Learn how to cut HR admin
Get any question answered
Zero commitment
We get it. Choosing HR software is not easy. It can put a lot of pressure on your shoulders: after all, this is a decision that can shape the way you do HR at your business.
If you’re currently comparing various HR platforms and trying to find the right one for your company, you’re in the right place.
On this page, you’ll find an in-depth CharlieHR vs Hibob comparison including pros and cons of each HR software.
So, let’s dive right into it.
CharlieHR gives you all the tools to automate your HR processes and save hours on HR admin every week.
We’re a startup ourselves, and have thoughtfully designed Charlie’s features to meet the needs of small businesses like ours:
Hibob’s myriad of features can be “too much too soon” for a small business or startup that’s short on time, especially because you’ll need a technical advisor to set you up. From talking to Hibob customers, we learned that their platform setup and training can keep you busy for over a month, on top of costing you a hefty setup fee.
With Charlie, you get up and running in no time. You can start using the platform from the moment you sign up, and its user-friendly interface means you don’t need your team to go through any type of training. There are no hidden fees: setting up Charlie is free.
Having tons of features and options, as Hibob does, can be appealing when you first choose HR software, but bear in mind you’ll probably end up not using all of these and you risk overwhelming your team members. The last thing you want is to pay for a complex HR software that is too daunting for your team to use.
At CharlieHR we did a lot of research to narrow down the needs of small businesses and startups. By listening to them, we’ve focused on core HR functions like time off management, onboarding and performance reviews, so that small companies can smoothly transition from manual processes to automation. This way, teams can make the best use of the platform and easily find their way across the different features.
Every time I recommend CharlieHR to a fellow startup founder I insist that it’s never too soon. If you have any intention of hiring, it’s going to save you so much time and energy."
Onboarding is key to retaining your new hires and setting them up for success in their role, which is why both Charlie and Hibob offer:
In addition to this, Charlie can also host your company handbook directly into the platform. This is a great way to have new hires get to know the ins and outs of the company, and have your handbook on hand at all times.
CharlieHR saved our bacon! As a business owner, I was completely overwhelmed by HR paperwork.
Performance reviews at Hibob are quite complex for a small business or startup to make best use of.
Hibob’s Performance Management feature requires your company to already have a well-established review process in place — you then pick the tool that most closely matches your existing performance reviews. This may work well for a large company, but small teams that are just starting out may easily get lost in the amount of options.
At Charlie, we tackled this challenge differently. We created a straightforward three-step review process that's more impactful and user-friendly, and can be rolled out automatically:
We also included a lot of tips from industry experts, providing team members and team managers alike with insightful advice to get the most from the performance review process.
Both Charlie and Hibob offer 360-degree reviews where employees can collect feedback from their peers.
Hibob and Charlie both offer engagement surveys to help foster the right culture at your company: built-in templates, customised questions, anonymous results, etc.
Charlie, however, takes it up a notch with weekly micro polls to build a feedback habit at the heart of your business, and built-in templates designed by industry experts to make sure your people’s voices are heard.
Small businesses and startups often can’t afford to offer generous perks and benefits to their employees — which makes it hard for them to compete with bigger businesses when it comes to hiring and retention.
Charlie is the only HR software on the market that provides perks at no extra cost with discounts on more than 30,000 brands for your team members.
Both Charlie and Hibob offer fun ways for your employees to celebrate each other's achievements.
Hibob has a ‘Kudos’ feature where team members can recognise someone else’s success by posting an appreciation message on the platform’s homepage.
Charlie has a similar feature called ‘Shoutouts’ where the message is also shared on Slack for everyone to celebrate and congratulate the team member who went above and beyond.
Charlie is central to creating an amazing culture – enabling us to hire the best people.
Charlie and Hibob both give you the opportunity to go further than just HR admin tasks, but to hire and expand your team as well.
With Hibob, you get a recruitment tool that allows you:
At Charlie, our tool is designed specifically with small businesses in mind. That's why we focus on helping you make the best hiring decisions for your business. Here's what that means in practice:
That's why we offer simple, easier, and fairer hiring with the following features:
As for pricing:
Customers who switched from Hibob to Charlie report that Hibob often refers their customers back to their FAQs instead of directly dealing with their issues.
Charlie offers a responsive support platform with real people who take time and consideration to look into every issue and help customers as much as possible.
They are extremely responsive when you need urgent support and are willing to create new templates and processes to support you.
Hibob's
pricing is unfortunately not available on their website, so you’ll have to get in touch with them for a quote, meaning you won’t have a clear idea of potential costs and you’ll risk getting tons of unwanted follow-up from their sales team.
Not all of Hibob’s features are included in their basic plan, so you may end up being charged extra depending on your needs.
Also, the fact that Hibob’s pricing is not transparent means different types of companies can be charged in different ways. Ex-Hibob customers told us they used to pay around £10 per employee per month, but companies with more than 200 employees may get volume discounts.
Charlie understands how important transparent pricing is from the get-go for small businesses and startups, and that’s why all pricing information is available on our website.
Pricing starts at £5 per month, inclusive of all features, and varies depending on the number of team members at your business.
We also offer a 7-day free trial to let you have a look around and decide if Charlie is the right thing for you.
Our HR Advice service is £179/month for companies with less than 10 team members; or £299/month for larger businesses.
1-4 team members
£5 per month
5-14 team members
£40 per month
15-29 team members
£100 per month
30-49 team members
£170 per month
50-99 team members
£300 per month
100-149 team members
£400 per month
150-199 team members
£500 per month
200-249 team members
£600 per month
250+ team members
£700 per month
There are many reasons why small companies choose CharlieHR over HiBob:
If you’re still not sure whether CharlieHR is fit for your small business or startup, you can try it free for 7 days. No credit card required.
With Charlie, you have everything you need to manage your team and craft your culture – no HR experience required.
