BrightHR vs Timetastic (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Timetastic grades higher than BrightHR: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BrightHR grades higher on features. Timetastic grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on 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
Timetastic
Staff leave planner, with an added rota and time clock product
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 Timetastic if
- Fits if you only need to know who is off and when
- Works for small teams that want leave approvals on a phone
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for HR records, hiring or reviews, as it covers leave and an optional rota
- Skip it if you want to stay free, since only a 30-day trial is offered
- Pricey if you need rotas and a time clock, a separate $5.50 plan
- Watch out: booking limits, absence reports and the burnout board need Pro
- Watch out: the page lists dollar prices, with GBP prices in its data for the UK
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABrightHRFair | 2.6GPATimetasticGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | A$1.50 a user a month on Business is under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter at $3. Pro is $2.50 and Rota & Time Clock $5.50. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | CA 30-day trial with no credit card, and no free plan. |
| 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. | CIt does the leave job fully: calendar, allowances and approvals. That is a smaller job than a full HR system, and booking limits and absence reports need Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Holiday rules, rotas and documents need setting up. | CNo store rating on record. You still have to add staff, allowances and approvers. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with an integrations page (5 on record). No desktop app. | BWeb, iOS and Android with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, QuickBooks and Sage 50. No desktop app. |
| Best for | UK small firms wanting HR software with advice lines | a staff leave calendar from $1.50 a seat |
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 Timetastic. 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. Timetastic starts at $1.50 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
BrightHR scores higher, and starts $20.84 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 none scores higher than Timetastic 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 reports and payroll.
At a glance
| BrightHR | Timetastic | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | £16.67 per employee / month (£83.35 a month at the smallest size shown) | $1.50 per user / month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | BrightHR | Timetastic Ltd |
| Price read from | brighthr.com | timetastic.co.uk |
| 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.
Timetastic
- Prices are shown in US dollars on the page we read; the page's structured data also lists GBP prices for the UK, so the rate you see depends on where you are.
- Booking limits, absence reports and the burnout board need Pro or above; rotas and time clock are a separate $5.50 plan.
- Billing runs month to month through Stripe with no minimum term.
- Charities, Certified B Corporations, Fair Tax Mark holders, 1% for the Planet members and NHS Trusts get 50% off.
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.
Timetastic
- Shared leave calendar
- One calendar shows who is off and when, with holiday allowance records and manager approval of requests.
- Absence insights
- Pro adds absence trends, company-wide absence reports and a burnout board with risk alerts.
- Rotas
- Rota & Time Clock builds shift rotas with templates, conflict detection, multi-location management, open shifts and shift swaps.
- Time clock and timesheets
- Staff clock in and out from a phone, with break and overtime tracking and a payroll data export.
- Basic HR records
- Employee profiles, document storage and electronic signatures, onboarding forms and key date reminders are listed under the Rota & Time Clock plan.
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.
Timetastic
Business$1.50
per user / month, billed monthly
Unlimited users and departments, shared calendar of who is off, holiday allowance records and approvals, mobile and desktop app.
Pro$2.50
per user / month, billed monthly
Everything in Business plus booking limits by leave type, absence trends and insights, company-wide absence reports and enhanced user profiles.
Rota & Time Clock$5.50
per user / month, billed monthly
Rotas, clock-in and clock-out, payroll-ready timesheets, leave and absence management, HR records and team chat.
Ways to pay less
BrightHR
No public discounts listed.
Timetastic
- Nonprofit
50% off for good causes
A 50% discount on standard pricing for charities, Certified B Corporations, Fair Tax Mark holders, 1% for the Planet members and NHS Trusts.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BrightHR or Timetastic?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Timetastic is cheaper to start with: $1.50 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 Timetastic starts at $1.50 per user / month.
Which has a free plan, BrightHR or Timetastic?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BrightHR nor Timetastic has a free plan. Timetastic 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.