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).
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Insightful is a Work Intelligence platform that helps organizations understand how work actually happens across people, processes, and AI, so they can improve performance, optimize workflows, and reduce operational waste.
1. Workforce Analytics: Measure workforce productivity, utilization, and performance
2. Workflow Optimization: Identify bottlenecks, eliminate inefficiencies, and optimize workflows
3. Work Intelligence: Measure AI adoption, usage, and ROI of your AI investments
With Insightful, you can:
• Understand how work happens across teams, processes, and AI
• Spot drops in utilization and output early
• Track AI adoption, usage, and business impact
• Create a custom layout with widgets to see the metrics most relevant to your role
• See where work slows, stalls, or creates rework across workflows
• Compare performance across teams, roles, or locations
• Use real activity data to review work and resolve disputes
• Automate time tracking and reporting
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At APS, our mission is simple: to make payroll and HR easier. Our comprehensive, user-friendly SaaS platform is designed to streamline human capital management for organizations, enabling efficient payroll processing, automated HR workflows, and an enhanced employee lifecycle—all in one place. With decades of industry expertise, APS is your dependable partner, committed to continuous improvement and innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients.
Our clients and partners benefit from personalized service and dedicated support, helping them achieve their goals effortlessly. Businesses choose APS as their trusted workforce partner because of our unwavering commitment to the customer experience, reflected in our 98% customer satisfaction rate. Experience the APS difference—where professional, approachable, and innovative service meets your HCM needs.
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