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HR & Recruiting · head to head

SmartHR vs CharlieHR

SmartHR logo

SmartHR

HR & Recruiting

Japanese back-office cloud for labor management, payroll and talent management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CharlieHR logo

CharlieHR

HR & Recruiting

HR software built for small businesses

From
£5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: SmartHR pricing is not published for any of the three named plans (HR Strategy, HR Essential, Talent Management); the vendor states price varies by company size and requires a quote request form; CharlieHR limited payroll integration capabilities compared to dedicated payroll platforms

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SmartHR and CharlieHR actually diverge.

Attributes where SmartHR and CharlieHR differ
AttributeSmartHRCharlieHR
Starting priceOn request£5/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile (iOS/Android)
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (HR & Recruiting).

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 SmartHR

Nothing recorded that CharlieHR does not also cover.

Only in CharlieHR

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

Where each one falls short

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

SmartHR

  • Pricing is not published for any of the three named plans (HR Strategy, HR Essential, Talent Management); the vendor states price varies by company size and requires a quote request form
  • Many core functions (payroll, attendance tracking, hiring management, surveys) are separate paid add-on modules rather than included in the base plan price

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

Pricing, plan by plan

SmartHR

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the SmartHR review.

CharlieHR

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

Which should you pick?

Choose SmartHR if

Nothing in the data separates SmartHR from CharlieHR on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

SmartHR review

Choose CharlieHR if

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

Questions people ask

Is SmartHR or CharlieHR better?
Neither clearly leads. SmartHR starts at On request and CharlieHR at £5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SmartHR or CharlieHR?
SmartHR starts at On request and CharlieHR at £5/month.
Does SmartHR or CharlieHR run on more platforms?
SmartHR runs on Web. CharlieHR runs on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android).
What can SmartHR do that CharlieHR cannot?
CharlieHR covers Employee Database, Time Off Management, Onboarding, Performance Reviews.

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
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
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
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
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Related pages

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