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Software · head to head

Breathe HR vs Zendesk

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

Software

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zendesk logo

Zendesk

Software

Champions of customer service

From
$19/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; Zendesk aI agents operate on per-resolution billing; customers pay only when an AI agent successfully resolves a ticket without escalation
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Zendesk covers Ticket management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Zendesk differ
AttributeBreathe HRZendesk
Starting price£13/month$19/month
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20122007

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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
  • Microsoft 365

Only in Zendesk

  • Ticket management
  • Omnichannel support
  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Call center
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Automation
  • Customer satisfaction

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

Zendesk

  • Help desk and ticketing system managementnot Breathe HR
  • Omnichannel customer supportnot Breathe HR
  • Knowledge base and self-service portalsnot Breathe HR
  • AI-assisted customer servicenot 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

Zendesk

  • AI agents operate on per-resolution billing; customers pay only when an AI agent successfully resolves a ticket without escalation
  • Copilot and Contact Center features available as separate add-ons at £50+/agent/month
  • Advanced routing, workforce engagement, and approval workflows limited to Enterprise tier
  • Highest tier requires sales consultation and custom pricing

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

Zendesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Zendesk 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 Zendesk if

  • You need ticket management.
  • You also want omnichannel support.
Zendesk review

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Zendesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Zendesk at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Zendesk?
Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Zendesk at $19/month.
Does Breathe HR or Zendesk run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Zendesk 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 Zendesk is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Zendesk cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Zendesk covers Ticket management, Omnichannel support, Knowledge base, Live chat. Both handle Slack.
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