Keep everyday HR straightforward
Manage people records, leave, sickness, documents and starter work without buying a wide workforce suite.
HollyHR · BreatheHR software for small businesses
Best HR software for UK small businesses.
Compare seven products for the everyday work a small business needs to get right: people records, leave, sickness, documents, payroll handoff and a clean way to move your data.
Which HR software suits a UK small business?
HollyHR and Breathe cover everyday people records, leave, sickness and documents. Sense HR and BrightHR add shift or mobile workforce tools, while BrightHR also bundles advice. PeopleHR, Sage HR and BambooHR suit businesses that need a wider suite. Compare price, terms, permissions and exports before choosing.
Start with the job
Start with what you need the software to do.
A shorter list is easier to test properly.
Run shifts and attendance
Add rotas, clocking, recruitment or workflow automation when hourly work is part of the job.
Sense HR · BrightHRBuy advice with the software
Compare an employment-law and health-and-safety service with keeping specialist advice separate.
BrightHRAdd modules or suite depth
Choose a wider product when performance, analytics, recruitment or payroll options are active requirements.
PeopleHR · Sage HR · BambooHRPrice at 25 employees
Seven public totals at 25 employees.
Monthly equivalents before VAT for 25 active employees. Each row uses the named entry plan and its public billing basis. Add-ons, implementation and negotiated prices are excluded; the plans are not feature-equivalent.
Sense HR£45Team · up to 25
HollyHR£50Standard · £2 per active employee
PeopleHRFrom £75Starter · £3 each
Breathe£99Core HR · 21 to 50
Sage HR£125Core HR + Leave · £5 each
BambooHRFrom £200Core starting-price floor · 25 or fewer
BrightHR£225Core · £9 each · online 36-month term
Seven small-business options
Choose for the work your business needs to run.
Each card explains where the product fits and what to confirm before signing.
BambooHR
Core starts at £200 a month for 25 employees or fewer. Above 25, published plans start at £8.10 per employee each month.
Worth a closer look when
A business needs several mature suite capabilities, such as hiring, onboarding, reporting, performance, compensation or a broad integration marketplace.
Check before you choose
Decide whether the £200 monthly floor through 25 employees and the implementation effort are proportionate to the parts of the suite you will use.
A free trial is advertised. The current public page does not promise a duration. Month-to-month and extended terms are available.
Breathe
Core HR costs £24 for 1 to 10 people, £44 for 11 to 20, £99 for 21 to 50 and £175 for 51 to 100. Optional modules cost extra.
Worth a closer look when
An employer wants an established UK HR core, mobile access, monthly terms and optional workforce modules.
Check before you choose
Price the next headcount band and every required add-on. The monthly core rises from £44 at 20 people to £99 at 21.
A 14-day trial is available without a credit card. Breathe advertises rolling monthly terms and cancellation at any time.
BrightHR
Its Core calculator shows £83.35 a month for five employees, £107 for ten and £225 for 25 (£9 per employee) on the online 36-month term, before tax.
Worth a closer look when
A business wants HR software together with employment-law, health-and-safety or wellbeing services.
Check before you choose
Core is £225 a month before tax for 25 employees on the online 36-month fixed term. Confirm renewal, notice and any added services before signing.
The public calculator supports online purchase for the 36-month option. Fixed terms of 24, 36 and 60 months are advertised.
HollyHR
Free covers up to 10 active employees counted for billing. Standard costs £2 per active employee counted for billing per month or £20 per active employee counted for billing each year, before tax.
Worth a closer look when
An owner, office manager or HR lead wants a focused UK HR core, clear public pricing, API and MCP access, and a documented export route.
Check before you choose
Choose a broader or longer-established product when native payroll, rotas, recruitment, performance, mobile apps or a long customer history matter now.
Start Free without a card, a sales call or a trial clock. Billing follows current active employment. Profiles mapped as volunteers under the organisation's published engagement policy are excluded. Standard is available monthly or yearly and can be cancelled at the period end.
PeopleHR
Published prices start at £3 for Starter, £5.50 for Core, £8 for Pro and £9.50 for Elite+ per employee each month.
Worth a closer look when
A business wants a tiered path from records, absence and mobile access into onboarding, performance, workflows, learning or analytics.
Check before you choose
Confirm which tier contains each workflow shown in the demo, then price that tier and any optional module rather than Starter by default.
Starter and Core advertise a 14-day trial without a credit card. Monthly and yearly payment options are advertised.
Sage HR
Core HR plus Leave costs £5 per employee each month. Performance, Timesheets and Shifts cost £2.50 each, and Expenses costs £1.25.
Worth a closer look when
A business already uses Sage products or wants to add performance, timesheets, shifts, expenses or recruitment separately.
Check before you choose
Add the modules you actually need and confirm how Sage HR will exchange data with your payroll process. Payroll is a separate subscription.
A 30-day trial is available without a credit card and ends automatically. Sage advertises no long-term contract and says customers can cancel or upgrade.
Sense HR
Team costs £20 up to 10 employees, £45 up to 25 and £85 up to 50. Professional is £4, Elite £6 and Enterprise £8 per employee each month.
Worth a closer look when
A business needs a route from core records into payroll integrations, electronic signatures, recruitment, automation or attendance.
Check before you choose
Match the required work to Team, Professional, Elite or Enterprise before comparing prices. Attendance, automation and API access sit above the entry plan.
Team and Professional offer a 14-day trial without a credit card. Team and Professional are monthly rolling or annual. Elite and Enterprise are annual.
Before you choose
Five checks worth more than a long feature list.
Use the same people, workflows and questions with every supplier.
Run an ordinary week
Add a starter, approve leave, record sickness and change a working pattern using realistic data.
Check every permission
Sign in as an employee, manager and administrator. Open private files and confirm each role sees the right records.
Price the full commitment
Include the next headcount band, required modules, implementation, VAT, initial term, renewal and notice window.
Trace the payroll handoff
Run one pay period. Check what the system sends, who corrects errors and where the final record lives.
Test the way out
Export people, leave, sickness and documents before buying. Make sure the result is useful without a support ticket.
Next steps
Compare prices, products and migration.
Use the pages that answer the next part of your decision.
Official sources
Where the provider facts came from.
Published by HollyHR. Provider facts updated 29 August 2026. Open the live provider page before you rely on a price, package or term.
Questions
Choosing HR software for a UK small business.
What is the best HR software for a UK small business?
Start with the work you need to improve. HollyHR and Breathe focus on everyday HR. Sense HR adds routes into attendance and automation. BrightHR combines software with advice services. PeopleHR and Sage HR offer tiered or modular growth, while BambooHR brings wider global-suite depth.
How much does HR software cost for 25 employees?
The seven public monthly entry totals shown here run from £45 to £225 before VAT. BrightHR's £225 Core price uses its online 36-month fixed term. Plans, add-ons, implementation and contract terms differ, so compare the exact package you would buy.
When should a small business move HR off spreadsheets?
Move when one person's memory is holding together starter records, leave, sickness, documents or payroll changes, or when permissions are becoming hard to control. The trigger is unreliable work or access risk, not a fixed employee number.
Should HR software include payroll?
Only when payroll in the same product or supplier relationship solves a real problem. Ask whether it is native, integrated or export-led, which UK rules it covers and who owns corrections when data moves between HR and payroll.
Which contract terms matter for HR software?
Check the initial term, automatic renewal, notice window, cancellation route, price-rise wording and access to exports after notice. A monthly price does not always mean the agreement can be cancelled monthly.
Which HR software includes employment-law advice?
BrightHR sells packages that combine software with employment-law, health-and-safety and wellbeing services. Compare the complete service package and fixed term with buying HR software and specialist advice separately.
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.