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CharlieHR and HiBob are both popular all-in-one HR platforms in the UK, but our research shows that one is a better match for the unique challenges and needs of small businesses.
In this guide, we’ll compare features, highlights, and pricing, so you can understand which HR software is the best fit for your needs—all backed by our research as product managers and real customer reviews.
Keep reading for a comparison of features and pricing, along with notes on the benefits of both HR platforms.
CharlieHR
Hibob
Docs and employee data
✅
✅
Compliance with UK laws
✅
✅
Onboarding
✅
✅
Time-off management
✅
✅
Performance reviews
✅
✅
Employee surveys and polls
✅
✅
Peer-to-peer shoutouts
✅
✅
Perks and discounts
✅
❌ Available through integrations
Report templates
✅
✅
Custom reports
✅
✅
Employee self-service
✅
✅
Integrations (including payroll)
✅
✅
Marketplace with exclusive discounts
✅
❌
Applicant tracking system (ATS)
☑️ (with Charlie Recruit add-on)
☑️ (with Bob Hiring add-on)
Bespoke HR advice
☑️ (with Charlie Advice add-on)
❌
Exclusive UK-based support
✅
❌ Teams are based in New York, Tel Aviv, and London
Designed for UK small businesses
✅
❌ Better for mid-sized businesses
Easy to set up
✅
✅
Best for:
First-time HR users and UK small businesses
Mid-sized businesses focused on culture and engagement
Key:
We’ve created this guide with the help of experts and reviews from people who have used Charlie or HiBob (or both). Contributors to this CharlieHR vs. HiBob 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, see our HiBob alternatives guide or compare Charlie to other HR platforms.
Get to know the essentials and both platforms’ core strengths.
CharlieHR helps small businesses in the UK take care of HR essentials as they grow. We’ve designed Charlie to be easy to use, and that’s one of the main reasons why people choose it as their first-time HR software or switch away from more complex software.
Here’s where Charlie stands out:
HiBob is an AI-powered platform that combines HR with payroll and finance, giving bigger businesses a digital home for operations management. HiBob can handle core HR, recruitment, and performance, and there’s a strong focus on employee experience.
Here’s where HiBob stands out:
Charlie is ideal for small businesses that want to reduce HR admin and stay compliant in a simple and affordable way. Beyond the essentials, Charlie also gives teams access to perks, discounts, and the opportunity to add features as you need them.
Charlie is easy and fast to set up, with the average implementation time being less than one week. Small businesses can get started from scratch or import historical data, and there’s no waiting around.
Charlie users benefit from:
👉 HiBob offers a customised implementation process which can take between 30-120 days depending on how complex the move is and which extra modules you choose.
Charlie and HiBob are both all-in-one HR platforms, but Charlie is designed with small businesses in mind. Bring all your core HR operations together in one place to avoid the cost of a fragmented HR stack, along with bonus extras like perks.
Every Charlie user has access to:
👉 HiBob is also an all-in-one platform, but it’s better suited to mid-sized businesses.
Charlie is perfect for first-time HR software users, with clear navigation and only the features you need — making it easier to stay organised, be efficient, and get things done.
Benefits for Charlie users include:
👉 HiBob is also easy to use and has a modern interface, but some user reviews suggest that it can be complicated to configure and that the mobile experience is less intuitive than desktop.
Charlie’s pricing is affordable for small businesses, with no hidden fees or setup costs. There’s one single plan that includes all the features, and a clear pricing table that shows you what your monthly total will be.
Charlie customers benefit from:
👉 HiBob’s pricing isn’t available online. User reports suggest they offer different packages and optional modules, so you can customise your plan to match your needs.
Charlie is the ideal HR software for small businesses in the UK, but there are some situations where HiBob may be the better choice for your business. Here are some of the reasons to choose HiBob instead of Charlie.
HiBob has a lot to offer teams looking to support their company culture and improve employee engagement, including ways for team members to interact, give feedback, and express themselves.
HiBob users benefit from:
👉 Charlie’s employee engagement features include employee engagement surveys, polls, and shoutouts.
HiBob covers everything you’d expect from an all-in-one platform like core HR, onboarding, and employee engagement, but you can also use it for payroll and finance—allowing you to combine more functionality in one place.
HiBob users can streamline operations like:
👉 Charlie doesn’t have a payroll or finance suite, you can integrate with Xero and PayCaptain.
HiBob’s people analytics gives you insights into real-time data and trends over time, so you can make data-backed decisions. While most HR software tools include analytics and reporting, HiBob’s offer is more detailed and complex.
HiBob’s analytics feature includes:
👉 Charlie offers people analytics and reporting, but these are less advanced than HiBob’s and better suited to small businesses.
HiBob’s dedicated mobile app gives HR managers and employees the opportunity to submit requests and reply to messages on the go, instead of using a mobile version of the website.
Team members can use HiBob’s mobile app for:
👉 Charlie doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app, but the website is easy to use on a mobile device.
HiBob’s structure, features, and approach to pricing makes it better suited to mid-sized and growing businesses, rather than small businesses. HR managers and bigger HR teams have the time to make the most of all the features included.
HiBob’s best features for mid-sized businesses include:
👉 Charlie is best for small businesses, with features, a user experience, and pricing to match.
CharlieHR and HiBob both have promising features for small UK businesses, but how do they compare on price?
CharlieHR
BambooHR
1-4 team members
Basic: £5*
With recruitment add-on: £60
Pricing not available online
5-9 team members
Basic: £45
With recruitment add-on: £100
Pricing not available online
10-14 team members
Basic: £45
With recruitment add-on: £100
Pricing not available online
15-29 team members
Basic: £105
With recruitment add-on: £190
Pricing not available online
30-49 team members
Basic: £180
With recruitment add-on: £265
Pricing not available online
50-99 team members
Basic: £315
With recruitment add-on: £415
Pricing not available online
*For the first six months. £20 thereafter.
Small teams can enjoy a special discount to save money with Charlie. Teams with between 1-4 people benefit from the “HR for a fiver” plan where they get access to all features for just £5 per month.
👉 Pricing for HiBob isn’t available online, but it’s likely to be less affordable than Charlie’s small teams discount.
Charlie and HiBob are both platforms that you can start with and stick with as your business scales and grow, but how do their growth support options compare?
Charlie is ideal for small businesses with no dedicated HR manager or systems. Small businesses can get started by building simple processes, workflows, and frameworks to take care of HR.
When it’s time to grow, Charlie can support that with:
Best for: Small businesses with no HR system that want to be able to grow without switching software.
Read case study
HiBob is great for mid-sized businesses, and the platform allows HR managers to add modules to support rapid scaling, global growth, and more complex HR needs.
HiBob’s growth options include:
Best for: Mid-sized businesses that want to focus on engagement and culture as they scale and grow.
Koru Kids has been with Charlie since they were very small—growing from a small startup to a 60+ people team. Over time they’ve used more and more features to support employee data management, time-off management, and compliance.
Company size: 60+
Goal with Charlie: To find a secure place to store employee data, create an employee handbook, and handle visa sponsorship paperwork.
Read case study
How Charlie helps Koru Kids achieve their goal:
Where they are now:
Rachel was happy to have made the switch to Charlie, as it not only supported their HR compliance needs but boosted their hiring strategy and improved the overall employee experience.
Read case study
👉 To see how HiBob supports HR teams to grow, visit their Customers page.
CharlieHR and HiBob are both all-in-one HR platforms that give teams one place to manage core HR, recruitment, employee engagement, and more. Charlie feels like a better fit for small businesses in the UK, while HiBob is a great choice for bigger businesses with more complex needs.
Charlie’s key highlights for small businesses:
Read case study
According to user ratings on G2, CharlieHR is easier to use than HiBob. Charlie scored 9.6 for ease of use, while HiBob scored 8.9.
Research from Charlie product managers and user ratings on G2 suggest that CharlieHR is better for small businesses than HiBob, thanks to its small business focus, easy-to-use platform, and simple yet effective features.
HiBob’s pricing isn’t available online, so it’s difficult to compare pricing with CharlieHR. Charlie’s pricing page is clear and transparent.
Some HR teams report that HiBob has a minimum employee headcount for their plans, so it may not be a realistic option for very small teams. On the other hand, the smallest of teams with just a handful of employees can sign up for Charlie for just £5 per month.
HR teams can run end-to-end payroll with HiBob if they sign up for the payroll suite. CharlieHR doesn’t offer end-to-end payroll, but you can sync data with payroll platforms like PayCaptain and Xero with Charlie’s native integrations.
Most companies complete the full onboarding and implementation process with CharlieHR within 7 days (one week). HiBob’s onboarding timeline depends on your organisation and the modules you choose, but it’s reported to be between 30-120 days (1-4 months).
Charlie is more user-friendly for first-time HR teams with no HR experience thanks to its clear and simple interface, fuss-free features, and affordable pricing plan that includes all the features a small business needs to take care of HR.
There are no hidden costs with CharlieHR, but there are optional add-ons including Charlie Recruit and Charlie Advice. It’s not clear whether HiBob has additional signup costs, implementation fees, or training costs—these are questions potential users would need to ask their sales team.
HiBob is the better platform for employee engagement, with enhanced features like a social media-style homepage and interest clubs and groups. CharlieHR also offers shoutouts, employee engagement surveys, and polls, but HiBob has a more comprehensive culture suite.
Charlie is based in the UK and designed for UK small businesses, so it’s compliant with UK employment law by default. HiBob was founded in Israel, and is suitable for both UK and global teams. For more details on HiBob’s UK compliance, see HiBob’s security page and guide to UK payroll compliance. For more details on CharlieHR’s UK compliance, see Charlie’s security measures page and GDPR compliance statement.
