Joe Hodges

Written by:

Joe Hodges

Getting performance management right is a crucial part of running any company. But when HR isn't really your specialism, it can be very hard to know how to begin.

There are so many different software tools out there, each with their own ideas on how reviews should be run. So which do you choose?

In this guide, we'll walk you through the best performance management software on the market, look at their pros and cons, and help you choose the right one for you and your team.

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Comparing the best performance management software for UK companies

HRMS software

Ideal company size

Best for...

Price

Best Feature
  • Small businesses and startups
Average review score
  • A high-impact review process for first-timers
Price
  • £4 per user, per month – includes the full Charlie at no extra cost
Best Feature
  • Medium-sized companies (100+ team members)
Average review score
  • Setting company objectives and tracking key results
Price
  • £6 per user, per month (core HR package + performance management add-on)
Best Feature
  • Larger companies with offices abroad (150-200 team members)
Average review score
  • Online staff training
Price
  • Price on request
Best Feature
  • Big corporate companies (200+ team members)
Average review score
  • Aligning internal skills and competencies with company goals
Price
  • Price on request

⚠️ Disclaimer: we wrote a guide about performance management software and included our own 

First, let me quickly introduce myself – I’m Joe, and I work as a Product Manager for CharlieHR. Ever heard of Charlie? Maybe not. We’re an HR software company that specialises in building a product fit for small businesses and startups in the UK

In my role, I combine product planning and user research. Speaking to individuals like yourself helps me understand what features they’d like to use – performance reviews, for example (yes, we do have them too!), but also spend my days researching our top competitors. 

I just wanted to make you aware before you read on. Carry on to find the insights I gathered over the last few months on the best performance management software in the UK.

Top 4 performance management software for UK businesses

Charlie is the perfect system for small companies and startups just getting started with performance management.

We've designed a review process that focuses on what makes a real difference on your team's development, but cuts out all the manual admin that can make running reviews a drain on your time and energy.

Instead, Charlie guides your managers through the review process to make sure every team member gets all the support they need to grow.

Performance management software with Charlie


Save time with faff-free review setup: it's quick to set up and easy to launch


Get your team's progression off the back burner: we've designed a simple review process for small companies


Stay in the loop (without micromanaging): get a clear overview of progress


Never chase up again: automatic reminders make sure that reviews get completed


Get the full picture on your team's progression: unlock a fairer, more complete understanding of individual performance with 360° feedback

Choose Charlie if:

Don’t choose Charlie if:

👍
You want to finally get your team's growth and progression off the back burner, and start helping them develop right away
You are a large corporate looking for complex reporting functionalities.
👍
You're looking for a review process that makes a real impact, without you needing to do lots of extra work
👍
You're looking for a performance management software that guides your team and people managers through the review process

Choose Charlie if:

👍

You want your performance management software to be easy to use — no training required.

👍

Your priority is to facilitate review conversations across your small business, without the unnecessary distraction of complex features.

👍

You’re looking for the best possible experience for everyone in your company

Don’t choose Charlie if:


You are a large corporate looking for complex reporting functionalities.

Chris Wallis, CEO and co-founder @ Intruder

"I'm blown away by how useful Charlie's Reviews has been. It's enabled some really high-quality conversations within our team that I know just wouldn't have happened otherwise"

Pricing

  • £4 per user, per month
  • Includes all of Charlie features – time off tracking, perks & benefits, onboarding, etc – at no extra cost
  • No hidden fees, no expensive add-ons

Give your team the high-impact reviews they need (without drowning in admin)

Start your 7-day trial

✅  Free for 7 days

✅  No credit card needed

✅  Cancel any time

SageHR is an HR system for medium-to-large companies covering their core HR needs, plus (for an added fee) performance management, time off management, shifts and timesheets, expenses and recruitment.

Performance management with Sage


Goal management: Set specific OKRs for each team and track their progress


Automated meetings: Book 1-1s through the platform


360 feedback: get a holistic view of everyone’s performance through the eyes of their peers

Choose SageHR if:

Don’t choose SageHR if:

👍
You need a centralised place to track individual contributions to your OKRs.
You want your HR software to remain good value for money as you scale (extra features come at an added cost)
👍
You have a high percentage of people in your team working in shifts.
You value a modern look and feel
👍
A mobile app is an absolute requirement.

Choose SageHR if:

👍

You need a centralised place to track individual contributions to your OKRs.

👍

You have a high percentage of people in your team working in shifts.

👍

A mobile app is an absolute requirement.

Don’t choose SageHR if:


You want your HR software to remain good value for money as you scale (extra features come at an added cost)


You value a modern look and feel

Nikhil, Human Resources Consultant, G2 review

“SageHR’s features such as timesheets,core HR, performance, shift scheduling, and leave management solve all our problems in a single window.”

Pricing

  • Core HR + performance management: £6 per employee per month
  • If you add shift scheduling and timesheets: £10 per employee per month
  • If you add expenses: £11 per employee per month
  • If you add recruitment and ATS: £11 per employee + £160 per month

Ciphr’s software covers a range of HR needs such as absence management and reporting. 

Compared to other Human Resources tools, Ciphr has a stronger focus on training, allowing large, multinational companies to integrate their performance review processes with learning tools. This way, every team, no matter where in the world they’re based, can get consistent training opportunities.

Performance management with Ciphr


Configurable workflows: automate probation and performance appraisals


Reports: measure and report on employee performance


Learning Management System: available as a standalone tool 


Bespoke learning solutions: Ciphr’s team can help you build learning content in line with your brand

Choose Ciphr if:

Don’t choose Ciphr if:

👍
Your company processes require complex and long employee training
You don’t need training functionalities for your continuous performance management process to work
👍
You have a large (maybe remote) team and want to ensure they all have a consistent experience of performance reviews
You don’t want to spend weeks setting up the software and teaching people how to use it - it can take a while to migrate to Ciphr from your current platform
👍
You’re interested in buying a separate learning platform, on top of your main HRMS
You’re looking to minimise costs by having an all-inclusive HR software - Ciphr’s costs can be high if you want the full package

Choose Ciphr if:

👍

Your company processes require complex and long employee training

👍

You have a large (maybe remote) team and want to ensure they all have a consistent experience of performance reviews

👍

You’re interested in buying a separate learning platform, on top of your main HRMS

Don’t choose Ciphr if:


You don’t need training functionalities for your continuous performance management process to work


You don’t want to spend weeks setting up the software and teaching people how to use it - it can take a while to migrate to Ciphr from your current platform


You’re looking to minimise costs by having an all-inclusive HR software - Ciphr’s costs can be high if you want the full package

NH C, G2 review

“I like its automated processes that improve efficiency, as well as its easy navigation that doesn’t compromise its professional-looking layout.”

Pricing

Only available on quote.

Workday is a complex HRMS platform targeted to companies with more than 500 employees.

On top of performance management, it brings together financial, people and operational data — so you can keep everything under control and make the right decisions.

Employee leave management with Workday


Career development tools: including performance reviews and opportunity graphs 


Skill analysis: get an overview of what skills your team excels at and what it lacks, so you can inform your hiring decisions


Goal tracking and 1-1s: set employee goals and schedule meeting directly from the platform

Choose Workday if:

Don’t choose Workday if:

👍
You’re a large enterprise with complex HR needs, ambitious KPIs and a big budget
You’re a small business looking to implement intuitive and agile performance management processes - Workday can be cumbersome for startups
👍
You’re looking for all-encompassing performance insights to inform your hiring plans
Your company is less than 500 employees.

Choose Workday if:

👍

You’re a large enterprise with complex HR needs, ambitious KPIs and a big budget

👍

You’re looking for all-encompassing performance insights to inform your hiring plans

Don’t choose Workday if:


You’re a small business looking to implement intuitive and agile performance management processes - Workday can be cumbersome for startups


Your company is less than 500 employees.

Ashwin, G2 review

“Workday is the best tool for employee engagement and management. I like the fact that we can set goals for our teams and track their performance.”

Pricing

Only available on quote.

Employee performance management software FAQs

What is a performance management software?

Performance management software identifies a series of tech tools that companies use to promote and measure their team’s productivity.

These systems are built to facilitate performance review processes by automating repetitive tasks and making it easier to track performance against set goals.

Learn more about what performance management is in our guide.

What are the benefits of performance management software?

Some of the benefits of using performance management software include:

  1. Saving time on repetitive HR processes 
  2. Finding freedom from email chains and messy docs - all performance information is stored in your performance management platform
  3. Removing the need to chase people to complete reviews - the system does that for you
  4. Getting an overview of individual and team performance, all in one place
  5. Creating a culture of continuous performance management by making employee’ growth and feedback second nature for your business
What are the key features of performance management systems?

Performance management tools can have an array of different features depending on the needs of their customers.

Company size is a key factor when it comes to choosing the right performance management software, as small companies will have strikingly different needs from big multinationals.

Essential features for companies up to 150 employees:

  • Performance review builder and templates
  • Automated performance review cycles
  • 360-degree feedback

Features to add when you have 150-300 employees:

  • 1-1 scheduler
  • Performance reports
  • Goal setting platform

Features to add when you have over 300 employees:

  • Learning/Training platform
  • Skill-gap analysis tool
  • Internal recruiting functionalities
What kind of other performance management tools can you use for your team?

Performance management software is an effective approach to guide your team members toward desired outcomes and foster their growth and development. 

However, if you’re not ready to invest straight away, there are a myriad of performance management tools and methods you can use:

  • Regular one-on-ones where team member and manager can discuss day-to-day tasks as well as any challenging they’re encountering with their work. It’s a great way to create meaningful and lasting work relationships.
  • Real-time feedback that provides team members with immediate feedback without waiting for a meeting or for a catch up. It’s essential to address issues on the go so they don’t build up and become bad habits.
  • Performance development plans (PDPs) to create complete career pathways for your team members. We use them at Charlie as well, and in fact, you can even have a look at our performance development plan template to get you started.
  • Learning and development budgets can help support your team’s efforts towards acquiring new skills. Allocating a sum of money towards will eventually reward you in the long run.
  • 360- degree feedback where you can involve team members working with the individual you’re managing to get a well-rounded view of their performance. In fact, this is also a feature we offer in our own performance review feature at Charlie, so perhaps have a look when signing up for your free trial.

Try Charlie for free

With Charlie, you have everything you need to manage your team and craft your culture – no HR experience required.

Start your 7-day trial

✅  Free for 7 days

✅  No credit card needed

✅  Cancel any time

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