Softwr

HR & Recruiting · head to head

Breathe HR vs Guusto

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

HR & Recruiting

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Guusto logo

Guusto

Employee Engagement

Gift-based employee recognition platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Guusto has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Guusto gift card merchants are limited primarily to US brands and digital formats; international options are limited
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Guusto covers Gift card rewards.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Guusto differ
AttributeBreathe HRGuusto
Starting price£13/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryHR & RecruitingEmployee Engagement
Founded20122013

Identical on both: 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 Breathe HR

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

Only in Guusto

  • Gift card rewards
  • Peer recognition
  • Milestone celebrations
  • Budget management
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics
  • Charitable giving
  • Multiple gift options

Both cover

  • Slack

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

Guusto

  • Employee recognitionnot Breathe HR
  • Gift givingnot Breathe HR
  • Milestone awardsnot Breathe HR
  • Social impactnot 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

Guusto

  • Gift card merchants are limited primarily to US brands and digital formats; international options are limited
  • Recipients must create a Guusto account to claim rewards, creating friction for deskless workers
  • No physical goods fulfillment or home delivery for tangible merchandise and branded swag
  • Limited customization options for branding and reward options compared to enterprise alternatives
  • Regional restrictions on merchant availability in certain geographic areas

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

Guusto

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Guusto review.

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 Guusto if

  • You need gift card rewards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want peer recognition.
Guusto review

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Guusto better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Guusto at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Guusto?
Guusto has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at £13/month for Breathe HR and Free for Guusto.
Does Breathe HR or Guusto run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Guusto runs on Web.
Can I use Guusto for free?
Yes. Guusto has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Breathe HR starts at £13/month.
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 Guusto is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Guusto cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Guusto covers Gift card rewards, Peer recognition, Milestone celebrations, Budget management. Both handle Slack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Guusto: Does Guusto work with deskless and remote employees?

Yes, Guusto is designed for frontline and deskless workers. It delivers recognition through SMS, push notifications, QR codes, and print options, making it accessible to employees without desk access or company email.

Source
Guusto: What reward options does Guusto support?

Guusto cards can be redeemed for hundreds of different gift cards from around the world, branded company swag, charity donations, and custom rewards. However, gift card merchants are primarily limited to US brands.

Source
Guusto: How does Guusto pricing work?

Guusto offers a Free tier with no minimum spend, Essential at $200 per month (annual billing), and Premium at $500 per month (annual billing). You pay face value for gift card rewards; Guusto charges merchants instead, so every dollar goes to employees.

Source
Guusto: Can Guusto integrate with HRIS systems?

Yes, Guusto syncs with HR management systems to automate anniversaries, milestones, birthdays, and other events. It also offers SSO integrations and Slack integration for bringing recognition into daily workflows.

Source
Guusto: Do employees need a Guusto account to receive gifts?

Yes, recipients must create a Guusto account to claim rewards, which some users find inconvenient compared to simpler delivery methods.

Source
Guusto: Does Guusto offer physical goods and merchandise?

Guusto focuses on gift cards and digital rewards. It does not have a robust physical fulfillment arm, so industrial or field workers cannot receive tangible goods delivered to their homes.

Source
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