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Software · head to head

Breathe HR vs Telegram

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

Software

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Telegram logo

Telegram

Software

Pure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Telegram 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; Telegram end-to-end encryption applies only to Secret Chats; private and group Cloud Chats use server-client encryption, so Telegram holds the data
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Telegram covers Cloud-based messaging.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Telegram differ
AttributeBreathe HRTelegram
Starting price£13/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android
Founded20122013

Identical on both: 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
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

Only in Telegram

  • Cloud-based messaging
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Self-destructing messages
  • Large group chats
  • Voice and video calls
  • Bot platform
  • Channels and broadcasts
  • Cross-platform sync

Both cover

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

Telegram

  • Group messaging and large channels with files of any type and sizenot Breathe HR
  • Private device-bound conversations with self-destructing messagesnot Breathe HR
  • Running bots and broadcast channels for an audiencenot 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

Telegram

  • End-to-end encryption applies only to Secret Chats; private and group Cloud Chats use server-client encryption, so Telegram holds the data
  • Secret Chats are device-specific and are not part of the Telegram cloud, so they can only be read on the device they started on
  • Logging out destroys all of your Secret Chats
  • The Secret Chat self-destruct timer applies only to messages sent after the timer is set and has no effect on earlier messages
  • Telegram states screenshot detection cannot be guaranteed on some Android and Windows Phone devices, so screenshots of Secret Chats can be taken silently
  • Messages cannot be forwarded out of Secret Chats
  • The self-destruct timer in cloud chats covers media only, not text

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

Telegram

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited messages
    • 2GB file sharing
    • Group chats up to 200K members
  • Telegram Premium$4.99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 4GB file uploads
    • Faster downloads

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 Telegram if

  • You need cloud-based messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
  • You also want end-to-end encryption.
Telegram review

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Telegram better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Telegram at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Telegram?
Telegram has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at £13/month for Breathe HR and Free for Telegram.
Does Breathe HR or Telegram run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Telegram runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
Can I use Telegram for free?
Yes. Telegram 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 Telegram is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Telegram cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Telegram covers Cloud-based messaging, End-to-end encryption, Self-destructing messages, Large group chats. Both handle Web support.
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