Breathe vs Fingercheck (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Breathe if

• Fits if you're a UK small business that wants one fixed monthly fee
• Works for teams whose main job is knowing who's off and when

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if your company is outside the UK, as it's built for UK businesses
• Skip it if you want payroll built in, since it hands that to Xero
• Pricey if you take every add-on, at £11 to £16 a month each
• Watch out: add-ons stay on after the 14-day trial and are charged unless you switch them off
• Too light for companies over 200 staff, where the plans stop, or anyone needing links beyond Xero

Pick Fingercheck if

• Fits if you run a US business with hourly staff and want the time clock and payroll linked
• Works for small shops that want payroll from $79 a month plus per-employee fees

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you are outside the US, as payroll and tax filing are for US employers
• Tight if you want payroll, since Time & Attendance has none
• Watch out: W-2 and 1099 forms and quarterly filings carry an extra year-end fee
• Pricey if you want Next-Day Pay on the cheaper plan, as it is charged per use there
• Watch out: workers' comp, 401(k) and benefits are add-ons with no prices shown

Breathe

• Built for UK businesses: prices are in pounds excluding VAT, data sits in a UK data centre, and plans stop at 200 employees.
• Add-ons cost extra each month: rotas and attendance from £11, health and safety £12, expenses £14, learning £15 and recruitment £16.
• Add-ons stay switched on after the trial and are charged unless you turn them off.
• There is no payroll of its own; it connects to Xero Payroll.

Fingercheck

• Payroll and tax filing are built for US employers; W-2 and 1099 forms and quarterly filings carry an additional year-end fee.
• Payroll starts at the 360 plan; Time & Attendance has no payroll.
• Next-Day Pay is priced per use on 360 and included only in 360 Plus.
• Workers' Comp, 401(k) and health benefits are listed as add-ons without prices on the pricing page.

Breathe

Holiday and absence

Staff book leave and report sickness, managers approve it, and a staff holiday planner shows who is off across the business.

Records, documents and e-signatures

Employee files, policies and contracts in one place, with documents sent out for electronic signature.

Performance, onboarding and reports

Performance management, dashboards and reporting come with every plan, and onboarding workflows sit among its people tools.

Rotas, time and attendance

An add-on builds weekly rotas, records clock-ins and clock-outs, generates timesheets, tracks overtime and lets staff swap shifts.

Recruitment, expenses and learning

Add-ons track applicants from application to shortlist, collect expense claims, and run bite-size courses for training and onboarding.

Health and safety

A newer add-on keeps risk assessments, logs accidents and near misses, and tracks safety roles and certifications.

Fingercheck

Time clock app

Employees clock in from a phone, tablet, browser or text message, with an optional photo at each punch.

Unlimited payroll

One monthly price for any number of runs, with federal, state and local tax filing and payment handled for you.

Multi-state payroll

Calculates taxes for employees who work in several states within one pay cycle, including reciprocity.

Scheduling

Drag-and-drop shift builder, copying of past schedules and labor cost shown before publishing.

Hiring and people records

Job posting, candidate screening and digital onboarding, with employee files, reviews and licenses in one place.

Pay options

Pay On-Demand lets employees draw earned wages early, and Next-Day Pay is included in 360 Plus.

Breathe

• Micro£24

  per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly

  Core HR: holiday and absence, dashboards and reports, documents and policies, and performance management. £245 a year if paid yearly.

• Starter£44

  per month for up to 20 employees, billed monthly

  Core HR for 11 to 20 people, adding time logs. £449 a year if paid yearly.

• Regular£99

  per month for up to 50 employees, billed monthly

  Core HR for 21 to 50 people, adding financial user permissions. £999 a year if paid yearly.

• Pro£175

  per month for up to 100 employees, billed monthly

  Core HR for 51 to 100 people. £1,790 a year if paid yearly.

• Premium£419

  per month for up to 150 employees, billed monthly

  Core HR for 101 to 150 people. £4,519 a year if paid yearly.

• Plus£579

  per month for up to 200 employees, billed monthly

  Core HR for 151 to 200 people. £6,255 a year if paid yearly.

Fingercheck

• Time & Attendance$29

  per month, plus $7 per employee

  Standalone time clock app, time tracking, PTO management and scheduling. Works with Fingercheck's physical time clocks.

• 360$79

  per month, plus $10 per employee

  Adds unlimited payroll, multi-state tax, accounting export, hiring and onboarding. New customers get $39 plus $5 for 3 months.

• 360 Plus$129

  per month, plus $12 per employee

  Adds next-day pay, benefits administration, team chat, credentials and HR workflows. Promo: $65 plus $6 for 3 months.

• 360 ProCustom

  For larger or more complex operations. Everything in 360 Plus, set up around how the business runs, with one quote.

Breathe

• Annual discount

  About 15% off core HR with yearly billing

  Paying yearly saves about 15% on Micro, Starter, Regular and Pro plans and about 10% on Premium and Plus; add-ons are not discounted.

Fingercheck

• Other savings

  50% off 360 plans for 3 months

  Run a first payroll by Dec 16 and pay half for 3 months on 360 ($39 plus $5) and 360 Plus ($65 plus $6), plus half off W-2 and 1099 forms. Terms apply.