Softwr

HR · head to head

Breathe HR vs Personio

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

HR

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Personio logo

Personio

HR

All-in-one HR software for SMEs

From
$5/employee-per-month
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; Personio payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Personio covers HR Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Personio differ
AttributeBreathe HRPersonio
Starting price£13/month$5/employee-per-month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)
Founded20122015

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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
  • Training
  • Xero
  • QuickBooks

Only in Personio

  • HR Management
  • Recruiting
  • Payroll
  • Time Tracking
  • Onboarding
  • Offboarding
  • DATEV
  • LinkedIn

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

Personio

No use cases recorded yet. See the Personio 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

Personio

  • Payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment
  • Recruiting module lacks advanced reporting and LinkedIn integration functionality
  • Limited reporting customization requires manual exports and workarounds
  • Mobile app has reduced capabilities compared to desktop experience

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

Personio

$5/employee-per-month

No published plan breakdown. See the Personio 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 Personio if

  • You need hr management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
  • You also want recruiting.
Personio review

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Personio better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Personio at $5/employee-per-month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Personio?
Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Personio at $5/employee-per-month.
Does Breathe HR or Personio run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Personio runs on Web, Mobile (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 Personio is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Personio cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Personio covers HR Management, Recruiting, Payroll, Time Tracking. Both handle Performance Management, Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365.

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
Personio: Does Personio offer payroll processing in my country?

Personio provides native payroll support in Germany, UK, and Ireland, with limited support in other European markets through integrations. Coverage varies by country.

Source
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
Personio: What is Personio's pricing model?

Personio uses a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) model starting at $5-15/employee/month depending on the plan and features. There is no public pricing page, and exact pricing requires a sales consultation.

Source
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
Personio: Can Personio integrate with other tools?

Yes. Personio provides a public API and maintains a marketplace of pre-built integrations. The Core Pro plan is required for API access and custom integrations.

Source
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
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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