BrightHR vs People HR (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, People HR grades higher than BrightHR: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
BrightHR grades higher on features. People HR grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
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
People HR
Cloud HR software for UK businesses, from the Access Group
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 People HR if
- Fits if you run a UK business and want staff records and holiday booking
- Works for small teams that start on the basic tier and add parts later
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need performance reviews or timesheets: that is Pro at £9.25 a person
- Tight if you want workflows, which need Elite+ at £11 a person
- Watch out: payroll is a separate product, from £3 a person a month
- Skip it if you are outside the UK: the pages and prices are the UK edition, in pounds
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABrightHRFair | 2.2GPAPeople HRFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C£4 an employee a month is close to the category's $5 middle. Each tier up adds £2 to £3 more per person. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | C14-day trial on Starter and Core. No free plan, and Pro and Elite+ only show a contact button. |
| 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. | CRecords, absence and a mobile app at the start. Onboarding, performance and workflows sit on higher tiers, and payroll is a separate product. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Holiday rules, rotas and documents need setting up. | CNo store rating on record. It is an HR system to set up with your own policies and people, so it is a C. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with an integrations page (5 on record). No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android. No integrations are listed, and it is built for the UK edition. |
| Best for | UK small firms wanting HR software with advice lines | UK HR records and holiday tracking |
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 People HR. 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. People HR starts at about $5.36 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
BrightHR scores higher, and starts $16.98 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 People HR 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 payroll, shift scheduling and time clock.
- People HR also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| BrightHR | People HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | £16.67 per employee / month (£83.35 a month at the smallest size shown) | £4 per employee / month (Starter) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free 14-day trial on the Starter and Core packages |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | BrightHR | The Access Group |
| Price read from | brighthr.com | peoplehr.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.
People HR
- Prices are in pounds sterling and the pages are the UK edition.
- Payroll is a separate product, from £3 per employee per month for the Payroll SaaS Core tier.
- The free trial is offered on Starter and Core only; Pro and Elite+ show a contact-us button.
- Performance management and timesheets need Pro, and automated workflows need Elite+.
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.
People HR
- Employee records and documents
- Digital employee records with document management and a personalized dashboard.
- Absence tracking
- Holiday booking and approval without paper forms, plus absence trend reporting.
- Onboarding and e-signatures
- Onboarding flows and electronic signing start on the Core package.
- Performance and timesheets
- Performance management, timesheets and a custom survey builder are added at the Pro package.
- Workflows and analytics
- Automated workflows and advanced analytics are in the Elite+ package.
- Mobile app
- A People app for Android and iOS lets employees use the system away from a desk.
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.
People HR
Starter£4
per employee / month
Employee records, document management, absence tracking, mobile app, AI HR assistant, dashboard and learning library.
Core£6.25
per employee / month
Everything in Starter plus onboarding, expenses, e-signatures, employee communication, a reward and recognition platform and essential analytics.
Pro£9.25
per employee / month
Everything in Core plus performance management, timesheets and a survey builder. Contact the vendor to start.
Elite+£11
per employee / month
Everything in Pro plus customizable automated workflows, advanced analytics and self-service payroll. Contact the vendor to start.
Ways to pay less
BrightHR
No public discounts listed.
People HR
- Annual discount
Annual customer discounts
The pricing page says discounts are available for annual customers but gives no figure.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BrightHR or People HR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, People HR is cheaper to start with: about $5.36 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 People HR starts at £4 per employee / month (Starter).
Which has a free plan, BrightHR or People HR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BrightHR nor People HR has a free plan. People HR has a free trial.
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.