Breathe is a UK HR software company based in Horsham, built specifically for small and medium businesses that are outgrowing spreadsheets. It centralises holiday and absence management, employee records, documents, rotas and performance reviews.
Data is hosted in the UK/EU and the platform is designed around UK employment practices, making it a popular first HR system for growing British teams.
Breathe HR
£18
per month
CharlieHR
£4
per user/month
Based on 72 reviews
Starting price
£4/user/month
of reviewers rated it
4 stars or above
Contact us! We'll be happy to help you.
UK-built HR platform for SMEs covering holiday booking, absence, documents and performance, with GDPR-friendly data hosting. It is listed under HR Software on Stack Match.
Breathe HR starts from £18/mo. A free trial is available.
Key features include: Holiday & absence management, Employee records & documents, Performance reviews & 1-to-1s, Rotas & scheduling, Company announcements, GDPR-friendly UK/EU hosting.
Integration information has not been listed yet.
Breathe offers support via Email, Knowledge Base, Live Chat.
Breathe HR is available in United Kingdom.
Typical company sizes, industries, and job titles based on verified Stack Match reviews.
Ease of useBased on 72 reviews
HR Manager
↗ 20%Financial Services
Top SectorReal advantages and drawbacks of Breathe HR highlighted by verified users.
Overall sentimentBased on 72 reviews
86% positive reviews out of 72
As a non HR person I needed something obvious. It handles holidays, documents and reviews without a manual.
Lucy Rahman
People Lead, 1 employees
“UK based support that actually helps.”
4% negative reviews out of 72
We needed proper rotas and reporting and it just could not stretch that far for us.
Amara Pople
Founder, 201-500 employees
“Too basic on reporting.”
Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically.
Allows you to manage and streamline holiday & absence management operations efficiently inside your business workflows.
Allows you to manage and streamline employee records & documents operations efficiently inside your business workflows.
Allows you to manage and streamline performance reviews & 1-to-1s operations efficiently inside your business workflows.
Allows you to manage and streamline rotas & scheduling operations efficiently inside your business workflows.
Allows you to manage and streamline company announcements operations efficiently inside your business workflows.
Allows you to manage and streamline gdpr-friendly uk/eu hosting operations efficiently inside your business workflows.
FeaturesBased on 72 reviews
Value for moneyBased on 72 reviews
Ideal for businesses ready to explore and get started with basic operations
Built for companies that want to gain an edge with advanced features and automation
We may earn a commission if you buy via links on this page. It never affects how we rate software — how we make money.
Integration information has not been listed yet.
Customer ServiceBased on 72 reviews
Based on 72 reviews
People Lead, Oakwell Group
The self service means people stop coming to my desk for every little thing. That alone was worth it.
Great value for a small team.
The performance features are lighter than a dedicated tool.
HR Manager, Oakwell Partners
Breathe replaced a messy holiday spreadsheet and endless email requests. Everyone books their own leave now and I can see it at a glance.
Storing documents and records in one place has been a big tidy up.
Nothing worth noting.
Owner, Redgate Ltd
It is easy and tidy but we quickly wanted more from the reporting and the performance side.
Holiday tracking is good.
Light on performance management.
Founder
Having every record, contract and absence in one place has tidied up our admin no end.
Storing documents and records in one place has been a big tidy up.
None so far.
People Lead
Breathe replaced a messy holiday spreadsheet and endless email requests. Everyone books their own leave now and I can see it at a glance.
Great value for a small team.
None so far.
Head of Operations, Clyde Trading
Breathe replaced a messy holiday spreadsheet and endless email requests. Everyone books their own leave now and I can see it at a glance.
UK based support that actually helps.
Nothing that bothers us day to day.
Practice Manager
Breathe replaced a messy holiday spreadsheet and endless email requests. Everyone books their own leave now and I can see it at a glance.
Holiday and absence tracking is clear and everyone can see their own balance.
The reporting is fairly basic if you want to dig into the numbers.
Breathe Response— responded on 4 May 2026
Thanks for the review. Lovely to hear the team have taken to Breathe so quickly.
HR Administrator, Hartley Ltd
We rolled it out to the whole team in an afternoon and adoption was instant. Sickness and holiday tracking is spot on.
Storing documents and records in one place has been a big tidy up.
A few settings took a moment to find.
Operations Director, Linden Solutions
The self service means people stop coming to my desk for every little thing. That alone was worth it.
UK based support that actually helps.
Rotas and scheduling are a bit limited for shift patterns.
Practice Manager, Camden Digital
Having every record, contract and absence in one place has tidied up our admin no end.
Great value for a small team.
A few settings took a moment to find.
Managing Director, Whitfield Partners
LinkedIn verifiedGood for holidays and records, though the scheduling did not really cope with our shift patterns.
Holiday tracking is good.
None so far.
HR Manager, Thames Digital
LinkedIn verifiedHandles holidays, documents and reviews nicely. It is clearly aimed at businesses our size.
Really easy for non technical staff to pick up.
Performance tools are light.
Owner, Hollybush Trading
It is easy and tidy but we quickly wanted more from the reporting and the performance side.
Cheap for a small team.
Weak scheduling.
People Lead, Mersey Services
LinkedIn verifiedThe staff side is lovely and easy. I just wish the reporting went a bit deeper.
Holiday and sickness tracking is spot on.
Reporting is a little basic.
People Lead, Waverley
The self service means people stop coming to my desk for every little thing. That alone was worth it.
Self service takes a load of small requests off my plate.
The reporting is fairly basic if you want to dig into the numbers.
Managing Director, Northgate Solutions
Having every record, contract and absence in one place has tidied up our admin no end.
Holiday and absence tracking is clear and everyone can see their own balance.
Nothing that bothers us day to day.
Managing Director, Hollybush Associates
Clean interface, quick to set up and good value. Scheduling felt a touch limited for our shifts.
Holiday and sickness tracking is spot on.
Rotas are limited for complex shifts.
Owner, Hartley Consulting
Good for holidays and records, though the scheduling did not really cope with our shift patterns.
Cheap for a small team.
Weak scheduling.
People Lead, Pennine Ltd
As a non HR person I needed something obvious. It handles holidays, documents and reviews without a manual.
UK based support that actually helps.
You may outgrow it as you head past a couple of hundred staff.
Breathe Response— responded on 7 March 2026
Thanks for the review. Lovely to hear the team have taken to Breathe so quickly.
Operations Director, Marlow Ltd
LinkedIn verifiedThe staff side is lovely and easy. I just wish the reporting went a bit deeper.
Helpful UK support.
Reporting is a little basic.
HR Administrator, Pennine Associates
Breathe replaced a messy holiday spreadsheet and endless email requests. Everyone books their own leave now and I can see it at a glance.
Holiday and absence tracking is clear and everyone can see their own balance.
You may outgrow it as you head past a couple of hundred staff.
Managing Director, Stonebridge
Rolled it out with no training needed. Reporting is the one area I would like more from.
Everything in one tidy place.
Reporting is a little basic.
Head of Operations, Fenwick Studio
Having every record, contract and absence in one place has tidied up our admin no end.
Holiday and absence tracking is clear and everyone can see their own balance.
A few settings took a moment to find.
Breathe Response— responded on 19 February 2026
Thanks for the review. Lovely to hear the team have taken to Breathe so quickly.
Owner, Harborne Associates
We rolled it out to the whole team in an afternoon and adoption was instant. Sickness and holiday tracking is spot on.
Holiday and absence tracking is clear and everyone can see their own balance.
The performance features are lighter than a dedicated tool.
Office Manager, Waverley Digital
LinkedIn verifiedClean interface, quick to set up and good value. Scheduling felt a touch limited for our shifts.
Everything in one tidy place.
Rotas are limited for complex shifts.
Breathe Response— responded on 28 January 2026
Thanks for the review. Lovely to hear the team have taken to Breathe so quickly.
Managing Director, Marlow Ltd
LinkedIn verifiedIt is clearly built for a UK small business and the support team are based here and helpful.
Storing documents and records in one place has been a big tidy up.
The reporting is fairly basic if you want to dig into the numbers.
Owner, Blackwood Partners
The staff side is lovely and easy. I just wish the reporting went a bit deeper.
Really easy for non technical staff to pick up.
Rotas are limited for complex shifts.
Head of Operations, Clyde
Breathe replaced a messy holiday spreadsheet and endless email requests. Everyone books their own leave now and I can see it at a glance.
UK based support that actually helps.
Rotas and scheduling are a bit limited for shift patterns.
Head of Operations, Mersey Trading
LinkedIn verifiedThe self service means people stop coming to my desk for every little thing. That alone was worth it.
Storing documents and records in one place has been a big tidy up.
The reporting is fairly basic if you want to dig into the numbers.
Office Manager
It is clearly built for a UK small business and the support team are based here and helpful.
Self service takes a load of small requests off my plate.
You may outgrow it as you head past a couple of hundred staff.