Breathe HR – Review & Pricing 2026
Our in-depth Breathe HR review covers pricing, features, and user experience for the UK's most affordable HR platform. See how Breathe's holiday management, absence tracking, document management, and modular add-ons compare to Sage HR, BambooHR, and Personio for UK small businesses.
Breathe HR earns a 7.8/10 as the best-value HR software for UK small businesses. At just £1 per employee per month, it removes the biggest barrier to HR technology adoption for small companies: cost. The holiday and absence management is genuinely excellent, with UK-specific features like Bradford Factor scoring, statutory holiday calculations, and TOIL tracking that international competitors miss. Document management with e-signatures and policy acknowledgements is well-executed. The limitations are real — no payroll, basic reporting, limited integrations, and a UK-only focus — but for a British business with 10-250 employees that needs to replace spreadsheets with proper HR software without enterprise pricing, Breathe is the obvious starting point.
Breathe HR Pricing Plans
Core
Essential HR for UK small businesses
- Employee database
- Holiday and absence management
- Company documents and policies
- Sickness and lateness tracking
- Reporting dashboard
- Employee self-service portal
- Org chart
- Email support
Core + Modules
Core with your choice of add-on modules
- Everything in Core
- Choose from 5+ modules
- Performance management
- Recruitment
- Expenses
- Rota scheduling
- Learning management
- Phone support
Available Modules
- Performance Management: Reviews, goals, 1-to-1s
- Recruitment: Job posting, applicant tracking, interview scheduling
- Expenses: Receipt uploads, approval workflows, reporting
- Rota/Scheduling: Shift planning and availability management
- Learning: Course assignments, completion tracking, certifications
Breathe HR Pros and Cons
Pros
- Extremely affordable starting price of £1 per employee makes it the most budget-friendly UK HR software
- Purpose-built for UK businesses with UK employment law compliance, statutory holiday calculations, and HMRC integrations
- Clean, simple interface that requires virtually no training — admin and employees are productive within minutes
- Excellent holiday and absence management with Bradford Factor scoring, TOIL tracking, and team calendar views
- Strong document management with e-signature capabilities and policy acknowledgement tracking
- Modular pricing means you only pay for what you use — add performance, recruitment, or scheduling as needed
- Responsive UK-based customer support team with consistently high satisfaction ratings
Cons
- UK-focused platform — limited suitability for companies with significant international operations
- Payroll is not included; requires integration with UK payroll providers
- Reporting is functional but lacks the advanced analytics and custom dashboards of larger platforms
- API access and integration ecosystem smaller than competitors like BambooHR or Personio
- Performance management module covers basics but lacks 360 feedback and calibration tools
- Mobile app functionality more limited than the desktop experience
How Breathe HR Compares
We compared Breathe against three platforms popular with small businesses: Sage HR, BambooHR, and Personio. For the full UK landscape, see our best HRIS for UK businesses and best HR software UK comparison guides.
| Metric | Breathe | Sage HR | BambooHR | Personio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | 9.0 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 8.5 |
| Value for Money | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.5 |
| UK Compliance | 9.5 | 8.5 | 6.0 | 7.5 |
| Customer Support | 8.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.0 |
| Functionality | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Breathe | Sage HR | BambooHR | Personio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Core HR Employee records, org chart, directory | ||||
Holiday Management PTO tracking, Bradford Factor, TOIL, team calendar | ||||
Sickness Tracking Absence records, return-to-work, Bradford Factor | Basic | |||
Document Management Policies, e-signatures, acknowledgements | Basic | |||
Performance Mgmt Reviews, goals, 1-to-1s | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
Recruitment Job posting, applicant tracking | Add-on | Add-on | Basic | Add-on |
Rota/Scheduling Shift planning, availability | Add-on | Add-on | ||
Expenses Claims, receipts, approvals | Add-on | Add-on | ||
Payroll Salary processing, tax calculations | Add-on | Germany | ||
Mobile App Employee self-service on iOS and Android |
What Users Say About Breathe HR
Breathe holds an impressive 4.5/5 on G2 and 4.6/5 on Capterra. UK users consistently highlight the value for money and ease of use.
“Breathe has been a game-changer for our small business. We went from tracking everything in spreadsheets to having a proper HR system for less than our monthly coffee budget.”
“The holiday management alone saves me hours every month. Employees book their own leave, managers approve it, and I can see the team calendar at a glance.”
“We looked at BambooHR and Sage HR but Breathe was the obvious choice for a UK business our size. It just works, and the price cannot be beaten.”
Detailed Breathe HR Review
Who Is Breathe HR Best For?
Breathe is purpose-built for UK small businesses with 10-250 employees that are transitioning from spreadsheets and paper-based HR to their first proper HR system. It excels for companies where the primary pain point is managing holidays, absences, and employee documents. If you need integrated payroll, multi-country support, or enterprise analytics, platforms like Personio or Rippling are better fits.
Holiday and Absence Management
This is Breathe's crown jewel. The module handles UK statutory holiday entitlements automatically (including pro-rata calculations for part-time employees), tracks TOIL (time off in lieu), calculates Bradford Factor scores for absence patterns, and provides team calendar views so managers can approve leave with full visibility. According to CIPD, UK businesses lose an average of 7.8 days per employee per year to absence — Breathe's tracking tools help identify patterns and reduce this cost.
Performance Management
The performance add-on covers review cycles, goal setting, and 1-to-1 meeting agendas. It handles the fundamentals well for small teams but lacks advanced features like 360 feedback, calibration, and performance analytics that larger platforms offer. For companies needing deeper performance tools, see our performance management software comparison and performance review best practices guide.
UK Employment Law Compliance
Being UK-built gives Breathe a natural advantage for British businesses. Statutory holiday calculations follow the Working Time Regulations, sickness tracking aligns with SSP requirements, and right-to-work document management supports UK immigration compliance. For businesses navigating UK-specific regulations, our HR compliance guide covers the broader regulatory landscape.
Final Verdict: Is Breathe HR Right for You?
Breathe scores 7.8/10 as the best-value HR software for UK small businesses. At £1 per employee, the barrier to entry is essentially zero, and the holiday and absence management is genuinely best-in-class for the UK market. If you are a British SME looking to professionalize your HR without enterprise cost, Breathe is the place to start. See alternatives in our HRIS comparison.