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HR · head to head

CharlieHR vs Humaans

CharlieHR logo

CharlieHR

HR

HR software built for small businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Humaans logo

Humaans

HR

API-first HRIS for fast-growing companies that treat employee data as a system of record other tools read from

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CharlieHR has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CharlieHR starter plan price increases to £20/month after 6-month promotional period; Humaans there is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.
  • They diverge on capability: CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Humaans covers Employee records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharlieHR and Humaans actually diverge.

Attributes where CharlieHR and Humaans differ
AttributeCharlieHRHumaans
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS/Android)Web
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: 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 CharlieHR

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

Only in Humaans

  • Employee records
  • Workflows
  • Time off
  • Open API and webhooks
  • Reporting
  • App directory
  • Self service

Both cover

  • Onboarding

What people use each for

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

CharlieHR

  • HR management for small to large teamsnot Humaans
  • Employee onboarding and time off managementnot Humaans
  • Performance reviews and employee engagementnot Humaans

Humaans

  • A 150 person technology company that wants employee data clean enough to drive access provisioning automaticallynot CharlieHR
  • An operations team that will build against an API rather than wait for a vendor integrationnot CharlieHR
  • A company replacing spreadsheets and Google Drive folders in weeks rather than running a six month HRIS projectnot CharlieHR
  • A multi-country employer that already has payroll handled per country and needs one consolidated employee recordnot CharlieHR

Where each one falls short

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

CharlieHR

  • Starter plan price increases to £20/month after 6-month promotional period
  • Pricing based on team headcount brackets, not per-user
  • Add-ons (Charlie Recruit, Charlie Advice) cannot be purchased standalone
  • Charlie Advice and Recruit require base Charlie subscription
  • Prices shown exclude 20% UK VAT

Humaans

  • There is no payroll engine anywhere in the product, so every country you employ in still needs its own payroll vendor and a synchronisation that someone owns when it breaks.
  • Applicant tracking, learning and benefits administration are absent, meaning a company wanting a single supplier will buy three or four contracts to match what a suite sells as one.
  • Acquisition by Employment Hero in 2024 puts an independent, integration-first product inside a vendor that sells a bundled employment platform, and buyers should ask directly how long the standalone product will be sold on its own terms.
  • Per employee per month pricing with tiered features means the cost rises with headcount growth at exactly the point a scale-up is least willing to renegotiate, and useful features such as workflows sit above the entry tier.
  • Country-specific compliance depth is limited, so statutory leave rules, local document requirements and reporting obligations often need configuring by hand rather than arriving as a maintained country pack.

Pricing, plan by plan

CharlieHR

Free
  • Starter (1-4 team members)$5/month
    • Introductory rate for first 6 months
    • Then £20/month
  • Small (5-14 team members)$45/month
    • Covers 5-14 employees
  • Medium (15-29 team members)$105/month
    • Covers 15-29 employees
  • Large (30-99 team members)$180/month
    • Covers 30-99 employees

Humaans

On request
  • Humaans$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month with tiered feature sets
    • Employee records, time off and documents
    • Workflows and reporting on higher tiers

Which should you pick?

Choose CharlieHR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android).
  • You also want time off management.
CharlieHR review

Choose Humaans if

  • You need employee records.
  • You also want workflows.
Humaans review

Questions people ask

Is CharlieHR or Humaans better?
Neither clearly leads. CharlieHR starts at Free and Humaans at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharlieHR or Humaans?
CharlieHR has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CharlieHR and On request for Humaans.
Does CharlieHR or Humaans run on more platforms?
CharlieHR runs on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android). Humaans runs on Web.
Can I use CharlieHR for free?
Yes. CharlieHR has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Humaans starts at On request.
What is CharlieHR best used for?
CharlieHR is most often used for hr management for small to large teams, employee onboarding and time off management, performance reviews and employee engagement. Of those, hr management for small to large teams and employee onboarding and time off management are not what Humaans is typically brought in for.
What can CharlieHR do that Humaans cannot?
CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Time Off Management, Performance Reviews, Team Engagement. Humaans covers Employee records, Workflows, Time off, Open API and webhooks. Both handle Onboarding.

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
Humaans: Does Humaans run payroll?

No. It holds the employee record and pushes data to payroll providers. You buy payroll separately in each country.

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
Humaans: Who owns it now?

Employment Hero acquired Humaans in 2024. It continues to be sold, but the parent company also sells a bundled employment platform.

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
Humaans: Is the API genuinely complete?

Yes. It is the design centre of the product rather than an afterthought, with documented REST endpoints and webhooks across the core objects.

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
Humaans: How long does implementation take?

Typically weeks. There is no configuration consultancy requirement, which is a large part of why teams choose it over a mid-market suite.

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
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