CharlieHR vs Personio
We give CharlieHR a 2.4 GPA and Personio a 1.8, out of 4.0. CharlieHR grades higher on the free plan and features. 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.
CharlieHR
HR software for UK small businesses, priced by team-size bracket
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACharlieHRFair | 1.8GPAPersonioWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CWe couldn't read a price: Personio's pages turned our reader away, so plans and prices aren't on record and we can't say what a ten-person company pays. With no figure to compare, it's a C. |
| 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. | FNo free plan or trial on record. Its pages turned our reader away, so a trial may exist that we couldn't confirm. |
| 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 and documents, time off, working hours, an approvals inbox, recruiting and payroll, with an API and webhooks. The basics are there, but the listing shows no reviews or onboarding, and shifts need a partner app. |
| 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 App Store rating on record. The app covers absences, hours, approvals and documents, and everything else, setup included, happens on the web. |
| 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, with a public API, webhooks and more than 200 integrations. No desktop app. |
| Best for | a UK small business's first HR system | European firms wanting HR and payroll together |
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 Personio. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only Personio lists iOS and Android apps.
- CharlieHR also covers surveys.
- Personio also covers time tracking.
At a glance
| CharlieHR | Personio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | £21 per month for up to 4 team members (pounds, excluding VAT) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required (add-ons not included) | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Charlie OS Limited | Personio SE & Co. KG |
| Price read from | charliehr.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
CharlieHR
- UK small businesses hiring their first HR system
- Founders who want HR advice alongside the software
- Teams that want a fixed monthly price for their size bracket
Personio
- Companies in Europe wanting core HR, payroll and recruiting together
- HR teams that want records, absences and hours in one system
- Companies connecting a separate shift planner or payroll tool
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.
Personio
- Prices could not be confirmed: personio.com and its help center answered with a bot check, so plans, prices and any trial are not recorded.
- It presents itself as built for Europe; the pages read do not list the countries where its payroll works.
- The mobile app covers absences, time, approvals and documents; other workflows and set-up need the web app.
- Shift planning comes through partner apps that sync with Personio, where shifts are created and changed.
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.
Personio
- Employee records and documents
- One place for employee data and HR documents, which staff can open, download or share from the mobile app.
- Absences and time off
- Employees request time off and see their balance, and can check upcoming absences and team availability where the company allows it.
- Working-time tracking
- Staff record and review their hours on the web or phone, and approved times from partner apps can be sent back into Personio.
- Inbox for approvals
- Managers see open requests and tasks in one inbox and approve or decline them, including from the mobile app.
- Recruiting
- Applicants can be passed into Personio's recruiting module through its Recruiting API, alongside core HR and payroll.
- API, webhooks and marketplace
- Custom integrations read employees, attendance, absences and documents through the API, and webhooks push changes in real time.
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.
Personio
Pricing could not be confirmed. See personio.com.
