Software · head to head
Personio vs Breathe HR
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Personio payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment; 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
- They diverge on capability: Personio covers HR Management, Breathe HR covers Employee Database.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Personio and Breathe HR actually diverge.
| Attribute | Personio | Breathe HR |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5/employee-per-month | £13/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile (iOS, Android) | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2015 | 2012 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Personio
- HR Management
- Recruiting
- Payroll
- Time Tracking
- Onboarding
- Offboarding
- DATEV
Only in Breathe HR
- Employee Database
- Absence Management
- Document Storage
- HR Reporting
- Training
- Xero
- QuickBooks
Both cover
- Performance Management
- Slack
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Personio
No use cases recorded yet. See the Personio review.
Breathe HR
- Holiday, absence and sickness tracking for a UK small businessnot Personio
- Storing HR documents, contracts and e-signaturesnot Personio
- Performance reviews and onboarding workflows for small teamsnot Personio
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Personio
- Payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment
- Recruiting module lacks advanced reporting and LinkedIn integration functionality
- Limited reporting customization requires manual exports and workarounds
- Mobile app has reduced capabilities compared to desktop experience
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Personio
$5/employee-per-monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Personio review.
Breathe HR
£13/month- Core$13/month
- Employee Database
- Absence Management
- Documents
- People Management$18/month
- All Core features
- Performance
- Goals
Which should you pick?
Choose Personio if
- You need hr management.
- You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
- You also want recruiting.
Choose Breathe HR if
- You need employee database.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want absence management.
Questions people ask
- Is Personio or Breathe HR better?
- Neither clearly leads. Personio starts at $5/employee-per-month and Breathe HR at £13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Personio or Breathe HR?
- Personio starts at $5/employee-per-month and Breathe HR at £13/month.
- Does Personio or Breathe HR run on more platforms?
- Personio runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- What can Personio do that Breathe HR cannot?
- Personio covers HR Management, Recruiting, Payroll, Time Tracking. Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting. Both handle Performance Management, Slack, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Personio: Does Personio offer payroll processing in my country?
Personio provides native payroll support in Germany, UK, and Ireland, with limited support in other European markets through integrations. Coverage varies by country.
SourcePersonio: What is Personio's pricing model?
Personio uses a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) model starting at $5-15/employee/month depending on the plan and features. There is no public pricing page, and exact pricing requires a sales consultation.
SourcePersonio: Can Personio integrate with other tools?
Yes. Personio provides a public API and maintains a marketplace of pre-built integrations. The Core Pro plan is required for API access and custom integrations.
Source