR and accounting data flows "out of the box"
• Cons:
  • Customization can be limited compared to more flexible platforms
  • Pricing models are often subscription-based and can vary by data volume
• Pricing:
  • Usually subscription-based with pricing determined by the number of endpoints and data throughput.

Who it's best for: Mid-sized companies looking for a faster, templated approach to integrating their key HR and financial systems.

9. Xero App Store & Workday Marketplace

It’s always worth checking a platform’s native app store first. The Xero App Store and Workday Marketplace may feature purpose-built apps that solve specific, smaller integration needs. These are often developed by third parties to handle niche tasks, like syncing expense reports from a specific tool that links with both platforms. While you probably won't find a single app for a full payroll-to-GL integration, you might discover verified tools that solve a particular pain point in your workflow.

• Pros:
  • Apps are often pre-vetted and approved by Xero or Workday
  • Can be very affordable or even free
  • Easy and quick to install and configure for a specific task
• Cons:
  • Typically offer very limited, task-specific functionality
  • Do not provide comprehensive bi-directional synchronization
  • You might need multiple apps to build a complete workflow
• Pricing:
  • Varies from free to a small monthly subscription per app.

Who it's best for: Businesses with a very specific, narrow integration need that can be solved by an off-the-shelf marketplace app.

10. Industry-Specific Integration Solutions

For organizations in specialized verticals like healthcare, education, or non-profit, a generic integration might not cut it. These industries often have unique compliance requirements or specific data fields that standard connectors overlook. Specialized vendors and consulting firms develop integration packages tailored to these needs, ensuring things like grant tracking, departmental fund accounting, or healthcare compliance data are handled correctly between Workday and Xero.

• Pros:
  • Built to handle specific regulatory and compliance needs
  • Understands the unique data fields and reporting formats of an industry
  • Reduces the need for extensive customization on a generic platform
• Cons:
  • Can be more expensive than general-purpose tools
  • Vendor selection may be limited
  • Dependent on the vendor for updates and support
• Pricing:
  • Pricing varies widely and is set by the specialized provider.

Who it's best for: Organizations in regulated industries that require specialized data handling or reporting not supported by standard integrators.

11. Automated Data Warehouse Tools (Fivetran, Stitch)

If your goal is advanced analytics rather than operational automation, data warehouse tools are the answer. Platforms like Fivetran and Stitch are not direct integrators; instead, they extract data from sources like Xero and Workday and load it into a single data repository (like Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift). This allows your analytics team to build comprehensive dashboards and reports in BI tools like Tableau or Power BI, offering deep insights into workforce costs, financial performance, and more.

• Pros:
  • Delivers a single source of truth for all business data
  • Enables powerful business intelligence and financial forecasting
  • Automates the complex process of data extraction and loading (ETL)
  • Highly reliable and requires minimal maintenance
• Cons:
  • Doesn't automate operational workflows (e.g., creating journal entries)
  • Requires a separate data warehouse and BI tool, adding to the cost and complexity
• Pricing:
  • Usage-based, determined by the volume of data being moved per month.

Who it's best for: Data-driven organizations that need a unified view of their HR and financial data for advanced analytics and reporting.

12. Tray.io

Tray.io is another strong contender in the low-code automation space, similar to Workato but often praised for its flexibility with complex logic. Its visual, drag-and-drop workflow builder allows users to craft custom integrations and automations connecting Workday, Xero, and hundreds of other applications. Tray.io is particularly effective for businesses that have unique or multi-step processes that need to be automated across departments, not just point-to-point data syncs.

• Pros:
  • Flexible and powerful visual workflow editor
  • Can handle complex conditional logic and data transformations
  • Strong connector library for many popular enterprise apps
  • Known for excellent customer support and scalability
• Cons:
  • The learning curve can be steeper than simpler tools like Zapier
  • Pricing model is geared towards enterprises and can be costly for smaller teams
• Pricing:
  • Enterprise-grade pricing based on usage and feature tiers. Request a quote for specific details.

Who it's best for: Teams needing to automate complex, non-standard business processes with a powerful yet accessible visual builder.

13. Consultant-Developed Custom Solutions

For large organizations with a significant budget and highly specific needs, engaging a specialized consulting firm can be the best path. These firms bring deep expertise in both Xero's and Workday's architectures. They can design, build, and maintain a fully tailored integration that perfectly matches your organizational structure, approval workflows, and reporting requirements. This is the white-glove option, providing a completely managed service from start to finish.

• Pros:
  • Completely bespoke solution designed by experts
  • Includes ongoing management and support
  • Can handle exceptionally complex legacy system integrations
  • Reduces the burden on your internal IT team
• Cons:
  • Typically the most expensive option
  • Timeline for development can be lengthy
  • Ties you to the consulting firm for future updates and changes
• Pricing:
  • Project-based, with costs often running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Who it's best for: Large enterprises with unique, complex requirements and the budget to invest in a fully managed, custom-built solution.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right way to connect Xero and Workday comes down to balancing your company's scale, technical ability, workflow complexity, and budget. Simple tools like Zapier handle basic tasks well, while sophisticated platforms like Celigo or MuleSoft provide the powerful, scalable foundation that large organizations require.

Whenever you integrate payroll and accounting systems, complex multi-state tax compliance questions are sure to follow. Ensuring correct tax withholding, remittance, and filing across different states is tough when data flows automatically. For fast, accurate answers to complex tax questions, we built Feather AI to give tax professionals citation-backed guidance from IRS codes and state regulations in seconds.