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BrightHR brings plenty of people management features together in one system, giving users an easier way to handle those day-to-day HR tasks. But it’s not the only HR system out there, and it’s always worth considering whether there’s a BrightHR alternative that’s a closer fit for your goals.
Comparing human resource software is a time-consuming process — especially if you can’t find all the information you need in one place, or it’s so sales-driven that you can’t fully trust it. That’s why I wanted to bring you this guide to the best BrightHR alternatives, filled with not just the key details but also insights from my research, real customers, and user reviews.
I know how valuable your time is, so let’s get straight into finding you the best BrightHR alternative for your needs
My goal is to bring you the best alternatives to BrightHR, so that you can make an informed decision about which cloud-based HR platform is right for you. To do this, I’m leaning on my experience as a product manager at Charlie and my passion for all things user experience.
As part of my research, I’ve:
I’ve explored features in detail, spoken to real customers, and researched real user experiences of both BrightHR and the other competitors on this list. In doing this, I’ve been able to bring you this guide to the best BrightHR alternatives.
CharlieHR is HR software designed to make HR feel effortless. Our software is designed with UK small businesses in mind, so every feature and function is built to support your unique needs at every stage of the employee lifecycle.
Our platform helps you automate repetitive HR tasks, giving you time and energy back to dedicate to the tasks that require your attention and experience the most. Use automation to not only streamline your workflows but create a better experience for employees to aid retention.
Onboard new hires in seconds
Say goodbye to manual spreadsheets and hello to automated time off management
Store all your documents and employee records in one place
Run effective performance reviews
Run employee surveys
Offer perks to your team members
Dive into reports and people analytics
Get expert guidance on your people strategy
See changes straight away in a user-friendly dashboard
With so many features in one place, and designed with UK businesses in mind, Charlie is the ideal choice for small businesses that want to simplify the way they work for even better results.
“I can't recommend Charlie enough to any new businesses/startups reading this review: it is the one thing I so wish I'd done before. I calculated that it saved my 214 hours per year in admin time.”
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HiBob, also known as Bob, is a comprehensive HR platform that combines staff management with employee engagement. It covers core HR functions, onboarding, time off, attendance management, payroll, and compensation. You can also engage employees through surveys, shoutouts, kudos, and a virtual safe space.
With different ways to celebrate good news, give shoutouts, and gather feedback, HiBob is a great BrightHR alternative for teams that want a platform for conversation and engagement.
“Overall, we love Bob, it is extremely easy to use and navigate. We have only had good feedback from the business, and we hope to continue to see the system improve along with my suggestions and feature requests.”
BambooHR is another HR platform that blends several HR functions together. Users can use the software for talent management, onboarding, payroll, time & attendance, benefits, employee experience, and performance management. BambooHR also offers HR teams plenty of analytics and reporting options.
As a platform packed with in-depth HR features, it may feel overwhelming for small businesses or startups that are just getting started. This means it could be great for larger teams, but for others you might prefer a platform that feels more intentionally designed for small businesses.
“Overall, I think BambooHR has a great user-friendly system and useful features for Managers and employees. This is a great tool and I would definitely recommend it for other businesses.”
Simple, efficient and affordable — Charlie was build to help small businesses bring clarity to their HR chaos.
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Breathe HR is a human resource management system designed for small businesses, with a range of core HR features focused on people management. This means there’s functionality for leave and absence management, rota planning, onboarding, and performance management.
Although Breathe HR offers rota planning, time off, expenses management, and applicant tracking, these are additional add-ons. If you’re looking for software with everything included, another competitor might suit your needs better.
“Now, everything is all together in one place and takes so much less time to do. I can easily export holiday reports for our accountant, everyone's documents are easily accessible and tracking absences takes no time at all.”
Rippling is an in-depth HR solution for teams that want plenty of functionality in one place. Teams can use HR cloud, IT cloud, and Finance cloud separately or together, with the main HR features including recruitment, payroll processes, surveys, performance management, benefits administration, and time and attendance management.
Rippling combines not just HR features but payroll and IT too. This module-based approach is ideal if you want to consolidate as many services in one place as possible, but might prove unnecessary for small businesses or teams that already manage these functions elsewhere.
“I manage HR for companies that have employees and contractors all around the world, and Rippling makes it so easy to manage global compliance, global payroll and, best of all, their EOR service!”
BrightHR is a popular choice when it comes to HR software solutions for small businesses, but is it the best choice for you? If you’re considering your options, here are some reasons for and against choosing this as your new HR platform.
BrightHR has plenty of features, positive reviews, and plus points — making it a promising option for businesses of any size. Here are a handful of reasons why HR teams might choose BrightHR.
HR and health and safety management in one place
A major reason for you to choose BrightHR is if you want to consolidate different functions within one place. The software offers you not only HR-related features, but you can also manage health and safety, training, and employee wellbeing too.
As well as the expected HR functions, users can:
Having these features in one tool is ideal for people whose role involves HR alongside other functions — like an office manager in a small business, or one of the first hires in a startup. With so many things to do, streamlining the tools you use can really save you time, energy, and money.
Clock in and out easily with the Blip app
Not every company needs employees to clock in and out, but for those that do, having an easy to use system for workforce management is essential. With BrightHR, users get access to the dedicated Blip app that simplifies the HR process into just a click.The Blip app allows HR teams and employees to:
This approach to clocking in and out and time tracking makes BrightHR a powerful option for any businesses that need this feature — like bars, restaurants, retail shops, and workplaces with shifts and rotas.
Flexible shift and rota planning
If you need a clocking in and out feature, you’ll also like another of BrightHR’s key functions — shift and rota planning. The system is designed to make this process feel easy, with user-friendly processes for both management and employees.
Teams can use BrightHR’s shift and rota planning features to:
For teams that are currently using an outdated process for rota planning or that find getting people to take or cover shifts a challenge, a feature like this will undoubtedly save you time and help make the whole process easier.
BrightHR offers a lot, but it’s not always the right match for your goals, needs, or business. Here are some reasons why you might look to an alternative
Prefer transparent pricing
When you’re comparing HR software for your small business, you want to know exactly what you’ll be spending. You have a budget and don’t want to risk overspending, and you also want to be able to accurately understand what return on investment you’ll get from the various tools.
Unfortunately, BrightHR’s pricing isn’t transparent. To get a quote, you’ll need to engage with a chat bot, explain which areas you’re interested in, then provide your contact details — including a phone number. If you’re quickly comparing products, this takes too much time. You might also be reluctant to get into a sales call at this stage.
Other software tools, including Charlie, offer transparent pricing that you can see instantly. There’s no need to sit through sales calls or demos, and you also don’t need to consider which services or features you want to add for an extra fee, as they’re all included.
Want better integrations with other payroll and HR tools
BrightHR has enough HR and health and safety features for many businesses, but it won’t be your only software tool. You’ll want to be able to use integrations so you’re not duplicating data and potentially introducing errors across different platforms.
While you can use Zapier to connect BrightHR to other apps indirectly, there aren’t currently any direct integrations with other software tools. Users have identified this presents some challenges, especially when it comes to payroll software, as keeping those records accurate across systems is essential.
If syncing data seamlessly is important to you, look for an alternative that offers native integrations — like Charlie. Our integrations include popular tools like Xero, Workable, Donut, and Papershift, allowing you to keep everything up to date while adding extra functionality to your workflow.
Every small business has unique HR needs, which means that one BrightHR alternative may be better for you than another. Use this guide to compare the features, highlights, reviews, and pricing of different tools to figure out which is the best match for you.
Once you have a shortlist, take one or two of them for a test drive. A trial experience is one of the best ways to understand how a software tool works, and to get a feel for whether it’s right for you or not. Take a free trial with Charlie to experience a more seamless way to run your HR operations, with all the features you need in one place.
