CharlieHR combines core HR with performance, engagement and perks, plus optional support, recruitment and advice. HollyHR is designed for teams of roughly 5 to 100 employees that want a focused HR core and public per-person pricing.
No card, no sales call and no trial clock.
The short answer
Choose HollyHR if your team needs people records, leave, sickness, documents and onboarding, with Free for up to 10 active employees or one public paid price. Choose CharlieHR when performance reviews, engagement surveys, perks, a native integration catalogue, recruitment or on-demand HR support need to be available now.
Charlie's core subscription is monthly rolling, but its add-ons have different commitments. Recruit has a 12-month minimum and auto-renews, while Advice requires 60 days notice. Compare the complete package and its terms, not only the core band price.
Monthly prices before VAT. Volunteer-only profiles do not count towards HollyHR billing under the published policy. CharlieHR examples use its current core subscription bands without Concierge, Recruit or Advice. Teams of 1 to 4 currently receive six months at £5, then pay £20. Confirm the band and add-ons at checkout.
HollyHR uses active-employee pricing after Free. CharlieHR uses one core price for everyone inside each headcount band.
HollyHR
Free up to 10 active employees
No card and no trial clock.
CharlieHR
7-day trial
No card; the add-ons are not included automatically.
HollyHR
£2 per active employee
One Standard price without headcount bands.
CharlieHR
£20 to £735 per month
Published bands run from 1 to 4 people through 250 or more.
HollyHR
Monthly or annual billing
CharlieHR
Monthly rolling
CharlieHR's billing guidance states no minimum core contract.
HollyHR
No equivalent add-ons today
CharlieHR
Terms vary by add-on
Recruit has a 12-month minimum. Advice requires 60 days notice.
The products overlap on everyday HR. CharlieHR already includes more of the employee-experience layer.
HollyHR
Included
CharlieHR
Included
HollyHR
Tasks and starter records
CharlieHR
Included
HollyHR
Coming with Plus
Coming soonPlus is not available to buy yet.
CharlieHR
Reviews and surveys included
HollyHR
Employee discount access planned
Coming soonDo not choose HollyHR for this until it is available.
CharlieHR
Included today
CharlieHR can add people and expertise to the software subscription. Those extras solve different jobs and carry different prices.
HollyHR
Standard product support
CharlieHR
From £20 per month
Dedicated advocate, faster response and setup guidance.
HollyHR
Coming with Plus
Coming soonPlus is not available to buy yet.
CharlieHR
From £55 per month
Recruit has a 12-month minimum and auto-renews.
HollyHR
Not offered
CharlieHR
From £179 per month
CIPD-qualified advisers, not employment lawyers.
HollyHR
No advice service
CharlieHR
Permanent employees only
Charlie says the Advice team does not cover freelancers or non-permanent workers.
Both products document developer routes and self-service export guidance, with different levels of public detail and operating history.
HollyHR
Reads on every plan
Standard adds governed writes with explicit scopes.
CharlieHR
Company API credentials
CharlieHR's linked endpoint reference was unavailable at this review, so exact resource and operation breadth is unverified.
HollyHR
MCP and bounded signed events
Events cover documented public API-origin changes, not every product action.
CharlieHR
No parity claim made
No current first-party webhook or MCP contract was verified for this comparison.
HollyHR
Organisation archive
Supported records and eligible files within published limits.
CharlieHR
XML package
Charlie says its full export includes data and documents and is deleted after one week.
HollyHR
New in 2026
CharlieHR
65,000+ users
CharlieHR publishes this figure on its About page.
List the CharlieHR features and add-ons your team uses before comparing subscriptions. Performance, engagement, perks, recruitment, advice and connected systems all need an owner if you move.
Request the full CharlieHR export and download it before the one-week window closes, then test a small HollyHR import. Reconcile leave, permissions, documents, working patterns and any records that do not map directly before ending the old service.
See more CharlieHR alternativesPublic prices and product details were checked on 29 August 2026. Packages can change, so confirm the terms of any quote.
At the published prices shown here, yes for teams of roughly 5 to 100 employees. HollyHR Free covers up to 10 active employees. Standard costs £2 per active employee per month across the whole active team. CharlieHR charges £45 for 5 to 14 people, £105 for 15 to 29, £180 for 30 to 49, £315 for 50 to 99 and £420 for 100 to 149. CharlieHR includes more people tools.
CharlieHR's current pricing and signup journey offers a 7-day trial with no credit card, but not an ongoing free plan. HollyHR Free is ongoing for up to 10 active employees and has no trial clock or card requirement.
The core CharlieHR subscription is monthly rolling with no minimum term according to its billing guidance. The add-ons differ: Charlie Recruit has a 12-month minimum and auto-renews, while Charlie Advice can be cancelled with 60 days notice. Check every component in the package you buy.
CharlieHR includes performance reviews, engagement surveys, employee perks and a partner marketplace in its core product. It also sells Concierge support, Recruit and Advice add-ons. HollyHR's performance and recruitment modules are part of Plus, which is not available to buy yet, and HollyHR does not sell HR advice.
Charlie says its advisers are CIPD-qualified HR professionals, not employment lawyers. It has a partnership with LegalEdge for specialist legal input. Charlie also says the Advice service covers permanently employed team members, not freelancers or non-permanent workers, so check the workforce and issue you need covered.
CharlieHR documents company API credentials, but its linked first-party endpoint reference was unavailable when this page was reviewed, so exact resource, operation and webhook breadth is unverified. HollyHR includes API and MCP reads on every plan, governed writes on Standard and signed events for documented public API-origin changes. Compare current endpoint and event contracts before choosing either route.
You can move the records HollyHR supports, but there is no one-click CharlieHR migration. Request the full XML export, download it within Charlie's one-week availability window and test a small HollyHR import. Reconcile leave, documents, permissions and working patterns, and plan separately for performance, engagement, perks, recruitment and advice records.
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.
