The Breathe Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Breathe in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Breathe
The Insider’s Guide
UK HR software for small firms, priced per business, not per person
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among HR software, read from Breathe’s own pages.
Made by Centurion · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Breathe’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Breathe’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 9 of the 9 other HR software we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Breathe, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No App Store rating on record, and you'll load staff records and set holiday rules before it's any use.
- 1
Best for UK small businesses on a fixed monthly price
But it's UK only, there's no payroll, and add-ons stay on after the trial.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $31.73 a month
As its pricing page puts it: £24 per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly (pounds, excluding VAT).
- 3
You can try it first
14-day free trial of every feature and add-on, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
Holiday and absence
Staff book leave and report sickness, managers approve it, and a staff holiday planner shows who is off across the business.
- 6
Records, documents and e-signatures
Employee files, policies and contracts in one place, with documents sent out for electronic signature.
- 7
Performance, onboarding and reports
Performance management, dashboards and reporting come with every plan, and onboarding workflows sit among its people tools.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 9 of 9
That is against the other HR software we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
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.
Breathe at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from £24 per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly (pounds, excluding VAT)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of every feature and add-on, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Centurion, since 2012
- Category
- HR Software
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Micro 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No 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. |
| Features | B | Holiday 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No App Store rating on record, and you'll load staff records and set holiday rules before it's any use. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android, linked to Xero Payroll. That's thin on integrations, and there's no desktop app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$31.73
A month to start
Breathe is a paid product with a free trial, starting at £24 per month for up to 10 employees, billed monthly (pounds, excluding VAT).
That buys records, holiday and absence, documents and reviews.
Micro
£24
per 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
£44
per 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
£99
per 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
£175
per month for up to 100 employees, billed monthly
Core HR for 51 to 100 people. £1,790 a year if paid yearly.
Premium
£419
per month for up to 150 employees, billed monthly
Core HR for 101 to 150 people. £4,519 a year if paid yearly.
Plus
£579
per month for up to 200 employees, billed monthly
Core HR for 151 to 200 people. £6,255 a year if paid yearly.
Trying it first
14-day free trial of every feature and add-on, no credit card required
Read from breathehr.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
About 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
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
UK HR software for small firms, priced per business, not per person. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: reports, expense tracking, shift scheduling, time clock, applicant tracking, employee records, time off.
The whole job, with payroll left to Xero.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Xero
Breathe is made by Centurion, and has been around since 2012.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
9/9
Other HR software it is graded above
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
- BFeaturesAbove 1 of 9
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 9
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 9
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 7 HR software. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Breathe is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
CharlieHR, Humaans, Personio, Zoho People and Sesame HR
The 5 tools Breathe is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
CharlieHR
Free trial · from £21/mo
HR software for UK small businesses, priced by team-size bracket.
- Only Breathe lists iOS and Android apps.
- Breathe also covers reports, expense tracking, shift scheduling and time clock.
- CharlieHR also covers surveys.
- 2.0GPA
Humaans
Paid
HR system of record for growing companies, with AI agents, by quote.
- Only Breathe lists iOS and Android apps.
- Breathe also covers expense tracking, shift scheduling, time clock and applicant tracking.
- Humaans also covers workflow automation and AI agents.
- 1.8GPA
Personio
Paid
European HR platform for records, absences, time and recruiting.
- Breathe also covers reports, expense tracking, shift scheduling and time clock.
- Personio also covers time tracking.
- 2.4GPA
Zoho People
Free plan · from $3/mo
Low-cost HR records, attendance, shifts and reviews from Zoho.
- Zoho People has a free plan. Breathe does not, though it has a free trial.
- Breathe also covers expense tracking and applicant tracking.
- 2.4GPA
Sesame HR
Free trial · from $3.75/mo
Modular HR from Spain built around clock-ins, time off and shifts.
- Breathe also covers reports and expense tracking.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Breathe’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Centurion. Prices change, so check breathehr.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Breathe, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/breathe
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Breathe: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/breathe
Know someone choosing between HR software?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/breathe/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded HR software after Breathe, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- HR Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 10 HR software we grade, compared
- BambooHR Insider's GuideHR records, hiring, time off and reviews, with US payroll as an add-on2.4 GPA
- CharlieHR Insider's GuideHR software for UK small businesses, priced by team-size bracket2.4 GPA
- Sesame HR Insider's GuideModular HR from Spain built around clock-ins, time off and shifts2.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Breathe’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Breathe is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Centurion. Prices and plans change: check breathehr.com before you buy.