When your business starts growing, spreadsheets and sticky notes just won’t cut it for managing people. That’s where HR software like Breathe and CharlieHR come in. They are built specifically for small teams that need smart, scalable solutions.

Human resource information system (HRIS) platforms like these stand out as top choices for SMEs looking to streamline processes and boost efficiency. Both offer features like time-off tracking, performance management, and employee records, but with different strengths.

In this comparison, we’ll explore their features, pricing, and pros and cons to help you decide which HR software is the best fit for your business.

Breathe Vs CharlieHR: At A Glance

Feature 

Breathe 

CharlieHR

Onboarding

Tailored onboarding workflows

Automated self-service onboarding

Performance Management

Goal-driven performance tracking

Automated 360-degree reviews

Integrations

Dedicated integrations marketplace

35+ third-party integrations

Time Off Management

Customizable leave tracking

Automated leave management

Employee Engagement

Built-in NPS surveys

Peer recognition & surveys

Breathe

Breathe HR is a cloud-based human resources software designed specifically for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with up to 200 employees. It streamlines core HR processes like leave management and performance tracking and offers an integrations marketplace.

By automating routine tasks and centralizing employee data, Breathe helps organizations reduce administrative burdens and improve accuracy. This allows HR teams to focus more on employee engagement and growth, making HR management simpler and more efficient.

Standout Features

  • Absence Management: This feature provides businesses with a clear, real-time view of employee absences, including sickness and holidays. It securely records all absence data and offers features like custom sickness trigger rules based on Bradford Factor scores, enabling managers to proactively address absenteeism 
  • Rota-Scheduling: The software enables managers to create and assign shifts quickly using intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. It automatically shows available staff for each role, integrates leave data to prevent scheduling conflicts, and allows saving roster templates for recurring use. This streamlined approach reduces admin time and ensures smooth, clash-free shift planning 
  • Salary Forecast: It helps managers keep budgets on track by allowing them to plan employee shifts and forecast wage costs daily or weekly at a glance. It also simplifies event budgeting by linking shifts to events and instantly showing associated costs and forecasted sales

Pros And Cons

Pros
  • Easy data import through templates or concierge service, saving time on bulk uploads
  • Extensive, customizable reports covering sickness, finance, time logs, with filters, and visual summaries
  • Comprehensive time-off management accessible via mobile app, including holiday planning, absence tracking, and team calendars
Cons
  • Lacks built-in access to professional HR advice, which may require using external resources when needed
  • Compliance features are present but not as extensive as in platforms with a regulatory focus

CharlieHR

CharlieHR is a cloud-based, comprehensive HR solution designed for startups and small businesses. It automates time-consuming HR tasks such as managing time off, onboarding new hires, running performance reviews, and launching engagement surveys. The platform centralizes employee data securely, enabling HR teams to streamline processes and focus on building a positive workplace culture.

Standout Features

  • HR Advice: CharlieHR offers built-in access to expert HR advisors who help businesses stay compliant and competitive. From updating policies and contracts to building inclusive company handbooks and progression frameworks, this feature supports culture-building while ensuring legal compliance and alignment with modern workplace practices
  • HR Reports: The software provides ready-to-use HR reports that give teams instant insights into time off, sick leave, new joiners, and salary overviews. Built-in reminders help managers stay on top of key dates like probation reviews and anniversaries, ensuring nothing important slips through the cracks
  • Benefits: CharlieHR provides employees with access to over 30,000 discounts and deals across major brands. It is designed to enhance the employee experience by offering a range of benefits and perks. The feature is simple to set up and use, helping businesses maintain a consistent approach to employee recognition and branding

Pros And Cons

Pros
  • Streamlined onboarding experience that helps new hires settle in quickly and confidently
  • Access to expert HR guidance ensures support for complex or sensitive workforce matters
  • User-friendly performance and task management tools make tracking goals and responsibilities simple for teams
Cons
  • Part-time tracking could improve, especially around leave management for non-full-time staff
  • Notification reliability may vary, occasionally affecting timely updates for users

Breathe Vs CharlieHR: Key Feature Comparison

Onboarding

Breathe’s onboarding feature focuses on creating a welcoming and tailored experience for each new hire. It allows businesses to build role-specific onboarding workflows, send automated welcome emails, and provide early portal access. New employees can explore responsibilities, view team intros, and access documents like policies and GDPR materials before their first day.

The platform supports HR teams by securely storing onboarding documents and managing access to sensitive data, helping ensure compliance and a smooth start for every employee.

CharlieHR streamlines the onboarding process with automation designed to save HR teams time and reduce repetitive admin. New hires input their own information using a self-service system, and CharlieHR handles the rest without the need for supervision or manual tracking.

With one-click onboarding and integrated workflows across ATS and payroll tools, Charlie eliminates the need for copy-pasting and ensures a seamless transition for new team members. The platform also helps maintain legal compliance throughout the hiring process.

Winner: CharlieHR wins for its fast, automated, and self-service onboarding system that significantly reduces admin workload and ensures an effortless, legally compliant hiring process.

Performance Management

Breathe offers a comprehensive performance management system designed to support regular appraisals, goal-setting, and professional development. It facilitates one-to-ones, tracks employee progress, and encourages ongoing feedback to boost engagement. Managers can set clear objectives, link them to company goals, and schedule training sessions, all while ensuring sensitive performance data is kept secure. Real-time feedback features help foster an open culture where employees stay aligned and motivated.

CharlieHR simplifies the performance review process with an intuitive review-builder and automated workflows. HR teams can easily roll out probation, exit, and recurring reviews without excessive meetings or emails. The platform offers 360-degree feedback to reduce bias and ensure a more balanced view of performance. A dedicated dashboard helps managers stay organized by tracking review cycles, monitoring progress, and sending automatic reminders to encourage completion.

Winner: CharlieHR edges ahead with its 360-degree feedback, automated review cycles, and centralized tracking, offering a smoother, more scalable experience for growing teams.

Integrations

Breathe connects effortlessly with a range of third-party apps through its Marketplace and open API. Whether syncing payroll data, enhancing reporting, or extending functionality, these integrations help streamline your workflows and reduce manual admin across your HR processes.

CharlieHR connects seamlessly with 35+ third-party tools like Xero accounting solution, Teamtailor, Hive, and Neve Learning. These integrations help automate workflows across HR, payroll, learning, and engagement, allowing teams to reduce manual tasks and keep their systems aligned from day one.

Winner: It’s a tie. Both Breathe and CharlieHR offer strong integration capabilities that reduce admin and support seamless workflow automation across essential HR functions.

Time Off Management

Breathe offers a full-featured time management solution focused on simplifying holiday planning and absence tracking. The platform eliminates the need for spreadsheets and manual tracking by providing a centralized calendar that visualizes team availability. Employees can submit leave requests with ease from any device, while managers receive immediate notifications for approval.

Breathe also supports a wide variety of leave types, including annual, sick, maternity, and study leave, allowing businesses to tailor the system to their specific policies. Integration with Office 365 or Google Calendar further streamlines the experience, while detailed absence analytics help spot trends and improve workforce planning.

CharlieHR focuses on automation and delegation to reduce time spent managing employee leave. It routes holiday requests directly to the appropriate manager, updates company calendars automatically, and syncs public holidays.

With customizable leave types and smart reporting, Charlie allows businesses to monitor leave usage and absence trends efficiently. Features like automatic holiday rollover, prorated leave for part-time staff, and new starter calculations make it especially useful for growing teams that need error-free time tracking without manual oversight.

Winner: Breathe takes the lead for its highly customizable leave policies, intuitive design, and all-in-one holiday and absence planning. It offers a more flexible and comprehensive approach to time management.

Employee Engagement

Breathe improves engagement with its built-in Employee Net Promoter Score (NPS) tool, designed to help businesses reduce turnover through regular, anonymous feedback. With customizable one-question surveys and built-in reporting, it tracks employee sentiment over time. Keeping surveys within the HR system eliminates the need for third-party tools, simplifying participation and analysis.

CharlieHR boosts morale through peer-to-peer shout-outs and easy-to-launch surveys. Teams can celebrate wins in real time and gather feedback using custom polls or pre-built templates. Slack software Integration, one-click responses, and simple reporting make Charlie a low-effort, high-impact solution for tracking and improving engagement.

Winner: Breathe wins by offering a focused, built-in Employee NPS tool that simplifies engagement tracking for small businesses. Its anonymous, customizable surveys and clear reporting make it easy to measure morale.

The Cost Of Breathe Vs CharlieHR

Breathe’s pricing starts at £22/month for businesses with 1–10 employees and scales with team size. It offers a 14-day free trial, allowing you to explore its features before committing. Optional add-ons like expense management and recruitment tracking are available for an additional cost, giving you flexibility to expand functionality as needed.

CharlieHR starts at £20/month for 1-4 employees, scaling with team size, and includes a 7-day free trial. While core features are included, add-ons like Charlie Recruit, Advice, and Concierge cost extra.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Bottom Line: Which Software Should You Choose?

Both Breathe and CharlieHR offer strong HR solutions tailored for SMEs, but they cater to slightly different priorities. Breathe stands out with its user-friendly design, comprehensive time-off management, and built-in Employee NPS feature that simplifies engagement tracking without extra tools.

CharlieHR excels in automation, onboarding, and expert HR support, making it ideal for fast-growing teams that want to reduce admin while ensuring compliance. Its performance tools and employee perks also give it an edge for companies focused on culture-building.

If you need a well-rounded, intuitive platform with flexible leave tracking and employee feedback built right in, Breathe is the better fit. But if you’re looking for a more automated, advice-backed solution with strong performance features, CharlieHR may be the smarter choice for your team.

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