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HR · head to head

Breathe HR vs Cezanne HR

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

HR

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cezanne HR logo

Cezanne HR

HR

Mid-market HR system for UK and multi-country European employers, with per-country configuration and EU or UK data hosting

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; Cezanne HR there is no payroll calculation, so every country needs its own payroll provider and an export that someone maintains when statutory formats change.
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Cezanne HR covers Per-country configuration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Cezanne HR differ
AttributeBreathe HRCezanne HR
Starting price£13/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (HR).

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 Breathe HR

  • Employee Database
  • Absence Management
  • Document Storage
  • HR Reporting
  • Performance Management
  • Training
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

Only in Cezanne HR

  • Per-country configuration
  • Data residency choice
  • Absence management
  • Performance management
  • Onboarding
  • Career and succession
  • Timesheets
  • Reporting

What people use each for

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

Breathe HR

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

Cezanne HR

  • A UK company with subsidiaries in France, Germany and Spain that needs different absence rules under one systemnot Breathe HR
  • An organisation whose data protection assessment rules out US-hosted HR systemsnot Breathe HR
  • A mid-market employer that has outgrown a small business HR tool but will not fund an enterprise HCM programmenot Breathe HR
  • A professional services firm that needs timesheets against projects alongside HR recordsnot Breathe HR

Where each one falls short

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

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

Cezanne HR

  • There is no payroll calculation, so every country needs its own payroll provider and an export that someone maintains when statutory formats change.
  • Modules are licensed separately, so the quoted per employee price for core HR rises considerably once performance, recruitment and onboarding are added.
  • The interface is functional rather than modern, and organisations that expect employees to adopt it enthusiastically without prompting are usually disappointed.
  • The report builder is capable but has a genuine learning curve, and most customers end up with one or two people who can write reports rather than self-service across the business.
  • The mobile app covers common employee tasks but not administrative work, so HR staff are tied to a desktop for anything beyond approvals.

Pricing, plan by plan

Breathe HR

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

Cezanne HR

On request
  • Cezanne HR$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month on annual terms with volume banding
    • Core people management included
    • Performance, recruitment, onboarding and timesheets licensed as modules

Which should you pick?

Choose Breathe HR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want absence management.
Breathe HR review

Choose Cezanne HR if

  • You need per-country configuration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want data residency choice.
Cezanne HR review

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Cezanne HR better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Cezanne HR at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Cezanne HR?
Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Cezanne HR at On request.
Does Breathe HR or Cezanne HR run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Cezanne HR runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Breathe HR best used for?
Breathe HR is most often used for holiday, absence and sickness tracking for a uk small business, storing hr documents, contracts and e-signatures, performance reviews and onboarding workflows for small teams. Of those, holiday, absence and sickness tracking for a uk small business and storing hr documents, contracts and e-signatures are not what Cezanne HR is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Cezanne HR cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Cezanne HR covers Per-country configuration, Data residency choice, Absence management, Performance management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Breathe HR: Is there a free trial available?

Yes, Breathe HR offers a free trial with no credit card required to get started.

Source
Cezanne HR: Does Cezanne HR run payroll?

No. It holds the HR record and exports to payroll providers in each country. Payroll remains a separate contract.

Breathe HR: Are there long-term contracts required?

No. Breathe HR explicitly states there are no long-term contracts, no hidden costs, and you have the freedom to cancel anytime.

Source
Cezanne HR: Where is our data stored?

You choose between UK and EU hosting, which is the reason many public sector, education and works-council-sensitive buyers shortlist it.

Breathe HR: What company sizes does Breathe HR support?

The software is designed to support businesses with up to 250 employees. Organization size options mentioned include 1-10, 11-50, and 51-250 employees.

Source
Cezanne HR: Can it handle different rules per country?

Yes. Absence, calendars, working patterns and documents are configured per country within a single instance rather than needing separate systems.

Breathe HR: Are there different features for different plans?

Yes, flexible subscription-based plans exist with some features like Polls & Surveys available only for regular and above plans. The page does not specify plan names or detailed feature breakdowns.

Source
Cezanne HR: What size organisation is it for?

Roughly 100 to 3,000 employees. Below that it is more system than needed; above it, enterprise HCM products become competitive.

Breathe HR: What happens if I want to cancel my subscription?

You can cancel anytime without worrying about hidden costs. Breathe HR emphasizes no long-term commitment and the freedom to leave whenever your needs change.

Source
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