The online Core purchase route displayed a 36-month term. BrightHR's standard agreement renews for an equivalent term unless either party gives at least 90 days' written notice, but the signed order controls each buyer's term.
BrightHR alternatives
Alternatives to BrightHR for UK employers.
BrightHR combines day-to-day HR with rotas, clocking and optional advice and safety services. Compare alternatives when the package or contract no longer matches the work you use.
What needs to change?
Keep BrightHR
Its mobile app, rotas, clocking or advice services are used week to week.
Choose HollyHR
A focused HR core covers the work and simpler pricing suits the team.
Choose another route
You need a different mix of mobile, workforce tools or professional support.
The short answer
What is a good alternative to BrightHR?
HollyHR is a sensible alternative for teams of roughly 5 to 100 when people records, leave, sickness, documents and onboarding cover the job.
Free covers up to 10 active employees. Standard is £2 per active employee each month, and Plus is coming soon at £4.
Keep BrightHR when your team relies on its mobile app, rotas, clocking, expenses, performance tools or HR and safety advice. Breathe adds an established UK HR core and optional workforce tools, CharlieHR adds performance, engagement and paid advice, and Sage HR adds mobile apps and modular workforce tools.
Price and commitment
Compare the total cost and the contract.
Use your current team, the next hire and the term you are actually signing.
Standard has no employee bands. Plus is coming soon at £4 per active employee and is not available to buy yet.
Prices before applicable tax. Check the package, employee count, initial term, renewal date and notice clause in the order you sign.
Your routes
Four alternatives to BrightHR, plus staying.
Compare the best fit, current price, strongest reason to choose it and the point at which it stops fitting.
Mobile tools and advice
BrightHR
Price
Core showed £225 per month before tax for 25 employees on the online 36-month term.
Best fit
Employers using BrightHR's mobile app, rotas, clocking, expenses, performance tools or advice and safety services.
Strong when
Core combines everyday HR with shifts, clocking, overtime, expenses, performance and reporting. Higher packages add advice, safety and wellbeing support.
Look elsewhere when
Check whether the package, extra services and signed term still match the work your team uses.
Focused small-team HR
HollyHR
Price
£0 for up to 10 active employees. Standard is £2 per active employee each month.
Best fit
Teams of roughly 5 to 100 that need a clear HR core and public pricing.
Strong when
People records, leave, sickness, documents, onboarding, reports and export in one focused product.
Look elsewhere when
Not the right route when you need a native mobile app, a payroll engine, HR advice or broad workforce modules today.
Established UK-SME core
Breathe HR
Price
£24 per month for 1-10 employees, before VAT.
Best fit
Teams that value a longer operating record, mobile access and optional workforce add-ons.
Strong when
Core HR includes absence, documents, reporting and performance, with rota, learning, recruitment, expenses and safety sold separately.
Look elsewhere when
Price moves through employee bands, and the add-ons increase the monthly total.
Culture and support
CharlieHR
Price
£20 per month for 1-4 people after the current introductory offer.
Best fit
Employers that want performance reviews, engagement surveys, perks or optional HR advice alongside core HR.
Strong when
A small-team core with performance reviews, engagement surveys, perks, a REST API and optional support services.
Look elsewhere when
Recruitment and advice are separately priced, and their commitments differ from the core subscription.
Modular HR
Sage HR
Price
£5 per employee per month for Core HR and Leave on the dedicated UK product page.
Best fit
Teams that want mobile apps, e-signatures, modular workforce tools or Sage payroll adjacency.
Strong when
Core HR and leave can be extended with performance, timesheets, shifts, expenses and recruitment.
Look elsewhere when
The useful comparison is the full module total, not the Core price in isolation.
Inside HollyHR
See what HollyHR covers today.
HollyHR keeps employment details, documents, leave and sickness records together, so managers can handle onboarding, absences and routine reporting in one place.
- People records, employment details and documents
- Leave requests, sickness records and who's away
- Onboarding, reports, CSV import and organisation export
Before you choose
Give every route the same four tests.
Use your own records and roles. A prepared demo should not decide the shortlist.
Run one ordinary week
Add a starter, approve leave, record sickness and find the document a manager needs.
Try the awkward permission
Sign in as a manager and check what they can see about their team and everyone else.
Price the next headcount
Use today, your next hire and a realistic growth point. Include required modules and the signed term.
Take a usable export
Keep sample people, leave, sickness and document data, then list anything that needs a separate route.
If you decide to move
Plan the full move from BrightHR.
Keep a copy of the source, check the new records and assign an owner to anything that needs a separate move.
List the package and services in use
Include the mobile app, rotas, Blip clocking, overtime, expenses, performance, reports, advice, safety, wellbeing, payroll and integrations.
Read the signed order before giving notice
BrightHR's standard agreement renews for an equivalent term unless either party gives at least 90 days' written notice. Your signed order controls, so record its term, renewal date and notice route, then request the people, absence, rota, clocking, expense, report and document exports you need.
Move the core and plan the rest
Test a small people import, reconcile leave, sickness, permissions and documents, then assign a separate route to workforce tools and support services HollyHR does not replace.
Primary sources
Prices and supplier capabilities can change. Check the live page before signing.
Questions
Questions about BrightHR alternatives.
What is a good alternative to BrightHR?
HollyHR fits employers with roughly 5 to 100 people when a focused HR core covers the work. Breathe adds established UK HR and optional workforce tools, CharlieHR adds performance, engagement and paid advice, and Sage HR offers mobile and modular workforce tools. Keep BrightHR when your team relies on its mobile app, rotas, clocking, expenses, performance tools or HR and safety advice.
How much does BrightHR cost?
For 25 employees, BrightHR's live pricing page showed Core at £9 per employee and £225 per month before tax. The online Core purchase route used a 36-month term. BrightHR's standard agreement renews for an equivalent term unless either party gives at least 90 days' written notice, but the signed order controls each buyer's term. Headcount, package and quote can change the total.
Does BrightHR have a free plan?
BrightHR offers a free demo and separate free tools such as Rota Lite and its incident tracker, not an ongoing free Core HR plan. HollyHR Free covers up to 10 active employees without a trial clock.
Is HollyHR a complete replacement for BrightHR?
Not when you need BrightHR's native mobile app, rotas, Blip clocking, overtime, expenses, performance tools, advice, safety, wellbeing or payroll routes today. HollyHR is a focused HR core, not a like-for-like replacement for the wider BrightHR ecosystem.
Can we move from BrightHR to HollyHR?
Yes, when HollyHR's supported core fits, but there is no one-click BrightHR migration. Request the records, reports and documents you need before access ends, test a small people import, and reconcile leave, sickness, permissions and files. Rotas, clocking, expenses and service history need a separate plan.
Should we keep BrightHR instead?
Keep BrightHR when the mobile app, rotas, clocking, expenses, performance tools or advice and safety services are useful in everyday work and justify the package and signed commitment. Changing supplier is worthwhile only when it solves a real mismatch.
Start free with up to 10 active employees.
Bring your team over from a spreadsheet. There is no card, no sales call and no lock-in. For up to 10 active employees, everyday HR is free.
Import your people data. Export your organisation's people records and uploaded files.