BrightHR vs Ciphr (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BrightHR grades higher than Ciphr: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BrightHR grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BrightHR
HR software with holiday, rota and absence tools and advice lines
Ciphr
UK HR and payroll suite for organisations of 200 to 2,000 staff
Which one is for you
Pick BrightHR if
- Fits if you run a small UK firm and want an employment-law advice line with the software
- Works for shift-based teams that need rotas and holiday cover on one screen
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are in the US, as no US edition was found
- Pricey if you add support: £21.20 for the advice line, £31.30 with health and safety
- Watch out: prices exclude tax, and insurance is quoted separately
- Watch out: contract length isn't stated beyond 'fixed-term', and the FAQ says quotes come from a demo
Pick Ciphr if
- Fits if you are a UK organisation of 200 or more that wants HR and payroll together
- Works for HR teams that also want learning and benefits in the same suite
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have a small team, as it is built for 200 or more
- Tight if you can't commit: the £5 figure assumes a three-year minimum term
- Skip it if you are outside the UK, as it is built for UK compliance
- Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABrightHRFair | 1.8GPACiphrWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C£16.67 per employee a month excluding tax, about $22, near the top quarter of the category. £83.35 a month at 5 employees; advice lines and safety tools push it to £31.30. | CFrom £5 per employee a month, about $6.50, but only for 125 employees on a three-year minimum term. No plan prices are published. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. |
| Features | BHoliday, absence, rotas, overtime, expenses, documents and reporting, plus a payroll navigator. The listing names no gap in the core HR work; payroll itself is not run. | BCentral HR, UK payroll, recruitment, learning, benefits and analytics. The listing names no gap in the core HR work. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Holiday rules, rotas and documents need setting up. | CNo store rating on record. A suite this size is bought by quote and set up with implementation scoped inside it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with an integrations page (5 on record). No desktop app. | CWeb only, with no integrations list or apps on record. |
| Best for | UK small firms wanting HR software with advice lines | UK organisations of 200 or more staff |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BrightHR and Ciphr. How we grade
Price against what you get
BrightHR starts at about $22.34 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ciphr starts at about $6.70 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
BrightHR scores higher, and starts $15.64 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other HR software on the chart, 1 scores higher than BrightHR for less, and 2 score higher than Ciphr for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BrightHR also covers shift scheduling and time clock.
- Ciphr also covers applicant tracking.
At a glance
| BrightHR | Ciphr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | £16.67 per employee / month (£83.35 a month at the smallest size shown) | £5 per employee / month and up (125 employees, three-year term) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | BrightHR | Ciphr |
| Price read from | brighthr.com | ciphr.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BrightHR
- Prices are in pounds, excluding tax, and the site is aimed at UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; no US edition was found.
- The FAQ says prices start from £3.00 per person depending on business size and that quotes come from a demo.
- The pricing page does not state the contract length beyond calling them fixed-term contracts.
- Insurance is not in the online prices; it is quoted separately.
Ciphr
- No plan prices are published; the vendor quotes by modules, headcount and support level.
- The 'from £5' figure assumes 125 employees on a three-year minimum term.
- It is built for UK compliance and for organisations of 200 or more staff, so small teams are outside its stated range.
- Implementation is scoped inside the quote, so setup is not a separate published price.
Key features
BrightHR
- Holiday and absence management
- A staff holiday planner with booking and approvals, plus tools for recording sick leave and lateness across the team.
- Shifts and rotas
- Create and edit shifts across any working pattern, including an open shifts feature, and let staff clock in and out from the Blip app.
- Expenses, documents and reporting
- Expense tracking, HR document storage and a custom reporting system sit in the core package.
- Advice lines and templates
- Higher packages add a 24/7 HR and employment law advice line and a library of HR document templates.
- Health and safety software
- Accident and near-miss reporting, 600+ risk assessment templates, task reminders and hazardous substances management.
- Payroll navigator and payroll service
- A payroll navigator is in the core package, and a separate payroll software and managed payroll service is sold on its own pages.
Ciphr
- Central HR
- Cloud HR with absence, performance, documents, employee self-service and reporting, plus an AI assistant.
- UK payroll
- Payroll built around HMRC rules, including RTI and auto-enrolment, with UK-based expert support.
- Recruitment
- Hiring from vacancy to offer, connected to Ciphr HR so a new hire flows into onboarding without re-keying.
- Learning management
- An LMS and eLearning courses, off the shelf or bespoke, that update the learner's record on completion.
- Benefits platform
- An employee benefits platform that shows take-home pay impact and connects to payroll.
- HR analytics
- Dashboards and reports across HR, payroll, learning and recruitment data.
Plans
BrightHR
Core HR software£16.67
per employee / month, excluding tax
Holiday planner, rotas, absence, performance, overtime and expense tools, reporting, and a payroll navigator. £83.35 a month at 5 employees.
Enhanced HR support£21.20
per employee / month, excluding tax
Core package plus a 24/7 HR and employment law advice line and document templates. Insurance is quoted separately. £106 a month at 5 employees.
Full HR, health and safety support£31.30
per employee / month, excluding tax
Enhanced package plus health and safety software and advice and a wellbeing portal. £156.50 a month at 5 employees.
Ciphr
Quote-based suite£5
per employee / month and up, three-year term
Standard HR software for 125 employees on a three-year minimum term. Final price depends on modules, headcount and support.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BrightHR or Ciphr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ciphr is cheaper to start with: about $6.70 a month for each person, against about $22.34 a month for each person for BrightHR. BrightHR starts at £16.67 per employee / month (£83.35 a month at the smallest size shown), and Ciphr starts at £5 per employee / month and up (125 employees, three-year term).
Which has a free plan, BrightHR or Ciphr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BrightHR nor Ciphr has a free plan.
Which platforms do BrightHR and Ciphr run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only BrightHR lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.