Ciphr vs People HR (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, People HR grades higher than Ciphr: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ciphr grades higher on features. People HR grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ciphr
UK HR and payroll suite for organisations of 200 to 2,000 staff
People HR
Cloud HR software for UK businesses, from the Access Group
Which one is for you
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 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
| 1.8GPACiphrWeak | 2.2GPAPeople HRFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFrom £5 per employee a month, about $6.50, but only for 125 employees on a three-year minimum term. No plan prices are published. | 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 | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | C14-day trial on Starter and Core. No free plan, and Pro and Elite+ only show a contact button. |
| Features | BCentral HR, UK payroll, recruitment, learning, benefits and analytics. The listing names no gap in the core HR work. | 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 store rating on record. A suite this size is bought by quote and set up with implementation scoped inside it. | 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 | CWeb only, with no integrations list or apps on record. | BWeb, iPhone and Android. No integrations are listed, and it is built for the UK edition. |
| Best for | UK organisations of 200 or more staff | 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: Ciphr and People HR. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ciphr starts at about $6.70 a month for each person and scores 2.3 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.
They score the same, and People HR starts $1.34 a month lower. Of the other HR software on the chart, 2 score higher than Ciphr 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
- Ciphr also covers payroll and applicant tracking.
- People HR also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Ciphr | People HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | £5 per employee / month and up (125 employees, three-year term) | £4 per employee / month (Starter) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free 14-day trial on the Starter and Core packages |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Ciphr | The Access Group |
| Price read from | ciphr.com | peoplehr.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Ciphr
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, Ciphr or People HR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, People HR is cheaper to start with: about $5.36 a month for each person, against about $6.70 a month for each person for Ciphr. Ciphr starts at £5 per employee / month and up (125 employees, three-year term), and People HR starts at £4 per employee / month (Starter).
Which has a free plan, Ciphr or People HR?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Ciphr nor People HR has a free plan. People HR has a free trial.
Which platforms do Ciphr 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.