HR isn't just about hiring and payroll—it's about creating systems that support growth, compliance, and team wellbeing without drowning in admin work. Yet for many HR teams, especially in small to mid-sized companies, juggling onboarding, time-off tracking, performance reviews, and policy updates can feel overwhelming.

That’s where solutions like Humaans and CharlieHR step in. Humaans offers a modern, data-driven HRIS built to automate workflows for growing teams, while CharlieHR focuses on helping small businesses simplify core HR tasks with an intuitive, all-in-one platform.

In this article, we’ll compare both tools in depth, looking at their features, benefits, and ideal use cases, to help you determine which one fits your organization’s HR needs best.

Humaans Vs CharlieHR: At A Glance

Features

Humaans

CharlieHR

Performance Management

Uses the form builder, as well it’s AI capabilities to gain a comprehensive overview

Simplifies the performance review process with its review-builder

Absence Management

Supports over 190 public holiday calendars and allows for the configuration of custom leave types

Streamlines time-off management by directing all queries to the relevant person

Integrations

Integrates with software such as Google Workspace, Okta, Culture Amp, etc.

Integrates with platforms like Workable, Teamtailor, Xero, etc.

Pricing

Customized pricing

Starts at £20/month

What Is Humaans?

Humaans is an AI-powered human resource information system (HRIS) designed to streamline HR operations for globally distributed and growing companies. To do so, it centralizes employee data, automates workflows, and provides actionable insights, enabling HR teams to make informed decisions efficiently.

In addition, Humaans' modular design allows seamless integration with existing HR tech stacks. This makes it an ideal choice for organizations aiming to enhance their HR capabilities without overhauling their current systems.

Industries such as technology, IT, and finance have found Humaans to be a valuable asset. It’s also a great fit for companies with remote employees, as its extensive absence management features make flexible work schedules easier to manage.

Unique Humaans Features

  • Humaans AI: The software includes an AI tool that helps with document generation, workflow suggestions, and summarizing insights from data
  • Calendar Support (190+ countries): Supports a wider range of public holiday calendars, making it more suitable for distributed teams

Humaans Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Clean and minimalist interface
  • Integrates with a variety of other tools
  • Great customer support, according to users

Cons

  • Missing the ability to edit profiles in bulk
  • Lacks certain functionalities native to other HR software, such as benefits administration

What Is CharlieHR?

CharlieHR is an all-in-one HR platform that automates essential HR tasks, enabling companies to manage their teams efficiently without the need for extensive HR expertise. The software also simplifies processes such as onboarding, time-off management, performance reviews, and employee engagement, all within a user-friendly interface.

Designed for the unique needs of UK-based small businesses, CharlieHR provides tools that help organizations stay compliant with employment laws and promote a positive workplace culture. Its self-service features empower employees to manage their information, reducing administrative burdens on HR personnel.

Hence, CharlieHR is particularly suitable for companies with fewer than 200 employees, making it an ideal choice for startups and growing businesses seeking a cost-effective HR solution.

Unique CharlieHR Features

  • Perks And Discounts Program: Offers employees access to retail discounts and benefits as part of their engagement tools
  • Offboarding Checklists: Provides pre-built templates specifically for structured offboarding processes, including exit interviews and equipment collection

CharlieHR Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Slack integration provides daily absence notifications
  • Onboarding checklists streamline new hire processes
  • Perks program offers discounts at various brands

Cons

  • Requires a lot of initial data input at the start, which can be time-consuming
  • The holiday calendar lacks automatic public holiday syncing for countries other than the UK

Humaans Vs CharlieHR – Features Comparison

Performance Management

Humaans offers a strong performance management system tailored for growing organizations. Its platform facilitates comprehensive 360-degree feedback, allowing for self, peer, upward, and manager reviews, all customizable through the form builder. This flexibility ensures that performance evaluations align with diverse team structures and organizational goals.

Advanced analytics tools and visual data (such as bell curves) provide actionable insights into employee performance trends, while also helping in identifying areas that need development. Humaans also integrates AI capabilities to streamline the review process, offering managers quick summaries and insights to support timely decision-making.

On the other hand, CharlieHR simplifies the performance review process through its user-friendly interface. The platform offers a simple review-builder, enabling quick setup of performance cycles with options for self-assessments, manager feedback, and review meetings. Built-in templates for various review types, such as probation and exit interviews, further expedite this process.

The software also supports 360-degree feedback, allowing for a more holistic view of employee performance by incorporating peer evaluations. Automated reminders and a centralized dashboard help ensure the timely completion of reviews and keep managers in the loop.

Winner: Humaans’s extensive features make it the winner for this category. However, small businesses may find CharlieHR more to their liking.

Absence Management

Humaans provides an extensive absence management system that’s primarily designed for remote teams. It supports over 190 public holiday calendars and allows for the configuration of custom leave types, accommodating various organizational needs. Employees can easily request time off, view their balances, and track different types of leave, including paid time off, sick days, and working from home.

Integration with tools like Slack and Google Calendar ensures seamless communication and scheduling. In addition, Humaans provides analytics features, enabling HR teams to export data for payroll processing and to monitor leave trends, ensuring informed decision-making.

Meanwhile, CharlieHR simplifies time-off management by streamlining the entire process. When an employee requests leave, it automatically goes to the right people, which allows businesses to cut down on admin-related bottlenecks. The platform also allows for the creation of custom leave types, supports public holidays for over 25 countries, and enables setting different working weeks for team members.

The software also integrates with Slack, providing daily updates on team availability, and offers reporting tools to track leave patterns and ensure compliance. Finally, CharlieHR’s flexibility and automation reduce overall supervision, which allows small businesses to manage time off efficiently.

Winner: Humaans wins here again as it accommodates a variety of organizations, including remote teams. However, like before, small businesses may find Humaans overwhelming and may prefer CharlieHR instead.

Integrations

Humaans offers a broad range of integrations designed for scaling teams. It connects with tools like Google Workspace, Okta, Greenhouse, Lattice, and Culture Amp, supporting everything from identity management to performance reviews. Calendar sync with Google and Outlook keeps schedules aligned, while its open API enables custom integrations for flexible HR workflows.

In a similar fashion, CharlieHR simplifies integrations for small businesses, connecting with Workable, Teamtailor, Appraisd, and Xero to streamline hiring, performance, and payroll tasks. It also links with engagement tools like Bonusly and Assembly. Through software like Apideck and Merge, CharlieHR allows for scalable, plug-and-play connectivity across essential HR functions.

Winner: It’s a tie as both offer similar integrations with similar software.

Pricing

Humaans offers a tiered pricing model tailored for growing and enterprise-level businesses. Their pricing plans are:

  • Growth – customized pricing
  • Enterprise – customized pricing

These plans include features such as onboarding automation, performance reviews, absence tracking, and advanced analytics. Additionally, Humaans provides a Startup Program, offering access to its platform at a reduced cost.

Conversely, CharlieHR provides a straightforward pricing structure based on the number of employees you have. These prices start at £20/month (for 1-4 team members) and cap around £700/month (for 250+ team members).

Additional services, such as "Charlie Recruit" for hiring automation and "Charlie Advice" for expert HR guidance, are available as add-ons ranging from £20 to £179 per month. CharlieHR also offers a 7-day free trial, allowing businesses to explore its features before committing.

Winner: CharlieHR wins this round, due to its affordable and transparent pricing structure.

Which One To Choose – Humaans Or CharlieHR?

By now, we can see that both Humaans and CharlieHR provide valuable HR software solutions, but they cater to distinct business profiles.

Humaans is best suited for mid-sized and fast-growing companies seeking a scalable, integration-friendly platform with advanced automation and analytics. This kind of software is particularly helpful in sectors like tech, finance, and biotech.

CharlieHR, on the other hand, is a better fit for small businesses and startups looking for a simple, affordable HR platform. Its strong performance review and time-off management capabilities are also a plus, making it stand out from the competition.

As such, the right choice depends on your team size, budget, and how complex your HR operations are. However, if neither software is what you’re looking for right now, try out alternatives like ADP Workforce Now and JazzHR.