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Employee Engagement · head to head

Assembly vs Breathe HR

Assembly logo

Assembly

Employee Engagement

Employee recognition platform for distributed teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

HR & Recruiting

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Assembly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Assembly client counts are capped by tier, at 50 on Starter and 500 on Professional; 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: Assembly covers Social recognition, Breathe HR covers Employee Database.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Assembly and Breathe HR differ
AttributeAssemblyBreathe HR
Starting priceFree£13/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryEmployee EngagementHR & Recruiting
Founded20212012

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 Assembly

  • Social recognition
  • Rewards catalog
  • Points system
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics
  • Manager tools
  • Customizable workflow
  • Reporting

Only in Breathe HR

  • Employee Database
  • Absence Management
  • Document Storage
  • HR Reporting
  • Performance Management
  • Training
  • Microsoft 365
  • Xero

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

What people use each for

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

Assembly

No use cases recorded yet. See the Assembly review.

Breathe HR

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

Where each one falls short

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

Assembly

  • Client counts are capped by tier, at 50 on Starter and 500 on Professional
  • Automation tasks are metered, at 100 a month on Starter and 1,000 on Professional
  • Extra internal users cost $29 each on Professional and $59 on Advanced, on top of the plan
  • Full white-labelling requires Advanced at $499 a month and SSO is Enterprise only at $2,000
  • The workspace locks when a trial lapses and the account may be deleted after 30 days

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

Assembly

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic recognition
    • Points system
    • Mobile app
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Advanced recognition
    • Rewards
    • Analytics

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 Assembly if

  • You need social recognition.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want rewards catalog.
Assembly 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 Assembly or Breathe HR better?
Neither clearly leads. Assembly 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, Assembly or Breathe HR?
Assembly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Assembly and £13/month for Breathe HR.
Does Assembly or Breathe HR run on more platforms?
Assembly runs on Web. Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Assembly for free?
Yes. Assembly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Breathe HR starts at £13/month.
What can Assembly do that Breathe HR cannot?
Assembly covers Social recognition, Rewards catalog, Points system, Mobile app. Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Both handle Slack, Google Workspace.
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