CharlieHR vs TalentHR (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick TalentHR: it is third in our ranking of HR software, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
CharlieHR grades higher on features. TalentHR 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.
CharlieHR
HR software for UK small businesses, priced by team-size bracket
TalentHR
HR records, time off, hiring and reviews for small teams
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 TalentHR if
- Fits if you are a team of 10 or fewer and need HR records and time off without paying
- Works for a team of 15 or more that wants cheap HR with mobile apps
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you are 11 to 14 people, because the free plan stops at 10 and paid plans start at 15 users
- Pricey if you want performance reviews, goals or time tracking, which are Premium at $4
- Watch out: the AI HR assistant is marked beta on the pricing page
- Watch out: Essential adds only assets, Safe voice and custom fields over the free plan
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACharlieHRFair | 2.6GPATalentHRGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$2 a user a month on yearly billing for Essential and $4 for Premium, both inside the cheapest quarter. Paid plans need 15 users, so the floor is $30 a month. |
| 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. | BFree for up to 10 users with the employee database, time off, reports, onboarding lists and applicant tracking. A 14-day trial of Premium features is offered on top. |
| 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. | CHR records, time off, hiring, reviews and an AI assistant. Performance, goals, time tracking, surveys and document signing are Premium only, and the AI assistant is marked beta. |
| 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 rating is on record, but the listing shows accounts to set up and records to load before use. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, linked to Xero, PayCaptain, Workable, Teamtailor, Spendesk, Hofy, Ravio and Pave. No phone or desktop app on record. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zapier and others listed. No desktop app. |
| Best for | a UK small business's first HR system | a free HR system for up to 10 people |
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 TalentHR. 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. TalentHR starts at $2 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
CharlieHR scores higher, and starts $26.14 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 none scores higher than TalentHR 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
- TalentHR also covers time tracking.
At a glance
| CharlieHR | TalentHR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | £21 per month for up to 4 team members (pounds, excluding VAT) | $2 per user / month, billed annually ($2.40 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for up to 10 users with the employee database, time off tracking, file storage, reports, onboarding and applicant tracking. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required (add-ons not included) | 14-day free trial of Premium features for new users |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Charlie OS Limited | TalentHR |
| Price read from | charliehr.com | talenthr.io |
| 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.
TalentHR
- Paid plans need at least 15 users and change in steps of 5, so a team of 11 to 14 has no paid option.
- Performance management, goals, time tracking, surveys and document signing are Premium features.
- The free plan stops at 10 users, and the AI HR assistant is marked as a beta feature on the pricing page.
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.
TalentHR
- Employee records and files
- A central employee database with file storage that tracks document expiry dates, plus custom fields on paid plans.
- Time off tracking
- Employees request leave and managers approve it, with accruals and calendar sync to Google and Outlook.
- Hiring and onboarding
- Applicant tracking with a careers page and AI job description writing, plus onboarding and offboarding task lists.
- Performance and engagement
- Goal setting, 360-degree reviews and employee surveys, which the pricing page places on Premium.
- People analytics
- Reports on headcount, gender ratios, departments and salary distribution, with custom report exports.
- AI HR assistant
- An assistant for TalentHR and company questions, plus CV summaries and candidate suitability scoring.
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.
TalentHR
Free$0
Up to 10 users, with core HR records, time off, reports, onboarding lists and applicant tracking.
Essential$2
per user / month, billed annually ($2.40 billed monthly)
Adds asset management, Safe voice and custom fields. Minimum of 15 users, in steps of 5.
Premium$4
per user / month, billed annually ($4.80 billed monthly)
Adds performance management, goals, time tracking, surveys and document signing. Minimum of 15 users.
Ways to pay less
CharlieHR
No public discounts listed.
TalentHR
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The pricing page toggle shows annual billing saving 20% against monthly: Essential $2.00 vs $2.40 and Premium $4.00 vs $4.80 per user a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CharlieHR or TalentHR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, CharlieHR starts at £21 per month for up to 4 team members (pounds, excluding VAT), and TalentHR starts at $2 per user / month, billed annually ($2.40 billed monthly). 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 TalentHR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only TalentHR has a free plan. CharlieHR does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do CharlieHR and TalentHR run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only TalentHR 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.