Softwr

Software · head to head

Breathe HR vs Empuls

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

Software

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Empuls logo

Empuls

Software

Employee engagement platform for connection and recognition

From
$1/month per employee
Rated
-

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; Empuls limited customization options for organizations with unique workflows
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Empuls covers Social intranet.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Empuls differ
AttributeBreathe HREmpuls
Starting price£13/month$1/month per employee
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile, Slack
Founded20122018

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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
  • Microsoft 365
  • Xero

Only in Empuls

  • Social intranet
  • Peer recognition
  • Rewards marketplace
  • Surveys
  • Celebrations
  • Analytics
  • Mobile app
  • Gamification

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

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 Empuls
  • Storing HR documents, contracts and e-signaturesnot Empuls
  • Performance reviews and onboarding workflows for small teamsnot Empuls

Empuls

  • Employee recognitionnot Breathe HR
  • Team engagementnot Breathe HR
  • Pulse surveysnot Breathe HR
  • Rewards programsnot 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

Empuls

  • Limited customization options for organizations with unique workflows
  • Integration with third-party HR and payroll systems is restricted, often requiring manual workarounds
  • Mobile app is less stable and slower than desktop version with reported bugs
  • Limited options to customize user interface for brand alignment
  • Platform can feel overwhelming due to large number of features

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

Empuls

$1/month per employee
  • Reward & Recognize$3/month per employee
    • Recognition badges
    • Reward catalog
    • Points management
  • Surveys & Feedback$3/month per employee
    • Engagement surveys
    • Pulse surveys
    • Analytics
  • Perks & Benefits$2/month per employee
    • Perks catalog
    • Benefits management
  • Social Intranet$1/month per employee
    • Internal communications
    • Announcements
    • Employee directory

Which should you pick?

Choose Breathe HR if

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

Choose Empuls if

  • You need social intranet.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Slack.
  • You also want peer recognition.

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Empuls better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Empuls at $1/month per employee, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Empuls?
Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Empuls at $1/month per employee.
Does Breathe HR or Empuls run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Empuls runs on Web, Mobile, Slack.
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 Empuls is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Empuls cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Empuls covers Social intranet, Peer recognition, Rewards marketplace, Surveys. Both handle Slack, Google Workspace.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Empuls: What are the main features of Empuls?

Empuls is an AI-led employee engagement platform combining social intranet, recognition and rewards, surveys and feedback, employee gifting, and perks and benefits—all in one platform built on four pillars: communication, alignment, empowerment, and motivation.

Source
Empuls: How much does Empuls cost?

Empuls pricing is module-based: Reward & Recognize at $3 per employee/month, Surveys at $3 per employee/month, Perks & Benefits at $2 per employee/month, Social Intranet & Employee Communication at $1 per employee/month, plus Employee Gifting & Service Rewards with no platform fees.

Source
Empuls: Does Empuls integrate with Slack?

Yes, Empuls integrates with Slack to enable peer recognition, badge sending, polls, surveys, and achievement celebrations directly within Slack without app switching, with automatic social notifications to the channel.

Source
Empuls: Can I use Empuls APIs to customize integrations?

Yes, Empuls provides APIs for sending appreciations and gifts, redeeming reward points, accessing reports (awards and core values), and embedding employee engagement features into other work tools via API and SDK.

Source

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