Breathe HR Review 2026: Pricing, Core HR, Leave Management, Pros, and Cons

Breathe HR is a cloud-based human resources platform designed primarily for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the United Kingdom [02] [03]. It provides a centralized system for core HR administration, employee records, and absence tracking, making it a strong candidate for growing teams transitioning away from manual spreadsheets [08] [09] [21].

The platform's strongest advantage is its cost-effective, flat-tier pricing model. Instead of charging per user, Breathe HR charges a flat monthly fee per business based on employee headcount bands, which keeps costs highly predictable as small teams scale [20]. Additionally, the software is frequently praised by third-party reviewers and implementation partners for its intuitive, user-friendly interface tailored to small teams without enterprise complexity [18].

However, Breathe HR does not process payroll natively and does not run PAYE [19]. Buyers will need to integrate the platform with a dedicated accounting or payroll provider, such as Xero [14]. Because of its focus on simplicity, Breathe HR is generally not recommended for complex midmarket enterprises with significantly more than 200 to 250 employees [07].

Breathe HR is a cloud-based HR software platform that centralizes employee data and automates administrative tasks [02]. Founded in 2012 and later acquired by the ELMO Group, the platform is currently used by over 17,000 SMEs [01].

The system is explicitly designed to replace manual spreadsheets with digital workflows for core HR, leave management, and absence tracking [08] [10]. The core HRIS can be expanded with optional add-on modules for time and attendance, learning management, recruitment tracking, and expense management [02].

Best for

• Micro businesses (1–10 employees): Strong fit due to a dedicated, highly affordable pricing tier specifically for teams of 10 or fewer [04].
• Small businesses (11–50 employees): Strong fit for organizations looking to digitize HR records and step away from manual spreadsheets [05].
• SMBs (51–200 employees): Strong fit for growing teams that want predictable, flat-fee pricing rather than per-user licensing costs [06].
• UK-based SMEs: Ideal for companies in the UK needing basic HR administration, localized leave management, and employee self-service [21].

Not ideal for

• Midmarket and enterprise organizations: Weak fit for companies exceeding 200–250 employees, as workflow complexity typically necessitates enterprise-grade HR tools [07].
• Companies needing all-in-one native payroll: Breathe HR does not process payroll directly or run PAYE, requiring external systems [19].

Buyers should verify first

• Integration depth: Verify that your specific accounting or payroll provider connects seamlessly, as Breathe HR relies on third-party tools for payroll processing [14] [19].

Breathe HR offers a core platform that can be customized with optional add-ons.

• Core HR: The foundational HRIS platform covering employee records, holiday management, absence tracking, and performance management [08] [09] [10].
• Rota, Time & Attendance: An optional module for employee scheduling and time tracking [30].
• Learn: An optional module for training management [31].
• Recruitment tracking: An optional applicant tracking module [32].
• Expenses management: An optional module for expense tracking and claim approvals [33].
• Health and Safety: An optional module for safety compliance [34].

Breathe HR uses a public, flat-tier monthly pricing model based on the total number of employees per business, rather than charging per user [20].

Core subscription tiers

• Micro (1–10 people): £24 per month [24]
• Starter (11–20 people): £44 per month [25]
• Regular (21–50 people): £99 per month [26]
• Pro (51–100 people): £175 per month [27]
• Premium (101–150 people): £419 per month [28]
• Plus (151–200 people): £579 per month [29]

Optional add-ons

• Rota, Time & Attendance: +£11 per month [30]
• Learn: +£15 per month [31]
• Recruitment tracking: +£16 per month [32]
• Expenses management: +£14 per month [33]
• Health and Safety: +£12 per month [34]

Breathe HR provides standard HRIS capabilities designed specifically for SMEs. The platform supports secure employee record centralization, holiday processing, and absence tracking [09] [10] [11]. The system allows administrators to monitor attendance trends and gives employees self-service access to request leave [11] [21].

According to the vendor's security documentation, Breathe HR maintains the following compliance standards:

• GDPR: The platform is fully committed to GDPR compliance for European data privacy rights [12].
• ISO 27001: The vendor holds an ISO 27001 compliance certification for information security management [13].

Breathe HR provides customer support via an in-app chat interface as well as standard email support [17].

Before purchasing Breathe HR, buyers should:

• Confirm exact pricing for your current headcount tier and factor in any necessary add-on modules.
• Verify that your existing payroll software integrates smoothly, as Breathe HR does not run native payroll.
• Ask about the implementation timeline and data migration processes if moving from spreadsheets.
• Confirm that the platform's workflow complexity limits will support your company's growth plans up to 200 employees.