Is Abstract or Breathe HR better?

Neither clearly leads. Abstract starts at Free and Breathe HR at £13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Abstract or Breathe HR?

Abstract has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Abstract and £13/month for Breathe HR.

Does Abstract or Breathe HR run on more platforms?

Abstract runs on Macos, Web. Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android.

Can I use Abstract for free?

Yes. Abstract has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Breathe HR starts at £13/month.

What is Abstract best used for?

Abstract is most often used for design systems, version control, asset management, team collaboration. Of those, design systems and version control are not what Breathe HR is typically brought in for.

What can Abstract do that Breathe HR cannot?

Abstract covers Version control, Branching & merging, Asset library, Design tokens. Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Both handle Slack.

Design Tools · head to head

Abstract vs Breathe HR

Abstract

Design Tools

Design version control and asset management

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review

Breathe HR

HR & Recruiting

Simple HR software for SMEs

From: £13/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Abstract has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Abstract the product appears to be gone. Its documentation path 404s, goabstract.com no longer resolves, and abstract.com now belongs to an unrelated venture capital firm; Breathe HR pricing is banded by headcount, starting at £24 per month for 1 to 10 people, £44 per month for 11 to 20 and £99 per month for 21 to 50
They diverge on capability: Abstract covers Version control, Breathe HR covers Employee Database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Abstract and Breathe HR actually diverge.

Attributes where Abstract and Breathe HR differ
Attribute	Abstract	Breathe HR
Starting price	Free	£13/month
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Macos, Web	Web, Ios, Android
Category	Design Tools	HR & Recruiting
Founded	2015	2012

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Abstract

Version control
Branching & merging
Asset library
Design tokens
Collaboration
File management
Comments
Activity tracking

Only in Breathe HR

Employee Database
Absence Management
Document Storage
HR Reporting
Performance Management
Training
Google Workspace
Microsoft 365

Both cover

Slack

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Abstract

Design systemsnot Breathe HR
Version controlnot Breathe HR
Asset managementnot Breathe HR
Team collaborationnot Breathe HR

Breathe HR

Holiday, absence and sickness tracking for a UK small businessnot Abstract
Storing HR documents, contracts and e-signaturesnot Abstract
Performance reviews and onboarding workflows for small teamsnot Abstract

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Abstract

The product appears to be gone. Its documentation path 404s, goabstract.com no longer resolves, and abstract.com now belongs to an unrelated venture capital firm
Built around Sketch files, so it never covered teams that moved to Figma

Breathe HR

Pricing is banded by headcount, starting at £24 per month for 1 to 10 people, £44 per month for 11 to 20 and £99 per month for 21 to 50
Plans are capped by band up to 151 to 200 people, so it is not sold to organisations above that range on the published ladder
The free trial is 14 days
Health and safety, e-learning and other modules are sold as add-ons on top of the core HR plan
Pricing is quoted in pounds and the product is marketed to UK SMEs

Pricing, plan by plan

Abstract

Free

FreeFree
- 1 shared library
- Basic version control
- 2 team members
Pro$12/month
- Unlimited libraries
- Full version control
- Unlimited team members
Enterprise$50/month
- Everything in Pro
- Advanced admin controls
- Compliance & security

Breathe HR

£13/month

Core$13/month
- Employee Database
- Absence Management
- Documents
People Management$18/month
- All Core features
- Performance
- Goals

Which should you pick?

Choose Abstract if

You need version control.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Macos, Web.
You also want branching & merging.

Abstract review

Choose Breathe HR if

You need employee database.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want absence management.

Breathe HR review

Questions people ask

Is Abstract or Breathe HR better?: Neither clearly leads. Abstract starts at Free and Breathe HR at £13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Abstract or Breathe HR?: Abstract has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Abstract and £13/month for Breathe HR.
Does Abstract or Breathe HR run on more platforms?: Abstract runs on Macos, Web. Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Abstract for free?: Yes. Abstract has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Breathe HR starts at £13/month.
What is Abstract best used for?: Abstract is most often used for design systems, version control, asset management, team collaboration. Of those, design systems and version control are not what Breathe HR is typically brought in for.
What can Abstract do that Breathe HR cannot?: Abstract covers Version control, Branching & merging, Asset library, Design tokens. Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Both handle Slack.

Abstract vs Breathe HR

Abstract

Breathe HR

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Abstract

Only in Breathe HR

Both cover

What people use each for

Abstract

Breathe HR

Where each one falls short

Abstract

Breathe HR

Pricing, plan by plan

Abstract

Breathe HR

Which should you pick?

Choose Abstract if

Choose Breathe HR if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Abstract

More on Breathe HR

Keep looking

Other head to heads