Softwr

HR & Recruiting · head to head

CharlieHR vs Clockwise

CharlieHR logo

CharlieHR

HR & Recruiting

HR software built for small businesses

From
£5/month
Rated
-
C

Clockwise

Project Management

Intelligent calendar management for teams

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Clockwise has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CharlieHR limited payroll integration capabilities compared to dedicated payroll platforms; Clockwise service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026
  • They diverge on capability: CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Clockwise covers Focus Time protection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharlieHR and Clockwise actually diverge.

Attributes where CharlieHR and Clockwise differ
AttributeCharlieHRClockwise
Starting price£5/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS/Android)Web
CategoryHR & RecruitingProject Management
Founded20152016

Identical on both: 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 CharlieHR

  • Employee Database
  • Time Off Management
  • Onboarding
  • Performance Reviews
  • Team Engagement
  • Company Directory
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365

Only in Clockwise

  • Focus Time protection
  • Meeting optimization
  • Scheduling links
  • Team analytics
  • Conflict resolution
  • Google Calendar
  • Zoom
  • Asana

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CharlieHR

No use cases recorded yet. See the CharlieHR review.

Clockwise

  • Schedulingnot CharlieHR
  • Appointment bookingnot CharlieHR
  • Time trackingnot CharlieHR
  • Resource managementnot CharlieHR
  • Team coordinationnot CharlieHR

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CharlieHR

  • Limited payroll integration capabilities compared to dedicated payroll platforms
  • Pricing structure geared toward UK and Europe, with limited localization for other regions
  • Add-on services like Charlie Recruit and Charlie Advice incur additional costs
  • Smaller employee base (approximately 30 people) compared to enterprise HR competitors

Clockwise

  • Service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026
  • All user data was deleted upon shutdown
  • Integration with Asana was removed during product lifecycle

Pricing, plan by plan

CharlieHR

£5/month
  • Core HR (Teams 1-4)$5/month
    • Employee onboarding
    • Time off management
    • Document storage

Clockwise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Focus Time
    • Meeting optimization
    • Personal analytics
  • Teams$6.75/month
    • Team analytics
    • Flexible meetings
    • Admin controls

Which should you pick?

Choose CharlieHR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android).
  • You also want time off management.

Choose Clockwise if

  • You need focus time protection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want meeting optimization.

Questions people ask

Is CharlieHR or Clockwise better?
Neither clearly leads. CharlieHR starts at £5/month and Clockwise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharlieHR or Clockwise?
Clockwise has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at £5/month for CharlieHR and Free for Clockwise.
Does CharlieHR or Clockwise run on more platforms?
CharlieHR runs on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android). Clockwise runs on Web.
Can I use Clockwise for free?
Yes. Clockwise has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CharlieHR starts at £5/month.
What can CharlieHR do that Clockwise cannot?
CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Time Off Management, Onboarding, Performance Reviews. Clockwise covers Focus Time protection, Meeting optimization, Scheduling links, Team analytics. Both handle Slack, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CharlieHR: Does CharlieHR offer a free plan?

CharlieHR does not have a free plan, but offers a 7-day free trial without requiring a credit card. Pricing starts at £5/month for teams of 1-4 employees.

Source
Clockwise: What happened to Clockwise?

Clockwise was acquired by Salesforce and shut down on March 27, 2026. The company announced the team was joining Salesforce to work on Agentforce. User data was deleted and prorated refunds were issued to paying customers.

Source
CharlieHR: What are CharlieHR's core features?

Core features include employee onboarding, time off tracking, performance reviews, document storage, employee engagement tools, and benefits management with access to 30,000+ discounts.

Source
Clockwise: What integrations did Clockwise support?

Clockwise integrated with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, and previously Asana (though this integration was discontinued).

Source
CharlieHR: Does CharlieHR integrate with payroll systems?

CharlieHR integrates with major HR tech stacks and offers add-on services like Charlie Recruit for hiring automation. Payroll integration capabilities depend on the specific payroll provider you use.

Source
Clockwise: What were Clockwise's key features?

Clockwise offered AI-powered focus time protection, automatic meeting buffers, Slack status sync, smart lunch breaks, and team calendar synchronization to optimize schedules and prevent burnout.

Source
CharlieHR: Is CharlieHR GDPR compliant?

Yes. CharlieHR is GDPR-compliant and ISO 27001-certified, providing strong data security and privacy compliance for European businesses.

Source
CharlieHR: Does CharlieHR support multi-currency?

CharlieHR's pricing is primarily in GBP (British Pounds). International users can access the platform but currency and localization options may be limited.

Source

Related pages

Other head to heads