Charlie and Employment Hero are both HR platforms, but they work very differently. Charlie is designed with small business HR in mind, while Employment Hero is a more complete “employment operating system” that rolls multiple functions into one.
When it comes to HR for small businesses, which is better — CharlieHR or Employment Hero? Let’s compare the two and find out.
Best for
UK small businesses (<50)
UK SMEs
Employee data & documents
✅
✅
Time-off management
✅
✅
Onboarding
✅
✅
Performance management
✅ included in every plan
⚠️ included in Engage, Elite, unlimited, and can be part of an upgrade with Essentials
Employee surveys
✅
✅ (higher tiers)
Perks and benefits
✅ free on all plans
✅
Payroll
❌ via integrations e.g. Xero, PayCaptain
✅ add-on
Workflows
✅ free on all plans
✅ (higher tiers)
Hiring / ATS
⭐ optional add-on (Charlie Recruit)
✅ (higher tiers)
HR advice
⭐ optional add-on (Charlie Grow)
⭐ add-on
Transparent pricing
✅
❌ (top tier via sales call)
Quick and easy setup
✅ < 1 day
✅
UK-based support
✅ email + live chat
✅ phone + live chat
We’ve created this guide with the help of experts and reviews from people who have used Charlie, Employment Hero, or both. Contributors to this CharlieHR vs. Employment Hero comparison guide include:
By seeking insights from a variety of people, we’ve made sure this guide is as useful (and transparent) as possible. For even more insights, compare Charlie to other HR platforms.
Get to know the platforms at a glance, along with their core strengths.
CharlieHR helps small UK businesses take care of everyday HR admin essentials now and as they grow. We’ve designed Charlie to be easy to use, which is why so many people choose it as their first-time HR software or as an alternative to complicated HR tools.
Here’s where Charlie stands out:
Employment Hero includes HR features, but it’s designed to be used as a more complete “employment operating system” with HR, payroll, hiring, and benefits in one platform. This multi-operations focus makes it a good fit for teams that want to move different functions into one tool.makes it a good fit for bigger businesses or teams that want to move different functions into one tool.
Here’s where Employment Hero stands out:
Charlie is ideal for small UK businesses that want to reduce HR admin, regain time, and stay compliant in a simple way. It covers all the essentials that small businesses need, as well as thoughtful extras like perks and discounts—with the option to add an applicant tracking system (ATS) or HR advice when you need it.
Charlie is quick and easy to set up, with most businesses up and running within just a few days (compared to the weeks it can take with a traditional or legacy HR system). You don’t need any experience to get started, making Charlie ideal for first-time HR software users.
Charlie users enjoy:
👉 Employment Hero offers both self-service onboarding and guided implementation options.
Charlie includes core HR essentials like document storage, time-off management, and , as well as features like performance management and perks and benefits. Small businesses can take care of everything HR in one place, solving the problem of a .
All Charlie users can access:
👉 Some features (like performance management and surveys) are available with Employment Hero, but they’re locked behind premium tiers.
The setup and user experience is clean and simple, and there’s no overwhelming mix of features and settings to contend with. Customer support and compliance features are built with UK businesses in mind.
Charlie users benefit from:
👉 Employment Hero also has a clean and modern interface, but some reviews mention that the interface changes frequently which can cause confusion and delays in completing HR tasks.
Charlie’s approach to pricing is refreshingly simple, with a subscription plan that scales as your team grows. This means there’s no sudden jump as you increase your team size within a bracket, and you have all the core Charlie features included as standard.
Charlie’s pricing includes:
👉 Employment Hero’s pricing is generally listed online, but for higher-tier plans you need to talk to the sales team for further details. Employment Hero also offers perks and discounts, but some are only accessible through their mobile app, Employment Hero Work.
Charlie’s integrations include:
👉 Employment Hero’s integrations focus on accounting and workforce management. Notably there are no integrations for compliance software—something that many small businesses are keen to add to their toolkit.
Charlie is a great match for small businesses, but there are also some valid reasons to choose Employment Hero instead—like integrated payroll, a desire for a full employment OS, or a preference for a module-based system.
Employment Hero customers can integrate payroll into their HR plan, with both free and paid options available. There’s also the option to upgrade to managed payroll, which helps remove another task from your team’s to-do list.
Employment Hero’s payroll offer includes:
👉 Charlie doesn’t offer built-in or managed payroll services, but users can use native integrations with Xero or PayCaptain instead.
Employment Hero’s main selling point is that it’s an employment operating system (OS) which enables you to take care of HR, payroll, recruitment, hiring, and employment in one place. It’s more than a standard HR platform, which can be attractive to teams that want to streamline operations.
Employment Hero’s features include:
👉 Charlie users can also benefit from HR advice or an ATS by adding Charlie Grow or Charlie Recruit to their plan, but talent sourcing, recruitment agents, legal representation, and learning management aren’t available.
Employment Hero has different tiers of plans and pricing, allowing users to choose the one with the feature set that most closely matches their needs. HR teams can further customise their plan with a range of add-ons.
Employment Hero’s add-ons include:
Employment Hero’s add-ons range between £1 and £12 per employee per month.
👉 Charlie’s plan includes all the standard features, with no need to configure your package with different modules or add-ons. The only add-ons are the optional ATS (Charlie Recruit) and HR advice service (Charlie Grow).
CharlieHR and Employment Hero both serve the UK market, but how do they compare on pricing?
Charlie’s pricing is transparent, affordable, and built with small businesses in mind—with one plan that includes all features:
Employment Hero’s pricing works on a per-employee basis, with a range of tiers, plans, and add-ons that can increase the monthly cost. You can find more information on their pricing page.
Your chosen HR system should work for your business now and as you grow. How do the growth support options compare at CharlieHR vs. Employment Hero?
Charlie is best for small UK businesses that don’t already have an HR system, or that are looking to switch from one that’s too complicated or expensive. But starting small doesn’t mean staying small, so Charlie can support growing businesses with:
Employment Hero is better suited for businesses that already have big teams or work across regions, or ones that are working towards that goal. The platform’s features and tiered pricing support this, with features like:
Lem-uhn is a feel-good PR agency for brands that care. It was established in 2021 and has since grown to a team of 6 employees. Lem-uhn have been Charlie users since 2023.
Company size: 6 employees
Goal with Charlie: To introduce a holiday tracking system that works efficiently, to store all HR data in one place, and to provide clear and easy feedback ahead of review meetings.
How Charlie helps Lem-Uhn achieve their goal:
Where they are now:
GoSquared is an all-in-one platform to help SaaS businesses grow. This London-based company was established in 2006 and has been a Charlie customer since 2015.
Goal with Charlie: To introduce a system that takes care of HR admin, freeing up the CEO’s time for leadership and growing the business.
How Charlie helps GoSquared achieve their goal:
Where they are now:
👉 To see how Employment Hero supports HR teams, visit their case studies page.
There will never be one HR tool that’s better than all the rest, because every type of business has unique needs. But for UK-based small businesses, we believe Charlie is the right choice.
Charlie’s key highlights for small businesses:
Charlie makes it easy for small business owners to take back time spent on admin, so it can be put to better use. Everyone enjoys a better experience, and you have more time and energy to dedicate to high-impact work like product development, sales, or networking. Book a demo with our friendly team to see how Charlie can transform the way you handle HR admin.
CharlieHR scores higher in G2’s ease of use ratings. Charlie’s focus on core HR, a clean and user-friendly interface, and support for small businesses make it an ideal choice for UK companies looking for an easy to use HR platform.
CharlieHR outranks Employment Hero in G2 scores for areas that small businesses find important, like ease of use, ease of setup, and quality of support. Charlie’s focus is on small UK businesses, while Employment Hero caters better to bigger businesses with a multi-national reach.
Yes, many teams will find CharlieHR more affordable than Employment Hero. Charlie’s pricing works on a bracket basis, so there’s no per-employee creep as the team grows. Employment Hero’s pricing is on a per-employee basis, and increases depending on the plan and add-ons you choose.
CharlieHR doesn’t offer native payroll like Employment Hero does, however this doesn’t mean you need Employment Hero to run payroll. Charlie users can integrate with Xero or PayCaptain to run payroll smoothly using their HR data.
CharlieHR typically takes several days to a week to set up, compared to Employment Hero which is designed to take four weeks to implement according to their guided implementation documentation. Implementation timelines can increase for Employment Hero depending on whether you opt for payroll services and how complex your setup is.
Most first-time HR users will find that Charlie is easier to use. The platform is quick to set up, with no guided implementation or extensive training required. Employees, managers, and founders can all operate CharlieHR successfully without any HR experience.
CharlieHR’s pricing is transparent, with no extra fees beyond your monthly total for your team size. Employment Hero comes with additional fees for implementation (if you choose guided implementation), and billing starts four weeks after implementation start date.
You should be able to download your existing data from Employment Hero, although this support guide suggests it may not be as easy as simply exporting your data and the easiest route is behind premium-tier custom reports. Importing your data to Charlie is easy, and you can import all employees at once. Once you’ve migrated your data, you need to send a request to close your Employment Hero account.
Yes, Employment Hero offers an all-in-one HR platform for small businesses, but Charlie focuses on core HR and elements like onboarding and performance management, while Employment Hero includes AI-powered hiring, global recruitment, and managed payroll services.
Yes, both platforms should comply with UK employment law. CharlieHR is built for small UK businesses, with settings, features, and workflows designed for compliance with UK employment legislation. Employment Hero’s data processing policy covers UK GDPR, and explains that personal data is stored in Australia and Ireland, while Charlie’s data protection statement confirms all customer data is held within the EU.
Jenny is a Senior Product Manager at CharlieHR. She has years of experience with product planning and development, and user research too – she put together this guide by collecting data and information on competitors so we could improve our product and tailor it to small business owners.
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