
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).
Learn more
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.
Learn more
Workable is an all-in-one HR platform that helps businesses find great candidates, hire faster, and manage their teams more effectively. With a world-class Applicant Tracking System and a flexible HRIS, it’s your system of record for everything HR.
With Workable, you can:
1. Source talent: Post to 200+ job boards and access 400M+ candidate profiles
2. Simplify hiring: Use AI-powered screening, self-scheduled interviews, and automated offer management
3. Manage employees: Automate onboarding, store HR data, and handle performance reviews
4. Track time & attendance: Manage time off, monitor work hours, and generate payroll reports
5. Leverage AI: Source candidates,write personalized emails, and create interview kits effortlessly
Workable is designed to be easy to use, with a mobile app for on-the-go management and outstanding customer support. Our software is trusted by over 30,000 companies in more than 100 countries, helping them build high-performance teams.
Learn more
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.
Learn more