Five PeopleHR alternatives, after you map the workflows behind the records.

It depends on the job. HollyHR fits focused core HR and current controlled early-access Free/£2 pricing; Breathe fits established UK-SME core and add-ons; CharlieHR fits performance, engagement, perks and optional advice; Sage HR fits mobile-first modular HR and Sage adjacency; Sense HR fits automation, ATS and attendance. Keep PeopleHR when mobile, AI, e-sign, time, performance, workflows, broad API or Access payroll are the fit.

Only when the team needs HollyHR's focused shipped core and accepts a manual, reconciled migration. HollyHR is not equivalent for native mobile, Copilot or learning, e-signatures, expenses, performance, custom surveys, timesheets, clocking, Ripple workflows, advanced analytics, ATS, broad integrations, Access payroll or a complete migration of histories, files, signatures and specialist state.

PeopleHR currently publishes from-prices per employee per month of £3 for Starter, £5.50 for Core, £8 for Pro and £9.50 for Elite+. It offers a 14-day HR software trial without a credit card, although public material does not promise every higher-tier add-on in that trial. Confirm tax, exact entitlements, add-ons, annual discount and the signed term in your quote; a per-month pricing unit is not proof of a monthly-cancellable agreement.

PeopleHR's current footer links to Access Global Terms dated 24 April 2026. Those standard terms default to a 36-month initial term, 12-month renewals and at least 90 days' end-of-term notice unless applicable Website Customer Terms or the signed Statement of Work say otherwise. Access may increase fees once in each subscription period, says fees will not reduce during the licence term, and may revert pricing to its then-current list price at renewal. The signed order governs your case, so record its dates and cancellation route rather than inferring flexibility from monthly pricing or payment frequency.

HollyHR does not ship native mobile apps, built-in AI or learning, electronic signatures, expenses, performance cycles, custom surveys, timesheets, rota publishing, clocking, rotating-shift scheduling, configurable Ripple workflows, advanced analytics, an ATS, equivalent broad integrations or an HR/payroll suite. It does support effective-dated contracted patterns repeating over 1–12 weeks. Treat the remaining gaps as separate replacement work or reasons to stay.

PeopleHR publishes a broad REST API that can read and maintain data across employee, absence, document, time, performance and recruitment domains, plus a sandboxed developer utility and advertised integrations. HollyHR's API is an approved organisation-scoped beta: safe reads exclude document bytes, download links and compliance records, while write-capable API/MCP access is Standard+, separately approved and controlled. Public PeopleHR material does not establish a complete webhook event and delivery contract, so this page makes no absence claim.

No. HollyHR has no PeopleHR adapter. Its generic importer manually maps 12 people fields and accepts up to 500 rows and 2 MB. Managers, working patterns, pay and bank data, leave balances and history, documents and signatures, expenses, performance, timesheets, workflows, payroll, integrations and specialist state require separate handling.

PeopleHR documents query-based Excel exports and a Windows-compatible Offline Backup Tool that bulk-downloads employee documents and preserves signatures. Its security page promises an exit export through a self-serve link and removal from its systems within 30 days; a separate PeopleHR article says copies may be retained for legal or business purposes. Run those routes before notice is due and confirm the leaving package's format, scope, expiry, retained copies and any specialist state that needs separate evidence.

HollyHR's leave calculation uses current FTE and does not automate historical or blended FTE, mid-year starter/leaver, statutory carry-over, irregular-hours entitlement or final pay. Its sickness record lacks retrospective casework, certificates, return-to-work, triggers and SSP; aggregate charts can identify sickness in a small team. Onboarding is manually launched, and current future-starter identity behaviour is unsuitable for confidential hires.

There is no honest universal time. It depends on the people file and how much role, leave, document, signature, expense, performance, time, workflow, applicant, payroll, integration and reporting state must be retained or rebuilt. Keep PeopleHR available until the parallel run, file evidence and permission checks pass review.