Breathe
UK HR software for small firms, priced per business, not per person
Our verdict
Third of our top three HR software
For: UK small businesses that want a flat monthly fee
Breathe keeps staff records, holiday and absence, documents with e-signatures, reviews, onboarding and reports for a flat monthly fee set by company size, on the web, iPhone and Android. Micro is £24 a month for up to 10 employees and Regular £99 for up to 50, in pounds excluding VAT, with a 14-day trial of everything and no card. It is third because it is built for UK businesses: prices are in pounds only, plans stop at 200 employees, payroll is left to Xero Payroll, and add-ons such as rotas and recruitment stay on after the trial unless you turn them off.
See all three and how we rankBreathe report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for UK small businesses on a fixed monthly price
Breathe is HR software for UK small businesses, with staff records, holiday and absence, documents and reviews for a flat monthly fee set by company size. For up to 10 people it's £24 a month, which is hard to beat. But it's UK only, there's no payroll, and add-ons stay on after the trial.
Who Breathe is for
- Great if you're a UK small business that wants one fixed monthly fee
- Handy when the main job is knowing who's off and when
- Good for shops and practices that need simple rotas, as an add-on
Who Breathe is not for
- Not for you if your company is outside the UK, as it's built for UK businesses
- Skip it if you want payroll built in, since it hands that to Xero
- Pricey if you take every add-on, at £11 to £16 a month each
Why Breathe gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyMicro is £245 a year paid yearly, about £20 a month, in pounds before VAT, for up to 10 staff. That buys records, holiday and absence, documents and reviews. It's in the cheaper quarter of this category, though rotas and recruitment cost extra.
- CFree plan and trialNo free plan, but a 14-day trial of every feature and add-on with no card. Turn the add-ons off before it ends, or they're billed.
- BFeaturesHoliday and absence, records and documents with e-signatures, reviews, onboarding and reports, with rotas, recruitment, expenses, courses and health and safety as add-ons. The whole job, with payroll left to Xero.
- CEase of useNo App Store rating on record, and you'll load staff records and set holiday rules before it's any use.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, linked to Xero Payroll. That's thin on integrations, and there's no desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Breathe's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/breathe#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/breathe.svg" alt="Breathe: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Breathe stands among HR software
Breathe's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 9 of the 9 other HR software we grade.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 9 of 9) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at about $31.73 a month, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 6 of the 6 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 10 HR software we grade, cut by the letter each got. Breathe’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 9 of 9
- CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 9, level with 4
- BFeaturesAbove 1 of 9, level with 8
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 9, level with 8
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 9, level with 9
Keep Breathe, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of Breathe you could make: employee records, time off, applicant tracking, expense tracking and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 9 of the 9 other HR software we grade. It costs $380.75 a year.
What you could make
- Employee records, time off, applicant tracking, expense tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Breathe’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Breathe?
Breathe is HR software for UK small businesses of up to 200 employees, covering staff records, holiday and absence, documents, performance reviews and reporting. Rotas with time and attendance, recruitment, expenses, e-learning and health and safety are paid add-ons. The price is a flat monthly fee set by the size of the company rather than a charge per user.
Breathe is a paid product with a free trial, starting at £24 per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly (pounds, excluding VAT). See every plan
Good for
- UK small businesses with up to 200 staff
- Owners who want a fixed monthly price instead of per-user fees
- Shops and practices that need holiday tracking and simple rotas
Worth knowing
- Built for UK businesses: prices are in pounds excluding VAT, data sits in a UK data centre, and plans stop at 200 employees.
- Add-ons cost extra each month: rotas and attendance from £11, health and safety £12, expenses £14, learning £15 and recruitment £16.
- Add-ons stay switched on after the trial and are charged unless you turn them off.
- There is no payroll of its own; it connects to Xero Payroll.
Key features
- Holiday and absence
- Staff book leave and report sickness, managers approve it, and a staff holiday planner shows who is off across the business.
- Records, documents and e-signatures
- Employee files, policies and contracts in one place, with documents sent out for electronic signature.
- Performance, onboarding and reports
- Performance management, dashboards and reporting come with every plan, and onboarding workflows sit among its people tools.
- Rotas, time and attendance
- An add-on builds weekly rotas, records clock-ins and clock-outs, generates timesheets, tracks overtime and lets staff swap shifts.
- Recruitment, expenses and learning
- Add-ons track applicants from application to shortlist, collect expense claims, and run bite-size courses for training and onboarding.
- Health and safety
- A newer add-on keeps risk assessments, logs accidents and near misses, and tracks safety roles and certifications.
Breathe pricing
- Starts at
- £24 per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly (pounds, excluding VAT)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of every feature and add-on, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | £24per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly | Core HR: holiday and absence, dashboards and reports, documents and policies, and performance management. £245 a year if paid yearly. |
| Starter | £44per month for up to 20 employees, billed monthly | Core HR for 11 to 20 people, adding time logs. £449 a year if paid yearly. |
| Regular | £99per month for up to 50 employees, billed monthly | Core HR for 21 to 50 people, adding financial user permissions. £999 a year if paid yearly. |
| Pro | £175per month for up to 100 employees, billed monthly | Core HR for 51 to 100 people. £1,790 a year if paid yearly. |
| Premium | £419per month for up to 150 employees, billed monthly | Core HR for 101 to 150 people. £4,519 a year if paid yearly. |
| Plus | £579per month for up to 200 employees, billed monthly | Core HR for 151 to 200 people. £6,255 a year if paid yearly. |
Read from breathehr.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Breathe before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAbout 15% off core HR with yearly billing
Paying yearly saves about 15% on Micro, Starter, Regular and Pro plans and about 10% on Premium and Plus; add-ons are not discounted.
Stated on breathehr.com
Works with
Breathe alternatives
- Breathe vs CharlieHR
Free trial · from £21/mo
- Breathe vs Zoho People
Free plan · from $3/mo
- Breathe vs Sesame HR
Free trial · from $3.75/mo
Common questions
Is Breathe free?
No, Breathe is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial of every feature and add-on, no credit card required.
How much does Breathe cost?
Breathe lists 6 plans. Micro: £24 per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly. Starter: £44 per month for up to 20 employees, billed monthly. Regular: £99 per month for up to 50 employees, billed monthly. Pro: £175 per month for up to 100 employees, billed monthly. Premium: £419 per month for up to 150 employees, billed monthly. Plus: £579 per month for up to 200 employees, billed monthly. Prices were read from breathehr.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Breathe work on?
Breathe is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Breathe offer any discounts?
Breathe publicly lists the following: About 15% off core HR with yearly billing.
Does Breathe have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Breathe is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Breathe have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Breathe is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Breathe open source?
Breathe is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Breathe integrate with?
Breathe's listing names Xero. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Breathe?
Breathe is made by Centurion. It dates from 2012.
What are the alternatives to Breathe?
The closest alternatives to Breathe in our directory are CharlieHR, Humaans, Personio, Zoho People and Sesame HR. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Breathe.
How does Breathe compare with other HR software?
Breathe's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 9 of the 9 other HR software we grade. It stands best on value for money (B, above 9 of 9) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Is Breathe good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Breathe B for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $31.73 a month, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 6 of the 6 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Could I make my own version of Breathe?
The plain part of Breathe you could make: employee records, time off, applicant tracking, expense tracking and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 9 of the 9 other HR software we grade. It costs $380.75 a year. What you could not make: A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts. Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026.