CharlieHR vs People HR (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CharlieHR grades higher than People HR: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CharlieHR grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CharlieHR
HR software for UK small businesses, priced by team-size bracket
People HR
Cloud HR software for UK businesses, from the Access Group
Which one is for you
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 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
| 2.4GPACharlieHRFair | 2.2GPAPeople HRFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CTen people fall in the 5 to 14 bracket at £47 a month, in pounds before VAT. That buys records, onboarding, time off, reviews, surveys and perks. It sits between this category's cheaper quarter and its middle, and HR advice with Charlie Grow starts at £200 a month on top. | 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 | CNo free plan, but a 7-day trial with no card. A week is short, and the add-ons aren't in it. | C14-day trial on Starter and Core. No free plan, and Pro and Elite+ only show a contact button. |
| Features | BRecords and documents with e-signatures, self-service onboarding, time off with Slack showing who's out, scheduled reviews, engagement surveys and perks. The whole job for a small team, with payroll left to Xero or PayCaptain. | 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 App Store rating on record. New hires fill in their own details, but you'll still set up leave types and review cycles. | 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 only, linked to Xero, PayCaptain, Workable, Teamtailor, Spendesk, Hofy, Ravio and Pave. No phone or desktop app on record. | BWeb, iPhone and Android. No integrations are listed, and it is built for the UK edition. |
| Best for | a UK small business's first HR system | 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: CharlieHR and People HR. How we grade
Price against what you get
CharlieHR starts at about $28.14 a month 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.
CharlieHR scores higher, and starts $22.78 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 CharlieHR 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
- CharlieHR also covers surveys and applicant tracking.
- People HR also covers workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| CharlieHR | People HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | £21 per month for up to 4 team members (pounds, excluding VAT) | £4 per employee / month (Starter) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required (add-ons not included) | Free 14-day trial on the Starter and Core packages |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Charlie OS Limited | The Access Group |
| Price read from | charliehr.com | peoplehr.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
CharlieHR
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, CharlieHR or People HR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, CharlieHR starts at £21 per month for up to 4 team members (pounds, excluding VAT), and People HR starts at £4 per employee / month (Starter). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, CharlieHR or People HR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither CharlieHR nor People HR has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do CharlieHR and People HR run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only People HR 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.