Sage HR Vs CharlieHR: Complete Comparison Guide For Small Businesses
Sage HR Vs CharlieHR: Complete Comparison Guide For Small Businesses
Published at Jul 02, 2025· 6 mins Read
As per Grand View Research, the global human resources (HR) market is growing at a CAGR of 12.2%, projected to reach USD 36.62 billion by 2030. This growth shows the increasing demand for people management solutions in workplaces.
With the HR software landscape rapidly expanding, businesses now have more options than ever to optimize their workforce operations. Choosing the right HR platform is essential to keep pace with evolving organizational needs.
Both Sage HR and CharlieHR provide resource management support to growing businesses. Let’s compare the key features of both these solutions and help you make the best choice.
Sage HR Vs CharlieHR: At A Glance
Feature
Sage HR
CharlieHR
Performance Management
OKRs and 360-degree feedback
1-to-1 meeting tools
Anonymous surveys
Peer-to-peer feedback
Review templates
Cycle dashboard
Onboarding
Automated onboarding process
Efficient reporting systems
on-demand applicant screening
One-click onboarding
Self-service for new hires
Checklist delegation
Timesheets
Native timesheet submissions
Geofencing and work zones
Auto-fill hours
No native timesheets
Automatic leave tracking
Synced ATS and payroll
Mobile App And Integrations
Android/iOS apps
50+ HR tool integrations, including Papershift
Android/iOS apps
Core HR
E-signatures and custom workflows
Organizational charts and announcements
4+ language support
Time-off and performance tools
Quick setup and ATS support
Basic reporting
Pricing
Starting from £4.60/employee/month
Starting from £20/month
What Is Sage HR?
Sage HR is a cloud-based HR solution that makes people management easier for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers employee scheduling with core features such as performance appraisal, onboarding, off-boarding, and expense management.
Not only can Sage HR automate the repetitive tasks, but it can also free companies from the burden of using extensive Excel sheets for management. It is perfect for businesses that want to simplify and automate their HR processes.
Unique Features Of Sage HR
Employee Database Management: The software offers a centralized employee database where HR teams can manage and store their important information securely
Expense Tracking: It allows employees to submit expenses simply by taking a receipt photo directly from the mobile app of Sage HR
Time Off Management: Leave and time-off requests are easily handled by Sage HR digitally and can be tracked in shared calendars
Performance Management: Sage HR enables users to set their performance goals, conduct performance reviews, and get continuous feedback. It is a collaborative platform for managers and employees to track performance
Pros And Cons Of Sage HR
Pros
Intuitive leave request approval process
Has a user-friendly interface
Customizable workflows for specific HR processes
Cons
Lack of alerts for policy overuse
Absence of a dedicated recruitment module
What Is CharlieHR?
CharlieHR is a cloud-based software that simplifies HR processes. Businesses use it to onboard new hires, book and manage time off, store company documents, run performance reviews, and get professional HR advice.
Built around the needs of small businesses, Charlie HR helps companies build an engaged and high-performing workplace. It caters especially well to companies looking for efficient HR management without extensive administrative overhead.
Unique Features Of CharlieHR
Engagement Surveys: Using pre-built templates for engagement surveys, CharlieHR enables companies to gauge the satisfaction level of employees
Shout Outs: Charlie HR also endorses peer-to-peer praise. Team milestones can be celebrated through Slack integrations
Perks And Benefits: There is no hidden fee on Charlie HR’s subscription. Also, it offers exclusive savings and discounts to work teams, along with WOWPoints (build up loyalty points to unlock more savings)
Reporting: Charlie HR can instantly see stats such as turnover rate, retention rate, and average tenure length. It makes automatic and custom time off reports as well
Pros And Cons Of CharlieHR
Pros
Centralized HR and workforce information
Easy to track holidays and incentives
Automated checklists of employees and comprehensive onboarding
Cons
Occasional software glitches and system issues
Potential limitations with part-time employee functionality
Sage HR Vs CharlieHR: A Quick Comparison Of Features
Performance Management
With Sage HR, companies have streamlined their performance management. It allows for the setting of aspirational goals and OKRs that challenge employees. Using 360 feedback, employees get a holistic view of their own performance with input from peers, managers, and subordinates.
Sage HR also offers 1-to-1 meeting scheduling tools for managers and employees. Also, anonymous surveys powered by this software can gauge the satisfaction level of employees, hence making the feedback system quicker and more transparent.
CharlieHR provides employees with high-impact performance reviews that drive real growth. It has built-in templates and a simple review builder that can be launched in seconds.
The progress of a team can be tracked by using a cycle dashboard, which gives off automatic reminders. For a more holistic view, CharlieHR facilitates peer-to-peer feedback. It saves time on HR admin and helps in building a high-performing team.
Winner: With peer-to-peer feedback, instant review templates, and a cycle dashboard, CharlieHR makes performance reviews quicker and more growth-focused.
Onboarding
Sage HR allows companies to automate their onboarding process by assigning predefined task lists to new hires. The software is a workflow builder with efficient reporting systems.
Furthermore, acting as an end-to-end recruitment software, Sage HR offers on-demand applicant screening, advanced analytics, and seamless integrations with other Sage HR modules.
CharlieHR has an automated and one-click onboarding platform that comes with a self-service system. The employees can fill in the relevant information, and they can be introduced to the team.
Similarly, CharlieHR allows the creation and delegation of checklists to the hiring team. With CharlieHR, managers do not need to micro-manage the records of newly hired employees.
Winner: Sage HR wins clearly due to the more scalable and comprehensive onboarding solutions for growing teams.
Timesheets
Using Sage HR, employees can submit their timesheets for approval on a weekly or monthly basis. Approved timesheets are then sent to the payroll department. It offers geofencing features for tracking employee locations and making accurate time sheets.
Companies can create up to 25 work zones on a map for themselves. The solution can automatically pre-fill hours from the time-off information. Also, it creates quick and easy reports.
CharlieHR does not natively offer a standalone timesheet feature for recording the daily check-in/check-out time of employees. However, it can be integrated with time tracking software, such as Papershift.
However, the software has efficient systems for time off calculation automatically. Holiday rollover, new starter leave allowance, and annual leave reports are generated seamlessly.
Winner: Sage HR outshines CharlieHR with native timesheet submissions, geofencing, and automatic hour tracking features.
Mobile App And Integrations
Sage HR mobile app helps in the management of HR from anywhere. It lets users review their leave and vacation time, claim expenses, and empower workers with self-service portals.
Furthermore, the employees can see who else is using their simple shared calendar from the Sage HR mobile app. Also, it allows users to review expenses in multiple currencies at any time, while keeping the data safe with a single sign on (SSO). Sage HR supports integrations with tools like Outlook, Slack, and various APIs.
CharlieHR also has a It also has a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. It offers 50+ integrations for a seamless hiring workflow, hence ensuring that there is no copy-pasting between different platforms. From onboarding to ATS to payroll, Charlie integrates well with the HR tech stack.
It has a joined-up pipeline and synced databases, so there is no need to micro-manage everything. It can save companies hours every week.
Winner: CharlieHR stands out in this category with its 50+ integrations, synced databases, and mobile access.
Core HR
Sage HR offers a bundle of Core HR and Leave Management. The key features of Core HR include e-signatures, quick announcements, organizational charts, custom workflows/recipes, and employee databases.
Not only that, but the solution also allows the creation and storage of different types of custom data. It supports 4+ languages, allowing employees to find company information in their preferred language.
CharlieHR has handy HR tools that can save time for employees. The key features of HR forte include the onboarding of new hires, management of time off, performance management, engagement surveys, and quick reporting.
This software solution is comparatively easy to set up with a seamless UX. Along with payroll support, it also offers applicant tracking support (ATS).
Winner: Due to its comprehensive HR suite and structured data management, Sage HR is the winner here.
Pricing Comparison
Sage HR pricing starts from £4.60/employee/month and offers a free trial for 30 days. Optional add-ons can only be added once Core Sage HR + Leave Management is purchased. Add-ons include timesheets for £2.30/employee/month, expenses for £1.15/employee/month, and recruitment for £170/month.
CharlieHR is just £20/month when the company has 1-4 team members. Its pricing increases with the evolving number of team members. For 5-9 team members, CharlieHR costs £40/month. Add-ons of this software include Charlie.concierge starting from £20/month, Charlie.recruit starting from £55/month, and Charlie.advice starting from £179/month.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Is Sage HR Better Than CharlieHR?
With a 3:2 ratio of Sage HR vs CharlieHR verdict, Sage HR may appear to be the superior choice here. However, the final choice shall depend on the individual needs and requirements of your business.
Sage HR edges out as the better all-in-one HR solution for companies seeking scalability, customization, and depth. It is strongly due to Core HR, timesheets, and onboarding features with multi-lingual support, and end-to-end recruitment capabilities.
CharlieHR is a powerful contender for startups and small businesses seeking lightweight performance management and seamless integrations. Although it has intuitive UX and automation abilities, companies needing a robust HR suite prefer Sage HR.
Still unsure which platform suits your needs best? Contact us now, and our research expert can guide you to make the right choice.