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HR · head to head

CharlieHR vs Insperity

CharlieHR logo

CharlieHR

HR

HR software built for small businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Insperity logo

Insperity

HR

US professional employer organisation providing co-employed HR, payroll and pooled benefits for small and mid-sized companies

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; Insperity insperity employs staff only in the United States, so the moment you hire a person abroad you need a separate employer of record and end up running two employment models side by side.
  • They diverge on capability: CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Insperity covers Co-employment PEO.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharlieHR and Insperity actually diverge.

Attributes where CharlieHR and Insperity differ
AttributeCharlieHRInsperity
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS/Android)Web, iOS, Android
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
  • Onboarding
  • Performance Reviews
  • Team Engagement
  • Company Directory
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

Only in Insperity

  • Co-employment PEO
  • Master health plan
  • Assigned HR specialists
  • Payroll processing
  • Workers compensation
  • Insperity Premier portal
  • Retirement plan
  • Recruiting services

What people use each for

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

CharlieHR

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

Insperity

  • A 40 person US company that cannot get competitive medical rates on its own and wants pooled large-group covernot CharlieHR
  • A firm hiring across several states that does not want to open and maintain employment tax registrations in each onenot CharlieHR
  • A founder-run business with no HR function that needs defensible advice on terminations and classificationnot CharlieHR
  • A company that wants workers compensation, benefits and payroll under one contract rather than three vendorsnot 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

Insperity

  • Insperity employs staff only in the United States, so the moment you hire a person abroad you need a separate employer of record and end up running two employment models side by side.
  • Benefit plan design, carrier and network are set across the whole pool, so a client cannot chase a better local network or a cheaper plan without leaving the PEO entirely.
  • Leaving mid-year restarts state unemployment wage bases in several states, which produces an unbudgeted tax bill in the year you exit and effectively locks clients into January transitions.
  • Pricing is quoted per employee per month or as a percentage of payroll and is repriced annually alongside pooled medical renewals, so a good first-year number tells you very little about year three.
  • The Insperity Premier technology has lagged standalone HRIS products on reporting, workflow and integrations, which is why the company has turned to a joint build with Workday rather than closing the gap alone.

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

Insperity

On request
  • Workforce Optimization$undefined/year
    • Full-service co-employment PEO
    • Master medical, dental and vision plan
    • Payroll and employment tax filing
  • Workforce Synchronization$undefined/year
    • Lighter co-employment for larger organisations
    • Client retains more benefit plan control
    • Payroll and compliance administration

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 Insperity if

  • You need co-employment peo.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want master health plan.
Insperity review

Questions people ask

Is CharlieHR or Insperity better?
Neither clearly leads. CharlieHR starts at Free and Insperity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharlieHR or Insperity?
CharlieHR has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CharlieHR and On request for Insperity.
Does CharlieHR or Insperity run on more platforms?
CharlieHR runs on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android). Insperity runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use CharlieHR for free?
Yes. CharlieHR has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Insperity 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 Insperity is typically brought in for.
What can CharlieHR do that Insperity cannot?
CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Time Off Management, Onboarding, Performance Reviews. Insperity covers Co-employment PEO, Master health plan, Assigned HR specialists, Payroll processing.

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
Insperity: Does Insperity publish its pricing?

No. It quotes per employee per month or as a percentage of payroll after reviewing your headcount, state mix and claims history, and it reprices at each annual renewal.

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
Insperity: Am I still the employer?

You direct the work and decide who is hired and fired. Insperity is co-employer for tax, benefits and certain compliance purposes, and it holds the registrations that wages are reported under.

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
Insperity: Can Insperity employ people outside the United States?

No. It is a US-only PEO. International hiring needs a separate employer of record such as Deel or Velocity Global.

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
Insperity: What happens to my benefits if I leave?

You have to source your own carriers and plans from scratch and your employees move to new networks, which is why most exits are timed for 1 January.

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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