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Software · head to head

Breathe HR vs Firstup

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

Software

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Firstup logo

Firstup

Software

Intelligent communication platform for workforce engagement

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; Firstup none of the three packages carries a published price; every tier shows Get a Quote and the page directs buyers to Talk to sales
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Firstup covers AI-powered delivery.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Firstup differ
AttributeBreathe HRFirstup
Starting price£13/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20122008

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
  • Google Workspace
  • Xero

Only in Firstup

  • AI-powered delivery
  • Personalized content
  • Multi-channel communication
  • Analytics and insights
  • Mobile app
  • Campaign management
  • Employee segmentation
  • Integrations

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Microsoft 365

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

Firstup

  • Targeted internal communications to email, mobile app and desktop channelsnot Breathe HR
  • Reaching frontline and deskless employees who lack corporate emailnot Breathe HR
  • Automated employee journeys for onboarding and lifecycle momentsnot 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

Firstup

  • None of the three packages carries a published price; every tier shows Get a Quote and the page directs buyers to Talk to sales
  • AI content creation, intelligent delivery timing, translations and user generated content all require the Professional package
  • Employee journey automation, the flow builder and journey analytics require the top Premier package
  • Intranet capabilities are a paid add-on on top of any package rather than part of the platform
  • No free tier, trial price or self-serve signup is published

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

Firstup

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • AI personalization
    • Multi-channel delivery
    • Analytics

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 Firstup if

  • You need ai-powered delivery.
  • You also want personalized content.
Firstup review

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Firstup better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Firstup at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Firstup?
Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Firstup at On request.
Does Breathe HR or Firstup run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Firstup runs on Web.
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 Firstup is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Firstup cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Firstup covers AI-powered delivery, Personalized content, Multi-channel communication, Analytics and insights. Both handle Slack, Microsoft 365.
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