Software · head to head
Breathe HR vs Namely
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; Namely limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Namely covers HR Management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Breathe HR and Namely actually diverge.
| Attribute | Breathe HR | Namely |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £13/month | $18/employee/month |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Web |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2012).
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
- Training
- Xero
- QuickBooks
Only in Namely
- HR Management
- Payroll
- Benefits Administration
- Time Off Management
- Onboarding
- Greenhouse
Both cover
- Performance Management
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
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 Namely
- Storing HR documents, contracts and e-signaturesnot Namely
- Performance reviews and onboarding workflows for small teamsnot Namely
Namely
No use cases recorded yet. See the Namely review.
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
Namely
- Limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- Payroll limitations: better served for less complex organizations and struggles with complex time-and-attendance or multi-FEIN scenarios
- Missing ATS and surveys: lacks built-in applicant tracking system and pulse survey capabilities
- Slow support response times: pod-based support model has led to slow response times for customers
- Designed for specific market segment: best fit is mid-sized companies with 50-350 employees
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
Namely
$18/employee/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Namely review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Breathe HR if
- You need employee database.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want absence management.
Questions people ask
- Is Breathe HR or Namely better?
- Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Namely at $18/employee/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Namely?
- Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Namely at $18/employee/month.
- Does Breathe HR or Namely run on more platforms?
- Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Namely 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 Namely is typically brought in for.
- What can Breathe HR do that Namely cannot?
- Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Namely covers HR Management, Payroll, Benefits Administration, Time Off Management. Both handle Performance Management, Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Namely: Does Namely support global payroll?
Namely primarily focuses on mid-sized US-based companies with 50-350 employees. While it can handle complex payroll scenarios, it is better served for less complex organizations and does not have extensive global payroll capabilities compared to enterprise platforms.
SourceNamely: What is included in Namely's Premium pricing?
Premium plans cost $18-24 per employee per month plus implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs. Plans include payroll, HR, benefits administration, time management, and talent management features.
SourceNamely: Does Namely include performance management features?
Yes, Namely offers customizable performance review modules enabling dynamic, ongoing feedback rather than traditional annual-only reviews. This is one of Namely's standout features.
SourceNamely: How long does Namely implementation typically take?
Namely is designed for mid-sized companies and implementation timelines vary based on complexity. The platform includes implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs in addition to monthly per-employee pricing.
SourceRelated pages
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