Softwr

HR · head to head

CharlieHR vs Spring Health

CharlieHR logo

CharlieHR

HR

HR software built for small businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spring Health logo

Spring Health

HR

Employer mental health benefit that puts a share of its own fee at risk against measured symptom improvement

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; Spring Health per employee per month cost is several times a conventional employee assistance programme, reported publicly at roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per employee per year, so the business case has to rest on measured outcomes rather than price.
  • They diverge on capability: CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Spring Health covers Precision matching.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharlieHR and Spring Health actually diverge.

Attributes where CharlieHR and Spring Health differ
AttributeCharlieHRSpring Health
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 Spring Health

  • Precision matching
  • Sponsored session model
  • Psychiatry and medication management
  • Coaching tier
  • Repeated outcome measurement
  • Outcomes-based fee
  • Manager and workforce reporting
  • Care navigation

What people use each for

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

CharlieHR

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

Spring Health

  • An employer replacing an EAP with two percent utilisation that cannot demonstrate any clinical effect to its boardnot CharlieHR
  • A benefits team facing long external waiting lists for therapy that are showing up in absence and disability claimsnot CharlieHR
  • A distributed workforce where the incumbent EAP provider network is thin outside major metropolitan areasnot CharlieHR
  • A health plan wanting to add a behavioural health layer without building a provider network itselfnot 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

Spring Health

  • Per employee per month cost is several times a conventional employee assistance programme, reported publicly at roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per employee per year, so the business case has to rest on measured outcomes rather than price.
  • Outcomes-based pricing only puts a portion of the fee at risk, and the measured cohort is people who engaged, which flatters the reported improvement relative to any effect across the whole workforce.
  • Sponsored sessions run out, and members who need longer treatment are handed to their health plan benefit where network adequacy and cost sharing may be exactly the problem they came to avoid.
  • The eligibility file integration is a real HR IT project, and employers with messy dependent and contractor data spend meaningful effort before launch.
  • Coverage and provider depth outside the United States is thinner than the domestic network, so multinational employers usually end up running a second vendor for other regions.

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

Spring Health

On request
  • Spring Health employer programme$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month, invoiced to the employer, with an eligibility file feed
    • Portion of fee available at risk against measured symptom outcomes
    • Sponsored session count negotiated per contract

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 Spring Health if

  • You need precision matching.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want sponsored session model.
Spring Health review

Questions people ask

Is CharlieHR or Spring Health better?
Neither clearly leads. CharlieHR starts at Free and Spring Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharlieHR or Spring Health?
CharlieHR has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CharlieHR and On request for Spring Health.
Does CharlieHR or Spring Health run on more platforms?
CharlieHR runs on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android). Spring Health runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use CharlieHR for free?
Yes. CharlieHR has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Spring Health 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 Spring Health is typically brought in for.
What can CharlieHR do that Spring Health cannot?
CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Time Off Management, Onboarding, Performance Reviews. Spring Health covers Precision matching, Sponsored session model, Psychiatry and medication management, Coaching tier.

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
Spring Health: How is it priced?

Per employee per month, billed to the employer, with a portion available at risk against measured outcomes. Rates are not published; public statements from the company suggest roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per employee per year.

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
Spring Health: Who pays, the employer or the health plan?

Usually the employer, for the sponsored session block. After those sessions the member typically continues under their health plan benefit with normal cost sharing.

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
Spring Health: What does outcomes-based pricing actually guarantee?

That a defined portion of the vendor fee is contingent on measured change in assessment scores among engaged members. It is not a guarantee of workforce-level improvement.

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
Spring Health: Is there a minimum headcount?

Yes in practice. Spring Health sells to mid-market and enterprise employers and health plans; very small employers are not the target and usually cannot get a quote.

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
Share

Related pages

More on CharlieHR

More on Spring Health

Keep looking

Other head to heads