What a small business actually needs
Most UK companies with 5 to 250 employees outgrow spreadsheets for the same reasons: holiday requests scattered across email, no single record of who works where on what terms, contracts that are hard to find, and payroll that depends on one person re-keying changes. Good HR software fixes those before it adds anything clever.
- Employee records with a history of changes, so you can see what someone’s salary or role was on a given date.
- Leave and absence: requests, approvals, balances, sickness and return-to-work notes.
- Documents and e-signature for contracts and policies, stored against the person.
- Permissions that let managers see their team without exposing salaries to everyone.
- A route to payroll: either built in, or a clean export to the payroll software you already use.
- Reporting on headcount, starters and leavers, and absence.
Quick comparison
| Product | How it is priced | Payroll | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breathe | Flat monthly fee by headcount band, from £24/month (1–10 employees) to £579/month (151–200) | No; integrates with Xero Payroll | 14 days |
| CharlieHR | Flat monthly fee by band, from £21/month (1–4) to £754/month (250+) | Listed as coming soon | 7 days |
| BrightHR | Per employee, from £16.67 per employee per month on a fixed-term contract; includes HR advice on higher plans | Separate product, quoted | No trial; demo |
| BambooHR | US dollars: flat $250–650/month up to 25 employees, then $10–25 per employee | US payroll only | Not stated |
| Factorial | From £5.40 per user per month; plans quoted | Module, price not published | Demo |
| Zoho People | From $1.25 to $4.50 per user per month (annual billing); free plan available | Separate product | 30 days |
| Personio | Per employee; price on request | Quoted | Demo |
| HiBob | Price on request | UK payroll module, quoted | Demo |
| RinHR | £4 per employee per month (minimum 5), payroll add-on +£3 | UK and Nigeria payroll in early access | 30 days |
The options in more detail
Breathe
Breathe is a long-established UK HR system aimed squarely at small businesses. Its headcount bands make cost predictable, and at around 50 employees the effective price is roughly £2 per person per month, which is hard to beat. Rota, recruitment, learning and expenses are paid add-ons. There is no built-in payroll; Breathe connects to Xero Payroll instead.
CharlieHR
CharlieHR is popular with start-ups for its clean interface and quick setup. Pricing is a flat fee per headcount band, and recruitment and performance tools are sold as add-ons. Payroll is advertised as coming soon, so most customers still run payroll elsewhere.
BrightHR
BrightHR combines software with employment-law advice and health and safety support from its parent company. That makes it more expensive per employee than software-only tools, and plans run on fixed terms of two to five years, but some owners value having advice and software from one supplier.
BambooHR
BambooHR is a mature, well-reviewed HR platform from the United States. It prices in dollars, and its payroll product covers US employees only, so UK companies pair it with separate UK payroll software.
Personio and HiBob
Both are full HR suites built for growing mid-sized companies, with strong workflows, performance and engagement features. HiBob lists a UK payroll module; payroll availability for Personio varies by country, so confirm it for the UK. Neither publishes prices; expect a sales process and an annual contract. They suit companies of 100 or more people that want depth over simplicity.
Factorial and Zoho People
Factorial offers broad HR features from a low starting price per user. Zoho People is the budget option, with a free tier and low per-user prices, and works best if you already use other Zoho products. Both handle core records and leave well; check UK-specific detail such as statutory leave rules during the trial.
RinHR
RinHR covers employee records, leave and absence, attendance, documents with e-signature, development and reporting, with company branding throughout. It is priced at £4 per employee per month. Native UK and Nigeria payroll is in early access: you can prepare and review pay runs and payslips, but direct submission to HMRC is not yet included, so it is not yet a replacement for live payroll software. If you need payroll filing today, pair RinHR or any HR system with a dedicated UK payroll product.
How to decide
- List the five tasks that take your team the most time today; judge every product on those first.
- Decide where payroll will live. If your HR system does not run payroll, check the export into your payroll software during the trial.
- Price it at your headcount now and in two years. Band pricing is cheap at the bottom of a band and can jump at the next one.
- Check who can see what. Ask a manager to log in during the trial and confirm they cannot see salaries they should not.
- Ask how you leave. You should be able to export your employee data in a usable format at any time.
For a fuller checklist, read how to choose HR software, and for the different pricing models, see HR software pricing explained.