BreatheHR and CharlieHR are both UK-focused SME HR platforms with free trials and no long-term contracts, but they differ in what's documented: CharlieHR…
Best for BreatheHR: BreatheHR fits UK SMEs (up to 250 employees) that want e-learning with 100+ UK-specific training courses, rota and shift scheduling, and Xero payroll integration bundled into one HR platform with no long-term contract.
Best for CharlieHR: CharlieHR fits UK startups and small businesses that want transparent, tiered per-employee pricing starting at £20/month, a built-in perks and discounts marketplace (30,000+ deals), and optional add-ons for recruiting (Charlie Recruit) or dedicated HR advisory (Charlie Advice).
At a Glance
BreatheHR
CharlieHR
Primary category
HR
HR
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription (tiered by employee count)
Subscription
Starting price
£24/month
£20/month
Free plan
Not documented
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Key Differences
Pricing transparency
BreatheHR: No numeric pricing is published in the facts; pricing page details were not accessible at time of review.
CharlieHR: Published tiered pricing from £20/month (1-4 employees) up to £735/month (250+ employees).
Transparent pricing lets prospects self-serve a budget estimate without contacting sales.
E-learning / training content
BreatheHR: Includes an e-learning platform with 100+ UK-specific training courses.
CharlieHR: Not documented as offering e-learning content.
Built-in compliance/skills training can reduce the need for a separate learning platform.
Perks and discounts marketplace
BreatheHR: Not documented as including a perks/discounts marketplace.
CharlieHR: Access to 30,000+ discounts and deals included in every subscription.
An included perks marketplace can be used as an employee-retention benefit without extra procurement.
Recruiting and HR-advisor add-ons
BreatheHR: Not documented as offering recruiting or dedicated HR-advisor add-ons.
CharlieHR: Offers Charlie Recruit (automated hiring workflows, from £55/month) and Charlie Advice (dedicated HR advisor with legal compliance checks, from £179/month) as paid add-ons.
Named add-ons give a clear upgrade path for hiring or HR legal support without switching platforms.
Company ownership/history
BreatheHR: Acquired by ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll in 2020; founded in 2012 and headquartered in Horsham, UK.
CharlieHR: Founding year not disclosed; headquartered in London, UK.
Ownership by a larger HR/payroll group can affect long-term product roadmap and support structure.
Feature-by-Feature
Core HR Features
Feature
BreatheHR
CharlieHR
Onboarding workflows
Available
Available
Time off/holiday management
Available
Available
Performance management/reviews
Available
Available
E-learning / training courses
Available
Not documented
Rota and shift scheduling
Available
Not documented
Employee engagement polls
Not documented
Available
Add-ons & Extras
Feature
BreatheHR
CharlieHR
Perks & discounts marketplace
Not documented
Available
Recruiting/ATS add-on
Not documented
Available
Dedicated HR advisor add-on
Not documented
Available
Payroll integration
Available
Not documented
Pricing & Trial
Feature
BreatheHR
CharlieHR
Published starting price
Unavailable
Available
Free trial (no card required)
Available
Available
No long-term contract
Available
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
BreatheHR
Micro — £24/month monthly (approx. 15% off annually)
Starter — £44/month monthly (approx. 15% off annually)
Regular — £99/month monthly (approx. 15% off annually)
Pro — £175/month monthly (approx. 15% off annually)
Premium — £419/month monthly (approx. 10% off annually)
Plus — £579/month monthly (approx. 10% off annually)
CharlieHR
Core HR — From £20/month (1-4 employees, scaling to £735/month for 250+) monthly
Recruit (add-on) — From £55/month monthly
Advice (add-on) — From £179/month monthly
Pros & Cons
BreatheHR
Pros
Affordable, transparent tiered pricing scaled to UK SME headcount
Purpose-built for UK employment rules, including holiday entitlement calculations
Modular add-ons let businesses pay only for what they need
14-day free trial with full feature access and no credit card required
Cons
Scoped for organizations up to roughly 250 employees, not enterprise scale
Focused on UK compliance norms, limited fit for multi-country employers
Core plans do not include payroll processing
Higher tiers (Premium/Plus) get comparatively expensive for larger SME headcounts
CharlieHR
Pros
Pricing scaled to small-company headcount rather than flat enterprise fees
Strong onboarding and absence-management tools purpose-built for small teams
Optional Recruit add-on avoids need for separate applicant tracking software
UK-specific GDPR and employment law focus
Cons
Pricing increases with headcount, so cost grows as the company scales
Recruit and Advice add-ons require an active Core subscription and can't be purchased standalone
Primarily UK-oriented, less suited to non-UK companies
No full payroll processing built into the platform
Use Cases
Choose BreatheHR: BreatheHR fits UK SMEs (up to 250 employees) that want e-learning with 100+ UK-specific training courses, rota and shift scheduling, and Xero payroll integration bundled into one HR platform with no long-term contract.
Choose CharlieHR: CharlieHR fits UK startups and small businesses that want transparent, tiered per-employee pricing starting at £20/month, a built-in perks and discounts marketplace (30,000+ deals), and optional add-ons for recruiting (Charlie Recruit) or dedicated HR advisory (Charlie Advice).
Need both: Both target similar UK SME HR-admin needs, so the facts don't indicate a case for running both simultaneously -- a company would typically choose one as its core HR system of record.
BreatheHR
UK SME HR Administration — Growing UK businesses centralize holiday, absence, and performance management in one system.
HR Consultancy Client Management — HR consultancies use Breathe to administer HR processes across multiple SME clients.
CharlieHR
Small business HR administration — UK small businesses use CharlieHR to replace spreadsheets for onboarding, absence tracking, and employee records.
Startup hiring without a dedicated ATS — Startups use the Charlie Recruit add-on to manage hiring pipelines directly alongside their core HR data.
Expert HR guidance for non-specialist teams — Businesses without an in-house HR expert use Charlie Advice for 1-to-1 employment law and HR decision support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BreatheHR publish its pricing?
No -- the facts note that public pricing details were not accessible on BreatheHR's pricing page at the time of review.
How much does CharlieHR cost?
CharlieHR starts from £20/month for 1-4 employees, scaling up to £735/month for 250+ employees, tiered by team size.
Do both offer free trials?
Yes. CharlieHR offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. BreatheHR offers a commitment-free trial that also doesn't require a credit card, though the exact trial length isn't specified.
Which platform includes e-learning?
BreatheHR includes an e-learning platform with 100+ UK-specific training courses. This isn't documented for CharlieHR.
Does CharlieHR include employee perks?
Yes, CharlieHR includes access to 30,000+ discounts and deals in every subscription.
Who owns BreatheHR?
BreatheHR was acquired by ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll in 2020.