Ciphr vs HR WORKS (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Ciphr if

• Fits if you are a UK organisation of 200 or more that wants HR and payroll together
• Works for HR teams that also want learning and benefits in the same suite

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you have a small team, as it is built for 200 or more
• Tight if you can't commit: the £5 figure assumes a three-year minimum term
• Skip it if you are outside the UK, as it is built for UK compliance
• Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed

Pick HR WORKS if

• Fits if you're a German firm whose tax adviser uses DATEV or ADDISON
• Works for companies of 20 or more that want expenses and time in one system

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you have fewer than 20 staff, since 20 users are billed
• Not for you if you want a full payroll run in the system
• Watch out: the site and /en address are mainly in German
• Watch out: no price is published, only a request form

Ciphr

• No plan prices are published; the vendor quotes by modules, headcount and support level.
• The 'from £5' figure assumes 125 employees on a three-year minimum term.
• It is built for UK compliance and for organisations of 200 or more staff, so small teams are outside its stated range.
• Implementation is scoped inside the quote, so setup is not a separate published price.

HR WORKS

• No prices are published: the pricing page asks you to request an offer.
• Billing is per user per month, with at least 20 users charged and the count taken on the last day of each month, according to its FAQ.
• Payroll is preparatory, not a full payroll run: the tax adviser completes it through DATEV or ADDISON.
• The site is mainly in German; the /en address redirects to a German page, and a customer quote on the pricing page mentions a German and English interface.

Ciphr

Central HR

Cloud HR with absence, performance, documents, employee self-service and reporting, plus an AI assistant.

UK payroll

Payroll built around HMRC rules, including RTI and auto-enrolment, with UK-based expert support.

Recruitment

Hiring from vacancy to offer, connected to Ciphr HR so a new hire flows into onboarding without re-keying.

Learning management

An LMS and eLearning courses, off the shelf or bespoke, that update the learner's record on completion.

Benefits platform

An employee benefits platform that shows take-home pay impact and connects to payroll.

HR analytics

Dashboards and reports across HR, payroll, learning and recruitment data.

HR WORKS

Time tracking

Employees record working time, project time and absences, with a team overview showing who is in the office or working from home.

Travel and expense claims

Automates travel expense reports and other expense types, including flat-rate allowance calculations.

Personnel administration

Digital personnel file with task reminders, employee self-service for master data, a job portal, applicant management and onboarding.

Payroll preparation

You do the preparatory payroll work and your tax adviser processes the rest through interfaces to DATEV and ADDISON.

Personnel development

A module for tracking skills and keeping employees, listed alongside the other functions.

AI assistance

AI-assisted entry in time tracking and expense claims, such as requesting leave by typing a sentence.

Ciphr

• Quote-based suite£5

  per employee / month and up, three-year term

  Standard HR software for 125 employees on a three-year minimum term. Final price depends on modules, headcount and support.

HR WORKS

Pricing could not be confirmed. See hrworks.de.