Breathe

Breathe at a Glance

Breathe Pros and Cons in 2026

Where Breathe Stands Out

• Flat per-business pricing: pay one fixed monthly fee for the whole organisation rather than per-employee, which keeps costs predictable as headcount grows inside a tier
• UK SME focus: 17,000+ small and mid-size UK businesses use Breathe, with feature scope built around UK employment law and SME workflows rather than enterprise complexity
• Strong holiday and absence module: holiday accruals, statutory sickness, return-to-work workflows, and Bradford Factor scoring built in without bolt-ons
• Rota and shift planning included: drag-and-drop rota builder with mobile shift sharing comes with the People plan tiers, useful for hospitality, retail, and care providers
• Approachable for non-HR owners: company directors and office managers without dedicated HR training consistently complete setup in under a week through guided onboarding

Where Breathe Falls Short

• UK and Ireland focus means no native US, Canadian, or international payroll; integrates with payroll providers but does not run payroll itself
• Flat-tier pricing penalises businesses with low headcount inside a tier (an organisation with 11 employees pays the same Starter fee as one with 20)
• Performance management module is shallower than dedicated platforms like Lattice or Leapsome
• Reporting and analytics depth is suitable for SME use but limited compared to mid-market HCM platforms
• API and integration ecosystem is smaller than US-led competitors, with most integrations focused on UK accounting and payroll providers

Who Should Use Breathe?

UK and Ireland SMEs (1 to 250 employees) wanting flat per-business HR software covering holiday, performance, sickness, rotas, recruitment, and documents. A natural fit for owner-managed businesses, hospitality, retail, charities, and care providers that want a UK-focused platform without per-employee billing. For broader mid-market HCM with payroll, see Sage People or Personio. For US-focused SMB HR, consider BambooHR or Gusto. For SMB businesses needing payroll alongside Breathe, see our payroll software guide.

Breathe Product Suite in 2026

Breathe Modules

• Core HR: employee records, organisation chart, document storage with e-signature, employee self-service, and Bradford Factor scoring
• Holiday and Absence: holiday allowance management, statutory sickness, multiple leave types, calendar integration, and absence reporting
• Performance: 1-to-1 reviews, smart goal tracking, kudos and recognition, and lightweight 360 feedback in higher tiers
• Rota and Scheduling: drag-and-drop rota builder, shift swaps, time off requests linked to rotas, and mobile shift notifications
• Recruitment: applicant tracking, careers page builder, and candidate pipeline management as an optional module on most tiers
• Training: training records, expiry tracking, and renewal reminders for compliance-driven training requirements
• People Portal Mobile App: employee self-service iOS and Android app for leave, sickness, rotas, and document access
• Reports and Insights: standard SME HR reports plus custom report builder in higher tiers

Breathe Customer Support and UK Implementation

Breathe customer support is delivered from the UK headquarters in Horsham, West Sussex. Email and live chat support cover UK business hours, with knowledge base articles aimed at SME owners and HR managers without dedicated technical training. The 1,000-strong partner network across the UK provides paid implementation, training, and ongoing HR support for customers who want a guided experience. Breathe is part of ELMO Software, a publicly listed Australian HR group, which has expanded the platform investment since the 2020 acquisition.

How Much Does Breathe Cost in 2026?

Breathe uses flat per-business-account pricing across six tiers based on employee count band rather than per-employee fees. The 14-day free trial covers all tiers. Annual billing offers approximately 15 percent discount on Micro, Starter, Regular, and Pro tiers and approximately 10 percent on Premium and Plus. Pricing is published transparently on the vendor site for the en-GB region.

Breathe 2026 Pricing Tiers (UK)

• Micro - £22 per month (up to 10 employees, core HR plus holiday and sickness)
• Starter - £39 per month (11 to 20 employees, adds performance and rotas)
• Regular - £89 per month (21 to 50 employees, full feature set for growing SMEs)
• Pro - £159 per month (51 to 100 employees, advanced reporting and integrations)
• Premium - £369 per month (101 to 150 employees, premium features and priority support)
• Plus - £525 per month (151 to 200 employees, dedicated customer success)

Hidden Costs and Contract Gotchas to Watch For

• Annual contracts are the standard commercial term; monthly billing is available but at a roughly 10 to 15 percent premium over the annual rate
• Adding the Recruitment module on lower tiers may carry an additional fee depending on contract date
• Implementation and data migration support is generally self-service; bespoke onboarding services are billed separately
• Growing past a tier band (for example, hiring the 51st employee on the Regular plan) automatically bumps the account to the next tier with the larger monthly fee
• Custom integrations beyond the standard partner list typically require professional services through a Breathe partner

Breathe Implementation Path

Breathe implementation is largely self-service with guided in-app onboarding and an extensive UK-focused knowledge base. Most SME businesses launch within 1 to 3 weeks. Customers importing existing employee data, rota templates, and historical absence records typically take 3 to 6 weeks. Breathe partners across the UK provide paid implementation services for customers who prefer hands-on guidance, and the Breathe customer support team is reachable through email and live chat during UK business hours.

Breathe vs the Alternatives

Breathe versus Sage People: Sage People is a broader mid-market HCM aimed at organisations with formal HR functions and global operations. Breathe is UK and Ireland SME-first with flat per-business pricing and lighter feature depth.

Breathe versus BambooHR: BambooHR is the US SMB-to-mid-market default with deeper integration ecosystem. Breathe is UK-focused with stronger UK employment-law features and predictable per-business fees.

Breathe versus Personio: Personio is a European mid-market HRIS with payroll integration and broader feature scope. Breathe is UK SME-focused with simpler pricing and lighter feature depth.

Breathe versus HiBob: HiBob is a modern mid-market HRIS with strong analytics and global support. Breathe is SME-focused with flat per-business pricing rather than per-employee fees.

What Real Buyers Report About Breathe

UK SME owners and HR managers commonly point to Breathe for the predictable per-business pricing, depth of UK employment-law features, and ease of self-service onboarding. Reviewers consistently call out the responsive UK-based support team, useful HR knowledge base aimed at SME directors who do not have dedicated HR staff, and the rota module that earns favour with hospitality and care providers. Common frustrations centre on the limited international scope, the flat-tier pricing model that can feel inefficient at the bottom of a tier band, and lighter performance management depth compared to dedicated tools. Buyers running 1 to 250 employees in UK professional services, hospitality, retail, charities, and care give higher scores to Breathe above generic SME HR competitors for the combination of UK focus, predictable pricing, and approachable interface.

Bottom Line: Is Breathe Right for You?

Breathe is well-matched to UK and Ireland small and mid-size businesses (1 to 250 employees) wanting flat per-business HR software covering holiday, performance, sickness, rotas, and documents. The 17,000+ UK SME customer base validates the platform across owner-managed and SME segments. The UK employment-law focus, predictable per-business pricing, and approachable interface for non-HR owners distinguish it from US-led competitors. The trade-offs are limited international scope, flat-tier pricing that can feel inefficient at the bottom of a band, and lighter performance management depth than dedicated tools. For UK and Ireland SME buyers wanting a focused HR platform without enterprise complexity, Breathe is worth shortlisting alongside Sage HR and Personio.