CharlieHR vs HR Partner (2026): which should you pick?

Pick CharlieHR if

• Fits if this is your first HR system and your team is in the UK
• Works for teams that want new hires filling in their own details

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if staff expect a phone app, as it runs in a browser
• Pricey if you add recruiting and HR advice, from £55 and £200 a month, and Recruit isn't sold on its own
• Skip it if you're outside the UK, as it's priced and built for UK businesses
• Tight if you want a proper look before paying, as the trial is 7 days and leaves out the add-ons
• Watch out: it stores payroll details but doesn't run payroll, so you'll need Xero or PayCaptain too

Pick HR Partner if

• Fits if you run a firm of 25 or so and want records and leave in one place
• Works for small teams that want recruitment and reviews on a Premium plan

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you have under 25 people and expect a lower price, as that is the smallest size shown
• Tight if you want recruitment, reviews or timesheets, which need Premium at $108
• Watch out: Core has up to 5 admin users, and extra admins cost a fee
• Watch out: yearly billing is 11 times the monthly price, a saving of about one month

CharlieHR

• Made for UK businesses: prices are in pounds and exclude 20% UK VAT, and no other countries are named.
• Charlie Recruit costs £55 to £150 a month extra and cannot be bought on its own; Charlie Grow starts at £200 a month for up to 4 people.
• It does not run payroll; it stores payroll details and links to tools such as Xero and PayCaptain.
• No app-store app is listed on its site; Charlie is used in a browser.

HR Partner

• Price is set by employee count; the figures here are for 25 employees, the smallest size in the page's price table, and rise with headcount.
• Yearly billing works out to 11 times the monthly price, so the saving is about one month.
• Applicant tracking, performance reviews and timesheets need Premium; Core has up to 5 admin users and extra admin users cost a fee.
• Prices can be shown in USD, GBP, AUD or EUR on the pricing page.

CharlieHR

Employee records and documents

Stores contracts, policies, tax codes and other records on each profile, sends contracts for e-signature and files them once signed.

Onboarding

New hires submit their own details through a self-service onboarding flow, with checklists to track tasks and contracts sent for e-signature.

Time-off management

Leave requests go to the right manager, public holidays sync to the calendar, custom leave types fit company policy, and Slack shows who is off.

Performance reviews and engagement

Run structured reviews and appraisals on a schedule, and send engagement surveys to the team.

Charlie Recruit

An add-on applicant tracker with interview scheduling, e-signed contracts, best-fit analysis, blind hiring and a custom careers site.

Charlie Grow

An add-on with a dedicated HR adviser, the AskCharlie AI assistant, urgent support and help with compliance and policies.

HR Partner

Employee records

Contact details, position and salary history, training records, skills matrix, assets, dependents, file attachments and an org chart.

Leave and PTO

Requests, approvals, configurable policies, custom working-day schedules, balances and a leave calendar.

Onboarding checklists

Unlimited checklists with reminders, admin tasks, verification and optional e-signatures.

Recruitment

On Premium and above: an applicant tracking system with a job portal, application forms, stage pipeline and selection panels.

Performance reviews and goals

Custom review forms, reminders, individual goals and team goal templates, on Premium and above.

Expense claims and e-signatures

Online expense claims with approvals and reports, plus electronic signatures, appear in the plan comparison.

CharlieHR

• 1-4 team members£21

  per month for up to 4 team members

  Core Charlie: records and documents, onboarding, time off, performance reviews, engagement surveys and perks.

• 5-14 team members£47

  per month for up to 14 team members

  Core Charlie for teams of 5 to 14; the page lists 5-9 and 10-14 as separate brackets at the same price.

• 15-29 team members£108

  per month for up to 29 team members

  Core Charlie for teams of 15 to 29.

• 30-49 team members£185

  per month for up to 49 team members

  Core Charlie for teams of 30 to 49.

• 50-99 team members£323

  per month for up to 99 team members

  Core Charlie for teams of 50 to 99.

• 100+ team members£431

  per month for up to 149 team members

  Core Charlie for 100 to 149 people; then £539 for 150-199, £646 for 200-249 and £754 a month for 250 or more.

HR Partner

• Core$86

  per month for 25 employees, billed monthly ($946 billed yearly)

  Employee records, self-service portal, leave and accruals, onboarding checklists, up to 5 admin users. Price rises with headcount: $360 a month at 100 employees.

• Premium$108

  per month for 25 employees, billed monthly ($1,188 billed yearly)

  Core plus applicant tracking, performance reviews and goals, timesheets and clock-in, e-signatures, 10 admin users. $450 a month at 100 employees.

• VIP$155

  per month for 25 employees, billed monthly ($1,705 billed yearly)

  Premium plus priority support, a dedicated account manager, a custom domain, unlimited admin users and 5 implementation sessions. $648 a month at 100 employees.

CharlieHR

No public discounts listed.

HR Partner

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing at 11 times the monthly price

  The pricing page toggle shows a yearly price equal to 11 months of the monthly price, for example $946 against $86 a month for Core at 25 employees.