Shiftbrook vs. Smartplan Comparison Chart

Breathe (also known as Breathe HR/BreatheHR) is a UK HR platform, founded in 2012, for small and medium-sized businesses. It brings people records, leave, documents, performance, reporting and compliance into one place, replacing scattered spreadsheets and disconnected tools. What's included Core HR: secure central employee records and documents, holiday and leave requests, sickness and absence tracking, self-service, e-signatures, performance management (goals, feedback, one-to-ones, reviews), reporting and analytics. Optional modules: - e-Learning: training management, UK-specific courses, completion tracking - Health and Safety: risk assessments, incident reports, certifications, compliance evidence - Recruitment: hiring workflows, job ads, candidate tracking - Expenses: claims, receipts, manager approval, spend tracking - Rota, Time and Attendance: shifts, availability, hours, attendance In development: an AI Assistant answering HR and policy questions from company information. Payroll planned for late 2026. Problems solved - Scattered data → one accurate central record - Chasing approvals → self-service, e-signatures, shared workflows - Lean HR teams → start with Core HR, add modules as needs grow Result: less duplicate entry and chasing, clearer visibility, more manager and employee involvement. Who it's for Best fit: UK SMEs with up to 200 employees moving HR off spreadsheets, e.g. start-ups, charities, healthcare, retail, education and professional services, especially with lean or shared HR roles. Evaluate carefully: 200+ employees, or needs for multinational payroll, complex global compliance, extensive custom workflows or enterprise workforce planning. Not a global enterprise HCM suite. Why Breathe - 17,000+ businesses; 1,000+ UK HR consultancies - From £24/month per organisation, no long-term contracts or hidden fees - Free 14-day trial, no obligation - UK-based support from setup onwards - ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 accredited; GDPR-conscious; UK data centres, encryption, access controls Bottom line: a flexible, self-service way for UK SMEs to organise HR and cut admin, with room to grow into recruitment, learning, safety, expenses, rotas and payroll (late 2026).

Flexible working time models, hybrid teams, and complex collective agreements and legal requirements call for reliable and transparent time recording. ZEUS® Time and Attendance from ISGUS is the smart solution for digital time management that integrates seamlessly into your business processes and offers both employees and managers maximum transparency, flexibility, and efficiency. With ZEUS® Time and Attendance, your employees can record working hours, breaks, shift times, or home office hours in a legally compliant, flexible, and location-independent manner, either at the terminal, via web browser, or with the mobile app. The data is processed in real time and is immediately available for evaluation, approval, and further processing. The solution meets all legal, collective agreement, and company regulations, for example, with regard to rest periods, overtime, or core working hours.

Connecteam is an award-winning all-in-one employee management solution for daily operations, communications, and human resource management. With Connecteam you can manage every aspect of your business on the go, no workstation needed. Easily engage and manage non-desk employees with Connecteam’s mobile-first platform that helps improve communication, enhance daily processes and increase productivity with custom checklists, forms, and reports. Schedule shifts and track accurate work hours with Connecteam’s automated GPS time clock and easily export approved timesheets to payroll. Connecteam helps you keep your employees sharp thanks to knowledge base centers and advanced training courses. Raise morale with employee recognition rewards and keep the entire company updated through the main news feed. Simplify employee communication, enhance professional skills, manage daily tasks and so much more, all in one app and for an affordable price.

Resource Guru offers a fast and simple way of scheduling, people, equipment, and other resources online. Designed to replace clunky, old scheduling spreadsheets, Resource Guru helps managers get organized fast. The platform covers resource planning, resource scheduling, resource management, staff leave management, reporting, and more. Resource Guru is available for as low as $4.16 per person/month.

DeskTime is a high-performance, automated time tracking and workforce management solution for teams and freelancers. It runs silently in the background, logging computer activity from the moment of boot-up to ensure 100% accurate data without the need for manual timers. ⏱️ Key Features for Efficient Teams: ✅ Auto-Tracking: Log arrival, departure, and total work hours automatically. ⚡ ✅ Productivity Insights: Categorize URLs and apps to calculate real-time efficiency scores. 📈 ✅ Project Tracking: Assign time to specific tasks for precise client billing and project costing. 💸 ✅ Workforce Tools: Integrated shift scheduling and an absence calendar for streamlined HR. 📅 ✅ Secure & Integrated: GDPR/ISO 27001 compliant. Connects with Jira, Asana, Trello, and more. ⚙️ Eliminate manual timesheets and boost team productivity by up to 30% with DeskTime 🚀

Visual Planning is more than just overseeing projects, scheduling field teams, managing production timelines, or streamlining manufacturing operations—it’s a flexible, all-in-one platform built to support a wide range of business needs. From simple task coordination to complex, multi-layered workflows, VP adapts to how you work and brings structure, visibility, and efficiency to every part of your operation. VP gives you complete visibility into your projects, teams, equipment, machines, work orders, and operations—helping you coordinate every aspect of your business with confidence. Whether you're managing job sites, dispatching field crews, or overseeing production lines, our platform keeps everything and everyone connected. Collaborate across departments, adjust schedules on the fly, and keep work moving forward—on any device, from anywhere. Thousands of companies trust VP to simplify how they manage people, projects, equipment, and operations. Get your free custom demo today.

Paylocity delivers the most innovative technology bringing HR, payroll, and IT together in one modern, easy-to-use platform to empower teams, simplify processes, and deliver real results. The platform enables businesses to manage payroll, benefits, employee engagement, and other core HR functions while also managing non-payroll spend, including expenses, account payable, corporate cards, procurement, and headcount planning. Paylocity's integrated platform includes mobile access, workflow automation, seamless third-party integrations, and real-time insights that help businesses manage employees and business operations more effectively. Paylocity also provides dedicated customer support, implementation services, and scalable solutions designed to meet the needs of growing businesses and enterprise organizations.

Hubstaff is a time tracking software that helps teams log hours, monitor productivity, and automate payments — whether remote, hybrid, in-office, or field-based. Available on desktop, web, and mobile, Hubstaff enables employees to track time against specific tasks and projects from anywhere. Managers get built-in visibility through app and URL usage data, activity rates, and optional screenshots — all configurable by user role. Designed for global, growing and distributed teams, Hubstaff includes built-in productivity monitoring and workforce analytics to help businesses analyze how time is spent, identify inefficiencies, and improve performance — without micromanagement.

Wrike’s powerful work management platform enables distributed teams to collaborate in real-time on complex projects. Our versatile, cloud-based software is trusted by top tech companies across the globe, including Siemens and Fitbit. Wrike’s award-winning features include cross-tagging, custom item types, dynamic request forms, and automated workflows. With our 400+ app integrations, you can streamline tasks and keep all your favorite tools in one place. Experience the power of voice commands and smart replies with our Work Intelligence™ software. We also offer pre-built templates designed for specific teams, helping you kick-start your sprint planning, manage Agile projects, assess risks, and adapt to unforeseen changes with ease. Worried about keeping your data secure in the cloud? No problem! Our enterprise-grade security boasts 99.9% uptime, as well as continuous data backup, user authentication, role-based access control, and data encryption. Start your free trial today.

Streamline your business with Rippling’s all-in-one platform for HR, IT, payroll, and spend management. Effortlessly manage the entire employee lifecycle, from hiring to benefits administration. Automate HR tasks, ensure compliance, and streamline approvals. Simplify IT with device management, software access, and compliance monitoring, all from one dashboard. Enjoy timely payroll, real-time financial visibility, and dynamic spend policies. Rippling empowers your business to save time, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency, allowing you to focus on growth. Experience the power of unified management with Rippling today.