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HR · head to head

Breathe HR vs Zenefits

Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

HR

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zenefits logo

Zenefits

Payroll

All-in-one HR platform for growing companies

From
$8/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; Zenefits product discontinued by parent company TriNet
  • They diverge on capability: Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Zenefits covers HR Administration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Breathe HR and Zenefits differ
AttributeBreathe HRZenefits
Starting price£13/month$8/month
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryHRPayroll
Founded20122013

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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
  • Training

Only in Zenefits

  • HR Administration
  • Benefits Management
  • Payroll
  • Time and Scheduling
  • Compliance

Both cover

  • Performance Management
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365
  • Xero
  • QuickBooks
  • 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 Zenefits
  • Storing HR documents, contracts and e-signaturesnot Zenefits
  • Performance reviews and onboarding workflows for small teamsnot Zenefits

Zenefits

No use cases recorded yet. See the Zenefits 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

Zenefits

  • Product discontinued by parent company TriNet
  • Remaining customers forced to migrate to more expensive TriNet products

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

Zenefits

$8/month
  • Essentials$8/month
    • HR Administration
    • Time Off Tracking
    • Scheduling
  • Growth$16/month
    • All Essentials features
    • Compensation Management
    • Performance Management

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 Zenefits if

  • You need hr administration.
  • You also want benefits management.
Zenefits review

Questions people ask

Is Breathe HR or Zenefits better?
Neither clearly leads. Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Zenefits at $8/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Breathe HR or Zenefits?
Breathe HR starts at £13/month and Zenefits at $8/month.
Does Breathe HR or Zenefits run on more platforms?
Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android. Zenefits 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 Zenefits is typically brought in for.
What can Breathe HR do that Zenefits cannot?
Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Zenefits covers HR Administration, Benefits Management, Payroll, Time and Scheduling. 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
Zenefits: Is Zenefits still available as a standalone product?

No. Zenefits was discontinued as a standalone product after TriNet's acquisition in 2022. Existing customers are being migrated to TriNet HR Plus (ASO) or TriNet PEO at higher costs.

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
Zenefits: What were Zenefits' main features before discontinuation?

Zenefits provided HR, benefits management, payroll as optional add-on, time and attendance tracking, and compliance tools for small to mid-sized businesses with 10-200 employees.

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
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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