- Dwg
- VTA-BM
- Title
- Industry benchmark
- Market
- London, GB
- Run
- 2026-09-14
Dwg VTA-BMIndustry benchmark · London, GB · 2026-09-14
Which vendors do AI assistants recommend for HR software for UK small businesses?
CharlieHR is named in 72% of answers — the assistants have a settled reply for HR software for UK small businesses.
Share of answers
Who the assistants named
8 buyer questions, put to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity with web search on, from London, GB, on 2026-09-14. 32 answers were read; every vendor claim below carries a quote from the answer it came from.
Named in answers, out of 32
Full bar = every answer- 1CharlieHR2371.9%
- 2Breathe HR2268.8%
- 3Personio1856.3%
- 4Employment Hero1650%
- 5Access PeopleHR1650%
- 6HiBob1546.9%
- 7Sage HR1546.9%
- 8BrightHR1237.5%
- 9BambooHR1031.3%
- 10Rippling825%
- 11Factorial825%
- 12Zoho People721.9%
One vendor is named in more than half the answers: the assistants have a settled reply.
- Market
- London, GB
- Run
- 2026-09-14
- Answers
- 8 prompts × 4 engines = 32
- Engines
- claude-sonnet-5 · gemini-3.6-flash · gpt-5 · sonar
| # | Vendor | Named in | Credited with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CharlieHR | 23 of 32 (72%) | Priced for teams up to ~25-30 employees; natural fit for headcount; best for modern user experience & startups |
| 2 | Breathe HR | 22 of 32 (69%) | Bradford factor scoring; built exclusively for UK SMBs; good value for budget |
| 3 | Personio | 18 of 32 (56%) | Best for mid-sized businesses (50–500+ employees); complex leave policies; carry-over rules |
| 4 | Employment Hero | 16 of 32 (50%) | All-in-one HR and payroll; Employment Operating System; widely used by UK SMEs |
| 5 | Access PeopleHR | 16 of 32 (50%) | Best for growth & analytics; in-depth reporting, ATS, performance management; native UK payroll modules |
| 6 | HiBob | 15 of 32 (47%) | Native UK payroll; future-proofing for scaling past 50 employees; higher price point |
| 7 | Sage HR | 15 of 32 (47%) | Good for Sage ecosystem users; modular core HR system; simple UX |
| 8 | BrightHR | 12 of 32 (38%) | Strong legal compliance support; simple workflows; reliable absence control |
| 9 | BambooHR | 10 of 32 (31%) | Connects to payroll via integration rather than native UK payroll; marketplace integrations with PayFit, Xero UK payroll, Pento; syncs employee data automatically |
| 10 | Rippling | 8 of 32 (25%) | UK payroll HMRC-recognised; best for tech teams (HR + payroll + IT); handles UK payroll natively |
| 11 | Factorial | 8 of 32 (25%) | Low-cost all-in-one; UK-localised; per-user pricing from £5.40 PEPM |
| 12 | Zoho People | 7 of 32 (22%) | Free for up to 5 users; budget pick; good enough for basics |
The questions
What we asked
- What is the best HR software for a UK company with 25 employees?
- Which HR platforms handle holiday requests, absence and UK statutory leave?
- What HR software includes UK-compliant employment contracts and policy templates?
- Which HR tools integrate with UK payroll providers?
- What are the best alternatives to BambooHR for a UK business?
- Which HR software helps with right-to-work checks in the UK?
- What HR platforms are affordable for a UK startup under 10 people?
- Which HR software offers performance reviews and one-to-one tracking for small teams?
Quoted
In the assistants' words
“CharlieHR is priced for teams up to roughly 25–30 employees, making it a natural fit if you don't expect rapid growth beyond that.”
“Breathe HR is one of the few major platforms built exclusively for UK small and medium-sized businesses.”
“Personio — Automated absence management with UK public holiday calendars and configurable accrual/policies for the UK.”
“it positions itself as an Employment Operating System – a single platform that handles HR administration, payroll, benefits, and time and attendance without requiring multiple software subscriptions”
“Employment Hero — strong choice if you want combined HR and payroll in one platform for UK SMEs.”
“PeopleHR — best if you want all-in-one HR, payroll and AI for a UK SME.”