Name: CitrusHR alternatives
Brand: CharlieHR
Rating: 4.8 (79 reviews)

Choose if: You're looking for an all-in-one tool to automate time-consuming HR tasks at your small business.

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Choose if: It is a priority for you to have a system to manage payroll.

Choose if: You're a large business with over 250 employees and need advanced reporting tools.

Choose if: You have over 150 team members and need to comply with EU employment laws.

Choose if: Most of your team works is shifts or is paid by-the-hour.

Choose if: You need a basic tool to look after essential processes.

Choose if: You're based in the US and need a tool to manage benefits such as employee pension.

Introduction

What CitrusHR gets right

CitrusHR's shortcomings

Finding the right alternative to CitrusHR

Important features to consider

Introduction

What CitrusHR gets right

CitrusHR's shortcomings

Finding the right alternative to CitrusHR

Charlie HR

Breathe

People HR

Personio

Sage HR

MyHRtoolkit

Bamboo HR

Important features to consider

Conclusion

CitrusHR is a platform for small UK businesses that offers HR support and basic HR admin. If you require HR software that engages employees, however, CitrusHR may not be your best option.

Your HR software should be built with small businesses in mind by being:

Modern and easy to use
An evolving, top-quality HR platform
Designed to engage employees and help craft company culture

Here are some CitrusHR alternatives for small businesses looking for employee-engaging HR software.

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What does CitrusHR get right and excel at?

CitrusHR is ideal for UK small businesses primarily looking for professional advice (and basic HR admin).

CitrusHR includes:

HR support service and HR consultants
Payroll management
Basic HR admin features like annual leave requests and performance management
Tailored support around employment contracts, sick pay, employment tribunals and unfair dismissals

What are CitrusHRs shortcomings?

CitrusHR is ideal for small companies needing extra support to run their human resources. For startups looking for HR software (versus HR services), there are stronger alternatives.

These are CitrusHR’s weaknesses:

The software only facilitates basic HR admin
Not designed to help startups craft their company culture
The software is quite traditional and doesn’t have a user-friendly interface

CitrusHR software only facilitates basic HR admin

CitrusHR’s main package is focused on HR services like access to HR experts and employment law updates. Their software includes core admin features (employee database, onboarding management) that don’t go too far beyond the basics.

So whilst CitrusHR is ideal for companies seeking support to operate their HR, it’s less suitable for companies needing a quality HR software they can easily operate themselves.

Not designed to help startups craft their company culture

CitrusHR covers your basic HR admin but there are better HR platforms for startups crafting company culture from the get-go.

Unlike other HR platforms, CitrusHR doesn’t include additional perks for employees like brand discounts and benefits. CitrusHR has staff and NPS surveys but these are quite basic for gathering a holistic picture of employee engagement. Alternative HR platforms send employees researched-backed polls on a range of topics like well-being for more detailed employee feedback.

And whilst CitrusHR includes basic appraisal management, it doesn’t incorporate a range of templates (like reviewing goals or probation periods). Other alternatives give managers more support in the form of inbuilt review templates.

The software is quite traditional and doesn’t have a user-friendly interface

CitrusHR’s interface is quite traditional compared to alternatives and lacks the engaging UX and feel of modern software. Startups may find both the style of CitrusHR’s dashboard and the copy used on the platform too 'corporate' for their brand and for engaging employees using the tool.

Other HR platforms use easier navigation and friendly instructional copy so employees feel welcomed and engaged using software.

Finding the right alternative to CitrusHR for your small business

CharlieHR

Charlie's HR software was built to help startups and small businesses save time on repetitive admin tasks, such as tracking annual leave, onboarding new joiners and running performance reviews.

For those who need truly bespoke guidance, Charlie also offers an on-demand HR advice add-on.

Top features and benefits:

Charlie meets the needs of companies with <100 teams members better than Personio:

A great experience for everyone on your team: Reviews, polls and perks are designed to help you build the right company culture for your business.

Software-first: The platform is continually adapted to be best-in-class and customer feedback is always listened to.

Modern and easy to use platform: You can get Charlie running within minutes and save yourself set up stress. The platform’s intuitive interface makes it easy for employees to use.

Why UK-based small businesses should consider modern HR software designed for startups

CharlieHR is ideal for ambitious startups wanting software that runs their HR admin and engages employees without complexity.

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Tools optimised for employee engagement

Alongside automating basic admin, CharlieHR also helps you build the company culture your business needs to succeed through its Reviews, Polls, and Perks.

Charlie's Reviews enable real employee growth through impactful conversations.
Polls help you craft your company culture by getting weekly feedback from your team on topics like well-being and leadership.
Perks mean you can also provide your team 30,000+ benefits (including discounts from brands like Apple, Sky, and Hello Fresh) at no extra charge.

Charlie’s onboarding flow is also designed so employees feel welcomed from Day 1 with self-service onboarding. all the information they need to start off on the right foot: tailored checklists for every hire, access to an employee handbook, documents upload and new starter forms.

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Modern and easy to use platform

Charlie’s platform continually adjusts to best meet the needs of small businesses. Customer feedback really matters when it comes to both improving current features and shaping future functionality.

In the past few years, for example, Charlie has completely overhauled its performance reviews feature to make it easier for smaller companies to support their team’s growth and progression.

Alongside evolving a best-in-class HR software, Charlie also offers an HR Advice service to enable startups with small or no HR teams to get the support they need in situations they need it the most.

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A great experience for everyone on your team

CharlieHR’s modern, all-in-one software is easy to set up in a day – even if you have no HR department. The set up process is user-friendly and the platform is intuitive for employees to navigate. The software has simple navigation for employees and friendly, clear instructions to help employees find what they need and feel welcomed.

Pricing

Price inclusive of all features: starting at only £5 per month
Bespoke advice package cost per month (10 employees): £299
Ideal for: Small UK businesses

Notable customers

What people say

The success of any company depends on the team that runs it. Charlie doesn’t just save me time – it gives me the headspace I need to support my team and help them to perform at their best.

— Ally Fekaiki, founder of Juno

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CharlieHR

Ideal for:

UK and Australian SMEs.

Notable features:

Performance and payroll management as well as rota, time and attendance features at an additional price (ideal for part-time and full-time employees).