Culture and engagement-focused HR platform for scaling businesses. Best for 50–500 employees with a dedicated HR function.
Best Hibob alternatives: is Hibob really worth it?
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Key highlights
Hibob
All-in-one HR software for UK small businesses under 30. Built for founders and managers with no HR background.
Breathe
UK SME HR tool focused on core admin and document management.
BambooHR
Comprehensive HR platform for mid-market businesses, US-built.
Sage
Payroll focus, integrated with wider Sage ecosystem
HiBob is popular for its wide range of features and focus on AI innovation and growth, but some businesses discover it’s not the right choice for them. Maybe you need something that’s simpler and easy to use, or more tailored to life as a small business owner.
For founders, CEOs, and managers looking for an alternative, you’re in luck: there are lots of credible HiBob competitors out there. We’ve done the research to bring you this guide to the most relevant HiBob alternatives for UK small businesses.
I’ll take you through my research process, introduce my software picks, and leave you with a better understanding of HiBob and its most popular alternatives.
How we wrote this guide
I spoke with our product managers and created this guide to help you find the ideal match for your small business. We’re hoping that’s Charlie, but if it’s not, we still want you to find the right HiBob alternative.
This comparison guide is the result of speaking to customers, reviewing sales calls, reading reviews, and gathering insights on all the tools on this list. Charlie isn’t paid for any links or placements within this guide, and we aim to update it every 6-12 months to reflect changes in features and pricing — this guide was last updated in May 2026 by product manager, Joe Hodges. If you have any questions about our compare HR software guides, reach out at help@charliehr.com
Why businesses look for HiBob alternatives
HiBob is a popular HRMS (HR Management System) for small-to-medium sized businesses, but some teams discover it’s not the best fit for them. From our time speaking to customers, reading user reviews, and our own research, here are some of the reasons small businesses look for a HiBob competitor:
- It feels expensive, especially for a small team
- It’s complex to set up without dedicated operations or HR support
- It offers more features than a small business will realistically use
- Culture features feel unnecessary for a team under 30 people
- Customer support doesn’t always match expectations
Expensive for small businesses
Hibob can be expensive for small teams as packages are priced by group size versus per user.
For transparency, this is the information I gathered from someone who joined Charlie after being a Hibob customer: £10 per employee per month along with an implementation fee. According to other former customers, prices can be higher depending on headcount and they often largely vary.
Pricing information is not available directly from Hibob’s website as you need to contact a sales representative.
Emma V. (G2 review)
“Additional cost for 'add-ons' such as training, payroll etc modules. This is troublesome for us as a small business of under 50 people as I cannot get the funding for it :( I feel if all the modules were under one package it would be perfect”
Too
Complex
"I feel like I am a back end programmer and I am inventing the wheel. It is hard."
Unnecessary features
"One downside is that it has too many features, some of which could be disabled based on our org’s need."
Frustrating support experience
"I find I'm raising a lot of support tickets. Often, the response I get is, 'Oh, that's just the way the system works.'"
Comparing HiBob alternatives
Key:
✅ Included with all plan
☑️ Included with some plans
❌ Not included
HiBob
CharlieHR
Breathe
BambooHR
Sage HR
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
☑️
✅
✅
☑️
☑️
☑️
✅
✅
☑️
✅
❌
✅
❌
❌
❌
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
What makes it different
AI-powered platform for growth
Easy to use, even for first-time HR software users
Shift scheduling and health and safety modules
Compliance training course included
Easy integrations with other Sage software
Pricing
Contact for pricing
Starting at £5 per month for a team of 1-4
Starting at £24 per month for a team of 1-10
Starting at £8.10 per employee per month (flat rate of £200 per month for under 25 employees)
Starting at £5 per employee per month
Pricing transparency
Sales-led
Public
Public
Sales-led
Public
Contract length
Contact for contract terms
Monthly rolling
Monthly, yearly
Monthly, extended term
Monthly
G2 rating for ease of use
8.9
9.6
8.8
9.2
8.9
Setup complexity
Medium
Easy
Easy
Medium
Easy
Don’t choose if
You’re looking for a HiBob competitor
You run a big, complex business
You’re a very small team
You prefer a UK-based platform
You don’t need rota or shift scheduling
Best for
Culture and employee engagement
UK small businesses under 30 employees, first-time HR software users
UK SMEs wanting core HR admin structure
Midsized businesses that need similar features to HiBob
UK SMEs that want to integrate finance and payroll
Top HiBob alternatives for small businesses
#1
Best for small businesses under 30 employees
Charlie is an all-in-one HRIS (HR Information System) designed for small businesses and startups, including very small teams and first-time HR software users.
Small businesses can go live with Charlie in hours, instead of waiting weeks for a complicated onboarding process. Charlie includes all the HR features you need, with transparent pricing, highly-rated customer support, and UK compliance built in:
Automate time-off management: Let employees request time off, automate approvals, and see who’s working at a glance with a built-in leave management system.
Run effective performance reviews: Introduce regular performance reviews with automated workflows and suggested questions, or write your own.
Introduce one-click onboarding: Set up an onboarding workflow, personalise it for every employee, and keep track of tasks with an onboarding checklist.
Offer employee benefits at no extra cost: Let employees take advantage of perks and discounts, without paying more for another service.
Store employee data securely: Keep all your HR data in one place, instead of scattered across different spreadsheets or tools.
Do more as you grow: Add Charlie Recruit (applicant tracking system) or Charlie Advice (HR support).
Pros
- Ideal for small businesses looking for their first HR software.
- Perfect if you have no HR experience or are part of a small HR team.
- Easy to set up and use.
Cons
- Missing some features that HiBob users can access, like integrated payroll and finance management.
- Not recommended for large organisations with complex needs.
Pricing
Charlie’s pricing works in brackets where the price increases as your team size grows, starting from as little as £20 per month. There’s one simple plan that includes all the features. We offer a competitive price for small businesses: £5 per month for up to 4 team members for the first six months, representing a 75% discount.
Choose CharlieHR if you’re looking for HR software that’s easy to use, affordable, and with all the core HR features you need.
👉 Not sure whether to choose CharlieHR or HiBob? Read our detailed Charlie vs. HiBob comparison guide.
Reasons for switching
If you’re one person building out HR for your company, you want a platform that can be set up quickly and easily — something you and your team can start using straight away, like CharlieHR.
HiBob’s setup process is complex and many workflows need customising. That’s manageable if you have in-house specialists, but HiBob’s implementation is not a one-person job. According to feedback from previous customers, support can sometimes send customers back to FAQs rather than personally addressing their issues.
#2
Breathe
Best for UK SMEs that want core HR admin
Breathe’s range of HR features and affordable pricing make it a potential HiBob alternative for small-to-medium sized businesses that want core HR and the ability to customise their plan with different modules:
Simplify leave management: Request time off, approve holidays, and get an overview of upcoming team absences.
Manage documents and HR policies: Store company documents and policies in one central location for easy access.
Monitor data from dashboards: Get an overview of upcoming holidays and milestones, and keep track of trends.
Collect feedback: Schedule regular check-ins, run performance reviews, and introduce real-time feedback.
Onboard new hires: Welcome new employees with access to their own portal, team intros, and key documents.
Add extra functionality with add-ons: Customise your experience with add-ons including rota, time & attendance, recruitment tracking, and expenses management.
Pros
- Tools to support in-person and hybrid collaboration, like team member locations.
- Optional extras include rota management and learning management.
- Choice to add health and safety tools in the same platform.
Cons
- Lacks some of the employee engagement and culture-building features that HiBob has.
- Other HR software is more affordable for very small teams.
Pricing
Breathe’s pricing starts at £24 per month for a team of 1-10 people, with add-ons between £11-£16 per month per business.
Choose Breathe if you’re a small business with 50+ employees and would benefit from some of the add-on modules.
👉 Wondering whether CharlieHR or Breathe is best? Read our in-depth Charlie vs. Breathe comparison.
#3
BambooHR
Best for mid-market businesses with HR teams
Bamboo, a US-based company, has a to offer for businesses, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming for small businesses — and the pricing may well be outside your budget. But if you’re switching from HiBob the features and setup may feel very familiar:
Save time with automation: Build automated workflows for approvals, onboarding, and more.
Improve the performance review process: Use peer feedback, review cycles, and goal setting and tracking to support and motivate employees.
Export data for payroll: Capture accurate data on time worked, then export it easily to your chosen payroll system.
Create your own community: Improve internal communications, increase engagement, and celebrate good work with recognition tools.
Streamline onboarding: Welcome new hires, build team connections, and personalise the onboarding flow based on role and how they work.
Get insights from embedded AI: Let the AI-powered HR assistant surface relevant data for better decision-making.
Pros
- Features, pricing, and experience feel similar to HiBob.
- Different packages allow teams to choose the most relevant plan to their needs.
- Option to upgrade for benchmarking, compliance training, and compensation management.
Cons
- Better for medium-to-large and enterprise-level companies, rather than small businesses.
- Unaffordable for most small businesses.
Pricing
BambooHR’s pricing starts at £8.10 per employee per month, or a £200 per month flat rate for under 25 employees, with volume discounts automatically applied.
Choose BambooHR if you want a platform that your small business can grow into.
Considering CharlieHR and BambooHR? Read our detailed Charlie vs. BambooHR guide for more information.
#4
Best for small-to-medium UK businesses that want integrated payroll
Sage HR is part of the wider Sage ecosystem, which makes it a good HiBob alternative for businesses that want to move many operations into one platform. Teams can customise their plan with modules to suit the type of business they run:
Store all your HR data in one place: Centralise your people data in one platform, with easy data transfer via integrations.
Keep everyone informed: Share updates and announcements with team members instantly.
Save time on leave management: Introduce automated time-off requests, approvals, and absence tracking.
Sign documents digitally: Make it easier to sign contracts and other documents with integrated e-signatures.
Reach everyone with the mobile app: Communicate with team members, including those that work in the field, with the fully-featured mobile app.
Add the features that matter to you: Use add-ons like payroll, timesheets, shift scheduling, and recruitment when they’re relevant to your business.
Pros
- Easily integrates with Sage’s other products, including connected payroll.
- Flexible to meet the needs of different types of businesses, including those that need rotas and timesheets.
- Clean and simple interface, familiar to those that use Sage for payroll.
Cons
- Recruitment add-on is expensive for small businesses.
- Lacks some of the employee engagement and analytics depth that HiBob has.
Pricing
Sage HR’s pricing starts at £5 per employee per month. Add-ons range between £1.25 and £2.50 per employee per month, with recruitment available at £184.45 per month.
Choose Sage HR if you already use Sage for payroll or accounting and you want to work more efficiently.
Considering CharlieHR and SageHR? Read our detailed Charlie vs SageHR guide for more information.
Pricing comparison: HiBob competitors
HiBob
CharlieHR
Breathe
BambooHR
Sage HR
Starting price
Contact for pricing
£5 per month for a team of 1-4 people
£24 per month for a team of 1-10 people
£8.10 per user per month
£5 per user per month
Pricing model
Custom
Bracket
Bracket
Per user
Per employee
Minimum users
Minimum applies, not publicly listed
1
1
Minimum monthly cost of £200 applies*
1
Contract length
Not publicly listed, but HiBob’s terms indicate a renewal of a 12 month term
Monthly
Monthly, yearly
Monthly, extended term
Monthly
Add-ons
Culture
HR automation tools
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
Pay transparency
Strategic hiring
(no pricing publicly listed)
Charlie Recruit — £55+ per month
Charlie Advice — £179 per month
Rota, time and attendance management — £11 per month per business
Learn — £11 per month per business
Recruitment tracking — £16 per month per business
Expenses management — £14 per month per business
Health and safety — £12 per month per business
Time & attendance
Employer of Record (powered by Remote)
(no pricing publicly listed)
Performance — £2.50 per employee per month
Timesheets — £2.50 per employee per month
Shift scheduling — £2.50 per employee per month
Expenses — £1.25 per employee per month
Recruitment — £184.45 per month
Transparency level
Custom quote
Clear
Clear
Custom quote
Clear
*For companies with fewer than 25 employees, a flat rate of £200 per month applies instead of the per user pricing.
Almost all of HiBob’s competitors in the small business space list pricing transparently online. While enterprise companies can afford the time to attend sales calls and wait for custom quotes, small business leaders want immediate access to pricing so they can solve problems faster.
Is HiBob really worth it?
Throughout my research, it was easy to understand where Hibob’s shortcomings were, but also where it could be a great tool. Let’s have a look at both reasons why.
When Hibob is the right choice
- You have a dedicated HR function and the resource to configure it.
- You have 50+ employees and want culture-building and AI-powered features at scale.
- You want sophisticated engagement tools (shoutouts, employee profiles, Bob's Clubs).
- You have the budget and an ops team to handle implementation.
When to consider a HiBob alternative
- You're under 30 people and don't have an HR background.
- You want to be up and running quickly without a complex setup.
- You need transparent pricing before you talk to sales.
- You're looking for simplicity, not sophistication.
Reason for switching: Unnecessary features
HiBob has an impressive range of features, but as a small company you need to focus on the basics first.
A 30-person company that used HiBob told us they were drowning in features for a company of their size. Having too many features can be unnecessary, overwhelming, and confusing when it comes to knowing what to prioritise. One of our customers described it as “feeling like you’re paying for extras no one is going to be using.
How to choose the best HiBob alternative for your small business
After speaking to small businesses owners, we’ve identified a simple process to follow to find the right HiBob alternative for your team:
1.
Get clear on what you need including what’s missing from HiBob.
2.
List the problems you have now and how a different HR tool can help solve them.
3.
Set a budget based on what you can realistically afford.
4.
Do your research from a mix of sources, including review guides, search engines, AI tools, and peers.
5.
Book a demo and come prepared with specific questions that cover your pain points.
6.
Test your chosen HiBob competitors for free.
7.
Review your experience with the rest of your team.
8.
Ask for support if you need to convince people internally to invest in the software.
9.
Make the decision that’s right for you.
10.
Plan your move away from HiBob.
Why is CharlieHR the best option for small businesses?
HiBob has a wide range of features that appeal to small business owners — especially if you’re keen to use AI to innovate or develop your company culture. But for teams looking for an alternative, we believe that Charlie is the best choice for small businesses. Here’s why:
Charlie is:
- Built specifically for UK small businesses (up to 30 people)
- Easy to use, with no unnecessary complexities or distractions
- Modern, with a clean and simple interface
- Always transparent with pricing, plans, and add-ons
- Equipped with optional add-ons for when you grow
- Designed for busy founders, CEOs, and HR generalists
Charlie has the features you need, and none of the ones you don’t — so you only pay for the tools that actually support the work you do.
If you’re looking for a solid HiBob alternative, try Charlie. Book a demo with our friendly team and they’ll show you around, answer your questions, and get you started with a free trial so you can see how everything works.
Check out the best Hibob alternative today
Book a demoHiBob alternatives FAQs
What is the best HiBob alternative for small businesses?
The best HiBob alternative depends on your needs, team size, and budget. For many UK small businesses, Charlie offers good value for money and comes with all the features you need, but you may prefer another platform based on your own requirements and experiences.
Is HiBob too expensive for small teams?
Many small businesses will find HiBob too expensive for their needs. HiBob’s pricing isn’t available publicly, but HiBob’s G2 page shows the perceived cost at 4/5 — much higher than many of the software tools aimed at small businesses.
Is HiBob good for UK businesses?
HiBob can be good for UK businesses that have their own dedicated HR team, are anticipating fast growth in the next few years, or want to start with (or move to) a platform with more of a focus on culture.
How much does HiBob cost?
HiBob’s pricing isn’t available publicly, but previous customer conversations have suggested it to be in the region of £8 per employee per month. For confirmed and personalised pricing, speak to HiBob’s sales team for a customised proposal.
What features does HiBob have that alternatives don’t?
HiBob’s feature set extends beyond common core HR tools into areas like talent management, learning, payroll, benefits administration, compensation management, workforce planning, and financial insights.
Is HiBob easy to set up?
Based on real customer insights on HiBob’s G2 page, the time to implement is around two months (or 4-8 weeks). In comparison, you can set Charlie up with no experience in minutes and be ready to go live within days.
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