Sense HR vs Breathe HR: A complete UK comparison for HR software

In today’s fast-moving business world, choosing the right HR software can make or break how efficiently your people operations run.  

Two UK-based platforms, SenseHR and Breathe, offer distinct solutions tailored to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), as well as growing businesses. But which one is the better fit for your organisation? How are you meant to choose between the best HR systems?

Whether you’re upgrading from spreadsheets or switching from another tool, this guide will compare the key features, user experience, and pricing of SenseHR and Breathe to help you make the best decision.  

Core HR features compared

Feature highlights: Breathe vs SenseHR

Non-technical users: Accessibility and ease of use

Pros and cons: Breathe vs SenseHR

Pricing comparison (2025)

Which HR software is right for you?

Core HR features compared 

When comparing HR software, it's important to consider additional features that can streamline HR processes and improve your current ways of working.  

See how SenseHR and Breathe measure up here:  

Feature highlights: Breathe vs SenseHR 

Let’s take a closer look at how Breathe and SenseHR stack up across key HR functions. From admin and automation to performance management and time-tracking, here’s how the platforms compare. 

HR admin

Breathe offers easy-to-use HR tools centralised employee records, document storage, and absence tracking. Improving efficiency and ensuring compliance - so you'll always be audit-trail ready. Ideal for SMEs and businesses looking for simplicity and reliability, especially for those who have exciting growth plans.  

SenseHR allows for deep customisation of business processes, including editable fields and form logic, for businesses needing tailored workflows. These customaisable features are available on the Enterprise plan.  

Time and attendance

Breathe provides rota, time and attendance tracking allows for SME’s to build and publish rotas in minutes, to monitor employee presence, generate accurate timesheets to equip finance teams with the information they need to manage payroll. Check out the rota, time and attendance add-on which you can try for free with Breathe's free trial. 

SenseHR includes built-in time-tracking with features including clock in/out, overtime reporting and timesheets.  

Leave management

With Breathe, employees can request and book leave themselves directly via the app, bringing self-service to important day to day tasks. With shared calendars, leadership can stay in the loop of who's working and who’s not, as well as leave approvals and management.

SenseHR offers a vacation tracker and other features including leave types, carryovers, and approval chains. With custom absence groups available for the professional plan or above, Sense customers can have more control over logging staff leave. 

Performance management

Breathe provides structured performance reviews, one-to-one tracking, and goal setting. These features help support employee engagement by improving communication, strengthening employee relationships, and enhancing overall workforce management. 

SenseHR supports standard performance reviews, however for a little extra money customers can leverage customisable performance plans to review employee development [Elite plan or above].

Onboarding

Who doesn't love a checklist? Breathe customers will be able to use the workflows feature to build a sequence of tasks for important employee experiences, assigning the right people at the right time. Whether that be onboarding/offboarding or a promotion to manager. 

SenseHR enables automated onboarding journeys, customised to job roles and departments, automating onboarding tasks such as sending offer letters and running background checks. 

Compliance and document management 

Breathe provides unlimited online document storage for all your employee data, and allows for employee acknowledgement of important documents, policies and expiry alerts. 

SenseHR allows for unlimited document storage and tracking to support HR compliance and regulatory adherence, helping organisations manage employee documents and meet legal obligations. Customers on the professional plan or above will have access to e-signatures.  

Non-technical users: Accessibility and ease of use 

When it comes to choosing the best HR software, accessibility is key, especially for non-technical users. The best HR platforms are designed to be user-friendly, with intuitive navigation and clear dashboards that make it easy for anyone to manage HR tasks.  

Features like automated workflows and self-service portals empower employees and managers to handle routine HR functions without needing technical expertise.  

This not only saves time for HR professionals but also reduces the risk of errors and ensures that everyone in the business can make the most of the HR software, regardless of their technical background. 

User experience and interface 

Breathe: 

Built for busy business owners and HR managers, Breathe’s interface is clean, intuitive, and requires minimal setup. It removes the need for technical know-how, making it accessible to non-HR professionals across the business. 

SenseHR: 

SenseHR takes a customisable approach, giving users control to design their processes. The platform is modern, but this level of flexibility may demand more time to implement effectively, especially for smaller teams. 

Pros and cons: Breathe vs SenseHR 

Still deciding between Breathe HR and SenseHR? Here’s a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of each HR software to help you weigh up what matters most to your business, including the needs and workflows of your HR team. 

Breathe – the all-in-one HR software built for growing UK businesses

Pros 

• Intuitive, user-friendly design made for SMEs 
• Trusted by over 13,000 UK organisations 
• UK-based support team with email and live chat 
• Add-ons like rota planning, time tracking, and e-Learning, ready to be switched on as your HR function matures. 
• Fast onboarding with minimal training required 
• 14-day free trial—no commitment required 

Things to consider 

• Doesn’t offer advanced automation logic
• Mobile app is streamlined for essentials, not as feature-rich as some alternatives 

Best suited for: 

• SMEs that want a dependable, easy-to-use HR system that grows with them. Breathe is a strong fit for companies that prioritise: 
• Compliance readiness and secure document handling 
• Simple holiday, absence, and performance tracking 
• Access to local, reliable customer support 
• A system that works straight out of the box with minimal setup 
• Integrations with trusted UK tools like payroll and recruitment as examples  

SenseHR - flexible HR software for custom automations 

Pros 

• Customisable dashboards, fields, and data views 
• Process automation  
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android 
• Strong data security  

Things to consider 

• More complex setup and onboarding 
• Smaller user base and fewer independent reviews 
• Digital-first support (mainly ticket/email) 

Best suited for

SMEs that need: 

• Custom processes and field configuration 
• A mobile-first experience for remote/deskless teams 
• High security and compliance standards 
  
  

Pricing comparison (2025) 

HR software typically cost varies depending on company size, features required, and the number of users.  

Both SenseHR and Breathe use tiered pricing models, so small businesses may find affordable entry-level plans, while larger organisations with more advanced needs may pay higher rates.  

Which HR software is right for you? 

When you choose HR software, there are plenty of key factors to consider. Here, we help weigh some of this up for you:  

Choose Breathe if you want: 

• A user-friendly, ready-to-go HR platform 
• Strong UK support and compliance features 
• Affordable pricing with room to grow as your business matures 
• Minimal onboarding and training time 

Choose SenseHR if you want: 

• High levels of customisation and flexibility 
• Process automation and real-time configurability 
• Mobile first operations  

Final verdict

Both Breathe HR software and SenseHR offer strong HR software solutions for UK SMEs and growing businesses. 

Breathe HR is ideal if you’re looking for an intuitive, ready-to-use platform that supports the HR essentials with excellent customer support.  

SenseHR stands out for its flexibility, particularly for businesses that want to build bespoke HR processes focused on automation. 

When selecting your HR software, consider your internal resources, business size, and how much control you want over system setup and workflows.  

FAQs 

What’s the main difference between SenseHR and Breathe? 

The biggest difference is in approach. Breathe is a tried-and-tested platform built for SMEs that want a straightforward, intuitive system with UK-specific compliance and excellent support. SenseHR focuses on flexibility and customisation, allowing teams to design workflows, automate processes, and tailor the system to complex needs. 

Does SenseHR include all features as standard? 

SenseHR includes a wide range of features, such as time-tracking, onboarding automation, and custom workflows, as part of its base offering. However, it doesn’t offer a free trial, just a demo only with a sales rep, and some integrations or automation may require additional configuration/technical input and budget. 

Does Breathe offer a mobile app? 

Yes. Breathe has a dedicated mobile app available for both iOS and Android, making it easy for employees and managers to submit leave requests, view documents, submit expenses, and access HR information on the go.  

Which platform is better for non-technical users? 

Breathe is designed with simplicity in mind – making it ideal for non-HR professionals and small teams without internal IT support. SenseHR offers greater flexibility but may require a bit more digital fluency to configure and manage. 

Do both platforms support payroll integration? 

Yes. Both Breathe and SenseHR offer payroll integration. Breathe connects with the popular UK payroll provider Xero.  

Is there a free trial for Breathe and SenseHR? 

Breathe offers a 14-day free trial so you can test the platform before committing. SenseHR does not currently provide a free trial but offers a live demo to showcase key features. 

Which is more cost-effective for small businesses? 

It depends on your team size and feature needs. Breathe uses a flat-rate model (starting at £22/month for up to 10 employees), making it affordable and scalable. SenseHR follows a per-user model (from £2 per employee/month), which may be more flexible for very small teams or those wanting full access to features from day one. 

Can I customise workflows in both systems? 

SenseHR can provide customisation to edit fields and automate processes with its rules-based builder. Breathe allows you to build custom workflows for various employee experiences such as onboarding/offboarding.  

Which platform is better for growing businesses? 

Both systems support growth, but in different ways.  

Choose Breathe if you want a user-friendly, scalable platform with add-ons you can adopt over time. Choose SenseHR if your team needs high levels of control, automation, and the ability to shape your HR processes from the ground up.