CharlieHR vs Staffology by IRIS
Which HR software is best?
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Introduction
Quick comparison table
Who is Charlie for and who is Staffology for?
Feature by feature comparison
Holidays and time off management
Onboarding
Performance management
Employee engagement
Perks and benefits
Recruitment
HR advice
Payroll
What small businesses say
Conclusion - who wins?
FAQs
In this guide, we compare CharlieHR and Staffology by IRIS to help you decide which tool is better suited to your needs, based on features, ease of use, pricing, and more.
To make this happen, we collate insights from our sales, marketing, product, and customer success teams to spot patterns, identify areas for improvement, and guide product development.
By digging into data and analysing competitor features in detail, we ensure CharlieHR stays ahead, so our customers don’t have to do the heavy lifting – and we help you make the right decision, faster, and with reliable information.
Quick comparison table between CharlieHR and Staffology HR
Feature
CharlieHR
Staffology
All essential HR features included in pricing (time off, onboarding, etc.)
✅
❌
Easy to use and friendly touch
✅
❌
Employee self-service
✅
✅
Quick set up
✅
❌
Performance reviews
✅
✅ (Only with Ultimate plan)
Designed for small teams
✅
⚠️ (More payroll-led and for larger companies)
Mobile app
❌
✅
Free trial
✅
✅
Transparent pricing
✅
⚠️ (Hard to see how company size affects pricing)
Payroll
❌ (Integrates with small business providers such as Paycaptain)
✅ (Built-in)
Who is Charlie for and who is Staffology for?
CharlieHR is best for
Small businesses who are looking for an easy, all-in-one HR platform that focuses on team management, time off, performance, and compliance.
Staffology is best for
Staffology is best for larger businesses that prioritise payroll and are looking for payroll as the main platform function, with basic HR add-ons.
Feature by feature comparison
Let’s look at these features in a bit more depth…
All essential HR features included in pricing (time off, onboarding, etc.)
Charlie
Charlie’s standard pricing plan includes all your essential HR features: onboarding, time off management, employee engagement, performance reviews, document storage, perks and employee data.
Staffology
The Foundation plan includes most of the essentials, but time and attendance is only available with the Professional plan (starts at £39 per month), and performance management comes with the Ultimate plan, the next level up (starts at £59 a month).
Easy to use and friendly touch
Charlie is very intuitive and easy to use – it requires no training for you nor your team.
Staffology requires some training to set up as it offers more customisable options – might be worth it if you work for a larger organisation with a lot of different workflows.
Employee self-service
Both Charlie and Staffology offer employee self-service, which means your team members can enter and update their own personal details, upload documents, and make requests directly in the system.
Quick set up
Charlie is quick and easy to set up — you can do it all yourself, no customer rep needed. But if you'd like support, we're always here to help.
Online reviews of Staffology recommend that new customers take advantage of all the training offered, as it can be quite a complicated tool to set up.
Performance reviews
Reviews are built into Charlie as standard and take just minutes to set up — including peer feedback if you want it.
Performance management is only available with Staffology's top tier pricing package – we couldn’t find clear information about what the feature includes.
Designed for small teams
Charlie is built for small businesses by a small business, and is designed to give you everything you need for managing your HR from the start to when you grow.
Staffology is best for businesses who are looking for a HR, accounting, and education solution – it offers a very complete technology for larger businesses.
Mobile app
Whilst Charlie doesn’t currently offer a mobile app, Staffology does .
Free trial
A free trial is available for both Charlie and Staffology.
Transparent pricing
Charlie’s pricing is transparent and is based on the size of your team. Everything is clearly set out on our pricing page, so you can see exactly what your costs will be before you book a demo. Our team will show you the platform and help you sign up for a free trial.
Staffology’s lowest tier package (Foundation) is for businesses with 10 or fewer in their team. After that, it’s hard to see how your company size affects pricing, but ‘Number of employees’ is a mandatory field on the free trial request form. All package costs are listed as ‘Starts at’.
Payroll
Staffology HR by IRIS can easily integrate with payroll software, including Staffology Payroll by IRIS.
Charlie doesn’t come with payroll built in, but it integrates with payroll software like PayCaptain and Xero.
Holidays and time off management
Although it’s built for smaller teams, you get higher levels of customisation for time off when it comes to Charlie — especially if you compare inclusions and plans with Staffology. At Charlie, all of the time off management sub features are included in all our plans.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Self-service requests
✅
✅
Delegation (e.g. alternate approvers)
✅
✅
Working patterns
❌
✅ (Essential plan and above)
Overlap flag (avoid conflicting leave)
✅
✅
Custom leave types
✅
❌
Bank holidays
✅ Auto-assigned & customisable
✅ Via payroll setup
Shared company calendar
✅
⚠️ Limited
Google/iCloud/Outlook integrations
✅
?
Slack integration
✅
❌
Automatic calculations (e.g. pro-rata, carry-over)
✅
✅ (Payroll-focused)
Annual leave reports
✅
✅
Absence tracking (e.g. sick leave)
✅
✅
Smart notifications
✅ (email, Slack, dashboard)
❌
Holiday rollover
✅ Configurable rules
✅ (via payroll setup)
Part-time workers
✅ Pro-rata calculated automatically
✅ (via payroll rules)
Top takeaways for time off management
💡 CharlieHR includes all features by default — no need to upgrade for basics like custom leave types or calendar integrations.
💡 Staffology limits some features (like working patterns and shared calendars) to specific plans or through the payroll plan.
💡 CharlieHR offers smart notifications, Slack integration, and clearer calendar visibility.
💡 Staffology is payroll-first, so features like leave tracking and part-time worker support rely on payroll configuration.
💡 Both platforms support self-service leave requests, absence tracking, and holiday rollover — but Charlie’s setup is easier and more flexible for small teams.
Onboarding
With Charlie’s automated onboarding platform, you can onboard new employees in seconds. Set it up once, then let Charlie take care of every new employee.
Onboarding with Charlie is similar to time off management — where you get higher levels of customisation than you do with Staffology.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Customised onboarding flow
✅
✅ (With the Ultimate plan)
Introduce company
✅
✅ (With Professional and Ultimate plans)
Collect employee details
✅
✅
One-click onboarding
✅
❌
Legally-compliant hiring
✅
?
Integrates with Payroll
✅ (PayCaptain and Xero)
✅ (Staffology and IRIS Payroll)
Integrates with other HR tools
✅
✅ (API with the Ultimate plan only)
Top takeaways for onboarding
💡 CharlieHR gives full access to onboarding features— no need to upgrade for basics like company intros or custom flows.
💡 Staffology limits key features like onboarding flows, company intros, and integrations to higher-tier plans.
💡 Charlie offers one-click onboarding and 100% compliance, saving time and reducing admin risks.
💡 Both tools offer payroll integrations, but Charlie also supports HR tool integration without needing a top-tier plan.
Performance management
Charlie’s simple review-builder means you can create and launch a performance review in seconds. With built-in templates (probation, exit interview etc.), you can easily and automatically roll out recurring reviews in seconds.
Performance reviews are included with Staffology’s Ultimate package, but there is no information online about what features are offered.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Simple review-builder
✅
?
Automated launch
✅
?
Built-in templates
✅
?
Cycle dashboard
✅
?
Automatic reminders
✅
?
360° feedback
✅
?
Top takeaways for performance management
💡 CharlieHR offers a complete performance management toolkit — including templates, automation, reminders, and 360° feedback — in all plans.
💡 Staffology only includes performance reviews in its Ultimate plan. Details are unclear as to what it includes at the moment.
💡 With Charlie, you can launch and manage reviews in seconds, keeping performance reviews consistent and stress-free.
Employee engagement
With Charlie, you can choose from flexible survey tools or create your own custom polls to find out exactly how your team is feeling.
Plus, you can boost team morale through peer-to-peer praise (shout-outs), where your employees recognise and celebrate each other.
Employment engagement is not a feature offered by Staffology HR.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Custom surveys
✅
❌
Repeat polls
✅
❌
Shout-outs
✅
❌
Pre-built templates
✅
❌
One-touch response:
✅
❌
Reporting
✅
❌
Top takeaways for employee engagement
💡 CharlieHR offers flexible, customisable survey with repeat polls and pre-built templates to keep your finger on the pulse.
💡 It includes shoutouts to boost morale and encourages employee recognition.
💡 Comprehensive reporting and one-touch response features make engagement easy to track and act on.
💡 Staffology may offer engagement features, but we’re unsure as to which ones.
Perks and benefits
Treating your team well shouldn't cost the earth, which is why Perks are a Charlie feature at no extra cost. You can offer your team industry-leading benefits to encourage loyalty and retention.
Staffology HR offers some employee benefits with their Professional and Ultimate plans, but there is no information online about what features are offered. You’ll probably need to speak to their team to find out more.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Quick and easy set-up
✅
?
All rewards in one place
✅
?
Over 30,000 deals and discounts
✅
❌
No hidden fees
✅
❌
Top takeaways for Perks
💡 Charlie offers Perks as a free feature, providing over 30,000 deals and discounts to reward your team.
💡 The Perks setup is quick and easy, with all rewards available in one place and no hidden fees.
💡 Staffology includes employee benefits only in higher-tier plans.
Recruitment
Charlie Recruit is an optional, super affordable add-on to the standard Charlie.
With it, you can automate manual hiring and recruitment tasks, impress new candidates and use real-time data to make better hiring decisions.
Staffology HR offers a recruitment service, which includes an ATS offered by IRIS as well as recruitment services.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Simple automations to build a recruitment process from A to Z
✅
✅
eSignature for contracts and offer letters
✅
✅
Self-service interview scheduling for candidates
✅
✅
Branded careers site
✅
✅
Personalised comms for candidates
✅
✅
Blind hiring with anonymised CVs and identifiable protected characteristic
✅
?
AI Best fit analysis to match candidate’s CVs to required skills
✅
?
Top takeaways for recruitment
💡 Charlie Recruit is an affordable add-on that automates hiring tasks, enhances candidate experience, and provides concrete data for better hiring decisions.
💡 Staffology offers recruitment services with an ATS via IRIS and includes recruitment features.
💡 Both platforms support automation, eSignatures, self-service interview scheduling, branded career sites, and personalised candidate communication.
💡 Charlie offers blind hiring with anonymised CVs and AI-based best-fit analysis to make hiring faster.
HR advice
Charlie Advice is a bespoke support service that small businesses purchase as an optional add-on to the standard Charlie.
Our advice service provides industry expertise as and when you need it, and is a great solution for companies who don’t have the budget for their own HR person.
Staffology HR allows you to put together HR essentials, but also offers an HR consultancy platform.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Policies and contracts
✅
✅
Company handbook
✅
✅ (Essential plan and above)
Industry expertise
✅
✅
Unlimited advice
✅
❌
Top takeaways for HR support
💡 Charlie Advice offers unlimited, on-demand HR expertise as an optional add-on, ideal for small businesses without an in-house HR person.
💡 Staffology provides HR essentials and an HR consultancy platform but does not offer unlimited advice.
💡 Both platforms include policies, contracts, and company handbook features (Staffology’s handbook is from the Essential plan up).
Payroll
Staffology integrates with payroll software — namely, Staffology and IRIS Payroll.
Through the API (available with the Ultimate plan), Staffology also integrates with a range of third-party systems, including accounting, payment, and time and attendance.
As an HR solution, Charlie doesn’t offer built-in payroll, but it does integrate with PayCaptain and Xero.
CharlieHR
Staffology
Integrates with payroll software
✅(PayCaptain and Xero)
✅ (Staffology and IRIS)
Managed payroll option
❌
✅
Payroll records and history
❌
✅ (Essential for records, Professional for history)
Data exchange with 3rd party payroll
❌
✅
Salary modelling
❌
✅ (Professional and Ultimate plans)
Top takeaways for payroll
💡 Staffology offers built-in payroll integrations (Staffology, IRIS) plus a managed payroll option and advanced features like payroll records, history, data exchange, and salary modelling (depending on the plan).
💡 CharlieHR doesn’t have built-in payroll but integrates with PayCaptain and Xero for payroll processing, without managed payroll or payroll records features.
What small businesses say about CharlieHR and Staffology
How CharlieHR helped Nootropics
Sophie Hanman, Customer Happiness Manager @ London Nootropics
“I really recommend Charlie when it comes to having more time to focus on your day-to-day role. I’m not a full-time HR person, but it’s been so easy to take care of HR tasks with Charlie.”
Read case study
When Sophie started at London Nootropics, HR processes were a bit scattered. When it came to taking time off, for example, information was spread across Slack, Whatsapp, and email, and each employee had to keep track of how many holidays they’d taken and when.
HR is not Sophie’s main role, but with Charlie she’s alleviated some of the admin burden and now runs a time off management process where:
- Everything is in one place
- Overlapping holiday is automatically flagged
- Allowances are automatically calculated
- Everyone can take their time off in peace.
Sophie Hanman, Customer Happiness Manager @ London Nootropics
“Before Charlie, it was something people had to think about and taking holidays almost became another job on the to-do list. It’s now so seamless we don’t even have to think about it.”
How Staffology helped a small farming business
Laura, small business in the farming industry, Capterra review
“Employees can view their own personnel files at any time, view training documents etc. The help and support from Octopus is fantastic, we have found they respond within a few hours of raising a query / question. Staff are kept updated more with company policies, holidays and events within the company now we are using Octopus.”
Note: Staffology HR was formerly known as Octopus HR. The software was acquired by IRIS in 2016.
Conclusion — who wins?
For small businesses that want to simplify HR and get all the essentials in one easy-to-use tool, CharlieHR is the clear winner.
Staffology is better suited to larger businesses with more complex payroll needs — but if you want an affordable, transparent, and HR-first solution, Charlie is likely your best fit.
Written by:
Jenny Tattum
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.
Charlie vs Staffology FAQs
Which tool is better for people managers and team leads?
Charlie is built to give you everything you need for managing essential HR tasks and admin, so it’s a better tool for people managers and team leads.
Staffology is payroll-focused, so it’s a better tool for finance and accounts.
Which platform is easier to use for non-HR professionals?
Charlie is specifically for startups and small businesses, so it’s been designed to simplify essential tasks and admin for people who have little to no experience of HR.
You don’t need any training to use Charlie, so it’s definitely the easier platform for non-HR professionals.
Can I run performance reviews in both systems?
Yes, you can run performance reviews in both CharlieHR and Staffology.
With Charlie, reviews are built in, so you have access to them no matter how small your business is.
With Staffology, you only have access to performance reviews if you opt for their top pricing tier.
Which platform has better integrations?
Charlie has better integrations than Staffology.
Staffology HR is designed to integrate with Staffology Payroll (the payroll software from their umbrella company, IRIS).
Charlie integrates with 40+ other software platforms across a host of categories, from payroll and compliance, to benefits and employee engagement.
Which is more affordable?
Charlie’s transparent and easily accessible pricing makes it easier to work out whether it fits within your budget or not. As everything’s set out on our pricing page, you can make that call before you sign up for a free trial.
It’s difficult to know how company size affects Staffology’s pricing, as the cost for all packages are listed as ‘Starts at’. But when you request a free trial you have to say how many employees you have.
At Charlie, we want our pricing to be affordable for startups and small businesses, which is why it’s easy to find and understand.
What support is available?
Both Charlie and Staffology offer support for their customers.
With Charlie’s support helpline, you have unlimited UK-based support via phone, email or chat (on average, our team responds to support queries in just 7 minutes).
We also have a help centre with advice and answers from the CharlieHR team.Staffology has an HR help centre where you can log a support ticket, and you can also call the IRIS ‘One Number’ for customer support.
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